https://www.scmp.com/rss/312620/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reading this week’s reports about Tu Youyou,  China’s joint Nobel Prize winner, made me think of the theory of multiple intelligences  advocated by Howard Gardner   more than 30  years ago, and wonder what outstanding intelligences this lady has to have reached such heights in her field of work – developing a new drug to fight malaria. Using information gleaned from ancient Chinese medicine records, she finally produced artemisinin after 191 experiments. The World Health Organisation approved... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1865219/lessons-hong-kong-schools-chinese-nobel-winner-tu-youyous-grit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1865219/lessons-hong-kong-schools-chinese-nobel-winner-tu-youyous-grit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2015 08:11:51 +0000 At the start of a new academic year, when schools hold high hopes of accomplishing goals, it's a good time to consider how Robert Greenleaf's concepts of servant leadership can be used to fulfil this purpose. Nowadays, schools are run like corporations, complete with vision and mission statements, strategic and operational plans as well as quality assurance mechanisms. To guide development, school leaders need to develop a school vision and mission, or revisit and revitalise an existing one, to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1857310/what-school-leaders-need-do-make-things-happen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1857310/what-school-leaders-need-do-make-things-happen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2015 15:47:40 +0000 Does a school's reputation mean more than the life of an individual student? That question springs to mind when considering the death of a pupil who fell from the roof of a school in 2013. A coroner lambasted the school's senior staff for their handling of the incident. Its aftermath has triggered considerable concern. Most comments dwelt on the improper attitude and insensitivity of the staff, who allegedly placed more importance on the potential damage to the school's name than the child's... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1849546/its-tough-top-schools-cant-put-good-pr-over-childs-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1849546/its-tough-top-schools-cant-put-good-pr-over-childs-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2015 06:45:45 +0000 In recent years there has been increasing recognition of the role of emotion in learning and leadership. Students need a secure environment, in both physical and emotional terms, to learn well. As psychologist and author Daniel Goleman says, students who are angry, frightened or depressed do not learn. In the same vein, to bring about change - especially deep change - in mindsets and behaviour, people need a sense of security that comes only from knowing where to go, how to get there and why... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1840901/why-hong-kong-school-principals-need-high-eq-cope-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1840901/why-hong-kong-school-principals-need-high-eq-cope-change?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:10:55 +0000 School leadership is crucial for the realisation of educational vision. And it involves different aspects. First, the curriculum leadership of school heads. It is good to have a lofty vision, but implementation must take place by design. In recent years, school heads have been consulted by the authorities as well as teachers in their schools on what subjects to offer or cut, what to teach in certain subjects, such as liberal studies or Chinese history, and how they should be taught. They have... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1823807/why-good-leadership-so-important-hong-kong-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1823807/why-good-leadership-so-important-hong-kong-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jun 2015 22:13:48 +0000 Recently, I saw a local film called Little Big Master, which is about a school headmistress who goes to a remote area out of love for kids to revive a dying kindergarten. Although the film is not meant to be a blockbuster, many viewers have been touched by it, including some top government officials. I think people are touched by the generous and resilient spirit displayed by the headmistress - a real-life heroine in Hong Kong. The film portrays her as having a genuine love of children and an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1807026/forget-little-big-master-hong-kong-headteachers-cant-save-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1807026/forget-little-big-master-hong-kong-headteachers-cant-save-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2015 22:06:35 +0000 The Education Bureau has recently revamped its policy on school-based assessment (SBA) for senior secondary subjects, scrapping the original plan of introducing it to more examinable subjects by phases, but retaining it for those that have already implemented it and fine-tuning existing practices. Some welcome the move, while others raise objections, arguing that if SBA is indeed good for learning by helping both teachers and students review academic progress and is widely practised elsewhere in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1775437/opinion-hong-kongs-education-bureau-made-right-move-suspending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1775437/opinion-hong-kongs-education-bureau-made-right-move-suspending?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2015 22:06:31 +0000 Recently, there has been talk about the training and preparation Hong Kong teachers need to be competent at their job, which has grown much more sophisticated each year. Teachers primarily need good knowledge and skills in teaching, learning and assessment. While they are expected to teach their subjects well, they are also expected to provide good pastoral care for students with regard to their diverse learning and developmental needs. Since the introduction of the school-based management... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1748656/hong-kongs-teacher-professional-training-programme-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1748656/hong-kongs-teacher-professional-training-programme-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2015 22:11:04 +0000 In recent years, as an outcome of the inclusive education policy, students with special educational needs who were formerly served by special schools have been allocated to mainstream schools. The purpose is to help students with various sorts and degrees of learning, behavioural or emotional problems or handicaps integrate with normal students from early life. For these students to receive proper care and education in mainstream schools, there are requirements for schools to have their teachers... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1716249/special-needs-students-more-support-needed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1716249/special-needs-students-more-support-needed-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:15:36 +0000 Hong Kong schools are undergoing the second round of external school review (ESR), which serves as a linchpin of the accountability framework. Simply put, a team of experts go into schools to review and validate each organisation's self-evaluation processes, and advise them on how their work can be improved. All schools have to go through the two cycles of ESR with an interval of about six to seven years in between. The Education Bureau is now reviewing measures to conduct future ESRs more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689992/external-school-review-system-must-be-changed-encourage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689992/external-school-review-system-must-be-changed-encourage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2015 22:12:44 +0000 The recent Occupy movement has led some to accuse liberal studies as the culprit that instigated the student movement and say it should therefore be scrapped, drastically reformed or made an optional subject. Such reactions coincide with the Education Bureau's new academic structure medium-term review and invite attention. How this subject should be viewed, how its contents changed and how they should be delivered and assessed is worthy of in-depth discussion, especially in the present... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1665488/why-we-need-more-liberal-studies-hong-kong-schools-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1665488/why-we-need-more-liberal-studies-hong-kong-schools-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2014 01:02:07 +0000 Education authorities have renewed their interest in vocational education and consulted various bodies on how best to pursue it. One effective way, they say, is to seek more practicum and internship opportunities for students in higher diploma programmes. Another concerns applied learning, which has taken off under the Diploma of Secondary Education ambit. More than 300 schools are offering 30-plus subjects in that area. More can be done to extend its scope and appeal among schools and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1645450/todays-world-vocational-education-should-be-valued?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1645450/todays-world-vocational-education-should-be-valued?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:35:46 +0000 Educators may ponder what educational benefits student leaders can reap from political activism. In recent years the curriculum reform has urged schools to nurture students' generic skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and information technology. Liberal studies was introduced to the curriculum of Hong Kong secondary schools in 2009 as a major tool to achieve this. Civic education is supposed to help students acquire proper values and show more concern for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1623822/school-councils-can-help-students-learn-become-our-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1623822/school-councils-can-help-students-learn-become-our-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2014 09:38:56 +0000 The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is conducting a public consultation on the Discrimination Law Review. The consultation paper contains several areas that have great relevance to education regarding the freedom and rights of school sponsoring bodies, school governance, curriculum changes as well as moral education for the young. It proposes to change the present definition of marital status, or marriage, from that of the traditional formally registered union between a man and a woman to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1600886/eoc-move-redefine-marital-status-too-drastic-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1600886/eoc-move-redefine-marital-status-too-drastic-change?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:30:48 +0000 The continuing professional development policies for teachers and principals have been in practice for more than a decade. They allow schools to enjoy three paid days for staff development each academic year. Teachers and principals also have to undertake professional development in three-year cycles, each one contributing 150 hours of relevant activities. The hours were introduced as soft targets at the policy launch stage to reduce teacher resistance, and have remained so. Most educators are... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1581686/teacher-development-policies-need-be-more-ambitious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1581686/teacher-development-policies-need-be-more-ambitious?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2014 07:48:10 +0000 The government is in consultations for the Fourth Strategy on Information Technology in Education and plans to have Wi-fi facilities in all schools in Hong Kong. It is a move to be applauded, as it will facilitate teaching and learning with the aid of the internet. As commendable as the effort is, authorities should also review or reaffirm the purposes of introducing IT in education and the direction of its development. Using IT in education has been a main goal worldwide, as it is an essential... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1564317/insight-it-means-educational-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1564317/insight-it-means-educational-end?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2014 02:29:52 +0000 A preliminary review of curriculum reform, which is one of the most important instruments to implement education reform, was completed recently. There is a long list of achievements to date: the new 334 academic structure, a new exam for secondary graduates, new examinable subjects, a whole array of curriculum guides and syllabuses, overseas recognition of the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination, a scheme for other learning experience (OLE) for students in school and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1546567/dont-lose-sight-goal-when-it-comes-education-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1546567/dont-lose-sight-goal-when-it-comes-education-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:00:45 +0000 The policy of school-based management was introduced on the rationale that devolving decision-making powers to schools may result in better decisions in terms of quality and attention paid to the school context. The powers concern mainly financial, personnel, curriculum matters and the school purpose. Given that an aided school spends tens of millions of dollars every year, it is hoped that such devolution of powers will enhance efficiency. The policy requires the establishment of an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1526799/insight-school-based-management-brings-opportunity-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1526799/insight-school-based-management-brings-opportunity-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:15:04 +0000 Over the past decade, many Hong Kong schools have seen leadership changes and the trend is continuing as more principals approach retirement age. There has been a dearth of competent people to fill the posts vacated; although there are enough applicants to go through the necessary principal certification process, character and experience seem to be in short supply. Those who have landed the job have faced immediate challenges as they have become enmeshed in the intensifying school reforms. Their... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1502649/insight-action-needed-groom-new-generation-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1502649/insight-action-needed-groom-new-generation-school?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 May 2014 01:42:44 +0000 Scanning Hong Kong's schools, one feels sad to see them getting unhealthier by the year. Different sorts of student problems, whether emotional, interpersonal, or behavioural, crop up and plague schools to varying degrees. The list is long, ranging from emotional outbursts, depression, and substance abuse to bullying, gang fights, teenage pregnancies and lack of respect for authority, plus a wide range of learning difficulties, the seriousness of which is aggravated by the rash introduction of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1476368/how-make-hong-kong-schools-hub-better-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1476368/how-make-hong-kong-schools-hub-better-health?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Apr 2014 01:45:59 +0000 Catering for student diversity in the classroom is an increasingly important issue for teachers and principals these days. Class sizes in Hong Kong have historically been big, which presents obstacles when trying to give students more individualised teaching and attention. In recent years, two other problems have aggravated the situation. One is the implementation of an integrated education policy. Students with special educational needs (SEN), who had attended special schools, are now placed in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1459384/insight-fresh-strategies-needed-handle-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1459384/insight-fresh-strategies-needed-handle-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Mar 2014 02:00:15 +0000 With the new 334 academic structure in place, let's ponder how the future of our young people can be brighter. Since most of our secondary school students have to sit the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exam and only a few will get a university place, what should we do to help the rest maintain hope and strive for advancement to reach their potential and exploit their individuality, for their own benefit and that of society? Parents and schools should ease up on students in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1437232/insight-university-doesnt-have-be-ultimate-goal-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1437232/insight-university-doesnt-have-be-ultimate-goal-students?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Mar 2014 01:49:27 +0000