The education quality assurance policy and the high speed of knowledge expansion knowledge have impacted on and created challenges for school management. The nature of school management becomes more challenging, complex, analytic and data driven. Developing an innovative management approach to support schools to leverage knowledge from the existing organisational information and data resources to plan for improvement will provide practical help to school leaders and also contribute to the existing school management theories. This study aims to examine the effect of Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) four modes of knowledge conversion including socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation on enhancing strategic planning capacity of schools in Hong Kong, and to identify the critical success factors for institutionalizing the SECI knowledge creation mechanism in the Hong Kong school context. This study examines whether institutionalising the SECI mechanism in schools could enhance their strategic planning capacities. Experimental research design were adopted as the research strategy. A quantitative questionnaire survey were conducted to collect data from secondary schools in Hong Kong. Multilevel structural equation modelling were applied to examine the predictive effects of the mechanism on strategic planning capacity and to identify the school level and teacher level contextual factors for institutionalising the SECI mechanism. Results show that the externalization and combination processes support the planning, implementation and evaluation processes, and collaborative culture is identified as the critical success factor to facilitate the externalization and combination processes for creating knowledge for implementing the strategic plan. Nurturing a culture of systems thinking in the schools are critical to managing effective strategic planning processes. The identification of collaborative culture for institutionalizing the SECI mechanism in schools is

The knowledge and pedagogies of e-learning in English language learning in teacher education courses would be developed and transformed by student teachers via pre-service learning experiences. The strategies of e-learning in the English language learning of student teachers in the teaching education courses and their own teaching practices lead to a widespread discussion in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It not only benefits educators and student teachers to intuitively understand the strategies of e-learning in English language learning but also helps student teachers to refine their e-learning strategies in English language learning in further teaching practices. This study aims to compare the implementations and transformations of strategies of student teachers to e-learning in English language learning from pre-service learning experiences in Hong Kong and Mainland China. One hundred student teachers were involved. The mixed-method approach would be adopted in the research including questionnaires, interviews, observations and analysis of weekly teaching dairy. The findings would help educators and student teachers to know the general situation of strategies to e-learning in English language learning through their pre-service learning experiences in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Meanwhile, the results of this study will give some suggestions to student teachers for future in-service teaching and learning experiences. Copyright © 2018 The Asian Conference on Education.

Translanguaging originally referred to a pedagogical practice in bilingual classrooms where languages alternate for both receptive and productive uses (Cen William, 1994). Translanguaging has later been given deeper theoretical meaning; it is theorized as complex, fluid, and multiple discursive meaning making practices in bi/multilingual contexts (García, 2009; García & Li, 2014; García & Lin, 2016). Although translanguaging has been investigated as a pedagogical strategy in bi/multilingual contexts such as content and language integrated learning (CLIL) classrooms where English is used as the medium of instruction (Lin, 2013; Lin & Wu, 2015; Lin & He, 2017), it has remained under-researched in Chinese-as-second-language contexts where translanguaging is practiced to facilitate communication between the Chinese teacher and the non-Chinese speaking (NCS) learners during the teaching of Chinese as a second language (Tse & Loh, 2014). Due to the multilingual and multicultural backgrounds of the NCS learners, especially kindergarten learners who are emerging bilinguals, it is difficult to help (young) NCS learners to acquire the integration of 形 (form), 音 (sound) and 義 (meaning) which are fundamental aspects of the learning of Chinese characters. This research examines the effects of translanguaging in CSL classrooms of kindergarten NCS learners by focusing on: 1) Whether translanguaging can facilitate kindergarten NCS students’ acquisition of Chinese characters? 2) How translanguaging and trans-semiotizing (Lin, 2013) facilitate the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language in multilingual and multicultural learning backgrounds? 140 learners of three grades (K1, K2 and K3) from both EMI and CMI kindergartens in Hong Kong will participate in this research. 70 students in the experiment group will receive lessons which allow translanguaging between both Chinese and English as medium of instruction in the Chinese lessons while the other 70 students in the control

There are about 17,000 kindergarteners (for 3 to 6 years old) learning Chinese as a second language (CSL) in Hong Kong (HK). Research shows that these children’s Chinese language (CL) ability is at least 3 years behind their native Chinese counterparts while encountering difficulties in learning (Tse & Loh, 2014). It is also a challenge for the teachers to cater for such huge learning diversity, as HK kindergartens mainly use the theme-based approach without deliberate consideration of CL curriculum (HK Education Bureau, 2006). Without professional training in CSL teaching, teachers have little knowledge of how to provide these students with adequate support. The present study aims to examine the possibility and effectiveness of implementing a CSL curriculum for CSL students in “content and language integrated learning” (CLIL) classrooms where Chinese is used as the medium of instruction (Lin, 2013; Lin & Wu, 2015; Lin & He, 2017), and how well it works with the existing themebased curriculum. “Dynamic Enrichment Learning Mode” (DELM) was developed and implemented in six kindergartens with 131 CSL learners. This CSL-focused DELM was designed based on the Second Language Acquisition (Krashen, 1982) and CL orthographic (Leong et al., 2011) theories and comprises the following: (1) tailormade individual (one 30-minute session every fortnight) and group (two 30-minute sessions every week) enrichment learning activities; (2) using both CSL and mainstream theme-based curricula; (3) authentic learning materials (e.g. picture books and specially written children’s songs based on the learning objectives of each unit); (4) diversified learning activities (e.g. interactive language games, matching games, free writing games etc.). CSL students learn together during the enrichment activities, and then return to their ordinary classes to learn with their native Chinese classmates to benefit from both the CSL and theme-based curricula. This enables them to immerse in a safe, comfortable

"Many parents today have an educational perspective based on current theory and trends. Schools need to educate parents about the current situation in today's education, help parents to understand the children’s need to develop skills and attitudes in co-constructing beyond a knowledge driven curriculum. Hong Kong Education Bureau proclaims the roles and responsibilities of parents, in the belief that parents are the primary educators for young children at home and play an active role in the education of their children as partners of the school (Cheng, 2015). On the other hand, parents in the Mainland China have become more conscious about how to play their part in home-school collaboration and engage themselves in children’s education, especially in face of the Two-child policy (Fang, et. al. 2018). As a school, it is important to provide education for parents to create a collaborative relationship between parents and educators, empowering life success to students with learning intentions. Communication has always been the key factor in fostering parents-school collaboration. However recent trends revealed schools’ concern of additional factors influencing the parent-school relationship and communication process – 'transparency’ and ‘frequency’ have played a role in parents’ understanding of what goes on in children’s school life. In this paper, educators from Hong Kong and Guangdong Province of Mainland China will share ways of kindergartens from the two regions in educating and communicating with parents, and how parents can be supported as part of their child’s learning journey. Technology provides online channels for parents to be informed, while face-to-face and other offline options are still being considered as commonly-used for communication. For data collection, survey questionnaires were sent to kindergarten principals from Hong Kong and Guangdong to explore ways of communication and collaboration between schools and parents that will encourage a common understanding

Researches find that school gardening provides opportunities for children to connect with natural environments, such as plants, animals and insects. This kind of experiences plays a critical role in shaping children’s life-long attitudes, values, and patterns of behavior toward natural environments, including appreciation of the natural world; opportunities to experience the closeness to nature; as well as respect for other creatures and their living habits. This can also develop their interest in and appreciation of the world around them, in order to develop their positive attitude and behavior related to environmental protection, recycling, reusing and living habits; as well as support children’s emotional and physical health and well-being. This study was a single case study of a Hong Kong school garden. A pre-school was selected purposively, which enabled the collection of qualitative data from children to understand their experiences in connection with the gardening environment. Multiple data collection methods included unstructured, participant and non-participant observations, as well as semi-structured individual and group interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings. The findings highlight a number of areas that children got the senses of loving and protecting the natural environment. Copyright © 2017 第八屆兩岸四地可持續發展教育論壇.

Learning Study, an enriched version of lesson study, developed during the education reform era in Hong Kong and evolved into a participatory action research model with a theoretical underpinning framework and collaboration between teachers and university researchers. It has once been used as a major model for enhancing partnership between a university and schools for the preparation of pre-service teachers in Hong Kong. In recent years, a shifting focus of this partnership model has been witnessed with recognition of broader needs of schools as well as the accomplishment of a wide range of educational goals including: promoting peer observation through open lessons which serve as a platform for professional exchange; fostering assessment for learning; developing self-directed learning and e-learning strategies, etc.. With the university school collaboration under the Learning Study approach, the value and applicability of the above new initiatives are put into empirical research.This paper reviews the Learning Study programs and projects developed since year 2000 in one of the major teacher training university in Hong Kong, the Education University of Hong Kong. Documents including reports, program books, case studies reports, monographs and related research papers are collected and reviewed in order to identify the challenges encountered and the resolutions found in developing the Learning Study approach in the school community in Hong Kong. Using the framework of Walse & Backe (2013) about the characteristics of effective university-school partnership, this paper analyzes the strategies and critical elements of the Learning Study approach to be developed as a long-lasting and major universityschool partnership model.This paper first illustrates the development of the Learning Study approach in Hong Kong since year 2000 to explicate the shifting focus of university-school partnership - from meeting the need of school placement to accomplish broader education goals by

Learning Study has been employed in pre-service teacher training in Hong Kong since 2007. This presentation by pre-service teachers introduces their use of Variation Theory in and learning from three Learning Study projects in Hong Kong.Project 1 focuses on the teaching map reading skills for understanding Hong Kong landscapes in General Studies of primary four. Two lessons were designed and taught collaboratively by a group of six preservice teachers in 2016. In order to reach the object of learning, i.e., the ability of reading a map, four critical features were confirmed according to the pre-test: the names of the three map symbols (CF1), the functions of the map symbols (CF2), the names of the eight directions in Chinese (CF3) and understanding the questions about directions (CF4). Throughout the two lessons, Variation Theory was the main method to highlight the critical features for students. The pedagogical design of Lesson 2 was revised after the postlesson reflection based on the post- test and observation of Lesson 1. It was confirmed by the pre- test and post- test results that, improvement of students’ability in map reading was bigger in Lesson 2 than Lesson 1.Project 2 focuses on teaching the use of adjectives to primary two students. After a pre-test was conducted, the critical features identified were 1) function of nouns, 2) function of adjectives, 3) the positioning of adjectives and 4) the practical application of adjectives. A total of two lessons were deliberately designed and co-taught by a team of pre-service teachers. It was found that Lesson 2 achieved better improvement in the post-test than in the pre-test, compared to Lesson 1. The key factors producing such differences included blackboard management, activity formats and reiteration of concepts. The results suggest the need to consolidate variation theory and its relevant facilitating factors in order to achieve the most suitable pedagogical design wherein students learn the object of learning

Adopting a phenomenographic approach, Learning Study utilises diagnostic approaches to identify students’ ways of understanding before teaching to tailor-make teaching to cater for students’ needs and after teaching to evaluate the effectiveness of pedagogical designs in research lessons. Yet in the existing publications, there was little discussion on the methodology of designing and analysing pre- and post-tests in Learning Study to ensure the test validity and reliability. This paper reports a study that attempted to fill the knowledge gap by analysing the pre- and post-tests adopted in 16 Learning Study projects in Hong Kong (4 from each of the four key learning areas, i.e., Chinese, English, mathematics and science, 2 from primary schools and 2 from secondary schools respectively in each area). It reviewed the frameworks of test validity and reliability by Heffner (2014) and designed a comprehensive checklist of test validity and reliability for analysing the 16 sets of pre- and post-tests in terms of purposes, contents, structures, types of questions and ways of test analysis. It was found that the application of Variation Theory helped identify the critical features and their structure, which enhanced construct and content validity of the tests. The use of pilot tests and team meetings promote Inter-Rater Reliability. Observations of teaching and pre- and post-lesson interviews were often employed to triangulate with test data to increase the credibility of evaluation. The paper concludes with recommendations for developing valid and reliable pre- and post-tests for diagnostic purposes in schools. Copyright © 2017 World Association of Lesson Studies.

本文是探討如何運用校本電子教材，提升特殊學校不同科目的教學效能，如「個別差異照顧」、「自主學習」、「混合式教學」、「互動模式及師生角色」等。結果顯示，透過校本電子教材教學，教師在「個別差異照顧」及「自主學習」等方面，意識非常清晰，提升了學生的學習動機和課業表現。結論指出教師應多利用電子教科書的優勢，提供不同互動方式，使教學更能以「學生為本」。This paper is to examine the effectiveness of school-based e-learning materials in the aspects of learning diversity, self-regulated learning (SRL), blended learning mode; and interaction mode & role of teacher and students in special schools. From the findings, with the use of the school-based e-learning materials in teaching, the teachers were with good awareness on the learning diversity and SRL that led to the enhancement of learning motivation and performance among students. It was recommended that teachers should make full use of the e-learning materials so as to provide different interactive learning. This will help the learning be more student-centered. Copyright © 2018 特殊教育學會有限公司.