Creativity as a generic skill identified in the key learning areas of the school curriculum has received unprecedented attention. Many schools in the Chinese regions, particularly in Hong Kong, have attempted to implement creativity education in the classrooms. This paper reviews the many interpretations of creativity and differentiates between the notion of creativity, creative thinking and creative ideas in the school context. Six different examples of school practice in fostering creativity will be discussed and issues arising from these practices will be highlighted. Future prospects for creativity education and ways in which creativity can be developed by teachers and students are also examined.
[Copyright © 2004 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The Hong Kong secondary school curriculum suffers for many years from the lack of balance between the more vigorous subjects and the more expressive disciplines like the visual arts. A critical review and re-thinking on the content, methods, and assessment of the intended curriculum, comparing with the taught curriculum, will shed light on the ways for improvement. Research findings and advocacy for innovations from aboard provide the readers a global understanding of the current trends in art education. To meet the challenge for educational reform, issues on essential goals, value-based art education, content analysis for instructional delivery, knowledge-seeking strategies, discipline-based pedagogy, authentic assessment, etc. are introduced as a reference to enhance the future development in art education.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This symposium presents four case reports of an action research project conducted by teacher educators to investigate the relationship between teaching within the Hong Kong Institute of Education and the practical context in school classrooms in Hong Kong. Each presenter shares the background, rationale, theoretical framework, research design, modes of inquiry and findings based on data collected from teaching a selected teacher preparation course or in authentic classroom situations. The interactions and reflective dialogue among team members and student-teachers of diversified background have established a collaborative culture in developing effective means of linking theories and beliefs into the practical context of schools. These best practices through action research have formed a sustainable process of inquiry transferable and adaptable to other teacher educators aspired to advance in their professional career.

The use of resources always forms an integral part in the teaching, learning and assessment process in schools. Teachers are expected to select, adopt, adapt and create appropriate resource materials in order to achieve their learning targets, conduct task-based activities and devise assessment schemes to measure students' progress. In the implementation of the TOC initiative, the Hong Kong schools are offered greater autonomy and a more active role in support of the principles and essence of this curriculum change. However, the lack of creativity and flexibility in many teachers to develop and utilize resources in their teaching has hindered such innovations. The objectives of this research study are four-fold: To explore what resources are currently provided for TOC; to investigate how schools are utilizing them; to determine what gaps and deficiencies there seem to be; and to recommend how resourcing support might be improved to foster the TOC initiative in the near future. The type of resources indicated in this research study are limited to the scope of printed materials, AV materials, teaching packages, information technology, equipment and facilities, learning environment, time, space and manpower support. The research methodology and procedures used in this study involved the following: (1) a compiled list of TOC resources produced by the Education Department, other institutions and commercial publishers made available to all primary schools, (2) preliminary interviews to find out the areas of concern regarding resources support for TOC, (3) questionnaire survey sent to over 100 primary schools with approx. 1,800 TOC teachers and other school staff respondents, (4) in-depth interviews with a sample of school heads, teachers, panel heads, TOC coordinators, teacher educators from ED and tertiary institutions, ED officers in the TOC unit, curriculum developers and commercial publishers. After the analysis of data on resources was completed, two case studies of schools

While creativity is now an important skill to be acquired by Hong Kong school pupils, little empirical research has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of creativity in the Hong Kong context. Absence is also a knowledge-based critical review of the related problems and issues confronting Hong Kong teachers. Remedying those problems and addressing the issues are necessary to the enhancement of effective teaching and learning of creativity. This paper reviews four fundamental problems and issues, which can be categorized basing on their nature and essence – disciplinary, theoretical, cultural, and managerial – and then presents knowledge-based suggestions and theory-driven solutions, as well as research, professional, and the policy implications.
[Copyright of Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education & Development is the property of Hong Kong Institute of Education.]