The realization of small class spirit in a kindergarten in Hong Kong, how far does the understanding ally with the early childhood educational reform policy and development in Hong Kong? A pilot investigation

The realization of small class spirit in a kindergarten in Hong Kong, how far does the understanding ally with the early childhood educational reform policy and development in Hong Kong? A pilot investigation

• Lau, Grace The Hong Kong Institute of Education
• Tai, Yin Yi Tanny The Hong Kong Institute of Education

The Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK) Annual Conference 2014 (2014: HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education)

• F Learning & Teaching
  • FB Streaming, Tracking, Grouping & Size of Class, Seating Arrangements, Mixed Ability Teaching
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RG Education Reforms
• Q Philosophy of Education, Educational System & School At Different Levels
  • QB Pre-school Education, Child Caring Facilities, Maternal & Infantile Health Facilities

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

Since the late 1990s, early childhood education in Hong Kong has progressively lounged a series of reforms to raise the quality of early year education. Along with the emphasis on adopting the 'child-centred' concept of children's learning, the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum issued in 2006 recommend an integrated approach in the curriculum design. The integrated "holistic" approach calls for a shift of paradigm from the formal didactic teaching of academic knowledge to an informal development of the children through quality teacher-children interactions. Hitherto, small class teaching environment is created via the increase in teacher-student ratio at the start of the 2003-2004 academic year. A review of literature on small class teaching suggested that teacher-children ratio, classroom settings and the relevant pedagogic applications are important ingredients for the philosophical enhancement of the small class spirit. This paper will report some preliminary data collected in a pilot study conducted in two classrooms in a Hong Kong Kindergarten. The findings are reported as case studies which suggest that the spirit of small class teaching is not restricted in an informal teaching environment but in some formal teaching settings in the school as well. Discussion and implications on this understanding will be made.

Paper presented at the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK) Annual Conference 2014, HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, China.

• English

Conference Papers

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/f3370dd2

2015-06-23