Integrated writing skills that emphasize integrated use of language skills and multiple source materials have attracted increasing attention in language education globally and locally in Hong Kong. This study examines teachers’ conceptions of integrated writing skills and interviewed twenty-five Chinese language teachers. Three conceptions emerged from the data, representing writing as a composite of disconnected parts (Category1), a logical inquiry (Category 2), and a developmental process (Category 3). As the categories move up, the alignment between teachers’ conceptions and the curriculum objectives increases accordingly, with the purpose of writing instruction ranging from fulfilling examination requirements, enhancing reasoning skills, to developing integrated use of language skills. The findings also reveal that although the development of integrated writing skills has been a critical component of the Chinese language curriculum since the first public examination in 2007, teachers’ receptivity toward it still varied greatly. Insufficient professional training, the legitimacy of integrated writing as a curriculum component, and the fossilization of the public examination were the factors that accounted for the differing attitudes among the teachers. The discourse of integrated writing in the Hong Kong context has been centered around high-stakes testing. The unbalanced discourse resulted in an oversimplified view that conflated the teaching and learning of integrated writing with integrated writing assessment. The study contributes to the conversation between integrated writing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed. Copyright ©Springer Netherlands.

通識教育科在新高中課程是四個核心科目之一，教師專業發展被視為推行該課程的重要因素。這文章嘗試探討與通識科教師專業發展相關的議題。雖然通識科教師對課程實施有不同的關注，但該科肯定為教師提供機會發揮教師專業能力。這文章對通識科教師的專業知識結構加以檢視，並且把它分成課程知識、學科教學知識和實踐性知識三個類別。另外，通識教育科教師的專業發展有培訓課程、實踐平台和教師網絡多種途徑。
Liberal Studies will be one of the four core subjects in the new senior secondary (NSS) curriculum. Teacher professional development is regarded as an important factor in implementing this subject. This paper is to explore the issues related to the professional development of Liberal Studies teachers. Although the implementation of Liberal Studies stimulates different teachers' concerns, it surely provides teachers with opportunities to demonstrate their competence. The structure of professional knowledge of Liberal Studies teachers is examined in this paper and can be categorized as curriculum knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and practical knowledge. In addition, professional development courses, practice and teacher network are the possible ways for the continuous professional development.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]

Learning through play' in early childhood education is widely advocated, but studies show that play is not easily enacted in classrooms. The quality of learning through play has been questioned in various countries, especially when learning outcomes are a global concern. This paper examines how one teacher implemented learning through play within a formal and didactic Hong Kong pre-school classroom. Following this real-life adaptation of the play pedagogy, this paper aims to illuminate the practical theories of linking play with learning in the classroom. The findings support the adoption of 'play' in young children's learning and reveal tactful ways in which a teacher can encourage the evolving 'flow' of children's play while simultaneously scaffolding their learning. The paper analyses the tact involved in the above process and suggests key dimensions for realizing 'learning through play' in the classroom.
[Copyright of Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598660903474163]