Background: Recognizing that arts education is important in facilitating learning and in enhancing creativity in students, recent education reform in Hong Kong has sought to promote arts education and efforts to encourage creative expression through different art forms. Among different modes of creative arts expression, drawing has been suggested as the best choice for allowing creative expression by students with high ability in visual arts. Therefore, the connection between students' drawing and creativity warranted investigation.
Aims: This study explored the drawing abilities and creativity of Chinese students in Hong Kong based on their drawing performance, and examined their connection in relation to students' self-perceived artistic characteristics and involvement in drawing activities.
Sample: 105 Hong Kong Chinese primary and secondary school students, nominated by their schools to participate in the gifted programs of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, participated voluntarily in this study.
Method: Students completed two drawing tasks adapted from Clark's Drawing Abilities Test and a self-report questionnaire that included the Artistic Characteristics Scale of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students and the Drawing Activity Checklist. The drawings were rated on students' drawing abilities and creativity by three Chinese visual artists as expert judges.
Results: Judges agreed more on their ratings on students' drawing abilities than on students' creativity. Judged drawing abilities and creativity were found to be moderately but significantly correlated. While judged drawing abilities were found to correlate significantly with students' self-reported artistic characteristics and drawing activities, judged creativity was found to correlate minimally with these variables.
Conclusion: This study provided supportive evidence on the connection between drawing abilities and creativity. The findings

Background: In most primary schools in Hong Kong, a product-oriented approach is used in teaching writing. The process approach to writing has been seen as an improvement over the traditional methods of writing instruction in recent years. However, the effectiveness of using the process approach to teach writing is still inconclusive. It is necessary to confirm its effectiveness through further research studies.
Aims: This study investigates how effective process writing is in helping about 200 students in the upper primary school level and the lower primary school level improve their writing skills and their attitude towards writing.
Sample and method: Six primary school teachers, 3 in the lower primary school level and 3 in the upper primary school level, each implemented an innovative two-month process writing programme in her school. The effectiveness of the programme was investigated through post-interviews and the comparison of a pre- and post-questionnaire, a pre-test and a post-test, and pre- and post- observations of the strategies used by the students in doing their pre-tests and post-tests.
Results: It is found that the programme brought about positive results across all classes and in both the upper and lower level in general though the results in each classroom slightly differed.
Conclusions/Recommendations: The process approach seems to be an effective approach even at as low a level as P.3 in the primary school. Process writing seems to be a feasible solution to heightening the writing abilities and confidence of students, especially those who have higher English proficiency and those at the upper primary level.
背景：香港大多數小學都採用成果取向的方法去教導寫作，近年視採用歷程取向的方法去教導寫作是傳統教導寫作的改良，但是否有效卻未有定論，需要作進一步的研究。
目的：這研究探討歷程取向的寫作方法對改進二百位小學生的改進技巧及態度是否有效。
取樣及方法：六位小學教師，三位任教初小、三位任教高小，在其學校試教一個為期兩個月有關歷程取向寫作方法的新課程，研究者採用測試後面談、比較試前和試後問卷調查、測驗成績、及觀察學生在測試前後的學習策略等多元方法，去尋找歷程取向寫作方法的有效性。
結果：發現各測驗觀察都稍微偏向支援歷程取向寫作方法。
討論和建議：歷程取向寫作方法似乎是一個較有效的教學法去提昇學生的寫作能力及信心

背景：在幼兒課程中，韻律活動 (rhythmic activity) 是音樂和體能活動不可缺少的主要學習經驗，但是從筆者的視導經驗和近期研究結果 (Wong & Chu，2001) 均顯示現在香港的學前韻律活動明顯地缺乏創意感、韻律感和運動感。加上目前香港學前的韻律活動課程的推行受到外在和內在因素的限制，是時候需要將非創意及系統化的韻律活動課程作出改革。
目的或討論焦點：本文旨在與讀者分享「創意韻律教育」(Creative Eurhythmic Education) 的理念、原則和推動方法，讓幼教工作者能夠嘗試採用「創意韻律教育」提升她/他們的教學效能; 設計此創意韻律教育課程模式之目的是改革現在香港的音樂律動課程，將普遍老師們已遺忘的韻律元素再次重述，引起她們的關注。
論點/評論/建議：本文強調，在課程的發展中運用嶄新的幼兒運動-音樂課程模式： 創意(Creativity)、音樂技能與概念 (Musical Skills & Concepts)、運動技能與概念 (Movement Skills & Concepts)、暢態與綜合活動 (Flow-Integration) 等元素，教師能提升兒童自我表達的能力，並能帶領兒童在各方面進行創作; 作者亦確信透過每天有系統的課程安排，兒童在創意韻律教育方面得益甚豐。嶄新的課程模式更強調創意的教育價值，將韻律課程發展於適合學生的能力、興趣、意欲和需要，而主題綜合活動則聯繫各獨特之韻律元素，使它們成為有生機和互動相連的全方位課程。最後，整個音樂律動課程的改革帶給教師們「暢態」的忘我歡暢之意境。
總結：新穎課程能成功的推行有賴教師的投入程度、擁有足夠的運動-音樂專業知識、技能和態度、重視教學的過程和多給予「鷹架作用」刺激兒童挑戰自我極限; 創設適切的運動-音樂學習環境，足夠的教學資源、器材和設施、教學時數和每週次數、專業支援與協助和校本的運動-音樂文化也是推行新穎課程的重要外在因素。
Background: In the preprimary curriculum, rhythmic activity is an essential learning experience in music and movement activity. From the supervision experiences and recent researches of Wong & Chu (2001), it is found that the rhythmic activity conducted in kindergarten is obviously lack of creativity, sense of rhythmic and sense of movement. Moreover, some external and internal factors and have hindered the implementation of rhythmic activity in kindergarten. There is a need to have a change from uncreative and tradition curriculum to an innovative one.
Objectives and Focus: This study aims to share with the readers the philosophy of Creative Eurhythmic Education, its principles and ways of implementation which encourages preprimary teachers and workers to adopt the Creative Eurhythmic Education Model in order to improve their teaching effectiveness. The aims for designing such kind of Creative Eurhythmic Education model are to make changes to Hong Kong music and movement curriculum, and to arouse kindergarten teachers' the concerns to integrate the rhythmic elements during the music movement activity.
Comment/Suggestions:

Background: Social circus has long been the folklore in the Chinese culture. Recently, initiatives have been undergoing to introduce it in the school physical education curriculum in Hong Kong.
Aims: This article reports a study on 38 PE teachers' professional learning experiences while attending two 2-day workshops respectively concerning learning how to teach social circus in school.
Method: Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through post workshop evaluation questionnaire and interviews of 16 randomly selected participants. The interpretive inquiry was adopted as theoretical framework for generating meanings.
Results: The findings indicated that all participants perceived their professional learning experiences positively. Factors facilitating their professional learning were the participants' high professional expectation of the workshop, rich content of the program that could satisfy their novel experience and enhance their teaching, and the instructors' good performance. They believed that social circus could be developed for cultivating students' motor skills, physical fitness, Chinese cultural heritage, personal qualities, creativity and satisfaction as well as serving as inclusive activities. However, lacking of teaching materials, incompetence in professional skills, inadequate supply of equipment, anticipated managerial and safety concerns and the support from other PE colleagues were found to be the major difficulties for its implementation. On the other hand, high professional expectation, satisfying and novel experience, learning something, helpful with teaching, rich content and good instructors' performance were enhancing factors for their professional learning. The findings generate understanding and insights on how serving PE teachers' learn to improve their curricular practices for maximizing students' learning.
背景：雜藝是一項具中華文化特色的民間體育活動。近年來，一些老師已嘗試將雜藝引進於學校體育課程內。
目的：本文旨在報告38位中小學體育教師於2個兩天雜藝工作坊的專業學習經歷。

Background: "Spirituality Education" of children has gained more concern in recent years, but there is a lack of consensus for its meaning. Some literatures regard Spirituality Education as Religious Education, while quite many literatures have shown a close relationship between Spirituality Education and Humanistic Education, which could be unrelated with Religious Education. What is the meaning of "Spirituality Education" being mentioned by the ECE reformers after all? Is it the former or the later? The Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (2006) proposed "Lifelong learning" and "Holistic Learning", affirming the need of child-centredness (Humanistic Education) in curriculum. If so, there is a likelihood that "Spirituality Education"has a closer connection with humanistic education than with religious education. It is therefore vital to clarify the meaning of "Spirituality Education"for fostering the current early childhood educational reform. This paper seeks to explore if Spirituality Education has been misunderstood by the early childhood education practitioners with a result that hindering the implementation of educational reform.
Focus of Discussion: Through literatures review and the author's interpretation, this paper attempts to demonstrate that Spirituality Education is actually closely related with Humanistic Education and Holistic Education. Spirituality Education shares similar elements with that of liberal studies, in which the concerned areas and aspects of knowledge are widespread. Hence, it is not limited in promoting Religious Education. And pedagogies adopted in Spirituality Education mainly emphasize diversified and critical thinking. The rationales behind Spirituality Education are closely related with that of Humanistic Education and Holistic Education. Spirituality Education has no direct relation with Religious Education which emphasizes direct transmission of religious dogma.
Suggestion: In view of the importance of the role of Spirituality

背景： 教育界同工近年積極鼓吹小班教學，建議將小班人數由30 人減至25 人，目的之一是要讓老師有更有效地提升學生在智慧、情意和通用能力各方面的發展。香港教育學院近年亦推出『教大理想』(即成為教育大學的理想)、提升優質的教育，前年更設立『宗教教育與心靈教育中心』，提倡教育工作者應多關顧有關心靈教育的問題。這所中心是八間大專院校中獨一無二、也是香港教育學院在教育研究及理論實踐上最為突出的一個教育中心。因此，這也該是時候認真地反思教育的使命，本文作者提出一個關顧心靈教育的芻議，盼望能拋磚引玉，擦出進深探究教 育使命的火花來。
討論焦點： 本文嘗試從理念入手，按三個分題去思考，分別是：(一) 心靈教育是甚麼？；(二) 為甚麼需要關顧心靈的教育？；(三) 怎樣推行關顧心靈的教育？。筆者特別提出三個推行關顧心靈教育的方法作為芻議，分別是：(一) 觸動學生的心靈； (二) 創造學生心靈的空間； 和(三) 從時間上、空間上及素質上三方面提升學生心靈的境界。
建議： 盼望教育當局投放更多資源推動關顧學生心靈的教育；從事教育工作者今後亦更多地關注學生的心靈、並能更有效地推動關顧學生心靈的教育。
總結：教育工作者重要任務之一是要喚醒受教者向善的心靈、幫助他們活出更美好的生活、尋求積極性的自我超越。心靈教育的目的就是要幫助學生認識自己、肯定生命的價值、發揮自我的潛能，建立更正面、更積極的人生觀。
Background: Hong Kong Educators have been proposing small-class teaching, reducing the number of pupils per class from 30 to 25. One reason for the change is to provide more space for teachers so that they can care more about the pupils’ individual needs. Whereas Hong Kong Institute of Education has been promoting its reposition to University of Education which enhances its wider concern for quality and holistic ideals, the institute has also established a Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education in order to demonstrate such a concern and to strengthen its commitment to holistic and spirituality education. It is indeed the proper time for us to re-think educational mission of schools and the present paper is doing precisely this fine job and a proposal is made for the implementation of spirituality education in schools of Hong Kong today.
Aims or focus of discussion: Three questions will be raised and discussed in this paper, namely: (a) what is spirituality education?; (b) why is spirituality education needed in school education today?; and (c) how to promote spirituality education in schools today? The author is going to suggest three ways for the promotion of spirituality education in schools, namely: (a) touching the soul/spirit of the pupils; (b) creating more space for spiritual growth; and (c) lifting up the spirits of the pupils by cultivating

背景：香港近年大力推行的教育改革，銳意發展學生的創造思維能力，但要培養有創意能力的學生，我們極需一批充滿創意的教師。但是過去的研究指出很多教師都不懂得如何發展學生的創意。
目的：本研究以發展教師創意教學和學生的創意能力為主要目標。整個學習過程的構想，以托蘭斯的孕育模式為理論主線，教學過程經過了預期、深化和延伸三個階段，層層遞進，期望能幫助教師達到最有效的教學效果。
研究對象：對象包括四所學校的小四、小五、小六、中一、中二和中三的教師和學生。
研究方法：以教學實踐和分析為主，所有教學設計都由有關級別教師試教。整個研究分兩年四期進行，研究人員主要通過觀課、討論和學生作品來評核學習成果。
研究結果：本研究剛完成第一和第二階段，所以報告集中討論第二階段某中學的教學實踐情況和學習成效。通過迴旋上升的學習過程，學生不僅理解新詩內容，發展聯想能力和變化能力，並嘗試創作新詩，部分學生對詩歌產生濃厚興趣，課後仍能持續自我閱讀。
總結：教師是學生學習的輔導者，所以教師本身對教學專業投入與否，願意嘗試新的教學法與否，都影響學生學習動機和態度。托蘭斯孕育模式創意教學包括了準備、深化和延續發展的三個階段，是發展創意教學中較完整的模式。
Background: In 2000, Hong Kong launched the Education Reform. One of the main objectives is to foster the creativity of the students. Nonetheless, we need a team of creative teachers who will help develop the creative skills of students. Past research shows that many teachers do not know how to develop the creative skills of their students.
Aims: This project aims to enhance teachers' awareness of a more "creative" pedagogical approach and to develop students' creative skills. Torrance's Incubation Model in Creativity is the underpinning theory in developing these language lessons. This model includes a 3-step learning process: arousing expectation, digging deep and extending learning experience. When we plan the lessons, we have a clear focus on developing students' creativity, and to help teachers teach effectively.
Objects: Teachers and students in primary from primary five, primary six, secondary one, two and three from four schools are included in this project.
Method: The preparations of lessons are participated by teachers and researchers. The lessons had been implemented by all teachers concerned. The project is divided into 4 stages in two years. The assessment of the project includes class observation, discussion with teachers and works of students.
Results: The first two stages of this project have been completed. This article focuses on the implementation of a unit teaching in the form 1 class

Background: Teaching Games for Understanding has been promoted as an innovative curriculum model in the past decade in Hong Kong. It focuses on developing pupils' tactical awareness and decision making capability through integrating the cognitive and contextual dimensions of learning in physical education.
Aims: This article reports a qualitative study of occupational socialization experiences of preservice physical education teachers on Teaching Games for Understanding.
Sample and methods: Data of 4 final year pre-service physical education teachers with an orientation towards teaching were collected through interviews and writing of reflective journals. Occupational socialisation suggested by Lawson (1983) and the interpretive inquiry perspective were adopted as theoretical frameworks for generating meanings.
Results and recommendations: All participants perceived Teaching Games for Understanding positively as a viable instruction contributing to pupils' cognitive development and providing fun. They regarded it as pedagogical knowledge and mapped well with the current education reform in Hong Kong. Although they encountered a number of conceptual and instructional difficulties for implementing the model, they were determined to adopt the model in their future teaching. The findings generate insights on how pre-service PE teachers can be helped and facilitated in their occupational socialization processes.
背景：近十年，領會教學法被介定為體育創新課程模式，此模式是透過體育之智慧及情景化學習以發展學生之戰術意識及決定能力。
目的：本文章旨在報告一項質的研究，探討體育畢業師訓生的領會教學法職化經歷。
取樣及方法：本研究應用Lawson (1983)之職化理念和傳譯角度作為理論依據，利用訪談及反思報告以搜集資料，探討四位具教學取向體育畢業師訓生之領會教學法學習經歷。
結果及建議：所有參加者均認為領會教學法是可行的體育教學模式，它能促進學生智慧發展及趣味學習，他們視這種教學模式為教學步驟及能配合近期之教育改革。研究結果對如何協助體育師訓生之領會教學法職化過程帶來啟示。
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

背景﹕培育學生的閱讀表現是香港教育改革的一個重點，課程發展議會於2002年把「從閱讀中學習」列為課程改革的四個關鍵項目之一。經過幾年來的努力，香港學生閱讀能力在「2006年學生能力國際評估計劃」，從2003年排名第十位躍升至名列第三位；而在「2006年全球學生閱讀能力進展研究」中，香港小四學生的閱讀能力在四十五個參與地區中，從2001年排名第十四位躍升至第二位。從這兩個於零七年底公佈的學生閱讀能力國際評比的報告中，反映香港中小學生閱讀表現是有提高的。
目的﹕香港學生閱讀能力的提昇是從何而來的呢？為了進一步瞭解當中的原因，本文將借用一所小學個案去解構學校改善學生閱讀表現的歷程，並嘗試分析有效影響學生閱讀提高的校本策略。
研究對象與方法﹕一所香港小學的學生、家長和教師對學生閱讀表現的量性資料，加上對校內學生和相關教師的深入訪談和相關的校內文件，勾劃出這所學校在過去幾年在提昇學生閱讀的經驗。
結果﹕研究發現該校把建構閱讀文化列為學校發展的閱讀項目，然後透過學校自評的理念，持續監控學校在推行閱讀的情況；該校除了創造更多的閱讀環境外，更引入集中閱讀和發展性閱讀等策略，加上在全校教師參與的情況下，學校在三年間確立了學生的閱讀習慣。
總結﹕透過這個個案研究法，把一所小學提昇學生閱讀的校本經驗外顯，讓人們瞭解香港校是怎樣實踐校本課程改革，說明香港學生閱讀表現的提昇，是不少學校和教師的努力耕耘的成果。
Background: One of the theme of educational reform is to improve the reading performance of pupils in Hong Kong. The Curriculum Development Council stated "to promote a reading culture" is one of the four key tasks of school curriculum reform on 2002. After several years, Hong Kong pupils have a better result in international assessments. In the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA), Hong Kong pupils have a clear up from 10th in 2003 to3rd in 2006, Meanwhile, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 finds that Primary 4 pupils in Hong Kong come second in reading literacy among 45 participating jurisdictions, up from 14th in 2001.
Aims: To investigate the improvement of pupil's reading by a case study and analysis the school-based strategies used.
Method: Beside the quantitative and qualitative data of a primary school, focus and in-depth interviews are used to triangular the reasons of the improvement of this primary school.
Results: The improvement of pupils' reading in this school causes from several reasons. The school utilize self-evaluation concept to regulate the pupils reading, create more opportunity for pupils' to read, adopt useful reading strategies for the school development.
Conclusion: The case illuminates the process of a school to improve pupils' reading performance and gives

背景：香港進入了兩文（中、英文）三語（英語、粵語、普通話）的新紀元。藉訓練普通話口語的同時亦教導思維技巧，是一項創新課程的設計及具挑戰的教學安排。
調查對象：研究對像是普通話興趣班的學生，分別來自小學及初中，依年齡分為6-10 和11-14 歲。
調查方法：採用質量調查方法，透過導師的觀察和收集學生的導圖作品進行評估。
調查結果：研究結果發現心腦導圖對學生學習興趣和說話內容的組織程度有幫助。
總結：本文報導的普通話科使用心腦導圖的行動研究，在學生來說除了是一種新的體驗外，對教師的教學素質也是一種提昇。
Background: Hong Kong has entered a new era with the usage of two written languages (Chinese and English) and three spoken languages (English, Cantonese, and Putonghua). To teach Putonghua and thinking skills at the same time is a creative and challenging lesson arrangement.
Aims: This paper reported the findings of an action research involving the introduction of mind map not only as tool to help the students organizing their thinking and learning but also to further enhance the quality of the spoken Putonghua.
Sample: The participants of the research were primary and junior school students aged between 6 and 10 as well as 11 and 14 respectively. They were all interested in learning Putonghua.
Method: Qualitative method was used to gather data for the study and involved teacher observations and the evaluation of the mind maps drawn up by the students.
Results: It was found that the mind maps had been helpful in student motivation and organization of the contents of the spoken Putonghua.
Conclusion: The action research reported in this study had provided very insightful experiences for the students on one hand and had raised the quality of teaching Putonghua on the other.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]