The call for professionalism in kindergarten education has been an important educational issue over the past several decades in Hong Kong. Official expectations have been published to guide the services of kindergarten education and to supervise teachers' pedagogical practice. Kindergarten education services that are child centred and play based, and that practise integrated learning to nourish children's holistic and balanced development are advocated. However, Quality Assurance Inspection reports have shown that kindergarten teaching and learning is still teacher directed. Young children are passive recipients of knowledge. The services run counter to the progressive motives of the 2000 Education Reform in nurturing young children to be active and self-motivated life-long learners. Driven by the interest to study the practice-expectation gap, the present study sought to observe kindergarten teachers' classroom practice, investigate their pedagogical decision making, and reveal the complexities underpinning their pedagogical roles which, to an extent, emerged from the practice-expectation gap.
The present study, framed by in a qualitative research design, employed on-site observations and teacher interviews, together with official document analysis and training curriculum document analysis. The wealth of data and information collected revealed that a practice-expectation gap does exist.
The data analysis suggests that the teacher informants' pedagogical decision making and practice were shaped by a number of intervening forces. These forces can be categorised into (a) the personal variables of the teacher informants in terms of their personal beliefs and values towards kindergarten education, (b) the contextual variables of school management structure and administrative arrangements within which the teacher informants delivered their teaching and fostered the children's learning, (c) the societal variables of parental expectations of the kindergarten education

背景： 香港課程發展議會2006年發布的《學前教育課程指引》提出採用「學習歷程檔案」，幫助記錄幼兒的學習與發展過程。有見及此，本研究遂致力探討幼師對它的認識和意見，從而提出優化推行幼兒學習檔案的建議。
目的：本研究先探討幼師認為為幼兒建立「幼兒學習檔案」的目的，然後探討他們對為幼兒建立「幼兒學習檔案」的意見。
調查對象：研究對像是香港幼稚園教師，研究樣本選取自2006-2007年度，修讀香港教育學院舉辦的幼稚園証書課程的學員。
調查方法：本研究採用定量研究和定性研究兩種調查方式。定量研究是採用問卷調查方法，共派發了一百四十份問卷，收回一百二十一份，回收率達百分之八十六。定性研究方法是採用與教師面談方式，訪問十位元教師，他們來自不同的學校，教齡在五年以上。
調查結果：幼師明白學習檔案的目的是作記錄和評估幼兒的學習，但是卻忽略了記錄幼兒學習情況背後的意義：幫助幼師瞭解和分析幼兒的需要，從而調適教學策略。幼師認為為幼兒建立學習檔案對家長，幼師和幼兒三方面都有裨益，但同時很多幼師認為要為幼兒建立學習檔案是很有壓力，例如他們缺乏時間記錄幼兒的學習，也要用大量時間來填寫評語，他們難在課堂中兼顧教學、觀察、記錄和評估幼兒學習的情況，他們對如何觀察和評估幼兒學習也欠信心。
總結：本研究發現大部分幼師都認同幼兒學習檔案的作用，但在幫助幼兒建立檔案的過程中卻遇到不少困難和壓力。要成功在幼稚園推行學習檔案，必須要加強幼師專業培訓、配合適當的教育政策、增加學校和家長對幼師的支援。本研究有其局限性，由於研究對象全是修讀幼稚園証書課程的學員，研究的發現因此不夠全面。
Background: According to Hong Kong Pre-education Guideline pressed in 2006, the use of children portfolios has been introduced in Hong Kong kindergartens. Thus, this study helps to explore Hong Kong teachers' understanding and comments on the use of children portfolios. It is suggested how to better use children portfolios at kindergartens.
Aims: Firstly, it is to explore teachers' understanding of the aims of using portfolios at kindergartens. Secondly, it is to find out teachers' comments on helping children to develop the portfolios.
Sample: The sample was chosen from the in-service kindergarten teachers who were enrolled in the teacher certificate course offered at Hong Kong Institute of Education during the academic year 2006-2007. They were qualified and experienced teachers.
Method: The study employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with data being collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were sent to 140 in-service kindergarten teachers and 121 returned the questionnaires, the return rate is 86%. A total of ten teachers were interviewed, all are experienced teachers with at least five years of teaching.
Results: Most teachers have the basic understanding of the use of children portfolios

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/]

「合作探究學習法」是「合作學習」其中一個模式，一般以小組形式進行。這模式強調各成員的個人學習績效、積極互賴精神和人際及小組學習技巧。它能有效提升學生的探究思維能力，有系統地提出問題、界定問題、搜集有關資料，利用有關語言和文字作出解釋，促進小組各成員及團體彼此之間的交流及增進他們的內在動機。教師及教育工作者可從有關中國語文教學的建議中，參考此創新教學模式的實施和評估，並商議其在未來教育改革上的可行性。
Group Investigation (GI) is a model of cooperative learning in which students learn together in a group. The module emphasizes individual accountability, positive interdependence and interpersonal and group skills of the group members. Hence, GI is effective in enhancing students' skills of exploring and thinking, their ability to raise and identify questions systematically, seek relevant materials and present the organized materials verbally and in written form. The model can also increase interaction among students and their intrinsic motivation. From the example given on the teaching of Chinese language, teachers and educators can make reference to the implementation of GI in the classroom to determine the feasibility of such a model of innovative teaching in the education reform for the future.
[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/]

本文對「專題研習」的意涵、淵源和發展及其理論基礎作探討。作者並對專題研習的步驟或探究過程作分析，並初步建議一個包含課程取向、專題學習和專題教學三方面的理念架構。
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]