Overseas Conferences

The 15th International Conference of The World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) was hosted by the City University of Macau and the Education University of Hong Kong from November 29 to December 2, 2021. The theme of the Conference is “Revisiting Lesson and Learning Studies: Accessibility, Quality, and Sustainability".

As affected by the pandemic, the Conference was held in a blended mode (both online and face-to-face). The content with a total of approximately 300 sessions included keynote speeches, practical cases of Lesson Study and Learning Study in various regions and countries, research results, etc.. The Opening Ceremony of the Conference was held in the morning of November 29 at the City University of Macau. It was presided over by Professor Sean Li Shuying (Co-Chairperson of WALS 2021, Executive President of City University of Dongguan (China), and Distinguished Professor of CityU Macau), Professor Jun Liu (Rector of the City University of Macau), Mr Cheang Sek Kit (Head of the Curriculum Development and Assessment Division of Macao SAR Government Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ)), Doctor Peter Dudley (President of World Association of Lesson Study, & Co-Chairperson of WALS2021), and Professor Ko Po Yuk (Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching, and Co-Chairperson of WALS2021), while other scholars attended the Opening Ceremony either online or at the venue of the City University of Macau. Professor Bu Yuhua of the East China Normal University of China, and Professor Ko Po Yuk delivered keynote speeches respectively after the Opening Ceremony which was broadcast live via Zoom, allowing academics and practitioner from different regions to attend in real time.

Professor Ko Po Yuk, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), gave a keynote speech on "Learning Study in Hong Kong: Its development, salient features and the way forward". The speech covered a brief historical development of Learning Study in Hong Kong in the past two decades, the similarities and differences between Lesson and Learning Studies, the success conditions for facilitating the professional development of teachers, and the future development of Learning Study. In addition, Professor Ko together with Miss Jannie Tsang, the Project Consultant of CELT, and Miss Harriet Chow, the Vice-Principal of Sam Shui Natives Association Huen King Wing School, presented at a symposium, one of the Global Highlights of the Conference, entitled “Learning Study in Hong Kong: Enhancing sustainability and accessibility of quality Learning Study through cross-school collaboration in a professional community”. It reported on the feasibility of sustainable development of Learning Study in Ho Ngai College (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen), and two authentic case studies (one primary and one secondary) of the subject of English Language conducted in the two schools mentioned.

The 15th International Conference of WALS had provided nearly 700 scholars and practitioners from 38 regions and countries a platform for sharing of experiences about how Lesson and Learning Studies have been sustained in different areas of the world.

WALS International Conference 2019 with the theme “Crafting Sustainable Pedagogies for Teaching and Learning” organized by the World Association of Lesson Studies was held at Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 3-6 September 2019. Over seven hundred scholars and academics from 46 places presented their research studies in the format of Oral Paper Presentation, Poster Presentation, Symposiums, and Plenary Sessions.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk, Director of Centre for Excellence of Learning and Teaching, with a team of three of her colleagues presented four papers in total, three of which were presented in a symposium entitled “Learning Study in Hong Kong: A dual process of refining practice and theory for crafting sustainable pedagogies for both mainstream and special education schools”. Another paper presentation was about “Facilitating sustainable development of teaching professionalism through Learning Study”. The contents of the papers covered 1) how the teaching act of teachers could help refine their pedagogical practices as well the theory itself; 2) how identification and discernment of critical features could help fine-tune the teaching focus; 3) the possibilities of adopting Learning Study in crafting sustainable pedagogies that could embrace education initiatives to meet the learning needs of students; and 4) how Learning Study could help in the sustainable professional development of teachers in a case school. Apart from presenting papers, the colleagues of CELT had visited schools and universities for a better understanding of Lesson Study practices in Netherlands. The event has provided an opportunity for international exchanges and fostered wider networking among practitioners in Asia, Europe, UK and USA.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk, Director of Centre for Excellence of Learning and Teaching (CELT), was invited as the keynote speaker of the Learning Study Symposium with the theme “Improving teaching and learning through Learning Study” organized by the Academy of Singapore teachers (AST) on 21 August 2019 in Singapore.

The Symposium was kicked off by a keynote speech delivered by Dr. Ko on introducing the main constructs of Variation Theory and used of Learning Study cases to illustrate the impact of Learning Study on the learning of teachers and student, followed by two parallel sessions, with two seminars and twelve case studies sharing sessions. The keynote speaker, Dr. Ko presented the two seminars entitled “How Learning Study can be a dual process of developing theory and practice and contributing to teachers’ professional development”. The twelve parallel sharing sessions covered examples of application of Learning Study approach in teaching and learning of Chinese, Mathematics, Science, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Tamil and Malay Language in primary and secondary schools in Singapore.

Dr. Ko offered a series of Learning Study workshops to the Master Teachers (MTs) of the AST from 2014-16. Learning Study has then become one of the education initiatives in Singapore with the support of MTs. At present, 37 schools has participated in Learning Study in Singapore. The event had provided a platform for teachers and educators to exchange ideas and share good Learning Study practices. About 250 Singapore teachers and school leaders attended the Symposium.

WALS International Conference 2018 with the theme “Lesson Study and Teacher Education: International Dialogue” organized by the World Association of Lesson Studies was held in Beijing Normal University, China, from 23-26 November 2018. Over a thousand scholars and academics from 36 places presented their research studies in the format of Oral Paper Presentation, Poster Presentation, Symposiums, and Plenary Sessions.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk, Director of Centre for Excellence of Learning and Teaching (CELT), with a team of seven of her colleagues and three secondary teachers conducted two symposiums entitled “Learning Study in Hong Kong: Its salient features, development, and way forward” and “Establishing a Community of Practice: Experiences from Hong Kong Learning Study”. A total of nine papers of both Learning Study and Lesson Study covering the topics of university-school partnership, inter-school professional learning communities, interdisciplinary lesson study in self-regulated learning, and integrating STEM in special education were presented. Apart from presenting papers, the colleagues of CELT had visited schools and observed lessons at kindergarten, primary and secondary sectors.  The event has provided an opportunity for international dialogue and fostered wider networking among practitioners in Asia, Europe, UK and USA.

WALS International Conference 2017 with the theme “Bridging Research and Practice through Lesson Study” organized by the World Association of Lesson Studies was held in Nagoya, Japan, from 24-26 November 2017. A thousand of participants from the academia of 35 places presented their work in the format of Oral Paper Presentation, Poster Presentation, Symposium, and Round table / Workshop.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk, Director of Centre for Excellence of Learning and Teaching, and seven of her colleagues presented seven papers and case studies of both Learning Study and Lesson Study covering the topics of university-school partnership, inter-school professional learning communities, and special education. Apart from presenting papers, the colleagues of CELT had visited schools and observed lessons at kindergarten, primary and secondary sectors.  The event has promoted collegial exchange and fostered wider networking among practitioners in Asia, Europe, UK and USA. 

The Conference on Small Class Education in the Greater China Region was held on 9-11 November 2017. The theme of the conference was “Small class teaching: Integrating theories into practice”.  More than 100 participants from Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China, shared their valuable experiences in implementing small class teaching at the conference.

Honorary Advisors Dr. Lai Kwok Chan and Dr. Chan Kam Wing Paul, and two other colleagues of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) presented three papers on Positive Education, Self-directed Learning, and Professional Learning Communities respectively. The centre representatives also visited and observed demonstration lessons in three primary and secondary schools in Macau. The conference has not only facilitated professional sharing of small class teaching practices among the participants but also strengthened the networking of these regions.

On behalf of the CELT, Dr. Lai Kwok Chan, Honorary Advisor of CELT and Adjunct Associate Professor of C&I, made a presentation at the 12th Changjiang Delta Symposium on Small Class Education in Yangpu District, Shanghai on 27 October 2017.  The event was attended by education officials and practitioners from Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Dalian and other places in China.  The event was remarkable as it commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the Yangpu District pioneering the implementation of small class teaching in Shanghai. It also marks 15 years of fruitful collaboration between the University and the District in academic exchange and teacher development in small class teaching.  In his presentation, Dr. Lai reviewed how the University has served as a bridge between researchers in the East and the West, which resulted in recent publications on class size and small class teaching.  He also shared experiences of Hong Kong schools implementing positive education through class building in small class environments.

With the aim of learning more about the Flipped Learning practices in USA and Taiwan, three staff members of CELT attended a 2-day conference entitled “FlipCon Taipei 2016” on 15-16 April, 2016, and a discussion forum named “Global Leadership Forum 2016” on 17 April, 2016 in Taipei.

Our colleagues have learned the distinct features of flipped learning practices in USA and Taiwan. The Flipped Classroom advocated in USA emphasizes the significance of making good use of the face-to-face class time while that of Taiwan focuses on extending the learning beyond classrooms through Junyi Academy, an e-Learning platform. The discussion among the academics in reviewing the different practices of flipped learning adopted in Taiwan and USA has given much insight to the staff members of CELT about how to contextualize flipped learning to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness in Hong Kong.

Dr Ko Po Yuk was invited to give a speech in the international symposium entitled “Governance Reform and Quality Assurance in Education”, organized by the University of Tokyo on 24 October 2015. She presented the socio-political trends about the topic for the past 10 to 20 years in Hong Kong/Mainland China, and any unique practices or policies if they exist.

With the support from the China Teacher Press and the Education Department of Nanjing Normal University, the education seminar on small class teaching 2015 was held in Zhonghuazhongxue Shangxinhechujizhongxue in Nanjing on October 22-23, 2015 with the aims to further promote the education research and practice of small class teaching, to share the outcomes of different places, to investigate the key issues and the future trend of small class teaching, and to foster the sustainable development of small class teaching. Approximately 500 co-workers from over twenty regions like Nanjing, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Shanghai, Hangzhou attended the seminar for an in-depth discussion about the topic “Classroom reform to ensure that the learning of each individual student really takes place”.

The project report entitled “Small class teaching and self-regulated learning: Opportunities and challenges” written by Dr Lai Kwok Chan and Dr Wong Kit Ching recognized the achievement of small class teaching in Nanjing which has combined the learning outcomes of SCT in Nanjing with those of the western countries to further promote small class teaching in the Mainland. The report has given a brief description about the implementation of self-directed learning in Hong Kong and the challenges encountered.

Our Centre Director, Dr. Ko Po Yuk, is one of the founding members of The World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) which links up main scholars in the field of Lesson and Learning Study research all over the world. Members of the international network attend and make presentations at the WALS annual conference to disseminate the outcomes of Learning Study cases.  http://www.walsnet.org/