Subsequent to the winning of the Institute’s Knowledge Transfer Award 2010-11, The Centre for Development and Research in Small Class Teaching (CSCT) was invited by Research and Development Office (RDO) to present to the colleagues of the Institute in a Knowledge Transfer Sharing Session on 10 January 2012. The aim of the Sharing Session was to share with colleagues the success of a project on the inclusive philosophy behind Small Class Teaching (SCT) as a catalyst for teacher development and school improvement that had contributed to a successful turnaround of a school which was on the brink of closure to one that is now recognized by the local community for its quality of education.

The speakers included Dr. Chan Kam Wing, Co-director of CSCT, Mr. Tang Yiu Nam, Centre Manager of CSCT, and Ms Ng Ka Chun, Principal of Lok Sin Tong Leung Wong Wai Fong Memorial School. They talked about the concepts of SCT, cooperative learning, principal leadership, how the teachers were empowered through professional development, and how the Centre and the School collaborated in changing the teaching and learning environment of the school to optimize the pupils’ learning.

Professor Kerry Kennedy, Dean of the Faculty of Education Studies, emphasized that knowledge transfer is of fundamental importance to the Institute. As the Institute is developing research, knowledge transfer provides a linkage between community and the profession. Dr. Lai Kwok Chan, Director of CSCT, congratulated the Principal and Centre colleagues for the fruitful collaboration that has started more than three years ago. The Sharing Session was ended amidst professional dialogues among colleagues.

Abstract:

The aim of the seminar is to share with colleagues the success of a project on the inclusive philosophy behind Small Class Teaching (SCT) as a catalyst for teacher development and school improvement that have contributed to a successful turnaround of a school which was on the brink of closure to one that is now recognized by the local community for its quality of education. To begin with, professional support in the form of workshops on cooperative learning, collaborative lesson planning, lesson observation and the inducing of changes to the learning environment, were provided by The Centre for Development and Research in Small Class Teaching (The Centre) to empower the teachers involved to use SCT as a facilitator in optimising their pupils’ learning. In return, the principal and teachers of the school contributed to knowledge transfer by sharing their experiences on the Teachers’ Professional Development Days organized by The Centre and at Small Class Teaching symposiums in Mainland China. The project has not only enhanced the effectiveness of implementing SCT in the School, but has also had wider policy implications since the government began to implement SCT in local primary schools in 2009/10.