AIDEN CHEUNG (he/him)

Pre-service English Teacher / Applied Linguistics Researcher / English Language Tutor

Photo by Yen Li in Bangkok, Thailand. August 2023.

Teaching

Philosophy

According to my own understanding of education, the role of teachers is far from limited to imparting academic knowledge to students. As a pre-service secondary school English teacher, I hope to create a positive impact on the lives of the future generation through encouraging students to engage in self-talk, or the conversation with oneself. This way, we can help students understand their very own psychological needs and find their directions. They can, as such, be more intrinsically motivated and absorb the knowledge that they find important. In a nutshell, education is not the mere transmission of knowledge; the prerequisite would be the understanding of oneself.

Teaching Styles

As a future practitioner, I am looking to teach the English language as a science. According to the definition provided by Science Council, “science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.” I would like to present English, especially its grammar, as a well-formed system through evidence from corpora (i.e., data-driven learning, DDL) in the hope of minimising learner uncertainty and maximising the expectancy for successful acquisition. 

Also, I believe in the considerable power of the inductive (bottom-up) approach to English language teaching. More specifically, I am convinced by my own learning and teaching experience that discovery learning has a positive effect on knowledge retention and learner motivation. As such, I would provide students with authentic and comprehensible input while tasking them with analysing target features and structural regularities from linguistic data. 

Photo taken at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong SAR. February 2024.

Experience

Jul 2024-present

Course Instructor, Beacon College [Profile Page]

As a tutor under Kenneth Lau’s Teaching Team, I develop and teach courses that target at secondary school students (S.1 to S.6) in Hong Kong. Courses that I have developed and taught include:

Sep 2023-present

Peer Tutor, English Language Teaching Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Employed by the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) as a student helper, I provide detailed and insightful linguistic feedback on the written assignments by undergraduates from different disciplines at CUHK. The assignments on which I have provided feedback include expository essays, podcast transcripts, résumés, cover letters, literature reviews and undergraduate theses. 

Aug 2020-Jul 2024

Teaching Assistant, Beacon College

As a member of Kenneth Lau’s Academic Team, I was responsible for (1) designing course materials, reference books and mock examination papers, (2) marking assignments and mock examination scripts, (3) providing feedback to students during mock speaking examinations, (4) invigilating large-scale mock examinations and (5) leading remedial and elite workshops with class sizes of 20-30. 

Jul 2021-Jan 2022

Course Instructor, Pathway Education

I delivered online English lessons to high school students from different parts of mainland China (Shunde, Shandong, Jiangmen and Beijing) and collaborated with local high school teachers to monitor closely the learning progress of the students.

Volunteering

Aug 2021-present

Volunteer Teacher, Youth New World

Supporting Mock Exam For U (2021/2022/2023/2024), a scheme to prepare HKDSE candidates for the public examination, I have been assisting Kenneth Lau’s Academic Team in designing Paper 1 (Reading) and Paper 3 (Listening and Integrated Skills) mock examination papers for three consecutive years. I also provide volunteer markers with instructions in standardisation meetings and offer examination tips to students in ZOOM briefing sessions.

Feb-Apr 2024

Project Leader, 2024 DSE English Language Free Mock Examination

I conceived and led 2024 DSE English Language Free Mock Examination, a project that aimed to provide an opportunity for HKDSE 2024 candidates to “rehearse” for the high-stakes public examination. The free-of-charge mock examination targeted at underprivileged students in Hong Kong, including but not limited to the beneficiaries of School Textbook Assistance (STA) and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). A total of 36 candidates benefitted from the project, which served to fulfil the English volunteer teaching commitment of Scholarship for Pro Bono English Volunteer Teaching, awarded by New Asia College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Dec 2023-Jan 2024

Volunteer Teacher, Principal Chan Free Tutorial World

Supporting a free mock examination co-organised by Beacon College and Principal Chan Free Tutorial World for HKDSE 2024 candidates, I assisted Kenneth Lau’s Academic Team in designing English Language Paper 1 (Reading) and Paper 3 (Listening and Integrated Skills) mock examination papers. I also served as a speaker at a face-to-face briefing session in front of more than 50 students.

Jun-Oct 2023

Volunteer Teacher, Principal Chan Free Tutorial World

I provided free one-to-one English tutorial lessons for an underprivileged junior secondary student on a weekly basis, with tailor-made learning materials designed based on individual needs.