Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how principals' leadership approaches to teacher professional development arise from school banding and may impact upon teacher professional capital and student achievement. Design/methodology/approach: The case study is situated within the context of school-based management, comprising reflective accounts of nine school principals selected by stratified sampling from a sample of 56 Hong Kong schools to represent Bands One, Two, and Three schools. The reflective accounts were triangulated with observations of teachers and analysis of school websites. Findings: First, under school-based management, principals remain obliged to recognize the power of state-defined examinations in determining the schools' future priorities. Second, the exercise of school autonomy in response to this obligation varies, depending upon the competitive advantage schools have in the school banding system. Ideally, effective school-based management is dependent upon the principal's capacity to facilitate good instructional practices. However, principals need to adjust their leadership practices to school contextual demands. Third, adaptations to contexts result in the varied developments of teacher capacities in schools, corresponding with the types of principal leadership adopted. Originality/value: While statistical studies have identified attributes of exemplary principal leadership, few studies have examined the qualitative reasons for the exemplification of these attributes, and the influence of the school context in shaping these attributes. Departing from assumptions that leadership attributes are intrinsic to individuals, this paper considers how principals contextualize leadership in teacher professional development to the schools' student academic achievement.
[Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited.]

Differentiated instruction (DI) is nothing new and is believed to be an effective research-based strategy to cater for learner diversity. Differentiation involves finding multiple ways to structure a lesson so that each student is provided with an opportunity to work at a moderately challenging level. Previous studies, however, found that teachers were not well prepared and insufficiently equipped with skills and knowledge about DI. In the recent Hong Kong curriculum reform, DI has been highlighted as one of the ways to catering to learner diversity. The purpose of the study is to examine in-service teachers' readiness for using DI strategies and perceived challenges in its implementation. Using a mixed-methods design, a questionnaire was used to investigate teachers' perceived readiness for and obstacles toward using DI strategies, as followed by semi-structured focus group interviews that were done to in-service teachers of two schools. Qualitative data as obtained from the interviews was used to explain the quantitative data. With the use of factor analysis, two factors were identified in the survey, including Factor 1 Teacher-centred approach and Factor 2 Student-centred approach. Findings indicated that teachers generally tended to be ready for using DI strategies; however, they were more ready for using teacher-centred approach. Three perceived obstacles toward DI were identified: class size and diversity, time, and understanding of teaching strategies. Implications for curriculum development, professional development and research directions will be discussed at the end of the paper.

The theory-practice divide' in teacher education can be viewed not simply as an acceptance of a body of knowledge but instead an acceptance of the teacher educator's authority to determine what is relevant educational theory. This research aimed to explore student teachers' views of educational theory' and how it was discursively positioned relative to their practice in an attempt to examine whether their acceptance or rejection of it was also related to accepting the authority of the teacher educator. Using one-to-one interviews with 23 student teachers and employing a discourse analysis, four categories of students emerged. The paper describes these four categories and discusses the implications of these findings for initial teacher education and our understanding of the theory-practice' gap.

The physical, social and temporal dimensions of the classroom environment have an important role in children's learning. This study examines the level of support for child-centred learning, and its associated beliefs, that is provided by Hong Kong's pre-service early childhood teachers. Two hundred and seventy-five students from a pre-service early childhood teacher training programme completed a questionnaire; in general, these students believed that teachers should create physical, social and temporal environments which are child-centred in early childhood education settings. Linear regression analyses showed that the students' perceived importance of fostering children's social and communication competence in early childhood programmes, and their belief in children's competence in self-learning, were significant positive correlates of their level of support for all dimensions of child-centred learning environment. Their self-perceived competence in managing children's behaviours was, however, a significant negative correlate of their level of support for child-centred social and temporal environment. This study then discusses the implications of these findings for pre-service early childhood teacher education.

Over the past decade, Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong have experienced a series of educational reforms. They are now expected to design and implement their own school-based Chinese language curriculum, and adopt innovative pedagogies and customized materials in the classroom. The current literature suggests that some teachers are not ready for or even resist changes amid new challenges and paradigm changes. This case study highlights the role of emotionality as a key factor for successful teacher change by proposing a local adaptation of the classic model, while pointing out that a combined mode of support inclusive of collective lesson preparation and teaching demonstrations/practical sessions in professional development programs is a key element that helps facilitate teachers' change and provides teachers with experiential learning opportunities and enhanced confidence, leading to their voluntary adoption of the approach and gradual change in their beliefs and attitudes after witnessing the feasibility and effectiveness of the newly introduced concepts.
[© 2017 Teacher Development]

教師資格制度是國家對教師實行的法定職業許可制度,規定了從事教師職業所應具備的基本資質和準入條件。為了保障教師來源質量,提升教師隊伍整體素質,教育部正在推行中小學教師資格制度改革。本文梳理了香港中小學教師資格制度的歷史沿革,從教師資格申請人接受教師教育專業培養、教育實習、考試認定三個方面,對現行香港中小學教師資格制度進行剖析,為改革和完善內地中小學教師資格制度提供借鑒。

This presentation will detail a programme designed to deliver field-based mode of training for language teachers in special schools and set up a school cluster system for teachers to have a platform for the interactive exchange of ideas, resources, services, and expertise. During the training period, lectures, demonstration observations and cross-site visitations were held. Members in the school cluster included a university educator, two specialist professionals of the supporting school and 10 teachers of participating schools. With the positive response of the participants, we feel that the programme presents a possible model for training and intervention.

The aim of the program was to deliver a field-based mode of training for language teachers of special schools and to set up a school cluster system for teachers to have a platform for an interactive exchange of ideas, resources, services, and expertise. Lectures, observation of demonstrations, and cross-site visitations were held. A number of two-school clusters were organized. Members in a school cluster included university educators, specialist teachers, and teacher trainees. University educators worked with specialist teachers to design and conduct the training program. Twenty teachers participated in the study as trainees. The responses from trainees were very positive.

在香港，要成為註冊教師，除了獲得教育學位外，還必須過學校體驗與實習的過程。本文介紹了學校體驗與實習需完成的課程，學校體驗與實習前後的準備，實習的內容以及評估的方法。

本文旨在探討實習教師在香港新高中課程改革的路途上，如何就新課程的學科發展、學生背景和學科教學知識，建構他們的新知識，及所面對的挑戰。研究發現實習教師在建構新課程的教學知識過程中有很多疑慮，這些疑慮，主要來自新課程的學科知識變化所帶來的不確定感，學生的多元背景和課堂教學的挑戰，以及來自學校與社會的文化氛圍所帶來的影響，研究結果有助當局對課程發展的檢視，並教師教育的發展。
[Copyright © 2013 香港青年協會.]