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May Chan

Conditions described as making it impossible for teachers to practise innovative methods

A Shanghai education official said he was 'shocked' at the large number of students Hong Kong teachers are faced with.

Mao Fang, director of Shanghai Municipal Education, Science, Culture and Health Commission, told an international symposium on small-class teaching at the Hong Kong Institute of Education this week that it was necessary to reduce class sizes in order to cater for student-centred learning.

The symposium also heard that most of Hong Kong's counterparts in the region were implementing programmes to reduce classes.

'When I met with Hong Kong teachers, I was shocked by the huge number of students they had to teach, and the tremendous workload in preparing for  education and curriculum reforms,' Mr Mao said.

'It's impossible for teachers to practise innovative teaching methods, like project-based learning, in the present circumstances. Unless we lessen teachers' workload and allow them more time to prepare classes and pay individual attention to students, education reform will be a mere concept.'

More than 10 educators and policymakers from Shanghai, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea shared their views and experience in implementing small-class teaching.

According to papers presented at the symposium,  more than 40 per cent of primary schools in Shanghai had reduced their class sizes to  fewer  than 25 students in the past nine years. In contrast, there are normally 35 to 40 students in Hong Kong classes.

In Macau,  more than half of the primary and secondary schools joined its small-class teaching programme, reducing class sizes from  more than 45 to 35 students. The Macau government provides the same  value in grants to  all classes, be they large or small.

Mr Mao also called for more  action to step up small-class teaching.  'People should not waste time arguing over smaller classes. It's better to go through a process of trial and error than being distracted by futile arguments,' he said.

Local educators criticised the government for not seeing smaller classes as essential to  education reform.

'Most of our counterparts in East Asia have a  five or 10-year plan to reduce class sizes,' said   Lai Kwok-chan, head of Planning and Academic Implementation at the HKIEd. 'They give high priority and many resources to smaller classes because they see it as means to a change of education paradigm from rote learning to the active construction of knowledge. Our government fails to realise this.'

Magdalena Mok Mo-ching, principal lecturer of the Department of Educational Psychology, Counselling and Learning Needs at the HKIEd, said it was heartening to hear the participants confirming the benefits of small-class teaching.

'Small-class teaching, basically, is a western concept. But its benefits have been proved by our East Asia counterparts, who share the same culture of teacher-centred learning, exam-oriented schooling, and the same Confucius heritage with Hong Kong,' said Dr Mok.

'The rise of small-class teaching in East Asia, which is, in fact, a world trend, implies an urge for a new paradigm, and a genuine expectation for quality education.

'The government needs to understand that small-class teaching is a means to quality education, not just a matter of numbers.'

At the Legislative Council education panel this week, legislators urged the government not to limit its pilot scheme on small-class teaching, to be run in September, to 40 schools with a large number of disadvantaged students.



Large class sizes in Hong Kong shock visiting Shanghai educator