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Dr Irene Cheng specialises in geographical and environmental education. She believes that teachers should place the needs of students at the centre of their teaching practice, and transform subject content into pedagogically powerful forms that students can understand. Active participation in an appropriately designed learning process motivates students to construct meaning and develop their skills in and approaches to reflective learning. Exhibiting great passion and vision of education, Dr Cheng is devoted to innovative teaching that caters to the diverse needs of students in a variety of learning contexts, encompassing both formal and informal learning environments. Capitalising on students’ prior knowledge and targeted at their specific learning needs, Dr Cheng’s teaching innovations are effective, and receive positive feedback from students and colleagues alike. Dr Cheng has considerable experience in adapting learning activities to help students develop their critical thinking and become active learners and reflective teachers. These learning activities include issue-enquiry and case-study approaches, conceptual development, experiential learning, and the critical evaluation of investigatory approaches in schools. She has also made innovative use of information technology to build a video-based learning community (VBLC), which serves as a platform for students to share peer observations and analyse trial teaching in real school settings. With a mastery of her subject matter and sound pedagogical skills in lesson planning, implementation and assessment, Dr Cheng was awarded the Excellence of Teaching Award last year by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (currently named the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences). Dr Cheng excels in the development of subject curricula and other pedagogical practices. She has been actively involved in the curriculum design of various programmes and courses at both the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels. She previously served as a member of the Institute-level 3-3-5 BEd Programme Development Committee (PDC) and the PDC of the Bachelor of Arts in Education for Sustainability Programme. She is currently the Programme Leader of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programmes (Primary and Secondary), steering their academic development. Dr Cheng has also taken a leading role in Teaching Development Grant/Knowledge Transfer/Education Bureau commissioned projects. She is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and teaching, theory and practice by promoting evidence-based practice among learners. Dr Cheng’s reference books and teaching materials are widely recognized for their high quality. | 
