This article reports on the results of a research study which investigated the use of monolingual dictionaries by Hong Kong advanced Cantonese ESL learners in the production of target language sentences. Thirty-one English majors participated in a sentence completion task and a sentence construction task with and without the help of a monolingual dictionary. In the sentence completion task, a full Chinese context and a partial English context were given, whereas in the sentence construction task, only a few English prompts were given. Different self-reporting protocols, including introspective questionnaires, retrospective questionnaires and think-aloud recordings, and a post-task focus-group interview were conducted to tap into the participants' thinking processes during dictionary consultation. The results show that a monolingual dictionary is useful in helping learners produce target language sentences, yet learners encounter different kinds of consultation problems, some of which are related to their general use of dictionaries and others to the language in which their thinking processes are engaged. It is suggested that ESL learners use both monolingual and bilingualized dictionaries in their learning and that ESL teachers design dictionary skills training programs which take into account learners linguistic competence and actual consultation problems.
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Noting that the advancement of computer and information technology has generated tremendous impacts on school education, the author tries to examine the curriculum on "learning about computer" and on "learning through computer" through a comprehensive framework.

The name "CRUCIAL" refers to the Center for Resources and Understanding of Cross-curricular Instruction and Learning. The authors report that the project was launched because it was thought that Cross-curricular Education was urgently needed for present-day education in Hong Kong. It was found that school teachers' perception of CRUCIAL and the use of learning technologies in classrooms were very positive.

The author argues that, as far as teaching and learning approach is concerned, Mathematics teachers could make use of information technology to deliver effective teaching of statistics. The use of information technology could help in the design of computer-based curriculum, the development of computer-aided learning materials, the preparation of computer practical sessions, and the demonstration of statistical applications in order to elaborate statistical concepts as well as knowledge.

The authors propose in this paper the using of Information Technology (IT) to study issues in school settings. Key successful elements on how to better facilitate issues-based learning with electronic resources in classroom situations with respect to the different modes of learning are identified in the paper. The authors also discuss the role of IT and related resources: interactive multimedia; Internet with features like World Wide Web (WWW), newsgroup and e-mail communication; software application; and computer-assisted presentation.

In this bookchapter, the author analyzes relationship between Information Technology (IT) in education and curriculum development, and explores the conditions of such integration. He also discusses the context of IT in education, and reviews Hong Kong's experiences from the perspectives of integrating technology in curriculum, teaching materials, and teacher training.