Based on the recognized status of the Hong Kong school system indicated in international studies, facilitating students with quality Integrated Learning (IL) is the crucial pedagogy for a new subject entitled Liberal Studies (LS) which has been implemented in secondary education in Hong Kong since 2009. This study uses case studies and semi-structured interviews of novice and experienced teachers to investigate the concerns and work of teachers in Small-Class Teaching (SCT) for IL in LS and explores how teacher leadership may help in terms of classroom context, learning community, improved practice, and outcome achievement. The findings reveal the common and diversified ideas and practices regarding SCT for IL in LS, which may provide valuable insights into teacher leadership for teachers and policy makers across the world.
[Copyright © 2016 SCHOLINK INC.]

Integrated curriculum mainly covers three Key Learning Areas (“Personal, Social & Humanities Education”, “Science Education” and “Technology Education”) in Hong Kong primary schools. Six primary schools were involved in a curriculum project which aimed to promote the development and implementation of integrated curriculum. Six sets of integrated curriculum with different themes from primary one to primary six were developed and implemented in the schools; and the contents of individual themes included the rationale of curriculum development, curriculum concept map, and scheme of teaching. The purpose of implementing the integrated curriculum was to provide feasible approaches to humanities- science-technology education, which other school curriculum leaders may apply, with reference to the school-based considerations, in their schools. It is anticipated that individual curriculum leaders can, after implementation, obtain valuable experiences of nurturing students for “learning to learn” and “whole person development” by means of humanitiesscience- technology education. As a consequence, six curriculum leaders from the six primary schools were invited to share their experiences of implementation; and the comments provided are discussed and analyzed according to the following focuses: 1) rationale and characteristic of curriculum design, 2) achievement of and challenge to curriculum implementation, 3) review of the integrated curriculum.
[Copyright © 2008 Common Ground, Wai Lun Anthony Leung.]

This article aims to investigate teacher insights on curriculum integration in liberal studies (LS), particularly under the existing Advanced Supplementary Level (ASL) Curriculum, which is to be phased out in Hong Kong 2012, and the New Senior Secondary (NSS) Curriculum, which has been implemented since September, 2009. In comparing the existing ASLLS curriculum with the NSSLS curriculum under the “334” curriculum reform, interconnectedness in learning is highlighted, and learning linkages within and beyond LS are emphasized (Curriculum Development Council and Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, 2007). Studies have suggested the importance of curriculum integration in LS (Maritain, 1971; Henderson and Smith, 2002; Lacy, 2002; Graham, 2004). ASLLS panel heads from six secondary schools in Hong Kong were interviewed in 2007/2008 academic year to investigate the concepts and practices of curriculum leaders regarding LS curriculum integration. Finally, teacher concerns over NSSLS curriculum integration were identified.
[Copyright © 2010 Common Ground, Wai Lun Anthony Leung.]

This paper aims to identify the perceptions of the current curriculum innovation in Hong Kong: Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC) by two groups of teachers: the pre-service and in-service teachers. It examines the issues regarding the context, concept and practice of TOC. Focusing on the perceptions of two groups of teachers, it attempts to clarify some issues related to the implementation of TOC and the improvement of teacher education course. When important changes take place in Hong Kong after 1997, a high priority of concern should focus on education.. It is very important that TOC should meet the needs of students and the society.

This paper examines the statistics on the official provision of teacher and teaching training in Hong Kong primary schools. It is found that there is no clear and operational definition of the expertise of teaching in the primary workforce, nor teachers are well-prepared for their development of teaching expertise. Under such an unfavourable teacher preparation and development, the writer called for teachers' self-initiation to develop "group expertise among themselves and make improvement in primary education. Introduction: This paper intends to evaluate whether the provision of teachers and teacher training can facilitate the identification and development of teaching expertise with, and for primary school teachers in Hong Kong. Data of such provision are compiled from the official teacher surveys and will be used for analysis. It is noticed that 'provision' of teachers and teacher training is the input to the education system and is only one of the many aspects that constitutes the development of teaching expertise. Other aspects like 'teaching and learning processes', 'teacher performance' and 'pupil achievement' are related and influential. Nevertheless, attention to the input condition can never be dispensable. The Theoretical Framework: Sternberg et al. (1995) argued that there exists 'no well-defined standard that all experts meet and that no nonexperts meet.' A prototype view is proposed to consider teaching expertise as a category of resemblance that 'is structured by the similarity of expert teachers to one another rather than by a set of necessary and sufficient features'. They postulated the following categories which they called the 'expert teaching prototype': The prototype expert teacher has 'extensive, accessible knowledge of subject matter and of teaching per se as well as knowledge of the political and social context in which teaching occurs. The prototype expert teacher posseses a broad perspective of well-organized domain knowledge which is contributive

The Hong Kong Institute of Education, the major teacher education institute in Hong Kong, is launching a personal tutorial system project in an attempt to providing student teachers with advice on personal and professional development in the process of whole teacher education. This paper aims to examine the student teachers' perceptions of the project and its effectiveness. A questionnaire will be administered to the whole sample involved in the project, followed by an interview of a selected sample. It is hoped that the results will have some implications to the 'Whole-Teacher Development'.

This paper investigates the concerns of teachers and the work of small class teaching (SCT) for integrated learning in Liberal Studies (LS) in the current New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum implemented beginning in 2009 in Hong Kong. The interconnectedness of learning in the NSS LS has been highlighted, with emphasis on linkages in learning within and beyond the subject. Relevant literature on the debate of class size reduction generally reveals the benefits of SCT. Several studies further indicate that students benefit from integrated learning in a small class setting. Other studies on group work format have recommended various approaches to integrated learning in a small class setting. Therefore, facilitating students with quality integrated learning in a small class setting for LS is crucial for its successful implementation in Hong Kong. An international study reported that the Hong Kong school system is regarded as ‘sustained improver’ and ‘good to great’ performance stage. Therefore the findings of this study in Hong Kong could provide valuable implications for school teachers, teacher educators and policy makers all over the world.
[Copyright © 2014 James Nicholas Publishers]