Professional Development Workshops

A Staff Professional Workshop on "Effective Lesson Observation and Evaluation" conducted by Professor Ko Po Yuk was held on 10 January, 2024 for more than 60 teachers of Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club College. Professor Ko introduced the theories, framework, and conferencing skills of lesson observation and evaluation. Using examples and video clips from different subjects, Professor Ko explained and discussed with the teachers how to apply the relevant theories of lesson observation in conducting school-based lesson observation activities for enhancing teaching effectiveness. The teacher participants commented that the workshop helped them understand the purpose and focus of lesson observation, master the post-lesson conferencing skills, and the concrete examples promoted their reflection on how to effectively design classes.

A Staff Professional Workshop on “Effective Instructional Design” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang, Project consultant of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), was held on 15 December, 2023 for approximately 50 teachers of Wong Tin Sin Catholic Primary School.

The two-hour workshop covered the relevant theories of instructional design, the crucial elements of a lesson plan, and possible ways of catering for learner diversity illustrated with authentic examples. The significance of precise intended learning outcomes which gave teachers the direction how the lesson could be designed was discussed. A case study was shared showing how relevant “values and attitudes” with the topic to be taught could be embedded in the lesson design. Teachers were then engaged in designing lessons with emphasis on the constructive alignment of the intended learning outcomes, scaffolding activities, and assessment tasks. Their teaching ideas were shared on Padlet for feedback. The teacher participants commented that the workshop was practical and had given them insight into integrating different components in their lesson design.

A Staff Professional Workshop on “Enhancing Students’ Higher Order Thinking & Creativity” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang, Project consultant of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), was held on 13 November, 2023 for approximately 40 teachers of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Chow Yin Sum Primary School.

This is the second year of similar topic focusing on “Gifted Education”. The two-hour workshop covered the similarities and differences of critical thinking & creative thinking skills, a great variety of graphic organizers for helping students organize information & concepts, and typical examples of various ways for developing students’ higher order thinking skills. Authentic cases illustrating how the recommended ideas could be integrated in the four core subjects had been discussed. The teacher participants were engaged in designing learning activities to facilitate students’ creativity and critical thinking. The collegial sharing of their teaching ideas demonstrated not only their understanding of the relevant theories but also their competence in transferring the theories into practical teaching ideas. It is evident that the workshop had given them confidence and insight in designing scaffolding activities to help students enhance their higher order thinking skills.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Cooperative Learning” for around sixty teachers of Li Cheng Uk Government Primary School conducted by Ms Jannie Tsang of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) was held on 9^th November 2023. The workshop covered the major models of teaching and their respective teaching strategies, key elements of cooperative learning and a variety of cooperative learning strategies illustrated by authentic cases of the four core subjects. The participants actively engaged in various activities for experiencing cooperative learning from the student perspective. Ways of grouping students, the use of improvement scores to encourage less able students, and suggested ways to handle potential social problems when adopting cooperative learning in the classroom were discussed. The workshop has given a much-needed boost to the teachers for re-adopting cooperative learning in their regular teaching after a long period of online teaching during the pandemic.

A one-hour Staff Development workshop on “Lesson Observation and Evaluation” conducted by Dr Lai Meng Choo for the teachers of Pui Tak Canossian Primary School was held on 26 October 2023. Through the theory of lesson observation and evaluation, and examples of classroom practice, Dr Lai explained how to use the characteristics of the mathematics to conduct lesson observation and evaluation to enhance teachers' evaluation abilities. In addition, this workshop also demonstrates some principles and details about lesson evaluation through comparing different evaluation methods and teaching videos, encouraging teachers to express the needs of improving school-based mathematics teaching, and working with teachers to optimize the school's lesson observation schedule to meet the needs of modern mathematics teaching trends.

A staff development workshop on STEAM education conducted by Mr Mak Tsz-pun for the teachers of CCC Kei Wan Primary School was held on 29 September 2023. The topic was "Concepts and Teaching Cases of STEAM Curriculum Design". In the two-and-a-half-hour workshop, the speaker introduced the development of STEAM education in Hong Kong and its significance in education, explaining its curriculum and teaching design concepts. A practical case was used to demonstrate how to implement these concepts. The speaker designed interactive activities, allowing teachers to try out the teaching case on the spot. The workshop not only provided theoretical explanations but also practical experiences, deepening teachers' understanding of the STEAM teaching concepts and their skills in implementing STEAM teaching."

A Staff Development Workshop on “Assessment Literacy” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang for the teachers of CCC Kei Wan Primary School was held on 30^th August 2023. In the workshop, the three major assessments (“assessment of learning”, “assessment for learning”, and “assessment as learning) were recapped, the concept of assessment literacy, its significance to different stakeholders in the education sector, and assessment trends in education were discussed. Key strategies of Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment as Learning (AaL) were illustrated with examples. The participating teachers were engaged in group discussions to explore how formative assessment could have a summative function and vice versa. The interactive activities and timely feedback from the speaker did not only help the teachers have a better understanding of the topic but also have given them insight in developing Assessment as Learning in school.

A professional development workshop on “Designing Effective Lessons by Adopting Variation Theory as its Guiding Principle” conducted by Professor KO Po Yuk & Dr LAI Meng Choo for the teachers of Tin Ka Ping Secondary School was held on 1 February 2023.

The workshop comprised of 3 parts. The first part was the sharing of effective classroom cultures of different regions. The theories of Learning Study illustrated with examples of different subjects were introduced in the second part. How Variation Theory could be applied in designing learning activities to enhance the learning & teaching effectiveness as well as students’ higher order thinking skills were also discussed. In the third part of the workshop, the teachers worked in groups according to the subjects taught to select an object of learning (a topic) and identify its critical features. The purpose of the activity was to provide the teachers an opportunity to experience how to put the theory into practice.

Professor Ko Po Yuk was invited to be the speaker of a Joint-School Professional Development Day co-organised by Baptist Wing Lung Secondary School, ELCHK Lutheran Secondary School, Ho Ngai College (sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen), & TWGHs C.Y. Ma Memorial College on the topic “Joint-School High Quality Lesson Observation and Post-Lesson Observation Conferencing Skills” on 13 January 2023. The teachers of the four schools attended the 5-Week Professional Development Programme entitled “Effective Lesson Observation and Evaluation – A Whole-School Approach” at the Education University of Hong Kong last year. 

With the aim of enhancing teaching & learning effectiveness, Professor Ko introduced the theories of lesson observation and lesson evaluation conferencing skills (including the different purposes & procedures of lesson observation, 5-step feedback protocol, etc.) to nearly 200 teachers that day. After the theme sharing session of Professor Ko, teachers of different subjects shared their practical experience with all the participants for collegial exchange. 

A Staff Development Workshop on “Assessment Literacy” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang for the teachers of CCC Kei Wa Primary School (Kowloon Tong) was held on 11^th January 2023. In the workshop, the notion of assessment literacy, its significance to different stakeholders, and assessment trends in education were introduced. Key strategies of Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment as Learning (AaL) illustrated with examples were discussed. With the aim of developing students’ competence in self-evaluation, the participating teachers worked in groups according to their subjects to design topic-specific or skill-specific evaluation forms which were shared for peer comments. The interactive activities and timely feedback from the speaker did not only help the teachers have a better understanding of the topic but also have given them insight in developing Assessment as Learning in school.  

Two Staff Development Workshops on “Assessment Literacy” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang for the teachers of Textile Institute of American Chamber of Commerce Woo Hon Fai Secondary School and Kwun Tong Government Secondary School were held on 17^th & 18^th November 2022 respectively. In the workshops, the major concepts of assessment (“assessment of learning”, “assessment for learning”, and “assessment as learning) were recapped, the notion of assessment literacy was introduced and its significance to different stakeholders in the education sector was discussed. The participating teachers were engaged in group discussions to explore how formative assessment could have a summative function while summative assessment could provide formative feedback. The teacher participants of the two schools found the workshops helped them have a better understanding of assessment literacy.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Adopting Cooperative Learning Approach for enhancing classroom interaction” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Rachel Kwok of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for the teachers of St. Francis of Assisi’s Caritas School was held on 26 October 2022. Miss Tsang introduced the five key elements of cooperative learning and a variety of cooperative learning strategies. Authentic examples of lesson designs integrated with cooperative learning elements had been shown for discussion about the significance of designing information-gap activities for enhancing purposeful communication during the learning process. Teachers were then engaged in groups according to their subjects to design cooperative learning activities. Their teaching ideas were shared on Padlet and timely feedback on their design was provided.

The teacher participants found the experiential learning mode of the workshop helped them better understand the roles played by students when participating in cooperative learning activities.

Dr. Yan Zi conducted a teacher professional workshop on "Using WINSTEPS for Rasch Data Analysis" at Cumberland Presbyterian Church Yao Dao Primary School on 21 October 2022. In the workshop, Dr. Yan introduced the merits of Rasch data analysis when compared to traditional data analysis methods. The participants followed the steps introduced by Dr. Yan in using the WINSTEPS software to conduct the practical operation of test data analysis. Through the practical experience, teachers learned how to interpret the data analysis results, the similarities and differences between Rasch data analysis and the traditional analysis, and understood how to use the data analysis results to optimize learning and teaching so as to enhance the learning performance of students.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Effective Lesson Observation and Evaluation” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang, Miss Leung Kit Yan, and Miss Rachel Kwok of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for the teachers of Buddhist Wing Yan School was held on 18 October 2022. The relevant theories of lesson observation & post-lesson observation conferencing skills (such as different purposes of lesson observation, the lesson observation cycle, and the 5-step feedback protocol) were introduced. A 20-minute video of selected episodes of an authentic lesson had been shown for discussion.   Two scenarios had been provided for teachers to practice the conferencing skills as observers and the teachers being observed.

The participants found the interactive learning activities of the workshop useful in helping them understand the significance of collecting high-quality data during lesson observation so as to provide evidence-based feedback in the post-lesson conference.

A Staff Professional Workshop on “Improving Students’ Learning Performance through Self-Regulated Learning Strategies” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang, Project consultant of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), was held on 7 October, 2022 for approximately 40 teachers of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Chow Yin Sum Primary School.

The two-hour workshop covered a brief introduction of the rationale and theories of self-regulated learning, various strategies required at the different stages of SRL development process (including note-taking skills, graphic organisers, & self-assessment), metacognitive learning strategies, as well as some practical ideas for developing students’ creativity. Authentic cases illustrating how the SRL components and the relevant learning strategies could be integrated in the lesson design had been discussed. The teacher participants had engaged in trying out the interactive activities suggested and the experience had given them confidence and insight in designing scaffolding activities to help students improve their learning performance.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Questioning” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for the teachers of Shatin Government Secondary School was held on 27 September 2022.The 2-hour Workshop had covered the relevant theories of questioning and various ways to enhance classroom interactions to promote students’ higher-order thinking skills. Examples of different levels of guiding questions for developing students’ metacognition in various subjects had been suggested. Video clips displaying how teachers could ask probing questions based on students’ responses had been shown to facilitate discussion. The teachers had engaged in devising questions with different levels of cognitive complexity during the workshop. The active participation of the teachers in sharing ideas and asking questions made the workshop interactive and fruitful.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Effective Lesson Observation and Evaluation” conducted by Professor Ko Po Yuk, the Director of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), with the assistance of Miss Chan Wing Yan and Miss Rachel Kwok, for around fifty teachers of Hong Kong Southern District Government Primary School was held on 21 September 2022. Professor Ko introduced the theories and framework of lesson observation and post-observation conferencing skills. Using video clips as examples, Professor Ko discussed with the teachers how to apply the relevant theories and skills in conducting school-based lesson observation activities for enhancing teaching effectiveness. The teacher participants commented that the examples provided and the various activities enabled them to understand how to evaluate an observed lesson effectively and had facilitated them to reflect on how to adopt lesson observation and evaluation activities for developmental purpose.

“Self-Directed Learning (SDL)” has been a popular theme being selected as one of the school major concerns in recent years. The Chinese YMCA Primary School invited Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) to conduct a Staff Professional Development Workshop entitled “Self-Directed Learning” for 62 teachers of their school on 26 August 2022.

The content of the 3-hour workshop covered the basic concept and the three orientations of SDL, the various learning strategies to be developed in students  at different phases of the SDL development process. Authentic cases illustrating how the SDL components and the relevant learning strategies could be integrated in the lesson design of the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) had been discussed. After the theory input and discussion, the teachers worked in groups according to their subjects to design a lesson incorporating the SDL elements and a couple of the learning strategies which they hoped to develop in their students. The sharing of instructional designs from the teachers and feedback from the speakers had provided a platform for collegial exchanges in further refining their lesson designs to meet the learning needs of their students.

A Staff Professional Workshop on “Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and Note-taking Strategies” conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) was held on 30 June, 2022 for approximately 50 teachers of C.C.C. Hoh Fuk Tong Primary School before formulating the 3-year school development plan of the next cycle.

The two-and-a half hour workshop covered the rationale and the three major orientations of SRL as well as the various strategies required at the different stages of SRL development process, including note-taking skills, graphic organisers for organizing information, and metacognitive learning strategies. Authentic cases illustrating how the SRL components and the relevant learning strategies could be integrated in the lesson design of the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) had been discussed. After the theory input and discussion, the teachers worked in groups according to their subjects to design a lesson with SRL elements and a couple of the learning strategies which they hoped to develop in their students. The sharing of their instructional designs from the teachers and comments from their peers as well as those from the speakers had provided a platform for professional exchanges in refining their lesson designs to align with the major concern of the school.

Dr. Stephen Yip Yam Wing conducted a Professional Inquiry Workshop entitled “Quality Life-wide Learning Experience” for the teachers of North Point Methodist Primary School on 13 May 2022. In the workshop, Dr. Yip introduced the basic theories of Life-wide Learning, its development process in Hong Kong, and the latest development of Life-wide Learning to the teachers. He had shared an authentic case showing how a primary school had applied Life-wide Learning to facilitate sustainable development education so as to deepen the teachers’ understanding of integrating Life-wide Learning into the curriculum and inter-disciplinary practice as well as their mastery of different modes of implementing Life-wide Learning in school. Through the “Storytelling Approach or Story Whoosh@, Dr. Yip explained that Life-wide Learning attaches great importance to Multi-sensory Learning, and emphasized the significance of making connections with the past experiences when transmitting knowledge, promoting sharing and exchanges, and facilitating “Cooperative Learning” between students and teachers. Through the process of reflection, students could engage in Life-wide Learning experiences, thereby enjoying the joy of experiential learning.

A Workshop on “Developing Note-taking Strategies in students” for the English teachers of FMB Chun Lei Primary School was held on 4 May 2022. To strike a balance between theory input and practical ideas, the workshop conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) covered the relationship between self-regulated learning and note-taking skills, a variety of note-taking strategies for junior and senior primary students, various graphic organisers as springboards from reading to writing which were illustrated with examples based on the actual texts taken from textbooks. After the input, the teachers were engaged in designing note-taking activities for their selected topics in the second part of the workshop. Ideas were shared and discussed among the teachers. The workshop had provided the English teachers various ideas how to develop note-taking skills in their students for the subject of English Language so as to enhance their self-learning competence.

Dr Lai Meng Choo conducted an online Staff Development Workshop for Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary School on 2 March 2022. The theme of the workshop was “Theory and Practice of Catering for Learner Diversity”. Through watching video clips of authentic lessons and practical examples of different subjects, the teacher participants had a deeper understanding of how to put the relevant theories into practice (such as teacher-student interactions, the design of differentiated worksheets, self- and peer assessments etc.). The workshop provided opportunities to engage teachers in group discussion about to address the diverse learning needs in their respective school.

A Staff Professional Development Workshop entitled “Theory and Practice of Catering for Learner Diversity” conducted by Dr Lai Meng Choo for Shek Wu Hui Public School was held on December 21, 2021. The workshop introduced some effective teaching strategies to cater for learner differences (such as teacher-student interactions, the design of differentiated worksheets, self- and peer assessments etc.) through observing video clips of practical examples of different subjects. Teachers were engaged in group activities to discuss ways to address the diverse needs of students in the teaching process.

To deepen the understanding of the interdisciplinary STEM curriculum of the primary school teachers, and to strengthen their interdisciplinary STEM curriculum planning and teaching strategies, the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching organized an online workshop entitled “Fostering Interdisciplinary Pedagogy for STEM Education in Primary School of Hong Kong” via Zoom on September 18, 2021. The background and theory of interdisciplinary STEM curriculum integration were introduced to more than ninety teacher participants. Various interdisciplinary STEM models were recommended and authentic examples incorporating engineering element in the lesson design were shared. Ways to promote cross-disciplinary or interdisciplinary collaboration with STEM-specific learning mode were discussed in the workshop.

A Professional Development Workshop on “Catering for learner diversity” conducted by Dr Lai Meng Choo for Sha Tin Wai Dr. Catherine F. Woo Memorial School was held on 10 September 2021. A variety of effective teaching strategies (such as teacher-student interaction skills, the design of differentiated task sheets, peer and self-evaluation, and the use of information technology) had been introduced through authentic examples of different subjects and lesson video clips to illustrate how to cater for learner diversity in the teaching process. Teachers were engaged in group activities to discuss how the strategies could be adopted in their daily teaching.

A Staff Professional Workshop on “Effective Lesson Observation and Evaluation” for Sacred Heart Canossian College was conducted by Professor Ko Po Yuk and Ms Chan Wing Yan on August 30, 2021. The workshop started with the introduction of the basic theories of lesson observation and evaluation and followed by sharing lesson observation cultures in different regions. Authentic examples of different subjects and segments of lesson video had been adopted to explain and discuss with teachers how to apply the lesson observation theory to school-based lesson observation activities to enhance teaching effectiveness. The teacher participants commented that the workshop helped them better understand the focus of lesson observation and discussion about the teaching video segments facilitated them to reflect on how optimize lesson observation and evaluation to improve teaching and learning.

Dr Lee How Chung conducted a professional development workshop on “Chinese Language Teaching for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Students” on August 27, 2021 for the teachers of Shun Tak Fraternal Association (STFA) Wu Siu Kui Memorial Primary School. Dr Lee introduced the basic theories of Chinese Language teaching for NCS students, and the second language learning framework of Chinese Language curriculum (NCS students) to help teachers have a deeper understanding of the situation of Chinese Language teaching for NCS students in Hong Kong.  

Dr Lee further explained, with illustration of two authentic examples, how to cater for the learning needs of NCS students and deal with the learner diversity in the classroom. Some teaching strategies and learning activities for reading and writing were also recommended to facilitate learning and teaching of NCS students.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Assessment Literacy & Optimizing Classroom Assessment Strategies” conducted by Dr Yan Zi for the teachers of Taoist Ching Chung Primary School (Wu King Estate) was held on 23 August 2021. In the workshop, Dr Yan introduced the classroom-level requirements of assessment reform and the significance of assessment literacy to different stakeholders in the education sector. The similarities and differences of important assessment strategies (such as “assessment of learning”, “assessment for learning”, & “assessment as learning”) were explained and illustrated with examples, emphasizing the meaningful impact of involving students in assessment. Through group activities, the participating teachers with the guidance from the speaker explored possible ways to optimize classroom assessment strategies to promote learning and teaching.

Ms Jannie Tsang and Ms Leung Kit-yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching conducted a Parents’ Seminar and a Staff Development Workshop on “Self-Regulated Learning” (SRL) for Hennessy Road Government Primary School (Causeway Bay) on July 2 and July 9, 2021 respectively. The target audience of the seminar were appproximately 80 parents of the school. The content revolved around how parents could nurture the ability of their children to learn independently at home under the new normal of suspending classes without suspending learning. The speakers first introduced the basic concepts of SRL and the characteristics of self-regulated learners, followed by a variety of metacognitive learning strategies and a number of online educational platforms for gamification so that parents could assist their children in revising at home. Participating parents commented that the seminar had given them a deeper understanding of SRL, and the learning strategies introduced by the speakers were very practical.

The second event was a Staff Developemnt Workshop on SRL which was, in fact,  the second workshop or a continuation of the workshop on the same topic conducted in January 2020. The speakers first reviewed the rationale and the three orientations of SRL with the teachers. Each orientation was illustrated with an authentic case showing how the elements of SRL could be integrated in the lesson design. To promote home-school cooperation, similar metacognitive learning strategies which had been introduced to parents were discussed. Three models of Blended Learning and a variety of note-taking strategies were recommended so that teachers could help students develop their autonomous learning skills and enhance their learning motivation. The workshop had provided opportunities for the fifty teacher participants to collaborate with their colleagues teaching the same subjects in designing lessons integrated with SRL elements, and to share their teaching ideas with all their colleagues. The participating teachers found that the feedback given by the speakers about their instructional design was constructive and would help them further develop SRL in the school.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Assessment Literacy & optimizing classroom assessment strategies” was conducted by Dr Yan Zi for the teachers of Aldrich Bat Government Primary School on May 26 2021. In the workshop, Dr Yan introduced the theories and rationale of assessment literacy as well as its significance to different stakeholders in the education sector. Through examples, the speaker explained the similarities and differences of the major assessment methods (such as “assessment of learning”, “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning). The participating teachers engaged in group activities to explore ways to optimize classroom assessment strategies for enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness.

Developing students’ independent learning skills has been one of major concerns of most schools in recent years. A Staff Professional Development Workshop on “Self-regulated Learning” (SRL) conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) was held on March 24, 2021 for the teachers of Carmel Pak U Secondary School.

The three orientations of Self-regulated Learning illustrated with relevant cases were discussed. A sample lesson plan was provided for teachers to identify the SRL elements and the features of the lesson design. After the theory input and analysis of the lesson plan, the teachers engaged in designing either a lesson or a learning activity with a special focus on developing students’ learning strategies or self-learning habits for their respective subjects. The sharing from the teachers had inspired one another in designing lessons integrated with SRL elements to align with the major concern of the school.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Creative Teaching and Questioning” was conducted for Hong Kong Chinese Women’s Club College on 6 January 2021 via Zoom due to the pandemic. With the aim to strike a balance between theory input and practical ideas, the workshop conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) covered the relevant theories of creative teaching and questioning illustrated with concrete examples of different subjects as well as integrated with a variety of activities for the teacher participants to experience as the role of students during an online lesson. More than sixty teachers were engaged in group discussion using “The six thinking hats” and played quiz games for educational purpose. Forced combinations for creative design in Visual Arts and drama conventions had been introduced to be applied in language teaching, Liberal Studies, Humanities subjects and moral & civic education. The workshop had provided the teachers a variety of ideas how to enhance the classroom interactions and learning effectiveness, particularly during this period of new normal of teaching.

Professor KO Po Yuk and Dr. LAI Meng Choo conducted a Teacher Professional Development Workshop at Po Leung Kuk Yao Ling Sun College on November 10, 2020. The first part of the workshop focused on introducing the origin and development of Learning Study. The second part introduced how the object of learning and its critical features could be confirmed so as to select appropriate teaching content and design suitable learning activities. Authentic examples of the four core subjects had been provided for illustrating how appropriate teaching content and learning activities could be selected and designed. The sixty teachers had been divided into several groups according to their subjects taught to identify the object of learning and its critical features of the topic selected. Most of the teachers found this activity useful in providing them an opportunity in applying what they had acquired in the workshop.

A Staff Professional Development Workshop on “Self-Regulated Learning” (SRL) for the teachers of Choi Hung Estate Catholic Secondary School conducted by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) was held on 27 October, 2020.

The relevant theories namely three major orientations of SRL were reviewed and the Taiwanese Model of SRL ‘ShareStart’ was introduced. Each orientation and ‘ShareStart’ had been illustrated with a concrete example covering the subjects of Chinese Language, English Language, Science and BAFS After the theory input with the authentic examples provided, the teachers worked in groups to design either a lesson or a learning activity with SRL elements for their respective subjects. The sharing from the teachers showed that the teachers were able to integrate the SRL components in their design in an effective manner, and offered an opportunity for them to inspire one another in designing lessons to further develop the SRL skills of their students.

The Staff of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) conducted a teacher professional workshop on the theme “Models of Self-regulated Learning in classroom teaching” in Li Sing Tai Hang School on October 23, 2020. Two parallel sessions for the teachers of Mathematics and Chinese subjects had been held by Dr. Lai Meng Choo and Ms Chan Wing Yan respectively. In the session for Mathematics teachers, practical examples had been used to illustrate how the elements of self-regulated learning (SRL) and the ELPS (Experience Language Picture Symbol) Theory could be integrated in teaching Mathematics. The workshop offered opportunities for teachers to observe teaching videos and engaged in cooperative learning. Through group discussion and analyzing the video lesson observed, the teachers could refer to the practices in other schools and reflect on their own practices in teaching the non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students in their school. In the session for Chinese Language teachers, examples of different grades had been shown to facilitate discussion about how SRL could be integrated in teaching the four language skills and how pre-lesson preparation tasks, diversified teaching strategies, and assessment for learning could enhance learning motivation and learning effectiveness. Teachers in both sessions worked in groups to design learning activities with SRL components to meet the needs of their NCS students. The teacher participants found that the authentic examples illustrating how theory had been put into practice had deepened their understanding of SRL and facilitated them to reflect on their own teaching practice.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Questioning” was conducted for Heung To Middle School (Tin Shui Wai) on 12 October, 2020 by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

The 2-hour Workshop had covered the relevant theories of questioning and various ways to enhance classroom interactions to promote students’ higher-order thinking skills. Real-life examples had been used to illustrate the different levels in the three respective domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy (namely cognitive domain, skill domain, and attitude domain.) The relationship between Bloom’s Taxonomy and Biggs’ Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy had been discussed. Possible guiding questions for developing students’ speaking and writing skills in the language subjects had been suggested. Video clips displaying how teachers could ask probing questions based on students’ responses had been shown. The teachers had engaged in devising questions with different levels of cognitive complexity during the workshop. The active participation of the teachers in sharing ideas and asking questions made the workshop interactive and fruitful.

With the full resumption of face-to-face classes at schools, quite a number of schools have arranged their Staff Development Days in September. A Staff Development Workshop on “Questioning” was conducted for Wong Tai Sin Catholic Primary School on 30 September, 2020 by Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

The 2-hour Workshop had covered the relevant theories of questioning with the illustration of authentic examples of the three major subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, and Mathematics). The techniques of designing guiding questions of different levels of cognitive complexity or using funnel approach for picture description and story-telling had been discussed. The teachers had practiced designing different levels of questions during the workshop and had been encouraged to attempt asking students to self-initiate questions by using pictures and videos. The professional development workshop has provided teachers insight in designing questions for developing students’ higher-order thinking skills, which is the major focus of the school lesson observation in this academic year.

It has been for quite some time that most of the teaching events and professional development programmes have been conducted online due to the epidemic. It is encouraging that the Staff Development Workshop on “Questioning” for Yuen Long Po Kok Primary School was able to be carried out ‘face-to-face’ on 26 August, 2020.

The Workshop conducted by Ms. Jannie TSANG and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) aims to strike a balance between theory and Practice even though the situation was not favourable for group discussion yet. The relevant theories of questioning and feedback had been introduced with a major focus on the cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy as requested by the school with the illustration of concrete examples of the four core subjects. The techniques on enhancing classroom interactions had been discussed. To put the theory into practice, the forty teacher participants had been engaged on individual tasks in designing questions of different levels of cognitive complexity for pictures, videos, and their respective subjects. The sharing from teachers with the feedback from the speakers helped to enrich the teaching ideas and inspire one another on designing various levels of questions to meet the learning needs of their students.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Catering for Learner Diversity” for C.C.C. Kei Tsun Primary School was conducted by Dr Lai Meng Choo and Mr Chan Chun Leung on 21 January 2020. Examples of different subjects helped explicate how teachers could identify students’ learning needs and tackle the learning problems during the teaching process. The workshop had also introduced how integrating self-regulated learning with the various functions of e-learning tools could help teachers address students’ learning needs for catering learning diversity in the classroom.

Ms Leung Kit Yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching conducted a Staff Development Workshop on “Self-Regulated Learning (SRL): Designing pre-lesson learning tasks” for Hennessy Road Government School (Causeway Bay) on January 20, 2020.  The speaker first introduced the theory and key elements of "Self-regulated learning", as well as the objectives of designing pre-lesson learning tasks. The case sharing of four core subject cases (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies) helped illustrate how different types of pre-lesson learning tasks could further enhance students’ learning motivation and teaching effectiveness of classroom practices. The workshop provided an opportunity for teachers of the same subjects to work collaboratively in designing a lesson with pre-lesson learning tasks that aligned with the teaching content. The participating teachers found that the case sharing and the debriefing on their instructional design from the speaker was valuable and would help them further develop self-regulated learning in school.

Professor Chiu Chi Shing conducted a Staff Development Seminar for thirty teachers of Li Shing Tai Hang School on 2 December, 2019. Professor Chiu first expounded the three orientations of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and pointed out the general situation of the implementation of SRL in schools, especially its misuse or misapplication. Through the case sharing of the subjects of Chinese Language and Mathematics, he further explained how to integrate the elements of different orientations effectively in classroom teaching. The participating teachers stated that the sharing of theories and authentic cases has inspired them to think how to put self-regulated learning into practice in school.

A Staff Development Workshop on “Developing students’ self-learning skills” was conducted by Ms. Jannie TSANG, and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for approximately fifty teachers of Po On Commercial Association Wan Ho Kan Primary School on 13 September 2019. Apart from introducing the three orientations of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), the constructive alignment of the pre-lesson preparation task(s), instructional design, and extended tasks had been discussed and illustrated by authentic cases of the four core subjects. A variety of note-taking methods and appropriate graphic organizers for primary school students had been recommended. Opportunities to work in groups according to their subject disciplines had been provided for teachers to design a lesson integrating the elements of self-learning skills. The teacher participants found the feedback from the speakers valuable in further fine-tuning their pedagogical design.

Ms Jannie Tsang and Ms Leung Kit Yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching conducted a Staff Development Workshop on “Self-Regulated Learning” (SRL) for Aldrich Bay Government Primary School on August 29, 2019.  The speakers first introduced the theory and key elements of "self-directed learning", as well as the roles of teachers and students when SRL is implemented in school. The case sharing of four core subject cases (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies helped to explain how the different orientations of SRL can be integrated in classroom practices. The workshop provided an opportunity for teachers of the same subjects worked collaboratively in designing a lesson or learning activities with SRL elements. The participating teachers found that the debriefing and feedback on their instructional design from the speakers valuable and would help them to further develop self-regulated learning in school.

Dr Lai Meng Choo and Ms Chan Wing Yan hosted a Staff Development Workshop for fifty teachers of S.K.H. Kei Lok Primary School on 27 August, 2019. The theme of the workshop was the application of Variation Theory supported by examples of the four core subjects in identifying the object of learning of the teaching topic and its critical features for an effective lesson design. The example of Chinese Language demonstrated how to conduct a full case study so that teachers understood the significance of selecting appropriate object of learning for focused teaching. The professional sharing among teachers teaching the same subject in the second part of the workshop offered an opportunity for teachers to apply the theory into practice.

Dr Ko Po Yuk and Dr Lai Meng Choo conducted a Staff Development Workshop for around sixty teachers of The True Light Middle School of Hong Kong on 26 August, 2019. The major focus of the workshop was on Variation Theory. The examples of the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) illustrated to the teacher participants how to identify the object of learning and its critical aspects so as to devise an appropriate lesson design. The case study of Mathematics in particular demonstrated how Learning Study could help address the learner diversity in the classroom. The second part of the workshop offered a chance for the teachers to apply the theory into practice. Teachers worked in groups according to the subjects taught to identify the object of learning and its critical features of a teaching topic. Most teachers found the application part gave them an opportunity to apply what they had learned from the workshop.

Ms Jannie Tsang and Ms Leung Kit Yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching conducted a Staff Development Workshop on "Cooperative Learning"  for Kowloon Tong School (Secondary Section) on August 22, 2019. The three-hour workshop struck a good balance between both theory and practice, including the introduction of the basic elements of cooperative learning, the major differences between group learning and cooperative learning, cooperative learning strategies and the constructive alignment of instructional design. The participating teachers were grouped according to the subjects taught to design a lesson with the cooperative learning elements. The presentation of their lesson design shows that the workshop has facilitated the participating teachers to integrate cooperative learning in their daily teaching practice.

A Staff Development Seminar on “Enhancing student learning with Cooperative Learning” was conducted by Ms Jannie TSANG and Ms LEUNG Kit Yan of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for over eighty attendees including both the college administrators and lecturers from different subject disciplines of the Youth College, Vocational Training Council on 4 July 2019. The seminar covered theory and strategies of cooperative learning (CL) illustrated with authentic cases conducted. Examples of Business and trade, Hotel Studies, Computing & Mathematics, and English Language have been tailor-made to show how the practical ideas can be applied in various subject disciplines.

The seminar was well-received. The attendees found the interactive mode and the activities of the seminar useful in helping them better understand the rationale and practical ways of implementing cooperative learning in a more effective manner in classroom teaching. 

A Staff Development Seminar on “Self-Regulated Learning” was conducted by Professor CHIU Chi Shing, Ms. Jannie TSANG, and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for more than sixty teachers of Our Lady of China Catholic Primary School on 2 October 2018. Professor Chiu introduced the three orientations of self-regulated learning and highlighted the significance of selecting and/or integrating the various orientations according to the learning needs of the students and the school context. Case studies of the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) were discussed, illustrating how the different orientations of self-regulated learning could be implemented in classroom teaching. The teacher participants found that the theory-input and the authentic examples discussed had inspired them on how to develop their school-based self-regulated learning approach, one of the school major concerns, in the coming academic year.  

A Staff Development Workshop on “Learning Study and Self-Regulated Learning” was conducted by Dr. KO Po Yuk, Dr. LAI Meng Choo, Ms. Jannie TSANG, and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for around seventy teachers of Canossa School (Hong Kong) on 30 August 2018. Adopting Variation Theory as a pedagogical guiding principle for lesson design and significance of highlighting the critical features of the object of learning for student discernment was discussed and illustrated with authentic case studies of Chinese Language and Mathematics. The example of English Language demonstrated how Learning Study integrated with e-Learning tools could help develop students’ self-regulated learning. Opportunities to work in groups according to their subject disciplines had been provided for teachers to draft the tentative critical features of their selected object of learning. The teacher participants found that the feedback from the speakers valuable in helping them narrow down the object of learning and fine-tune the critical features. They commented that it was a good kick-off in helping them conduct Learning Study cases in the coming academic year.  

Ms. Jannie TSANG, Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan, and Ms Rachel KWOK of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) conducted a Staff Development Workshop for around one hundred and thirty teachers of Colegio Dom Bosco (Yuet Wah) Primary School, Macau on 27 August 2018. The whole-day workshop struck a delicate balance between theory and practice. The theory input included models of teaching, six principles of small class teaching, instructional design, key elements and strategies of cooperative learning. The participants actively engaged in a variety of activities in experiencing cooperative learning from the student perspective. Opportunities to work in groups according to their subject disciplines had been provided for teachers to design either a lesson or learning activities with cooperative learning elements. The collegial-sharing presentation of their well-designed lessons and learning activities illustrated not only their sound understanding of the relevant theories but also their competence in transferring the theories into practical teaching ideas within the limited time given.  

Ms. Jannie TSANG and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) conducted a staff development workshop for around seventy teachers of Cheung Chuk Shan College on 22 August 2018. The theories of questioning techniques and cooperative learning strategies were introduced for facilitating classroom interaction. ShareStart (學思達教學) was also discussed with case study sharing, aiming to train students to think, to share and to express their ideas based on question-based reading materials and through peer interaction in the classroom. Participating teachers actively engaged in professional sharing, trying out matching games for teaching students how to ask follow-up questions to elicit elaboration from peers and designing different levels of questions for putting theory into practice.

Ms. Jannie TSANG and Ms. LEUNG Kit Yan of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) conducted a Staff Development Seminar for around one hundred and twenty lecturers and tutors of Vocational Training Council on 6 July 2018. The theory input included models of teaching, key elements and strategies of cooperative learning, and various ways of grouping students for effective collaboration. The participants actively engaged in discussion and collegial sharing, making the seminar an interactive one. The participants remarked that the seminar had clarified their myths about the differences between group work and cooperative learning tasks and the input would be beneficial in helping them coach students for project-learning in their respective disciplines.

CELT organized a workshop on catering for learner diversities for PLK Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School on 4 October 2017. Dr Lai Meng Choo and Ms Leung Kit Yan demonstrated authentic examples from various subjects to help teachers understand the methods for identifying students’ learning difficulties and needs in the teaching process. E-learning and self-directed learning strategies were also introduced to the participants as useful tools for designing effective lessons to suit different needs of individual students in classroom teaching.

More than 250 participants from the sixty project schools of the “Support Programme on fostering Communities of Practice to enhance small class teaching” in 2017-2018 attended the Thematic Workshops organized by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) on 30 September, 2017.

The whole-day event commenced with the Welcome Speech and the introduction of the support service of the programme by Dr. Ko Po Yuk, the Director of CELT, followed by parallel sessions on three different themes: “Self-Directed Learning” conducted by Professor Chiu Chi Shing, Co-Director of CELT (Development), “e-Learning” conducted by Dr. Angus Chan, and “STEM” conducted by Mr. Wong Chi Kin. Participants could choose to attend the session according to their own interests or the needs of their schools.

Parallel case-sharing sessions on the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) were held in the afternoon. The selected cases are good practices illustrating how the three different themes integrated in the pedagogical design so as to enhance the learning and teaching effectiveness in small class setting.

A meeting between the teachers of the cluster schools and their respective tutors was held after the case-sharing sessions for them to exchange views and have an initial understanding of the needs of the participating schools. The participants found the workshops inspiring and fruitful.

Dr. LAI Meng Choo organised a workshop on the topic of catering for student learning diversity for Chiu Yang Por Yen Primary School on 24 August 2017. She showed examples of classroom teaching in the subject of Mathematics to demonstrate the methods for identifying students’ individual needs as well as using various teaching tools to enhance their learning in the teaching process. 

A CELT team offered a full-day workshop to United Christian College on the topic of Lesson observation and evaluation on 21 August 2017. It was composed of four experts in the area and they are Dr. KO Po Yuk, Dr. LAI Meng Choo, Ms LEUNG Kit Yan, and Miss CHAN Wing Yan. They introduced theories and demonstrated examples to help teachers apply lesson analysis methods to evaluate classroom teaching. The teacher participants also had an opportunity to observe two videotaped lessons, and hold an after-lesson meeting to practice relevant skills. 

The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) was invited to run a workshop with a focus on Cooperative Learning on the Staff Development Day of SKH St. Simon’s Lui Ming Choi Secondary School on 13 April 2017. The presenters started the workshop with understanding teachers’ previous knowledge of the issue, and engaged the teachers in a variety of activities afterwards. In the first session, the teachers were introduced to relevant theories and strategies – Think-Pair-Share, Think-Write-Pair-Share, and Think-Pair-Square. In the second session, they were exposed to the design of learning activities – Jigsaw Reading, Simultaneous Round Table, and Two Stay Two Stray as well as being provided with an opportunity to design an activity with the elements of cooperative learning. Teachers’ active participation was overwhelming in the entire process of the workshop. 

Dr Ko Po Yuk and Dr Lai Meng Choo were invited to conduct a workshop for TWGHs Sun Hoi Directors' College on 24 March 2017. This session was the second part of a series on Lesson observation and evaluation. It put emphasis on the application of Variation Theory in teaching to enhance student learning.  

On 13 March 2017, Mr Ho Ka Wa was invited to provide a staff development day for St. Matthew's Lutheran School (Sau Mau Ping).  The focus was on the development of students’ high-order thinking skills. The presenter shared examples of lesson design, episodes of classes, methods for asking questions, thinking tools, and skills for organizing group activities with the teacher participants to encourage more teacher-student and student-student interactions for inspiring student thinking. 

Dr Lai Meng Choo and Mr Ho Ka Wa conducted a workshop on Catering for Learner Diversity for Holy Family School on 18 November 2016. The practical examples provided in the workshop helped the teacher participants realise that by putting theories into practice could help them understand the various learning styles of their students and the significance of taking students’ learning difficulties into account when designing their lessons. Through peer lesson observation and reflection, the teaching effectiveness could further be enhanced to meet the diverse learning needs in the classroom.

Mr Ho Ka Wa was invited to conduct a Professional Development Day on “Promoting students’ higher-order thinking through questioning” for The ELCHK Faith Lutheran School on 24 October 2016. The teacher participants actively engaged in discussion, designing subject-based questions and professional sharing.

A Staff Development Workshop on questioning was conducted on 15 October 2016 at Logos Academy by the staff of the Centre for approximately one hundred and fifty teachers from both primary and secondary sections. The workshop commenced with a brief introduction of the relevant theories illustrated with concrete examples of subjects of different Key Learning Areas (KLAs), followed by the design of subject-based questions by the teacher participants. The active engagement of the teachers during the process demonstrated their passion for teaching and the high-quality of their design would inspire students’ higher-order thinking.  

Dr. Lai Meng Choo conducted the captioned workshop for Shamshuipo Kaifong Welfare Association Primary School on 3 October 2016. Through the practical examples and their teaching experience, Dr. Lai helped the teacher participants figure out the learning needs of their students, optimize the content of teaching and feedback of student learning so as to solve the learning differences in the classroom.

Miss Jannie Tsang and Miss Leung Kit Yan conducted a workshop for around fifty teachers of CCC Kei Wan Primary School on 30 September 2016 at which the theories of questioning and key elements of self-directed learning (SDL) were discussed and illustrated with concrete examples of the four core subjects. As e-Learning is one of the school major concerns, some Learning Management Systems (LMS) and examples of how e-Learning could be integrated in the teaching of English Language had been shown. Based on the input, the teacher participants had initially worked out some feasible teaching ideas before the end of the workshop. It was found that the workshop was inspiring and had met the developmental needs of the school.

More than 200 participants from the 60 project schools of the “Support Programme on fostering Communities of Practice to enhance small class teaching” in 2016-2017 attended the Thematic Workshops organized by the Centre on 10 September 2016.

The whole-day event commenced with the Welcome Speech and the introduction of the support service of the programme by Dr. Ko Po Yuk, followed by parallel sessions on three different themes: “Self-Regulated Learning” conducted by Professor Chiu Chi Shing, “e-Learning” conducted by Dr. Angus Chan, and “Catering for Learner Diversity” conducted by Dr. Lai Meng Choo. Participants could choose to attend the session according to their own interests or the needs of their schools.

Parallel case-sharing sessions on the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, and General Studies) were held in the afternoon. The selected cases are good practices illustrating how the three different themes integrated in the pedagogical design so as to enhance the learning and teaching effectiveness in small class setting.

A meeting between the teachers of the cluster schools and their respective tutors was held after the case-sharing sessions for them to exchange views and have an initial understanding of the needs of the participating schools. The participants found the workshops inspiring and fruitful.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk and Dr. Lai Meng Choo conducted the captioned workshop for TWGHs Sun Hoi Directors' College on 8 September 2016. The workshop demonstrated how to optimize teaching efficacy and student learning through lesson analysis with the practical examples from secondary classrooms.

Ms Jannie Tsang and Ms Leung Kit Yan conducted a Staff Development Workshop for sixty teachers of Canossa Primary School (Hong Kong) on 26 August 2016 at which the key elements of self-directed learning (SDL) were discussed and illustrated with examples on how SDL could be integrated in teaching the four core subjects. Apart from the theory input of flipped classroom, some Learning Management Systems (LMS) had been introduced. The teacher participants commented that the content of the workshop was school-based and was able to address the development needs of the school. 

Mr Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for CCC Wanchai Church Kei To Primary School on 23 August 2016. The workshop consisted of two parts. The first half of the workshop was the theory input on the functions and effect size of feedback coupled with the recommendations of giving feedback as suggested by the Curriculum Development Institute (CDI). In the second half of the workshop, the teacher participants of the same subjects role-played the task feedback, procedural feedback and self-regulated feedback they designed. Five directions on how to effectively handle the situations when students had given wrong answers had been suggested. 

Dr. Ko Po Yuk and Dr. Lai Meng Choo conducted the captioned workshop for Chong Gene Hang College on 8 June 2016. The workshop demonstrated how to optimize teaching efficacy and student learning through lesson analysis with the practical examples from secondary classrooms.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for CMA Secondary School on 23 March 2016. There were two major foci of the workshop: questioning skills and creative teaching. For questioning techniques, the speaker introduced the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, highlighting the key words (remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create) of the different levels of difficulties in asking questions. The significant elements of designing questions in terms of their relevance in aligning with the teaching objectives and students’ learning difficulties were discussed.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for HHCKLA Buddhist Wisdom Primary School on 20 November 2015. The rationale of Self-directed Learning (SDL) and the major features of SDL in China and Hong Kong were introduced in the workshop. The teacher participants were engaged in discussion about how to apply the six key principles of small class teaching to promote self-directed learning.

Dr. Ko Po Yuk conducted the captioned workshop for CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School on 18 November 2015. The workshop introduced the fundamental theories of lesson observation and evaluation. Case studies of different subjects had been used as examples to illustrate how to apply the theories into school-based lesson observation activities so as to enhance the teaching and learning effectiveness.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for CCC WanChai Church Kei To Primary School on 16 November 2015. The workshop focused on how to design questions of different levels of complexities based on (revised) Bloom’s and Xinhuazhu’s Taxonomies to develop students’ higher-order thinking with concrete examples of various subjects. The key principles of designing questions in terms of the teaching objectives, students’ prior knowledge, and their learning difficulties were discussed.

Dr. Chan Kam Wing Paul conducted the captioned workshop for Sung Tak Wong Kin Sheung Memorial School on 2 October 2015. The workshop aims to share with teachers on the implementation of self-regulated learning in the core subjects. The content includes the concepts of self-regulated learning, a model of self-regulated learning, self-monitoring and self-assessment, examples of implementing self-regulated in Chinese language, English language, Mathematics and General Study.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for Hop Yat Church School on 2 October 2015. The differences between the eastern and western approaches to Self-directed Learning (SDL) as well as the characteristics of SDL to enhance learning in the Hong Kong context were briefly explained. The teaching procedures of knowledge construction and their relevant strategies or learning tools were discussed.  The school-based SDL approach was investigated in the final session of the workshop.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for SKH Yan Laap Memorial Primary School on 18 September 2015. The workshop investigated two particular higher-order thinking skills, i.e. ways to help students examine an issue from different perspectives and how to use tree diagrams to arrange information according to its hierarchy and significance. 

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for SKH Yan Laap Memorial Primary School on 11 September 2015. The design rationale of the seven-colour rainbow thinking skills and its application were explained. The teacher participants were guided to explore how to apply this particular higher-order thinking skill in their teaching. 

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captined workshop for St. Eugene de Mazenod Oblate Primary School on 9 September 2015. The key features of higher-order thinking (HOT) were explained. Various strategies for teaching HOT were discussed and supported with examples. Besides, the 13 gifted HOT skills and their application in the classroom were introduced.

A theme-based workshop of the "Support Programme on Fostering Communities of Practice to Enhance Learning and Teaching in a Small Class Environment 2015-16" funded by EDB was organized by the Centre on 5 September, 2015. It aims to provide professional support on the theme (Self-regulated Learning, Managing Learning Diversity or E-learning) selected by the schools.

Dr. Lai Meng Choo, Mr. Ho Ka Wa, Ms. Jannie Tsang and Ms. Leung Kit Yan conducted the captioned workshop for Canossa School (Hong Kong) on 25 August 2015. The basic concepts of teaching for creativity were introduced and illustrated with concrete examples of the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies) in the morning session. 

The theme of the afternoon session was self-learning (SL) strategies. Various SL strategies like notetaking (Cornell Notes, and Left and right brain sync notes), Graphic Organizers, 6P reading strategies were discussed.

Dr. Lai Meng Choo conducted the captioned workshop for St. Paul's Primary Catholic School on 24 August 2015. The workshop demonstrated how to optimize teaching efficacy and student learning through lesson analysis with the practical examples from primary classrooms.

Dr. Chan Kam Wing Paul conducted the captioned workshop for SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School on 18 August 2015. The workshop aims to share with teachers on the use of questioning techniques to enhance students’ skills of analysis. The content includes extended questioning, higher-order questions and basic questioning skills such as using wait time and Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce.

Mr. Ho Ka Wa conducted the captioned workshop for Chiu Yang Primary School of Hong Kong on 18 August 2015. The eastern and western approaches to Self-directed Learning (SDL) and the prerequisites for SDL in the contexts of China and Hong Kong were introduced. The various practices of SDL were compared and the effective school-based SDL pedagogies were explored.