Learning Study, in the form of action research, provides a platform for school-based teacher professional development in Hong Kong. In each Learning Study, teachers work collaboratively with researchers from the Hong Kong Institute of Education and are actively involved in the planning, teaching and assessing of the research lesson. This presentation describes one English Learning Study conducted on the topic of past tense in a Hong Kong primary school. Findings from students’ interviews, pretest and teachers’ meetings indicated that the students had difficulties in choosing and sequencing lexical and auxiliary verbs when forming yes/no questions and statements (affirmative or negative) in past tense. As such, the Object of Learning in this research lesson is to ‘build up the students’ ability to formulate yes/no questions in past tense and to provide complete answers to the questions”. The presentation outlines the whole process in conducting the Learning Study, and then examines both student learning and teacher learning in the action research.

The presentation describes a Learning Study conducted on Picture Description for teaching English in a Hong Kong Primary school. The research team, composed of Primary Three teachers and academic staff from a tertiary institute, designed and taught a research lesson that aimed to improve students’ speaking confidence through “look and say” activities regarding a picture shown. We will report research findings from this study, including the learning outcomes achieved and teachers’ professional development opportunities afforded, with recommendations on instruction for speaking competency.

This paper reports on a macro-level the findings of a VITAL project (Variation for Improvement of Teaching And Learning). VITAL is a large project funded by Hong Kong Education Bureau, under which, each of the selected 120 schools in Hong Kong will participate in a Learning Study project in a selected subject area at a selected grade. This paper will report findings at systemic level, school level and subject level and investigate its impact in teacher professional development, construction of learning communities and student learning outcomes. Finally, the paper will discuss about how the VITAL projects facilitate the education reform in Hong Kong.

This paper examines teachers’ (un)thoughtful actions in the dynamic and contingent classroom moments through classroom anecdotes obtained from the author’s most recent research project in Hong Kong context. It raises the research question of how we should cultivate teacher’s pedagogical thoughfulness. Experiential stories of unexpected/contingent classroom moments have been obtained through teacher/student interviews and writing exercises, and then interpreted using the hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry. From these descriptions, reflections on quality teaching, meaningful learning, embodied knowing and pedagogical thoughtfulness are generated, with a special discussion on the quality teaching requirements and its implications for pre and in-service teacher preparation programs.

This paper examines teachers' quality teaching in the dynamic and contingent classroom setting through classroom anecdotes obtained during the author's most recent research project in Hong Kong. It raises the research question of how we should interpret the meaning of 'quality teacher'. Experiential stories of unexpected/contingent classroom moments have been obtained through teacher/student interviews and writing exercises (three schools with 20 teachers and 200 students participated), and interpreted using the technique of hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry. Emerged themes from the analysis show that quality teaching is creative and risk-taking; it is relational, embodied and normative, and culturally constructed. Quality should not be confused with qualifications. While people tend to understand quality teaching in the language of management and technology, this paper reminds us that we need to seek a broader understanding. Nonetheless, rather than finding new answers or solutions, this paper intends to raise more questions and allow reader to reflect further on this lasting topic of quality teaching and teacher qualities.

Considerable evidence has been accumulated in Hong Kong that Learning Study, as a form of action research collaboratively conducted by school teachers and researchers from Higher Educational Institutes, provides a comprehensive platform for school-based teacher professional development. Learning Study is grounded in the Variation Theory developed by Ference Marton. It involves an active collaboration between teachers and academic staff from the Hong Kong Institute of Education. In conducting a Learning Study, teachers, through a rigorous process, first select the topic, then work with the HEI staff to identify the worthwhile object of learning with its critical aspects and collectively design the lesson, which incorporates the application of three forms of variation (V1, V2 and V3). The lesson is taught, video taped and then analysed in a post-lesson conference. A revised plan for teaching the same lesson is then taught by a different member of the research team in his/her class. This process is repeated until all the teachers have taught the lesson to their classes.The Learning Study case will be evaluated and then presented by the teachers to the wider community as part of the dissemination process. This symposium will first provide an overview of Learning Study theory and practice model, then illustrate its actual implementation with several Learning Study cases. The third part discusses how Learning Study builds up an effectively comprehensive platform for classroom teachers to analyze the students' learning achievement, reflect upon their own teaching, develop learning communities and benefit their entire professional development.