Teacher education is currently on the reform agenda where it needs to be, given the current status and working conditions of teachers in Hong Kong. Rationale of the design of teacher education program is under heated debate among players in education. One of the SIG (study interest group) in HKIEd in curriculum development and implementation would like to share their findings concerning issues that confront teachers and teacher educators. This symposium aims to discuss teacher education from several angles. It will discuss teacher education from the educational leader's perspectives; compare perception of training needs for primary school teachers between school practitioners and educators; and explore program development strategy for teacher education. Results from quantitative and qualitative surveys will be used as a base for the discussion. Perspectives of the players in education on impression, expectation, quality, strengths and weakness of teacher education are described. Suggestions for reform and proposed models for teacher education program are offered. Findings discussed in the symposium may be helpful in the preparation of future teacher education program.

Teaching approaches and strategies reflect the philosophy and aims of education of a society. Hong Kong has faced a lot of changes in education, both in curriculum and teaching approaches, especially in the subject of Social Studies. With the change of syllabuses, the teaching strategies of Social Studies has been changed from a teacher-centred and didactic approach in the 60s to child-centred and inquiry approach in the 90s. This is evident by three different syllabuses illustrate different needs of society in different periods. The 1967 syllabus pointed out the importance and effectiveness of activity in teaching. The reason of adopting activities was purely to stimulate pupils' interest in learning so that they could pass the external examination easily. This was extremely important to the pupils in that period as Junior 6 could be the end of their education. In 1980, the technological and economic advancements in Hong Kong had brought rapid changes to our society. To live in a highly complex and rapidly changing society was not a simpler matter for out children, so the 1980 social studies syllabus was designed to address their needs. The distinctive feature of this syllabus was the introduction of conceptual learning, value learning and skill learning. It was anticipated that children could acquire knowledge through the mastering of essential enquiry skills, and clarification of personal and social values so that they would be competent in the ever-changing society. Inquiry approach which regarded as an effective method to fulfill the aim, was the major teaching strategy in that period. The rationale of the 1997 General Studies syllabus is to equip children with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, to enable them to solve problems they encounter and to develop good citizenship. To achieve the rationale, the strategies promoted in this syllabus therefore is child-centred approach. Inquiry approach is still the main stream of teaching method. Since the new

Social education in the primary education arena of Hong Kong has taken many forms. This chapter traces the development of Social Studies in the formal curriculum of local primary schools from the 1960s to the 1990s. It critically analyzes the foci of change as stated in the curriculum documents. Based on these official documents, the relationship between the curriculum intent and pedagogy advocated is discussed with reference to the current literature. Learning activities suggested in the syllabi of various decades are compared on a continuum of teaching-learning strategies and evaluated against stated learning targets. Their implications on teaching styles are discussed. Criteria for selecting activities are recommended for readers' reference. This chapter ends with recommendations for further investigation. It is hopeful that the chapter will become a useful reference for investigations on social education in primary schools in terms of curriculum and pedagogy advocated for effective learning.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This paper analyses and reports on the action processes of a Hong Kong secondary school adopting a multidisciplinary, project approach. It is written from an observer's perspective exploring the initiation, the nature, the learning activities and the assessment tasks of the student projects, teacher development programmes as well as the technical aspects of implementation. The author has observed how practitioners problematised and reconstructed habitual practices in a cyclical mode where they 'plan-act-observe-reflect' on their daily professional experience and developed practical knowledge. The yearlong processes depict key elements of an action research (Kemmis, 1988; Elliot, 2003). It is found that teachers' tacit knowledge had a significant impact on early identification of problems and suggesting solutions to ensure the smooth running of the curriculum. The learning logs and verbal presentations provided evidences that students had a sense of achievement wherever there were independent learning and decision-making. Both teachers and students reported team spirit, student-teacher rapport, and reflected enhanced self-efficacy. This matches what Katz and Chard (2000) describe as the '(cultivation) of the life of the young child's mind', which means not only knowledge and skills, but also social, emotional, moral, aesthetic and spiritual sensibilities. This paper also illustrates other multifaceted benefits to the school. Conscious of the impact of action research and the contributions of teachers' tacit knowledge in professional practice, the author argues that it is time for university academics or experienced researchers to help teachers publicize the 'tacit' to enrich the knowledge base for teaching and learning.