In this newsletter, we highlight EPL’s efforts and advances in community engagement, research, and teaching over the past four months, especially those supporting teacher and leader development in Hong Kong and beyond.
EPL is committed to conducting high quality research as evinced in winning competitive external research grants and strong international publications. We remain to be a valued partner for local schools, the EDB and other educational organizations. Our colleagues actively engage themselves in preparing current and future educational professionals at various career stages. The Department works closely with the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC), as well as other departments and centres for conducting research and providing service to the community.
Best wishes to the beginning of a brand new school year!
The EPL Team
The Saturday School Forum was completed successfully on 17th July 2021. The theme of this year’s forum was experiential learning. Over 150 participants from different education levels registered for the event. Both local and international speakers were invited to share their perspectives and experiences in the areas of teacher education, community engagement, leadership and wellbeing. The forum received very positive feedback from all audience members, and we hope it can bring some novel and inspirational ideas to the education community and beyond.
The highlight of the Saturday School Forum is now available on the EPL website.
Aspiring Principal Programme in 2021/22 is Now Open for Applications
The EDB has authorised the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC) at the EdUHK to conduct the Aspiring Principal Programme from 2021/22 to 2022/23. This programme comprises the “Needs Analysis for Aspiring Principals” (NA) and “Preparation for Principalship Course for Aspiring Principals” (PFP). Applications are now being invited for participation in the NA exercise and the PFP course. Engagement in the NA and PFP will be valuable for leaders at all levels of schools, and particularly those who are aspiring to undertake a principalship role in the future.
Bachelor of Science in Executive Management
The Bachelor of Science in Executive Management (BSc. EM) is a pioneering bachelor’s programme to give senior year undergraduate students’ career in education-focused executive management a head-start. We prepare future professionals for organizations where care, ethics, and social responsibility are core to their business agenda.
The BSc. EM equips our students with career opportunities in the education sector, as well as non-governmental and private sectors. It is delivered by instructors with both academic and practitioner experiences in education and executive management. We also use university-wide, inter-faculty, and inter-disciplinary collaborations to build our students’ expertise in corporate languages, information technology, and risk-management.
Professional preparation includes internship opportunities. Students will be matched according to their career interests with our networks of education, non-governmental, and related private industry partners for placements in Hong Kong or the Greater Bay Area.
Please stay tuned for programme admission in late 2021.
International Schooling and the Re/production of A ‘Global Middle-class’ in China’s Greater Bay Area
Project Investigator: Dr Ewan Wright
In a new research project, Dr Ewan Wright will investigate the proliferation of international schooling in China’s Greater Bay Area. The research will uncover what is driving the expansion of international schooling, the characteristics of international schools, the impacts on students, and the potential societal disruptions. In so doing, it will identify if and how international schooling experiences are creating a social class of young people who are distinctive from their counterparts in mainstream schools.
Professional Agency of Hong Kong Kindergarten Teachers Working with Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Children: A Phenomenographic Study
Project Investigator: Dr Keung Pui Chi Chrysa
This project uses a phenomenographic approach to develop contextualised understandings about kindergarten teachers’ conceptions and experiences of professional agency, particularly in the complex setting of working with socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Data will be collected through interviews with kindergarten teachers from Hong Kong districts with high poverty ratios, classroom observations and participation in teacher collaborative meetings. This project will extend the current research to investigate how kindergarten teachers negotiate professional agency and provide an alternative view to reframe teacher professionalism.
Identifying Professional Growth and Trajectories of Development of Teachers and School Leaders in Contexts: A Mixed-method Study
Project Investigator: Dr Ko Yue On
In this new GRF project, Dr James Ko, Dr Haiyan Qian, and Prof Allan Walker seek to characterise how teachers and schools tackle contextual challenges professionally and develop professional growth. They will adopt a mixed-method, two-part design to build teacher and principal profiles first from territory-wide survey data from 400-500 teachers and 80-100 principals. Second, case studies will be created from interviews with sixty teachers and principals purposively selected. Four case studies will be developed through interviews and ethnographic observations at schools recognised for exceptional capacities in overcoming adversities.
New Books on Education Reforms and School Effectiveness
Our Emeritus Professor (Education) Yin Cheong Cheng has recently published two new Chinese books on education reforms and school effectiveness to serve the professional need and practice of educators, principals, and teachers in Hong Kong.
1313 School Leaders Participated in Our Leadership Training Programmes Commissioned by the EDB in 2020-21
In the academic year of 2020-2021, the Department and the Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC) have provided five leadership training programmes commissioned by the EDB. These programmes are:
1,313 school leaders including principals, vice principals, and teacher leaders have benefitted from participation in the programmes.
Successful Launch of the First-ever LILO Courses!
We proudly launched the first residential courses of the Master of Arts in Leading Innovative Learning Organizations (LILO) from July 12 to 17. The LILO 2021 Cohort comprises 25 participants from 11 different locations across diverse sectors in education: mainstream/local schools (9), international schools (7), experimental school (1), and educational entrepreneurship (9).
Through 6-day intensive class interactions, guest lectures and professional networking, the LILO participants had engaging, dynamic and rewarding experiences for the courses "Middle Leaders as Edupreneurs and Innovators" and "Leading Organizational Learning" taught by Dr Maxwell Ho, Dr Jiafang Lu, Dr Haiyan Qin and Dr Darren Bryant.
The next LILO residential "Leading Innovative Communities Within and Beyond Organizations" will be conducted by Dr Daphnee Lee and Dr Trevor Lee in mid-September.
The 2022-23 admission will start in late 2021. Please stay tuned!
Teacher Entrepreneurialism Webinar
Over 170 principals and teacher leaders from local secondary schools and primary schools from various school sponsoring bodies participated in the APCLC-EPL webinar held on 28 July 2021. The webinar titled Teacher Entrepreneurialism Webinar was jointly organised by the Department and the APCLC.
In the webinar, Dr Maxwell Ho, EPL lecturer and the programme leader of the APCLC training programme Service Leadership 3Cs for Entrepreneurial Teacher Leaders, shared how teacher entrepreneurialism enhances school operation efficiency and student learning effectiveness. Mr Vincent Cheung and Ms Christine Yu, respective vice-principals of Liu Po Shan Memorial College and Hong Kong Student Aid Society Primary School, shared how the programme has helped them manage their school teams.
Professional Development Workshop for 400+ Principals and Key Staff of 86 Kindergartens in Guangming District of Shenzhen
In collaboration with the Guangming Branch of the Shenzhen Institute of Education Sciences, a Professional Development Workshop was successfully delivered on Aug 22 by Dr James Ko and his exceptional team, including Prof Kathy Sylva (University of Oxford) as the Honourable Guest Keynote; three project investigators, Prof Pamela Sammons (University of Oxford), Dr Jyrki Reunamo (University of Helsinki), and Dr Jin Sun (EdUHK); two PhD Candidates, Ms Yasmin Fong and Ms Eliza Wu; and three research assistants, Ms Penny Chen, Ms Natalie Ng, and Ms Woody Wu. This workshop represented an excellent start of extending Dr Ko’s GRF project, Effective teaching and their effects on early childhood development: A comparative, longitudinal, mixed-method study of Hong Kong and Finnish kindergartens (aka EffECT).
Choi Tae Hee Visited the Korea National University of Education in July
Dr Choi Tae Hee spent a week (19-23) in July 2021 at the Korea National University of Education (KNUE) to strengthen the research network between EPL and the KNUE.
During her trip, she explored collaboration with Professor Jang Soomyung, former Secretary General of the National Education Committee, and introduced scholars from each institute. She also made progress with the comparative project on policy support for students from low-income families, which will help further strengthen the inter-institute research collaboration.
Community Engagement Project with Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School at Kwong Pen Tien Tsuen (光板田村)
The Department has recently concluded the first phase of a community engagement project with the Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School (SDBNSM). The first phase at the Kwong Pan Tien Tsuen (光板田村) in Tsuen Wan had EdUHK students collaborating with students to complete the restoration and painting of murals in the village. Students from both sides had a valuable opportunity to learn more about the history, development and current needs of the village from residents.
School Leadership Roundtable 2021
On 25-26 June 2021, The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC) co-organised the School Leadership Roundtable 2021 and Principal Forum with the EPL Department, and the Southwest University themed "Seeking common ground: Connecting Chinese and International School Leadership". The Roundtable brings together by invitation 70+ renowned regional and international education scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and principals from 19 societies. They have come together this year to: (i) Reflect on how to build the capacity of younger-generation educational leadership researchers in China; (ii) Discuss the latest innovative school practices from both international and local perspectives; and (iii) Stimulate more cutting-edge research in the field of educational leadership in China.
The highlight of the School Leadership Roundtable 2021, Leader Learning Series, is now available on the APCLC website.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Executive Master of Arts in International Educational Leadership and Change (IELC)
For leaders who want to make a difference in their own schools, in the region and beyond.
Master of Arts in Leading Experiential Learning Activities (LELA)
For leaders of educational programmes or courses that adopt Experiential Learning practices. Offered with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
In addition to direct Department work, EPL colleagues contribute significantly to the leadership, research and development activities of several other units.
Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC)
Diversity, Equity and Social Inclusion Research Group (DESI)
The APCLC stresses the importance of leadership and leadership development for achieving sustainable change in school systems. It builds on a strong regional foundation of leadership development by contributing new research grounded in the region. It also creates and transforms knowledge gained from research into practical tools.
The DESI researches how diversity impacts on education, equity and inclusion through its interaction with social, political and economic conditions. The DESI aims to increase knowledge and understanding of diversity in Hong Kong and East Asia to improve education, policy and practice. The DESI has three research streams: Ethnic Minorities & Refugees, Inter/Multiculturalism, and Gender & Sexuality.
Education Policy Research Hub
Developing Teachers, Developing Futures
The Education Policy Research Hub conducts research on the design, implementation and evaluation of education policy. By building strong networks with policymakers, school stakeholders and the public, the hub aims to increase the impact of policy research and improve education locally and regionally. It aims to become a valued partner of education system stakeholders by building and sharing new knowledge in Hong Kong and beyond.
Teacher professionalism—the capacity to make informed educational judgements about what is in the best interests of students and their communities—is influenced by ever-evolving and interactive institutional, social and political contexts. Teachers are expected to meet diverse and sometimes competing local needs and must also be responsive to global developments and concerns. This project aims to enhance the impact of teaching and research on teacher education both locally and globally.
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