Abstract

Whether our schools are implementing an education suited only to an earlier era or they have failed the mission of education all along, their restructuring and redesign are urgently required. In addressing both utilitarian and epistemological concerns, the "variable" and "constant" aspects of education are examined, the centrality of learners as well as the process of learning and teaching are highlighted, and the need for going beyond basic literacies and introducing disciplinary thinking through in-depth studies of cultural exemplars of "zhen," "shan," and "mei" (truth, goodness, and beauty) are emphasized. Finally, the importance of building quality schools for our children on the basis of good practices and their evaluation is discussed.

Keywords: school restructuring; quality school; Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper attempts to reveal the central role of subject matter in teaching thinking, and in so doing, criticise the skill-oriented approach adopted in Singapore. Based upon Dewey's idea of psychologizing the subject matter, this paper introduces the idea-based approach in which subject matter is used as the most important intellectual resource for developing thinking and as a central framework for introducing educative experience. Focusing on the assumptions about subject matter, learning to think, and teaching thinking, a comparison and contrast between the two approaches has been made to reveal the problems inherent in the skill-oriented approach. This paper contends that the skill-oriented approach fails to consider subject matter to be the most important resource in developing thinking. It is grounded in a faulty assumption which separates subject matter and thinking. It creates a tendency of ignoring the concepts, principles, and criteria embodied in subject matter in disciplining and enhancing thinking, of reducing teaching thinking into generic techniques, and of restricting and undermining the impulses, dispositions, and freedom of learners. Further, this paper espouses an approach which combines teaching subject matter for conceptual understanding and developing higher-order thinking together, based upon Dewey's idea and current advances in cognitive psychology.

Keywords: thinking; teaching; John Dewey

Abstract

The Virtual School of Biodiversity (VSB) is a joint venture between the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity at The University of Hong Kong, the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Nottingham, and the Natural History Museum, London. Its objective is to provide a medium for cross-institutional collaboration and the joint delivery of quality-assured educational materials via the World Wide Web (WWW). One of the latest VSB developments is a Virtual Scrapbook that is a Web-based data and image management system for supporting teaching and learning in various disciplines. An initial application of this system in biology is for teaching about the classification and diversity of living organisms. In the past, this subject often involved detailed, teacher-centered lecturing on how living organisms are classified and on their taxonomic details. With the use of the Virtual Scrapbook, this subject can be taught using a more pedagogically sound, student-centered constructivist approach, which exploits the potential benefits to teaching and learning offered by multimedia and information technology.

Keywords: web-based learning; constructivist learning theory; student-centred learning

Abstract

Handling disruptive classroom behavior is a major task for teachers. However, only a few studies have been conducted in Hong Kong secondary schools, similar work in primary schools is lacking. This study assessed the perception of Hong Kong primary school teachers on the categories of disruptive classroom behavior, including their severity and frequency. In addition, the relationships between classroom management and other demographic variables were examined. Participants consisted of 144 primary school teachers coming from 10 primary schools located at different areas of Hong Kong. Teachers responded to a modified questionnaire of behavior categories based on those developed by Wheldall & Merrett (1988) and suggestions made by local teachers. The results showed that teachers rated "Talking Out of Turn" and "Non-attentiveness" the number one and second severe and frequent classroom behavior, respectively. Boys were rated more disruptive than girls and the boy-girl ratio was 2.1:1.0. Among the responses, 93% cited boys as the most disruptive in class. Over 61% of teachers reported spending 10–20% of class time on classroom management. The findings suggest that, to improve the quality of learning in Hong Kong primary schools, teachers should be provided with pre-service and in-service training on classroom management skills.

Keywords: disruptive classroom behavior; classroom management; primary school

Abstract

This study examined the effects of three instructional fitness formats on student's appropriate motor time, heart rate intensity and exercise pleasure. The participants in this study consisted of 480 junior secondary school students. Three different instructional formats, including (1) traditional fitness model, (2) fitness-skill model, and (3) fitness-skill-music model, were used to test for significant difference between the three groups on the two variables. In comparing the various outcomes of the three teaching formats, there was little difference among them in terms of context level and learner involvement level of Academic Learning Time in Physical Education (ALTPE). There was no significant heart rate difference in participants in the three instructional formats. However, participants reported that they had greatest satisfaction when the instructional format was accompanied by music. The results of the present research indicated that more attention should be paid to the development of teaching formats, which not only attracted but also sustained the interest of young people leading to regular participation in exercise programs.

Keywords: academic learning time in physical education; heart rate intensity; fitness instructional formats

Abstract

A modified version of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) questionnaire was administered to a sample of 802 part-time English language teachers of six institutions to assess their job satisfaction with respect to their work, pay, opportunities for promotion, supervision, and colleagues. A total of 264 questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of 33%. The second part is the qualitative study in which 30 part-time teachers out of 264 respondents (11.4%) were selected by random sampling and interviewed to provide in-depth understanding of their experiences and development over the period. Consistent with most research findings, it was found that small to moderate correlations were observed between the facets of job satisfaction and 12 selected demographic variables. Results of the study supported the importance and need for increasing the supply of English language teachers. Institutions should provide more opportunities for transfer to full-time posts and promotions among teachers by refining the career ladder. Recommendations for increasing the job satisfaction of the Hong Kong part-time English language teachers are proposed.

Keywords: professional and continuing education; job satisfaction; English language teachers

摘要

學生沒有興趣寫作，其中一個原因可能是：老師訂的作文題目太沉悶和死板。1997年，香港有八所小學進行一項寫作教學的改革，名為「全語文寫作教學」。這個計畫其中一個特點是：教師不會給一個固定的寫作題目，只給一個「母題」，而學生可以根據「母題」自訂寫作題目──「子題」。例如老師給的「母題」是：「縮小了」，有些學生的題目是：「假如我縮小了」、「地球縮小了」、「老師縮小了」、「怎樣使ｘｘ縮小了」、「ｘｘ縮小了的利弊」等。本文的目的是：介紹和分析這些母子題的類型、特點和學生對這類型寫作形式的意見。本研究以上述八所小學每級一班的學生為研究對象，以問卷和晤談為研究方法。結果發現：即使是一年級學生，也能根據「母題」產出許多「子題」，學生覺得這種母子題的形式能引起寫作的興趣。

關鍵詞：命題寫作；母子題型；全語文

Abstract

One of the reasons that students are not interested in writing could be: the topics which teachers assigned are too rigid and dull. In 1997, eight primary schools in Hong Kong join a project named "Whole Language Writing Project" to reform the teaching of writing. One characteristic of this project is: teachers would give students an "Area Topic" instead of assigning a topic for them to decide their "Individual Topic" accordingly. For example, given "shrink" as an "Area Topic", then topics students may come out could be: "If I become smaller in size", "The earth becomes smaller", "The teacher becomes small", "How to make xx smaller", "Advantages and disadvantages of xx to be smaller" etc. This paper aims to introduce and analyse the "Area Topics" and the "Individual Topics" of this writing project. Opinions of the students are also included. The research subjects were one class of each form in eight primary schools. Research methods used were questionnaire and interviews. The findings are, even P.1 students can produce many "Individual Topics", and students showed that their interest in writing can be aroused by the practice.

摘要

自1990年教統會第四號報告書引入學校本位輔導後，香港的中學相繼實施學校本位輔導服務。本文便是對在香港中學推行了約十年的校本輔導作出評估和建議，評估指標包括三方面：（一）學校管理當局是否全力支持，（二）校內能否營造一個積極作用的環境，（三）校內全體教職員是否積極參與，而建議則包括（一）教育政策和（二）校本管理方面的改進。

關鍵詞：學校本位輔導；學校輔導服務；評估

Abstract

Whole school approach to guidance has gradually been in place in most Hong Kong secondary schools since its introduction in Education Commission Report No. 4 (1990). This article aims at evaluating and giving suggestions to the implementation of this approach to guidance. Performance indicators include (1) full support from the management, (2) positive environment in the schools and (3) active participation of all teachers. For suggestion, there are two areas for improvements: (1) education policy and (2) school-based management.

摘要

1881年，軒尼詩總督管治下的香港政府為了解決本地學校師資短缺的問題，成立了官立師範學堂。由於官師從建立到關閉，前後僅兩年時間，師生總數不足二十人，而且最終只有兩名學生成為教師，所以一百多年之後該校差不多被人完全遺忘，一些香港教育史的論著中關於它的零星記載亦含舛誤。本文認為，官師在香港教師教育史上應有一席之地。首先，它是香港第一所全日制師範學校。其次，它的教育實踐，儘管未臻完善，但已具備日後發展香港教師教育的雛形。本文在收集各類文獻材料的基礎上，盡量勾勒官師的簡短發展歷程，希望替它抹去歲月的灰塵，並探討其教育實踐對現今教師教育的啟示。

關鍵詞：官立師範學堂；教師教育史；香港

Abstract

The Government Normal School (GNS) was established on 12 September 1881 by the Hong Kong authorities under the governorship of John Pope Hennessy, and prematurely closed down two years later. This paper argues that the GNS, as the first full-time and single-purposed teacher training institute in the territory which had rudimentary elements of Hong Kong teacher education institutes in late years, should have been marked in the history of Hong Kong's teacher education. By utilizing primary and secondary source materials, the paper reconstructs the 2-year history of the School and discusses the implications of its education practices on the present-day teacher education.