To enhance the teaching competence of English teachers at Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia, the “English Teaching Methodology Training Course” was recently held in Kajang, Malaysia. The program was co-organized by the United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) and the School of Education, City University of Macau (City U Macau), and co-hosted by the City U Macau International Training and Testing Centre. Led by Professor Li Ying Cheng, Dean of the School of Education, the City U Macau teaching and research team conducted the training. The program attracted 85 in-service English teachers from 43 schools and marked the first time that Dong Zong had invited experts from Macao to deliver professional training for in-service English teachers.

The City University of Macau team specially developed customized teaching resource packs for the course, covering the understanding and application of high-quality teaching, learning, and assessment; classroom activity design; and a lesson plan framework based on the six core TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) principles—all of which can be directly applied by participating teachers in daily teaching.

On the first day, the training focused on assessment dimensions and learning objectives. Dean Cheng systematically explained the integrated principles of teaching, learning, and assessment, as well as the connotations of assessment contexts, tools, processes, and decision-making. She guided teachers to explore the three core concepts of assessment for learning, assessment of learning, and assessment as learning through group tasks. On the second day, Distinguished Professor Andy Curtis from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences delivered a session centered on the six TESOL principles lesson plan framework. He covered practical strategies including “knowing the learners,” “establishing conditions for language learning,” and “designing high-quality lessons.” Through group work and integrated listening-and-speaking activities, he helped teachers translate theories into classroom practice.

Doctoral students Miao Yiran and Song Ning, serving as teaching assistants, shared interactive teaching approaches for cooperative learning and listening-speaking instruction. Drawing on their own research and practical experience in language education, they linked the topics of teaching, learning, assessment, and the “six principles,” encouraging participants to share teaching insights and design lesson plans.

The two-day training featured a well-structured schedule and diversified activities, including theoretical lectures, group collaboration, and integrated listening-and-speaking practice, providing teachers with a high-quality learning experience that deeply integrates theory and practice. Participants provided positive feedback, noting that the course content was closely aligned with their real teaching needs and that the interactive formats were innovative. They stated that the training offered practical solutions to challenges in multilingual classrooms and expressed hope for more such opportunities in the future. The teachers will bring what they have learned back to their schools, share it with colleagues, and apply it in actual teaching.

The successful coordination and implementation of the training were supported by the close collaboration of the Dong Zong team. Mr. Zeng Qingfang, Deputy Executive Director and Director of the Teacher Education Department; Mr. Ye Yongjie, Assistant Senior Executive Officer of the Teacher Education Department; Ms. Shi Qingran, Researcher of the Teacher Education Department; Ms. Xu Biqing, Subject Editor (English) of the Curriculum Development Department; and Mr. Li Hongchun, Assistant Subject Editor (English) of the Curriculum Development Department coordinated the training arrangements throughout and provided strong support for its smooth delivery. Mr. Guo Rongjin, Chairman of the Unified Examination Committee of the Working Committee for Chinese Independent High Schools of Dong Jiao Zong, and Committee Member Mr. Li Wenhua, as well as Ms. Lin Meiyan, Director of the Technical and Vocational Education Department of Dong Zong, also attended the event. They observed the training and exchanged views with instructors and participants, further enriching the academic interaction of the program.