EPL was grateful to have had Professor Colin Beard from Sheffield Hallam University visiting Hong Kong from 17 May to 31 May. Professor Beard is also an Honorary Professor of the Department. As an internationally recognised and renowned expert in the field of experiential learning and experience design, Professor Beard was invited to lead three major professional development workshops organised by EPL. These workshops targeted not only colleagues and students at EdUHK, but also front-line teachers and principals from the primary and secondary education sectors.
School Professional Development Workshop – New Thinking on Experiential Learning and Space (May 19th, 2023)
With the collaborative support of the Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School (SDBNSM) to host the workshop on its premise in Kwai Chung, Professor Beard focused on how to incorporate experiential learning into subject teaching and adopt the pedagogy of space to enhance students’ learning. The workshop was ‘action-filled’ to facilitate the embodied learning of participants in the uniquely designed spaces at SDBNSM. In total, over 30 serving primary and secondary school teachers and principals attended the workshop which ran from the afternoon to the evening, with many of them considering this special and holistic workshop experience unique, fruitful and inspiring.
Small Group Staff Training Workshop – Learning Experience Design in Courses (May 23rd, 2023)
The workshop was intended for all interested colleagues of EPL and related parties to have hands-on training in creative learning experience design. In this workshop, Professor Beard took participants through the systematic application of principles to design effective learning experiences for students, such as observation skills, ways to construct meanings, and create conversations. Participating colleagues also worked on their own course design with professional inputs from Professor Beard, as well as engaging in a collective discussion on integrating experiential learning elements in pedagogical work.
Postgraduate Students’ Training Workshop – Higher Order Thinking and Writing through an Experiential Learning Approach (May 27th, 2023)
In this workshop, Professor Beard led all participants, who were mainly students from the Master of Arts in Leading Experiential Learning Activities (MA LELA) programme, as well as PhD and EdD students from various departments, to explore higher order thinking and writing through a series of stimulating activities and examples. Professor Beard also shared some new perspectives and practical suggestions regarding the benefits of experiential learning for both teaching and learning during the workshop. This highly interactive experience, thus, offered students valuable ideas for self-improvement as well as potential application to their own study or work settings.
Other than these three wonderfully crafted workshops, Professor Beard was also invited to speak at EPL’s staff retreat on May 29th, 2023. More details can be found in the news here.
Taking this opportunity, the Department would like to express sincere gratitude to Professor Beard for his extraordinary efforts in designing and conducting the workshops for all participating colleagues, teachers, principals, and students from all levels of education during his two-week stay in Hong Kong.