Which inclusive teaching tasks represent the highest level of teacher efficacy in primary and secondary schools?

A hierarchy of inclusive teaching tasks by associated level of teacher efficacy is derived from a group of primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong using a Rasch rating scale model on 536 in-service teachers attending a professional development course. Findings show collaboration tasks represented the highest teacher efficacy in primary and secondary teachers. Managing behavior represented the lowest level of teacher efficacy but slightly more in primary than in secondary school. Hence, future training regarding inclusive practices should be specific to the school level, with a strong focus on collaborations between school, parents, and the community.     

ESL student teachers' perceptions of a short-term overseas immersion programme

In recent years there has been an increasing demand for teachers to develop the international knowledge and skills necessary to help promote their students' global perspectives. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has seized the initiative to provide mandatory overseas immersion programmes for pre-service English teachers to enhance their language proficiency and cultural understanding. This study involved a group of Hong Kong English language student teachers who joined a six-week immersion programme in Auckland. The aim of the present investigation was to address our dearth of knowledge as to the impact of such a programme on student teachers, and the benefits that they could derive from it. Several obstacles that might hinder maximal benefits were also identified.     

General,collective, and domain-specific teacher self-efficacy among Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong

This study assessed two global (general and collective) and seven domain-specific sets of teacher self-efficacy beliefs among 273 Chinese prospective and in-service teachers in Hong Kong. While teachers generally reported having the highest confidence in teaching highly able learners and the least confidence in classroom management, there were significant teacher group differences. Among four groups of teachers, the experienced teachers reported the highest level of global and domain-specific teacher self-efficacy, suggesting that there could be a trend of rising teacher self-efficacy as a teacher went through preparation and teaching practice to becoming a novice and then a more experienced teacher.     

Improving teachers’ self-efficacy in applying teaching and learning strategies and classroom management to students with special education needs in Hong Kong

This study examines the impact of a revised one-week training course on teacher self-efficacy in terms of improving teaching and learning strategies and classroom management to support students with special educational needs (SEN) in ordinary schools in Hong Kong. Various teacher-related variables (i.e., level of prior training in special education, confidence in teaching students with SEN, knowledge of legislation and policies, years of teaching, teaching experience with students with SEN, gender, and school type) are analyzed among 347 regular primary and secondary teachers. Teacher confidence and school type are determined to be significant predictors for the self-efficacy of teachers in inclusive education.     

Improving mathematics instruction through lesson study: a theoretical model and North American case

This article presents a theoretical model of lesson study, an approach to instructional improvement that originated in Japan. The theoretical model includes four lesson study features (investigation, planning, research lesson, and reflection) and three pathways through which lesson study improves instruction: changes in teachers’ knowledge and beliefs; changes in professional community; and changes in teaching–learning resources. The model thus suggests that development of teachers’ knowledge and professional community (not just improved lesson plans) are instructional improvement mechanisms within lesson study. The theoretical model is used to examine the “auditable trail” of data from a North American lesson study case, yielding evidence that the lesson study work affected each of the three pathways. We argue that the case provides an “existence proof” of the potential effectiveness of lesson study outside Japan. Limitations of the case are discussed, including (1) the nature of data available from the “auditable trail” and (2) generalizability to other lesson study efforts.

Messy learning: Preservice teachers’ lesson-study conversations about mathematics and students

Research about lesson study and other forms of collaborative, practice-based professional development has tended to focus on identifying structures that support teacher learning. This study builds on this work by examining preservice elementary teachers’ efforts to conduct lesson studies in mathematics. Analysis showed that the structures of the lesson study project supported some groups in developing mathematical and equity lenses for looking at teaching; however, the use of these lenses simultaneously led to productive and problematic learning. This finding suggests that future research focus on challenges present in collaborative, practice-based work even when productive structures are in place.     

香港终身学习政策发展探析

21世纪以来,为应对知识经济的挑战,加之劳动力受教育水平较低,以及跨国文化和中华传统文化的影响,香港积极制定终身学习的政策措施,颁布有关终身学习的法律文件,建立终身学习的经费保障机制,完善终身学习体制,提供终身学习的技术支持,其经验值得借鉴吸收。     

香港私立大专院校历史发展述评

香港私立大专院校，始办于1887年的香港西医学院。二战后，经历了快速发展到逐步萎缩的历程。香港回归祖国后又进入一个新的发展阶段。本文并就萎缩的原因进行评析。     

21世纪香港高等教育发展战略

为了面向21世纪的高等教育需要,教育统筹委员会于1999年间开展香港教育全面检讨,并提出建构终身学习的教育体系,其中以高等教育和持续教育的发展为重点。本文讨论香港高等教育在新世纪发展的主要课题,从中亦勾划出评审课程的质素和高等教育的多元的重要性。     

Biology Teachers Designing Context-Based Lessons for Their Classroom Practice—The importance of rules-of-thumb

In science education in the Netherlands new, context‐based, curricula are being developed. As in any innovation, the outcome will largely depend on the teachers who design and implement lessons. Central to the study presented here is the idea that teachers, when designing lessons, use rules‐of‐thumb: notions of what a lesson should look like if certain classroom outcomes are to be reached. Our study aimed at (1) identifying the rules‐of‐thumb biology teachers use when designing context‐based lessons for their own classroom practice, and (2) assessing how these personal rules‐of‐thumb relate to formal innovative goals and lesson characteristics. Six biology teachers with varying backgrounds designed and implemented a lesson or series of lessons for their own practice, while thinking aloud. We interviewed the teachers and observed their lessons. Our results suggest that rules‐of‐thumb, which differed substantially among the teachers, indeed to a great extent guide the decisions teachers make when designing (innovative) lessons. These rules‐of‐thumb were often strongly associated with intended lesson outcomes. Also, teachers’ personal rules‐of‐thumb were more powerful in determining the lesson design than formal innovative goals and lesson characteristics. The results of this study encourage more research into how rules‐of‐thumb reflect teachers’ practical knowledge, for which suggestions are made.     

香港政府的大学拨款战略及其启示

香港高等教育的发展背景及现有体制与内地类似,香港政府在大学拨款过程中通过有意识地运用以学校学生数为基点的学科布局战略、以教职工薪酬改革为契机的人才市场战略和以配套资金为激励的大学自立战略,极大地提升了香港各大学的办学能力和竞争实力。借鉴香港政府的作法,采取加大高等教育经费投入力度、合理规划高等教育发展布局和积极培育高等院校市场竞争意识等措施,可提高国家高等教育经费的使用效率,使得中央政府对高校的拨款行为更具指导性和前瞻性。     

网络教学平台使用的师资培动——香港理工大学的经验

面授和网上教学有机结合的整合式教学越来越成为高校教育和培训的主要模式。本文旨在介绍和分析香港理工大学教学发展中心（简称EDC）如何通过网上教学平台的功能,与面授教学结合起来,发挥面授教学和网上教学的各自优势,使教师培训更加有效。EDC的实践表明,在大学教师培训课程中,发挥网上教学的优势,能帮助学员弥补由于有限的面授教学产生的师生之间、学员和学员之间互动的不足。在网上学习中,通过互相的学习观摩和观念碰撞,能激发学员的学习兴趣,有效地促进学员之间进行探究性学习,同时,这种集体学习的方法,能促进在职教师之间的友好交往和学术交流。     

香港高等教育发展新策略 --副学士学位课程计划

2001年香港特区政府提出在10年后使接受高等教育的适龄学生达到60％,并改革英国式教育系统的计划。引入由学生自资的副学士学位课程,即是这个计划的一个重要部分,成为香港高等教育大众化发展的一个新策略。它正在为香港创造一个繁荣的高等教育新市场。     

我国香港和台湾的教育信息化发展战略及其启示

教育信息化发展战略对于引导教育信息化的发展具有重要作用,不同地区的教育信息化发展战略有着不同的特点。文章介绍了我国香港和台湾地区的教育信息化发展战略,并对其进行了分析,总结了关于教育信息化发展战略的一些启示。     

香港职业教育课程开发及启示

分析香港职业教育课程开发的依据、流程、特点,以期对我们正在进行的高等职业教育课程改革有所启示。     

香港与内地教育学专业硕士研究生教育比较研究

本文从学科划分、课程设置、培养目标以及毕业要求四个方面比较了香港与内地的教育学专业硕士研究生教育。香港高校在学科和专业设置上拥有较大的自主权,培养目标更具社会亲和力,课程设置以人为本、灵活性高,课程内容与要求上体现出对学生研究能力的关注。香港与内地的教育体系不同,应各取所长,相互借鉴。