Professor Chan Wing-ming

Ancient heritage sheds light on modern education
The research study on Chinese Meng Xue (education for beginners) currently being conducted by the School of Languages in Education is funded by the Research Grants Council. Prof Chan Wing-ming, Dean of the School and principal investigator of this three-year project which commenced in 2001-02, gave a brief introduction. "There are over 600 items on the list of ancient Meng Shu (textbooks for beginners), with the Three Character classics and the Essay of a Thousand Characters being the most commonly known. The earliest can date back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC); however, many of them are no longer available in China. Reading between the lines of these textbooks, one can find moral education, guiding values, Chinese history, human relations and everyday knowledge. We might call it the core curriculum for young learners." Prof Chan clarifies that tracing the past footprints does not mean inheriting without screening. "One cannot talk about curriculum reform today without considering new teaching materials. The fundamental questions are what to teach and how to teach. The content of Meng Shu reveals how our predecessors chose and tailored the curriculum, and to a certain degree reflects their views on education and pedagogy. To compile a complete collection and annotated bibliography of Meng Shu for a study from these perspectives will help us understand the development of basic education in Chinese, and will throw light on curriculum reform." The project exemplifies the unique features of applied research conducted by the Institute - a strong relationship with teaching and learning and a dual-focus on pragmatism and academic depth.