Session 1A of Day 1 - Paper 1A01

Understanding teacher professional development during the field experience period using a socio-cultural view of learning


May May Hung, CHENG
Department of Science
The Hong Kong Institute of Education

The field experience component in the four-year Bachelor of Education programme (Primary) at The Hong Kong Institute of Education offers a number of opportunities for students to observe or teach in a school. The aim of this paper is to analyse the learning of the student teachers and the supporting teachers during the field experience in the last two years of the programme and to explain this using a socio-cultural view of learning. Student teachers and their supporting teachers in their third year of study in 2000-2001 as well as those in their final year of study in 2001-2002 were interviewed. The findings illustrate how supporting teachers and the lecturers can act as agents and describes their use of mediational means including the use of teaching resources, and information about pupils’ abilities and habits, in facilitating the learning of the student teachers. The findings also compare the sharing of intent between the lecturers and the supporting teachers. The professional development of the student teachers and the supporting teachers is then analysed with a plane of participatory appropriation which is characterized by its dynamic nature and changes among the participants. Finally, the paper summarizes suggestions on how professional development of the student teachers during the field experience may be anaysed by adopting a socio-cultural view of learning. Drawing on the analysis, the paper concludes with implications on ways to facilitate the learning of the student teachers during the field experience period.

 
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Session 1A of Day 1 - Paper 1A02

Mentoring of field experience with a focus on indigenization of western theories and knowledge

Wai Yee Chan
Part-time Field Supervisor
Department of Applied Social Sciences
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Field supervision involves mentoring. In this process of mentoring, indigenization of western theories and knowledge has been an increasing concern in the social work field. Individuals from the academic or the practice field have raised the concern of suitability of Chinese culture in indigenization. More questions are asked of what adaptations need to be made regarding the application of western tools and values on Chinese especially after the turnover in 1997 and the starting of social work education in China. Although Hong Kong nowadays can hardly be called as third world, the influence of Chinese culture can still easily be found. Accumulated knowledge and experience on indigenized practice is appearing in literature. However, few give concern to the perceptions of students towards this issue and the values of Chinese culture. How strong is such influence on trainees and clients is yet to be found. Values and culture of trainees are also influential for the future of social work development. This research hopes to explore the value and cultural base of students and their field experience on indigenization and it affects the mentoring process.

The article covers a qualitative research on perceptions of local students towards Chinese culture and social work knowledge and how it affects the mentoring experience. It is discovered that local culture has exhibited a complex picture with various mixture of Chinese and Western culture. Western knowledge is perceived as generally universal although adaptation needs to be made in field experience.

 
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Session 1A of Day 1 - Paper 1A03

Capitalizing on Knowledge: Mentorship among Teacher-Librarians in Hong Kong

Agatha Sit
The Hong Kong Institute of Education Library

Mentoring dates back to Greek mythology with reference to the sharing of wisdom of knowledge and experience. In Hong Kong, mentorship has been a hallmark of the professional development of the teacher-librarians.

Following a literature review on mentoring in librarianship, this paper provides an overview highlighting the mentorship development among teacher-librarians in Hong Kong. A discussion on how mentorship shaped the preparation of teacher-librarians leads to an analysis of four issues: (1) a formalized mentoring framework; (2) a systematical approach to observe and assess the impact; (3) training to enhance the competency of teacher-librarians; and (4) re-thinking the commitment to evidence-based practice.

While there are complex issues facing the teacher-librarian profession, the author invites the teacher-training institutes to explore their role and participation in facilitating the advancement of teacher-librarianship in Hong Kong which is a pivotal component to nurture information-literate learners for the purpose of knowledge building.

 
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Session 1B of Day 1 - Paper 1B01

Partnerhip in Field Experience –
Optimizing the Effect of English Language Education

Evelyn MAN Yee-fun (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) &
Bette LI King Chia Chin (Education & Manpower Bureau, HKSAR)

This paper aims to share experiences of a unique Quality Education Fund (QEF) project which was based on partnership at different levels to optimize the effect of English language education. To enhance English language education, a cross curricular approach is essential, that is, English is not only learnt in the language lessons, it is also consolidated and strengthened by the effective learning of the subject language across the curriculum. The training and co-operation of teachers are thus crucial. A QEF funded project initiated by the Education and Manpower Bureau, HKSAR, attempted to address the above issue by providing support to teachers and schools that use English as the medium of instruction (EMI). Partnership in field experience was achieved at different levels, involving:

1. local and overseas institutions (the Education and Manpower Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government and the South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services),

2. tertiary education and secondary education personnel (The Chinese University of Hong Kong working with a number of secondary school teachers of various subjects in different schools),

3. the Government and the participating schools,

4. various secondary schools taking part in the project, and

5. various subject personnel within the different schools.

This paper intends to share the model of partnership and the unique mode of training offered in this project and the field experiences in how support was best given to teachers to enhance English language education. The effects on teacher-tutors and teacher participants involved in this project will be discussed.

 
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Session 1B of Day 1 - Paper 1B02


University-school Partnerships: To Learn and to Serve

Tat Heung CHOI
(on behalf of the Practicum and School Partnership Committee)
Department of Education Studies
Hong Kong Baptist University

Abstract

In capitalist societies such as Hong Kong, where technological change is rapid, the growth of the service economy is powerful, and managerial functions are increasingly complex, the education system is subject to many pressures. These pressures are translated to the form of curriculum and to the demand for qualified teachers, as manifest in the Education and Manpower Bureau’s attempts to reform the curriculum, and to enhance the qualities of teachers through benchmarking. The external economic pressures from the society as a whole also challenge teacher-education providers.

Against this background, we have attempted to demonstrate how university-school partnerships might benefit the student-teachers, the schools as well as the pupils, and contribute to the development of teacher professionalism in Hong Kong. Although the close relationship between learning to serve and field experience has long been recognised in teacher education, its various dimensions have rarely been examined empirically. This paper traces the orientations and outcomes of the School Service Scheme ‘To learn and to serve’, which was initiated by the Department of Education Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University. 30 secondary schools and 57 student-teachers participated in the pilot scheme (June – August 2003) as part of a larger ongoing project. Relevant findings have emerged from the questionnaire responses from the partner schools and student-teachers. The data indicate some connection between school band and the demand for pedagogic and administrative support: the lower the school band, the stronger the need for student-teachers’ input. The data also suggest the importance of matching the needs and preferences of student-teachers and of partner schools. For those student-teachers who were assigned suitable jobs, boosted confidence was reported in classroom management, materials preparation, decision-making, and needs analysis. Thus, it is crucial at an early stage to ensure that the host schools will value the personal and social dimensions of the scheme, and subsequently plan the student-teachers’ duties with these in mind. Equally important are to acquaint student-teachers with negotiation skills and with the appropriate attitudes towards school service, and to foster a sense of belonging and commitment among them. It was through taking initiatives that student-teachers developed a sense of ownership of their school service. This raises the issue of student-teacher autonomy in field practice which deserves more attention in teacher-education programmes. Despite the limits of the engagement, the evaluation of the School Service Scheme lends itself to the emergence of relevant concepts, which could well serve to set an agenda for university-school partnerships in field experience.

 
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Session 1B of Day 1 - Paper IB03

教學改革實驗報告 : 較複雜的速率應用教學


黃德華博士香港教育學院數學糸

本文旨在透過課堂學習研究例子,帶出課堂學習研究的一般模式及其好處。本研究對象為小學六年級學生,所選課題為速率。從前測與後測結果比較,若該課節的目的為協助學生自我理解及找出計算速率中的同向及背向距離的公式,則這實驗研究是成功的。此外,更值得學習的是,老師先透過活動讓學生明白同向及背向的概念,然後利用繪圖把活動的過程及結果記錄下來,再透過類似的應用例題,付以動畫教具,既吸引,並且能夠強化學生剛學得的概念,然後再透過圖表,讓學生把數據整理歸納成為找出同向及背向的相關計算距離的公式,這是既科學又有效的學習模式。

 
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Session 1C of Day 1 - Paper 1C01

One-day-per-week school attachment: Voices of supporting teachers and Year One student teachers

Pamela Leung & Jasmine Luk
Field Experience Coordinators, BEd(L), School of Languages in Education

The Bachelor of Education (Languages) [(BEd(L)] Programme of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) was first implemented in 2001-02. As an integral part of the programme, the design of the Field Experience curriculum has its own characteristics. In addition to the traditional practice on classroom teaching, ranging from collaborative to independent teaching from Year Two onwards, the programme provides student teachers with opportunities for school visit and attachments through which they can better understand the requirements of language teaching in school contexts. Among all school attachments, the one-day-per-week attachment to a local secondary school in the second semester of Year One has received controversial feedback from various stakeholders. Such feedback reflects diversified considerations from school teachers involved about whether they will continue to support similar activities. Based on the feedback received in the past two years, this paper will first synthesize voices of current Supporting Teachers and student teachers of the BEd(L). Then the authors will discuss the effectiveness of such a mode of school attachment in preparing student teachers for classroom teaching. Taking the voices of Supporting Teachers and student teachers into consideration, we hope that this paper could help reveal a comprehensive evaluation of the design, and more important, the quality of Field Experience could be enhanced in due course and the partnership between the Institute and schools in the local community tightened.

 
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Session 1C of Day 1 - Paper 1C02

本地及跨文化教學實習中的專業學習

第二屆「學校體驗」研討會

二零零三年十月十七日至十八日
香港教育學院

鄧怡勳 蔡碧蓮
香港教育學院,教育政策與行政系
香港特別行政區,中國

電話: +852 2948 7590, 傳真: +852 29487619, 電郵: stang@ied.edu.hk

教學實習是教師教育中關鍵的一環,除了在本地進行教學實習外,跨文化教學實習在職前教師培訓中亦漸趨普遍。本文闡述一個六位實習教師學習歷程的質性個案研究,此六位實習教師在香港接受小學學位教師教育文憑課程,課程中有兩次教學實習,在第一次教學實習中,其中四位實習教師在澳洲、加拿大及中國內地進行跨文化教學實習;其餘的教學實習均在香港小學進行。本文集中探討實習教師在跨文化及本地教學實習環境中的學習經驗;研究結果顯示跨文化體驗有助建立實習教師的文化導向,同時亦討論實習教師在教學實習中「行動環境」、「社羣專業環境」及「視導環境」三個範疇所面對的挑戰與支援,及他們在教學自我上的建構。是項研究的發現讓我們對實習教師的專業學習有更深的認識,並對發展高質素的教學實習帶來啟示。

 
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Session 1C of Day 1 - Paper 1C03

從一個女性主義美術與設計科教學例子看女性實習教師教學思考的轉變歷程

劉仲嚴
香港教育學院藝術系

女性主義教學理論業已成為後現代教育所關注的一環,它所關注的建立兩性平等生態教室亦是未來教育的重點目標之一。然而,當女性美術與設計科實習教師到一所男校作實習,並實踐以女性主義教學理念和教學內容時,所遇到的種種現實上的困難和考驗,值得深思。本文旨在探討女性實習教師以女性主義作為美術設計科教學實習的內容的思想和態度,並探討其在實習前、中、後的心態改變與左右思考的因素,以瞭解實習教師的理想與實踐的差異,及其改孌的轉捩歷程;藉以找出一個在實習教師和視導教師之相互關係的共同探討下,如何使得既定課程模式轉變成既付合學校文化、學生、教師、教學目標和視導教師要求的一個平衡共圓點。

關鍵字:女性主義、生態教室、教學思考

 
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Session 1C of Day 1 - Paper 1C04

實習生的關注

胡少偉 袁仲池
香港教育學院教育政策與行政系
17-10-2003

學校體驗論壇

為了更好地將教育理論和學員實習結合,教育政策與行政系一群同事在上一學年中,申請一個教學發展計劃,檢視系內所教授學科中與學員實習有關的教學內容,從而為學員提供一套學校體驗檢核表,使教院學員在實習前有更佳的準備。從中亦了解到學院學員在實習前的憂慮及實習中所遇到的困難。這篇短文的重點是歸納學生的意見,使各導師及啟導教師對學員有更多的理解,從而為同學提供更有效的協助,使學員在學校體驗中得到較佳的學習經驗。

 
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Session 1D of Day 1 - Paper 1D01

大埔舊墟公立學校
數學科課堂學習研究
四年級:分數的種類

香港教育學院導師:盧賢巨先生、鄺潤歡女士
學校老師:莊承銘老師、薛詠詩老師、蘇穎欣老師、詹德昌老師、趙穎思老師

「分數的種類」是我們研究課的課題,這一課的關鍵學習重點是分數的概念及意義。從以往的經驗,不少學與教只停留在「真分數」、「假分數」及「帶分數」的名稱上,這並不是這次研究課的意圖。

因此,在本研究課中,我們著學生透過分物的活動,去幫助他們建立分數的概念及分數和除法的關係。除了教學設計之外,教師亦透過行動研究的設計以掌握同學在學習分數概念和方法上所產生的變化。

研究對象來自大埔舊墟公立學校的四年級四班同學。每班已按學習成績分班。我們所運用的研究工具包括教學前、後的測試和訪問等等。研究結果顯示,同學經過這課的學習後,他們對分數中的「等分」、「一整分」的概念、分數和除法的關係、與及假分數和帶分數的關係,都比以往的四年級同學學習有明顯的改善。

一課看似很易教授的課題,若只是教授真分數、假分數及帶分數的名稱,這確是很易教授,但重要的是我們要透過這課來帶出分數的概念及意義。

 
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Session 1D of Day 1 - Paper 1D02

常識科研究課之
空氣中的水、日蝕的發生、電的流動


勞傅燕華、蘇詠梅
科學系

「水遇熱變水蒸氣,遇冷便變回水。」當小三的學生完成了「水的三態」這單元後,他們大部份都能這樣回答。「電只會流過一個完整電路。」當小四的學生完成了「電」這單元後,他們都會作出這個回應。「當月球走到地球與太陽中間而在同一直線上時日蝕就會發生。」當小六的學生完成了「日蝕」這課題後也不難作出這個現象的描述。但是否代表學生們已能掌握這些概念呢?

香港教育學院小學創展協進計劃(PIPS)提供了寶貴機會,讓教院的科學系講師與三間小學教師共同研究,嘗試找出小學生對常識科課題如「水的三態」、「日蝕的發生」和「電的流動」的一些看法,從而考慮設計課題的教與學活動,以幫助小學生有效學習這些較抽象的概念。

這研究是透過學生訪問和前測,找出學生們在學習前對這些課題的見解,由此處作起點,教院講師和教師們進行深入討論,計劃及安排有效的教學策略,進行教學,再透過後測和訪問,找出學生是否真的理解到這些現象發生的原因及過程。透過訪問教師和他們的反思,這研究也嘗試找出進行課堂研究對教師的影響。

此文章會略述在香港小學進行課堂研究的情況;透過上述的三個個案,討論學生的學習情形和成果;也嘗試探討教師在此過程中的專業發展效度和進行課堂研究的一些挑戰。此文章能提供一個實例,顯示怎樣令教師把研究、課程和教學連結。

 
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Session 1D of Day 1 - Paper 1D03

課堂學習研究報告:優化異分母分數的教學

梁志強博士 香港教育學院數學系

本文旨在透過課堂研究個案,詳述教師在處理異分母分數教學的優化改變。參與是項課堂研究的學校,原本提出針對小學四年級異分母分數的加減作為探究課題,此課題為老師認為該校學生甚難掌握的數學概念。經過早期預備會議討論後,參與的老師理解到,若要學生學好異分母分數的加減,必須先讓學生明白通分的意義,繼而令學生探究出通分的技巧。在集體設計教學活動的過程,老師跳出了課本的框框,安排讓學生探究的活動。透過是項研究,老師掌握了課題的關鍵特徴,優化了異分母分數的教學,學生的學習過程富啟發性,為異分母分數的加減奠下穩固的基礎。

 
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Session 2A of Day 2 - Paper 2A01

An effective web-based approach to support the initial training of science teachers at HKIEd

May May-hung CHENG, Winnie Wing-mui SO and Yau-yuen YEUNG
Department of Science

This paper reports the processes and ways on how a dedicated website has been developed by a group of seven colleagues at HKIEd Science Department to support their student-teachers’ development of teaching competence during various kinds of field experience activities such as practicum, teaching practice and school visit etc. From the outcome of our project, a comprehensive web-based system was created with the following specially selected features to help our student-teachers to develop confidence and skills for the effective teaching of various science topics in schools:

- A data bank of 20 sets of video clips on exemplary parts of students’ teaching performance in schools or microteaching at HKIEd as identified and selected by their supervisors.

- A collection of virtual reality resources which include typical classroom or laboratory environment with 3D/panoramic view etc.

- A website called Field Experience Support on Science (FESS) being developed at http://www.ied.edu.hk/fess/ which provides a platform for the management of the aforementioned 2 types of resources in the WWW plus various synchronous or asynchronous communication channels as well as sharing of lesson plan, scheme of work and other teaching resources etc.

Each video clip had been reviewed and commented by a project team member who was also the student-teacher’s supervisor or tutor. Those video clips were normally accompanied with the lesson plans, detailed description of teaching materials and/or self-reflection. Besides, a questionnaire survey had been administered to about 150 students in 5 different teacher education programs to collect feedback for evaluating the effectiveness of this website. The initial results indicated a definite success of this project. More detailed findings and analysis of this questionnaire survey and the use of this project to facilitate post-lesson conference will be thoroughly discussed in this symposium paper.

 
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Session 2A of Day 2 - Paper 2A02

“The Effectiveness of Using Video-taped lessons as an alternative mode of teaching supervision.”

Margaret Wong and the *Project Team
School of Early Childhood Education (SECE), The Hong Kong Institute of Education

The School of Early Childhood Education has conducted a project in 2002/03 to explore the effectiveness of using videotaped lesson as an alternative mode of teaching supervision for in-service students, and ways of improving the techniques of videotaped lesson analysis. 10 students from the Qualified Kindergarten Teacher Course, 8 from the Certificate in Kindergarten Education programme and 9 practicum supervisors participated in this study. Both the practicum supervisors and students’ views on this supervision mode were examined through group interviews. The results indicated that videotaped lesson analysis was a promising mode of supervision. It offered students flexibility in preparing the videotape when they, the children and the environment are ready, and a more flexible schedule for supervisors to evaluate students’ teaching and providing them feedback. Students’ reflection was also enhanced through the review of the videotape by themselves, with their children and their colleagues, and with their supervisors during the post lesson conferencing.

(*Audrey Lim, Jenny Yau, Rebecca Cheng, Christina Ching, Jenny Ma, Woo Yuen Shan, Conita Law, Anita Wong, Edith Leung)

 
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Session 2A of Day 2 - Paper 2A03

On ‘gazing about with a checklist’ as a method of classroom observation in the field experience supervision of pre-service student teachers: A case study

Bennan ZHANG, The Department of Chinese, HKIEd

‘Gazing about with a checklist’ as a main technique or method of classroom observation as employed by the BEd (P) programme of the HKIEd during classroom supervisions has its strengths in practice, but referring to the aims of the field experience component and the purposes of its supervision, such practice is weak with regards to enhancing student teachers’ professional development of their teaching. This discussion will focus on problems of validity and effectiveness of this method, such as its lack of factual data collection, and subsequently its disadvantages in establishing the student teachers’ quality of teaching in the classroom. To make up for its deficiencies, other methods, techniques, and instruments of observation such as participant and competency-based observational methods, formative appraisals, and factual data collection, will be suggested as helpful or complementary.

Pointing out the weaknesses of the ‘gazing about’ observational technique or method in supervision is not meant to negate the current field experience supervision approach of the BEd (P) programme as a whole. In fact, the existing field experience supervision component of the programme has been working very well for many years. What this paper intends to do is, based on the author’s experience in supervision, to point out that the existing field experience supervisory approach, particularly its adopted technique of classroom observation, still has some room for development.

This paper includes four sections. After a brief review in Section I of some literature concerning classroom observational methods, Section II describes the usage of the method of ‘gazing about with a checklist’ as employed in the Bed(P) programme of the HKIEd. In Section III, this paper discusses some strengths and problems of this method in enhancing student teachers’ professional development, focusing on the weaknesses of the method in use. Section IV is a conclusion of the discussion.

 
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Abstracts