The popularity and desirability of English language education has become somewhat unbeatable in Asian countries. In this essay, highlighting the examples of Taiwan and Hong Kong, I seek to understand the multiple threads of reasoning systems that come together to constitute and sustain the desirability of English learning. In that, I conceptualize that language education is more than teaching and learning a new/foreign language. Language is intertwined with the sphere of culture. Thus, I hope to encourage an alternative perspective for rethinking the “heat” of English language education in Asian countries.In that, I seek to underscore that it is imperative to rethinking the effects of English language education.

Driven by the forces requiring rapid innovation in competitive world markets, today's knowledge economy is enabled by ICT's capacity to search, filter, store, transmit, encapsulate, process, and manipulate information. Workers of a knowledge economy are expected to possess ICT literacy: the ability to use technology to develop 21st century content knowledge and skills. This new kind of literacy is considered a key '21st century skill', together with global awareness, civic engagement, financial, economic and business literacy, and learning skills that encompass problem solving, critical thinking, and self-directional skills (Partnership for 21st century Skills, 2005, p.15). 21st century schools are seen to play a critical role in producing a workforce that is highly educated and skilled to support a country's economy. This recognition of education as a key contributor to the economy has led school curricula in many countries to mandate ICT as a central component, with teachers being increasingly expected to infuse ICT into the teaching and learning processes. This paper examines some of the major developments and strategies related to ICT in the education reform of three countries where the author has worked professionally. Lessons will be drawn from their experiences in enhancing music education curriculum reform for a technology-infused future.

本文將圍繞香港小六「圓」這一課題的教學，探究數學教師可碰到的數學問題及其解答，並透過相關的教學活動，討論一些有關本課題的教學心得。

This research investigated the attitudes of Chinese students toward inclusive education, by dividing the research into two studies with different subgroups included. Study 1 invited 340 secondary students and 129 secondary teachers from 9 mainstream secondary schools in Hong Kong to participate. The Chinese version of the 16-item Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale originally developed by Wilczenski⁶⁹ was applied. The results were analyzed at item and variable levels. Hong Kong students had significantly more positive attitudes toward inclusive education than their teachers. However, both groups did not show positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Based on the results of study 1, study 2 tried to cross validate these findings by inviting 135 teachers and 260 students in Macau to participate. As well, study 2 extended the horizon of comparison by inviting 260 parents to participate. They were either the mothers or fathers of the 260 students who participated in study 2. The same scale was applied in study 2 and the results showed that neither the Macau students nor the teachers were particularly positive toward inclusive education. The Macau parents had the more positive attitudes toward inclusive education than the Macau students and teachers. The results from the two studies in Hong Kong and Macau were compared and discussed.
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本研究主要針對香港和新加坡之小學數學課程中後設認知﹝又名元認知﹞的培養進行探討。分別比較兩地之小學數學之「課程綱要」及教科書﹝分數範疇﹞中的後設認知培養，並加以評析。本文的撰寫探用文獻分析法與貝瑞岱的比較教育研究方法進行兩地比較。 從研究結果發現，香港有運用多種不同的教學策略以培養學生的後設認知能力，而且教科書中運用各種不同教學策略的題目數目較新加坡多，由此看來，香港具有發展培養後設認知能力的潛力。另外，從比較兩地小學數學課程的過程中，歸納培養學生的後設認知能力的優點與特色，列出值得香港觀摩與學習的地方，以作參考。

The pre-school sector in Singapore and Hong Kong (both British colonies in the past) have traditionally been regulated by two different government organizations : kindergartens come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education(MOE)/Education Bureau (EB) while child care centres are regulated by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)/Social Welfare Department (SWD) respectively. Such a system is not unusual in the international landscape of early child care and education (ECCE) where "education" and "care" are seen as separate and hence, regulated by different government agencies. This paper will trace the historical development of teacher education and development in both the former British colonies. However, the focus of the paper will be on recent initiatives which will be discussed within the context of recent policy changes spearheaded by a Steering Committee on Preschool Education (SCPE) in the late 1990s in Singapore, resulting in outcomes such as the establishment of a Preschool Qualification Accreditation Committee (PQAC) and the development of a recommended curriculum framework Nurturing Early Learners (2003). Parallel developments in Hong Kong could be traced within the context of developments leading to a comprehensive education reform that has impacted on early childhood education as well, with similar outcomes, such as the development of A Guide to Pre-primary Curriculum (1996), subsequently revised in 2006. Another important Hong Kong initiative - the Preschool Education Voucher Scheme - deserves mention. These recent initiatives have resulted in a movement towards enhancing teacher quality and professional development. The question remains: Are these initiatives sustainable?