Analysis:

• Sufficient input was given in lessons for students to have the basic knowledge to explore the issues of obesity and bad eating habits to prepare students to carry out their own mini-studies and set meaningful goals to improve their health
• Ample opportunities were created for students to reflect on their own and classmates' eating habits. Each student conducted a mini-study on his/her own eating habits by completing health logs and questionnaires, collecting data on eating habits, making self-reflections and obtaining peers' and teachers' feedback. Some sources of data for reflections include:
  • Evaluation of their eating habits for breakfast, lunch and dinner recorded for eight consecutive days to obtain evidence-based data from the diary entries and results of the pre- and post-health logs
  • Reflections on their own eating habits
  • Evaluative comments on completed health logs of peers
  • Drawing conclusions on their own eating habits
  • Poems and stories created with feelings and reflections of good eating habits and healthy meals.

Evidence

• Before doing the mini-study on their own eating habits, 64% of students considered the eating habits healthy. However, after the mini-project, 48% of students considered their eating habits healthy. Students' awareness of their unhealthy eating habits was raised. Students also changed their concepts about healthy eating habits after doing the study.

• 90% of students were able to set three different goals to improve their unsatisfactory eating habits. 100% of students set at least one goal to improve their eating habits. Students were encouraged to review whether they had achieved the goals after a period of time.

Peers' feedback on the health logs
"I think you should improve your eating habits [because] you eat too [much] unhealthy food and drink too many soft drinks."

"I think you drink too [many] coffee and coke. You do not eat [enough] vegetable[s]. Drink plenty of water and don't eat too much meat like beef or chicken."

Teachers' feedback on the health logs
"Tom, I think you have quite a balanced diet. You have eaten enough meat and rice. But you should eat more fruit! Keep it up!"

"Elena, your eating habits are not very healthy as you have eaten too many noodles and chicken wings. You should eat enough meat to help you to grow stronger. Keep it up!"

"Rosanna, you have healthy meals. But I agree with you that sometimes you need to drink more water. And I think you need to eat less ice-cream because ice-cream is too sweet and there is a lot of fat."

Students' reflections based on the data in the mini-study

"I think my eating habits [are] healthy, but I eat a lot of meat. Meat is not good for my health. I should eat more vegetables because they are good for my health. I will change my eating habits."

"I think my eating habits [are] quite healthy. I eat plenty of vegetables, fresh fruit and drink plenty of milk and water. I don't eat too much beef, too many sweets and don't drink too many soft drinks. I am very satisfied [with] my eating habits."

"I think my eating habits [have changed] a lot after the health logs…because before I learned to be healthy, I ate a lot of fried food."

"I think I eat too much meat…..I think I drink a lot of soft drinks. I must eat less meat and [do] not drink a lot of soft drinks. I want to be fit."

Analysis:

• Besides the use of poems, stories and related texts to help students explore related issues and their consequences in the classroom, students also took part in an eat-well-and-be-fit festival held outside the classroom to give students a purpose for exploring the issues. Students were asked to apply they had learned in the classroom in a co-curricular activity. They were also asked to do some publicity work in other groups to educate their classmates about good eating habits.
  All P5 students from different classes were mixed together and formed into different groups to explore the issue of obesity. In the process, students learned from their peers. The inter-class competition also created a very positive atmosphere for students to apply their learning in the classroom and generate learning products.

Evidence:
Feedback from students

• In the co-curricular activity, students were able to create stories and poems in groups to show the importance of having healthy eating habits. They were able to share poems, stories and posters with other groups as part of the publicity work on healthy eating.
• The Majority of students enjoyed doing the co-curricular activity and found it very interesting

Feedback from teachers

• All P5 English teachers found the co-curricular activity closely aligned with classroom learning and meaningful to students
• "I felt quite surprised that students were able to create different stories. I believe they can learn some positive values"
• "The co-curricular activity is meaningful"

Analysis

• Teachers moved from a textbook-bound approach to a more task-based approach. They successfully integrated issues into a task-based unit and were able to scaffold students' knowledge gradually and systematically to help them explore real life issues. In the process, they adopted a more innovative approach through the use of health logs to obtain evidence-based data, requiring students to discover things for themselves. They created many chances for students to reflect on their own and peers' eating habits based on data. Students' classroom learning was also extended outside the classroom.

Evidence

Teachers' reflections
Based on the interview with P5 English teachers, they all found that

• the tryout was very useful and meaningful to students.
• students had more opportunities to reflect and develop positive values
• they could align the formal curriculum closely with the informal curriculum
• they learned the basic professional skills for integrating issues / social issues in the school-based curriculum.