The rapid development of mobile technologies in recent years has induced more and more students and lecturers to use powerful mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, etc.) and learning software/apps to assist their learning and teaching, which has greatly enhanced the effectiveness of subject learning in higher education. It is, therefore, very important to investigate how mobile devices and learning software/apps facilitate teaching and subject learning in tertiary institutions, and how mobile learning can be promoted effectively in higher education. In this study, we will analyse and discuss the data collected from two surveys and follow up interviews among lecturersand students in the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) about their current practices regarding the use of mobile technologies in their teaching and subject learning respectively. In the findings, we will identify effective mobile learning resources and good practices of mobile-assisted teaching and subject learning. We will also discuss the establishment of a Mobile Learning Community (MLC) to promote mobile learning and mobile-assisted teaching among students and lecturers in higher education. Some key factors of establishing a successful mobile learning community will be discussed. It is hoped that this study will shed some light on how good practices of mobile learning and mobile assisted teaching can be promoted effectively in tertiary institutions.

This presentation embraces two inter-related objectives: to examine the current policies and strategies that are employed by Hong Kong to attract more non-local students in order to become an educational hub in the region, and critique dominant conceptions of ‘higher education’ and the ways these play out in higher education policy. The paper begins by examining ‘markets’ and how this idea cannot be separated from the global dominance of neoliberal ideologies. This is related in turn to questions of policy borrowing. The particular pertinence of this is then emphasised by turning to a topic that, although it may seem a digression, goes to the heart of thinking in social sciences: the nature of humanism in Chinese and Occidental philosophy. Finally a return is made to aspects of international higher education in order to unsettle some of the dominant patterns of influence and open the way towards different kinds of thinking.

2000年起，香港的課程改革倡議用普通話教中文，根捧統計，至今已有半數以上中小學校正在推行。論者認為，“普教中”不但是教學語言的轉換，也是課程、教材、教法以至評估的更新。這項變革牽動中小學語文課程的校本設置，在教學層面上，也對教師的課堂語言及教學策略的運用，提出因應調整的要求。 識字教學是低年級語文教學的重要任務，香港的小學過去大多採取隨文識字的教學模式，通過課文學習，讓學生認識字詞的形音義，進而理解文本，訓練閱讀的能力。由於此前的語文課以粵語授課，識字教學可以充分利用學生的心理詞彙，以他們日常生活中習得字詞的語音或語義為基礎，連繫要學的字形，能較容易掌握生字和新詞。中文科改以普通話為教學語言，因為切斷晰語音層面的勾連，低年級學生便無法利用心理詞彙貫通字形、字音和字義的優勢識字；加上學生生活中缺乏普通話語感，學習字形與字義的同時，還得記憶陌生的語音，既形成新的難點，也加重了學習負擔。 這些年來“普教中”的先導學校參考內地、臺灣等地區的教學經驗，以漢語拼音作為輔助學生識字的工具。不少學校為此設置校本拼音教程，讓學生集中能在較短時間內把拼音通學一遍。語文教師在課上也不斷嘗試摸索，運用拼音教學字詞。觀課所見，教師在實踐中已就拼音識字發展出相應的教學策略，包括讓學生粗通拼音，邊學邊用；語文課上調動運用，從課前預習讀音，到課上自行拼讀字詞﹝個人或小組合作﹞；利用拼音記音、自我正音；定期和系統復習拼音等。不過，也有部分教師對語文課上運用拼音識字似乎還不夠重視，對相應的教學策略也未適當掌握，識字教學的效能可再提升。 “普教中”推行已十多年，因教學語言改變，識字教學的重點與難點有所轉移，但有關的教學對策的探討不多。本文主要從檢視目前學校的實踐經驗及成效切入，通過借鑒不同地區的中文識字教學方法和研究成果，建議引進音節教學的直讀法、漢字標音、以獨立或隨文兩種方式拼讀字音等方法，藉此探尋一套適用於香港普教中情境，能有效突破語音難關，並能促進識字效能的教學策略，供學界參考。

Aim: This paper reports a mixed methods study on the contribution of various aspects of professional learning in initial teacher education (ITE) to student teachers’ perceived professional competence in a Five-year Bachelor of Education Programme in Hong Kong. Special attention is paid to student teachers’ non-formal learning in higher education. Content: The mixed methods study was conducted in the context of university-based ITE programme in Hong Kong. A total of 282 student teachers participated in the quantitative survey, 18 of whom were interviewed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed four aspects for professional learning in ITE, and three factors for professional competence. The four aspects of professional learning in ITE are, in order of subjective importance to student teachers, Learning in ITE Fieldwork, Pedagogy-related Learning Experience, Previous Experience in School and Work, and Undergraduate Learning Experience: Formal Learning and Non-formal Learning (hereafter, Undergraduate Learning Experience). The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that student teachers’ Undergraduate Learning Experience is a significant predictor of all the three factors of professional competence, namely Competence in Classroom Teaching, Pedagogical and Educational Knowledge, and Competence to Work in Schools: Working with Others and Understanding School-wide Matters. Among various aspects (formal and non-formal learning) of undergraduate learning experience, this paper pays special attention to non-formal learning. The qualitative findings show that student teachers’ repertoire of teacher knowledge expanded in non-formal learning opportunities afforded by service learning, co-curricular activities and student exchange programmes. They constructed pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and knowledge of context, mainly through their own hands-on experiences, professional dialogue with practitioners

Aim: The paper reports the findings of a study on teachers’ perception of professional development (PD) activities in the context of Hong Kong secondary schools. Drawing on the findings, the characteristics of a sustainable approach to teacher professional development are identified. Content: The study adopted a mixed method design. The study aims to identify the major types of PD activities participated, types of reflections mainly adopted, and the most effective format of PD activity as perceived by teachers. A total of 636 teachers from 16 schools participated in the survey. Further, 30 teachers from 13 schools participated in the follow-up interviews. Quantitative findings revealed significant differences in perceptions on PD activities participated, influence of PD on teachers’ teaching capacity and the effectiveness of the PD activities among teachers at different stages of professional experiences, and those with different amount of administrative responsibilities. On the one hand, novice teachers with less than seven years of experience were more frequently involved in PD activities than the more experienced group. They also considered peer collaboration as an important element in improving teaching and learning. However, experienced teachers (with more than 25 years of teaching experience) were more concerned about the development of teaching expertise. Further, findings also showed that teachers with administrative responsibilities considered all aspects of PD activities important. Qualitative findings suggested that the most frequent form of PD was one-off training workshops and seminars. However, pedagogical knowledge obtained from these workshops was perceived as too theoretical. Second, the type of PD that informed teachers’ reflection and their practice was lesson observation or appraisal activities which include lesson observation. The third type of PD was the most effective when teachers with different levels of teaching experiences form