Donald Schon's theory of reflective learning (1983, 1987) has been the model of professional education for decades. Yet little research is done to examine the role of practitioners as part-time teachers in professional education in light of his ideas. This research investigated four programmes of professional education in Hong Kong: (a) a master degree in journalism, (b) a top-up degree in architecture, (c) a professional diploma in architecture, and (d) a higher diploma in visual communication (design). Interviews were conducted with teachers and students. The results confirm Schon's (1983, 1987) concepts about the experiential and artistic nature of professional education, in which coaching and mentoring in practicum are the most effective pedagogy. As development of Schon's theory, the role of practitioner-educators, in the use of professional experience and knowledge rather than textbook in helping students to develop reflective practice, is critical in bridging the gap between the academic and professional worlds. These findings indicated the importance of a restructuring of curriculum and pedagogy and the institutionalization of the role of practitioners as part-time teachers, in order to improve professional education.
[Copyright of International Education Studies is the property of Canadian Center of Science and Education.
Access via Directory of Open Access Journals: http://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ies]

This paper argues with evidence that conditions for teacher professional development can be enhanced for mentor teachers through a Learning Centre (LC) project which has been introduced in Hong Kong as a collaborative project between the government, a primary school, a secondary school, and the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The LC teachers perform the role of mentor teachers to enhance professional development of other teachers through web-based workshops or forums, face-to-face teacher education workshops, and school-based support. While the LC teachers are expected to gain professional development themselves as mentors, as suggested in the literature, the environment that may enhance their own professional development is not clear. Using structured interviews, the authors identified the professional development environment that the LC teachers experienced. The paper concludes with recommendations for environmental conditions enhancing the professional development of teachers in schools and conditions to support LC teachers.
[Copyright of Teacher Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2010.504018]

背景：香港特別行政區政府在2002-2003 學年起，分階段在香港小學設置課程統籌主任一職。在設置職位時，亦很重視任職人士的專業發展，先後以短期課程、工作坊、學校交流日和發展日協助其發展。
討論焦點：本文從四個研究的成果，說明課程統籌主任的培訓課程仍有其不足，並加以分析和建議。
論點：特區政府深明課程改革的成敗與教師專業發展有密切的關係。然而，以小學課程統籌主任的專業發展來看，其模式和內容仍與現實需要有些距離。提供清晰的改革方向、在現實情景中提供專業發展機會、以夥伴合作模式和照顧施行者的感受，都必須加以留意。
總結：專業發展課程設計若未能照顧前線教師的需要，則不單無助教師改革課程，反而只會增加教師的負擔。
Background: Since the academic year 2002-2003, HKSAR government established the curriculum masters (PSM(CD)) post in primary schools through three stages. By organizing short courses, workshops, school sharing and development day, professional development was provided to these masters showing the concern of government towards this establishment.
Focal point: From four pieces of empirical reseach, this paper showed the deficit of the professional development program and reflected on responses of participants.
Discussion: Though HKSAR government emphasized the importance of professional development of these curriculum masters, the content and mode of professional development program are falling short from teachers' needs. It is suggested that providing clear reform directions, supporting professional development in real situation, utilizing collaborative mode and concerning teachers' feeling should be awared when design a program.
Conclusion: If professional development program is not designed for the needs of participants, it will not help teachers in curriculum reform but increase their burden.
[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/]

背景：1990 年代以來，香港政府銳意提高教師專業水準，積極地主導教師的專業發展。由於小學教師多屬非學位學歷，一向所接受的師資培訓也是針對通材教學的需要，政策的改變對他們做成很大的衝擊。
討論焦點： 本文從香港小學教師所處的脈絡因素入手，去探討他們專業化的路向，特別對影響教師專業發展的主導意識及權力形態，進行了分析。
論點： 香港教師專業化方向日益由政府的科層官僚主導，側重於教師專業發展，具體策略是以教師資歷要求系統化、專科知識化及持續專業發展制度化為特徵的。但各項政策的制訂缺乏協調，推行的方式多是由上而下，廣大教師處於被動位置。加上教師就業環境近年持續惡化，進修的選擇往往是為了迎合政策要求，以求自保，而並非是針對個人和整體學校發展的實際需要。
總結： 政府一方面提倡教師專業化，但另一方面透過行政指令，加強對教師專業化議程的主導和對教師整體性水準的監控，這種支配取向只會扼殺了教師的積極性。教師亦需積極爭取成立教師專業組織，以提高本身的專業自主權。
The paper examines the contextual factors and the dominant forces influencing the professionalisation of Hong Kong primary school teachers. The findings indicate that the recent direction of professionalisation has been focused on teachers' professional development, which has been increasingly controlled by the bureaucracy. The strategies for professional development are characterised by systemic requirements of teachers' qualification standards, specialist subject knowledge and continuing professional development. However, the policy formulation often lacks coordination, and the implementation process is typically top-down, with teachers' autonomy being ignored. In addition, amidst a worsening employment environment, teachers' choices of development activities are often aimed at meeting policy requirements, which may improve their job security. The findings suggest that the Government cannot advocate teacher professionalisation on the one hand, and mandate the professionalisation agendas and standards for teachers on the other, which would only ruin teachers' initiatives. Teachers also have to strive for the setting up of a professional body to exercise their professional autonomy.
[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/]

This article presents the finding of an interim evaluation survey commissioned by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong on the effectiveness of the curriculum reform initiated in 2001. Drawing upon change theories for analysis of the study, the article examines the perceptions of both principals and teachers on the effectiveness of short-term curriculum development in schools from 2001 to 2006 through self-administered questionnaire survey as well as focus group interviews. The quantitative survey shows that evaluations from principals were more positive than those of frontline teachers in many aspects of the reform. Data collected from focus group interviews help explain the discrepancy in attitudes of these two stakeholder groups towards the reform. Insufficient knowledge, lack of support and consensus, and top-down initiation of the reform are the reasons accounting for the different responses to the reform. Strengthening professional development programs and developing a culture of collegiality and collaboration are the strategies recommended to improve the implementation of the curriculum reform in the medium-term phase (2007-2011).
[Copyright of Teacher Development is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530903335558]

This article reports on both writers' experiences as participants in a collaborative action research project in Hong Kong. The article draws a distinction between teachers as research consumers and teachers as research producers. The authors suggest that active teacher agency in research is a positive element in the professional development of English teachers. Teachers primarily become research producers through involvement in some form of action research project. Although action research is increasingly recognized as a teacher competency in Hong Kong, it is nevertheless difficult for teachers to initiate and conduct when research is not seen as a core professional activity by their school with subsequent limited support. The authors view collaboration with professional researchers as a positive way for teachers to be apprenticed into the research process. The article ends by suggesting possible strategies that would support and encourage teachers to undertake research.
[Copyright of English Teaching: Practice & Critique is the property of Universidad del Zulia.
Access via Directory of Open Access Journals: http://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/journal/index.php?id=1]