This paper examines dominant views in Hong Kong with regard to the pedagogy of teaching and proposes a new perspective. The alternative view employs the Theory of Variation, which has its theoretical foundations in the phenomenographic approach to learning proposed by Marton and Booth (1997). The theory argues that learning takes place when the learner discerns “something” in a new and meaningful way. This theory argues that problems in learning lie in the failure in discerning the critical aspects for a particular way of seeing a phenomenon, or certain aspect of reality, i.e. the object of learning. Therefore, instead of attributing poor learning outcomes to the student’s innate incompetence, which teachers may be able to do little about, teaches should focus on changing students’ way of seeing what is/are intended for the learning, or developing an object of learning. The paper compares this conceptual framework with some other influential theories including the behavioristic, cognitive and constructivist learning theories. It also analyses how this approach to teaching and learning is able to enhance student learning, teacher professional development and school improvement.

本文藉著一項「創意教師獎勵計劃」來描述及探討香港小學教師在「創意教學」上的教學理念。作者參照Kainan (1995) 的敘事報告分析法與及Cropley (1997) 的六層創造階段，發現香港小學創意教師的表現，跟高效能教師的特質吻合。他們的創造過程符合Cropley 的理論架構，其等勇於創新的態度亦令人欽佩；可是這些被推薦的創意作品袛一面倒地偏向「兒童為本」的取向。此外，這些老師均認為整個創造過程都需要教師的自願及積極參與；本自工作環境的推動力，只可稍作幫忙而未足以成事。本文末部提出偏頗的教學取向，淺薄的教師資歷及欠理想的工作情境是妨礙香港小學創意教學的主要原因。幸好近年在香港的教育改革已開始為創意教學帶來新的希望和路向。以下是本文的行文大網：1. 引言；2. 「創意教學」之創造過程；3. 討論；4. 前景和希望；5. 結語；6. 參考文獻。

本港教育署在幼稚園寫字教育方面曾有明確指示和建議：4歲以下幼兒不可以寫字 (香港教育署，1996)。但很多本港幼稚園、幼兒園以及幼兒中心，在家長和社會的壓力下，主動或被動地過早開展寫字教育，2、3歲的幼兒用他們尚未發育成熟的小手握起沉重的筆。這種做法雖然暫時應付了家長，但其是否對幼兒長遠發展有好處？會否出現拔苗助長的副效應？這令很多幼教同仁憂慮，也令人擔心這樣下去孩子們唯一一點幸福的童年時光也會被剝奪殆盡。針對這一擔憂，本文試圖從理論與實踐兩個層面分析幼兒寫字教育的幾個關鍵性問題，以解幼教同仁心中之疑惑。
[Copyright © 2002 香港教育工作者聯會.]

Information technology (IT) is changing the global economy and has brought many changes in all aspects of life. IT is now being used extensively throughout the world for collecting information, constructing knowledge, distance and flexible learning, online communication and global collaboration for lifelong learning and work. To ensure that students are equipped with necessary skills in a digital and information age, the Hong Kong government has provided several documents to help schools plan for the integration of information technology into the school curriculum; with the aims to improve teaching and learning and to produce students who are confident, creative, independent and life-long learners. The paper begins by reviewing the benefits of integration of IT in education. It focuses on the use of IT in teaching and learning in Hong Kong after the introduction of the five-year strategy in 1998. In order to generate further discussion and development in the integration of IT in Home Economics, the usage of IT in the teaching of Home Economics will be explored and discussed. This will form the basis for a larger scale study to investigate how IT can be used in Home Economics to enhance teaching and learning.

Each year in Hong Kong, only about 50% of Secondary Five students (age 16+) can pass the Hong Kong Certificate of Education (HKCEE), which is the threshold qualification for any further pursuit of education or employment. There has been concern for those who did not survive conventional schooling. Recent studies on education have increasingly emphasized life-long learning in the community. For students to be able to continue learning throughout their life, the development of appropriate generic skills is believed to be vital. An innovative continuing education programme known as Project Yi Jin (PYJ) was introduced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government for those students who failed in the HKCEE. PYJ provides an alternative pathway for students to obtain a formal qualification equivalent to HKCEE. Instead of using the mainstream curriculum for secondary school, PYJ adopts a holistic approach in curriculum design, aiming at developing students’ generic skills. It is expected that students will acquire and develop certain skills that are generic enough to enable them to cope with personal, social and career development. A total of 2,806 students who attended PYJ responded to 13 survey items about their generic skills before PYJ (Time 1) and 13 parallel items after PYJ (Time 2). Principal components analysis found three dimensions of generic skills, viz., Cognitive, Academic, and Affective dimensions before PYJ and three parallel dimensions after PYJ. Repeated-measures analysis of variance found that the students scored significantly higher in each of the three dimensions in Time 2 than in Time 1. There was evidence of enhanced generic skills through PYJ. Whereas there was support for the effectiveness of PYJ, the findings also call for attention to the importance of generic skills in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools.