Language teaching: curriculum, teaching materials and activity teaching kit

The training programme took off with an introduction from Dr Ho Man-sing on the curriculum development of Chinese language teaching in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was then followed by Dr Ho's comparative analysis on the language text books used in mainland China, aiming to help local teachers choose the most appropriate materials for the best teaching results.

Dr Ho, working together with the HKIEd student team, also presented the concept of activity-approach pedagogy, its modus operandi and methods of assessment, to the local teachers. Those under training were then asked to design their own teaching plans for practice. The HKIEd team also gave a demonstration on how to conduct a class for primary students on creative writing. Divided into small groups, the primary students were asked to collaborate on writing creative stories, using various topical components. Different 'characters' and 'scenes' were assigned to the students to challenge their imagination and their writing. Specific characters – Chinese or Western, modern or legendary – included names such as "Nezha", "Snow White" and the famous basketball player "Yao Ming"; while the particular 'scene' might be a 'beach', a 'school' or an 'airport'. Teachers attending the training first acted as observers and were then asked to do an immediate model practice. An overall experience-sharing session was then held at the end of the training programme.