This study considered commonalities and distinctions in early mathematics teaching by comparing six kindergarten and three Primary 1 teachers. Three consecutive lessons on the teaching of addition were videotaped resulting in a total of 27 lessons, with an equal number from lower kindergarten, upper kindergarten and Primary 1 classrooms. Observations focused on the physical environment and teacher behaviours. Time spent in different modes of instruction and types of activities deployed were determined. Notwithstanding differences in the difficulty of the mathematics curriculum, findings indicated that there were few differences across the two pre-primary years. However, pre-primary and primary lessons varied markedly in three domains: physical environment, scheduling of mathematics instruction and approaches to teaching. Compared to primary schools, pre-primary schools were more child-centered in terms of use of the physical set-up, scheduling and teaching approaches. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed.
[Copyright © 2005 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

教師教育是一個關鍵的要素去改善國家的學校教育。政治家、教師和學者雖然時有相互矛盾的意見，但都強烈地提出改變教師教育，使其能達到必需的改革形式(布朗，Braun，1989，頁xv)。香港的學校教育在近二十年有急劇的發展，七九年的九年免費普及教育的實施，八二年的國際顧問團報告書的發表，及八四年教育統籌委員會的成立，使香港的中小學教育產生巨大的轉變；及後，九十年代的大學教育的擴展，使本港適齡的大專學生由八一年的2%增至九四年度的18%。然而，有關香港教師教育的發展，卻要遲至九二年教育統籌委員會的五號報告書才有重大的轉變。
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Background: Hong Kong is currently a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It has autonomy over many policy areas, including finance and education. It is a community of seven million people, which has changed its focus and identity significantly over the last 25 years, from predominantly manufacturing to a service and knowledge economy with particular strengths in financial services.
Purpose: This paper will consider the market for teacher education places and the market for teachers, and explore the career intention and commitment implications of high numbers of well qualified applicants applying for teaching in the context of reduced work opportunities elsewhere, an increasing higher education focus on intake scores and the challenge, for the teaching profession and the education system, of teaching becoming less secure work. Sources of evidence: Governmental and institutional publications and data, along with research and survey findings, together with comparative literature underpin the reactions to past, present and possible future effects on teacher education in Hong Kong.
Main argument: Given its financial focus, Hong Kong would be expected to suffer significantly during the recent financial crisis and that this would impact across all its sectors including Education and Teacher Education. In addition to the financial crisis, other changes have affected teacher education in Hong Kong, including major reforms in curriculum and school and higher education structure and a significantly diminished birth rate reducing posts in teaching, and raising concerns about job security.
Conclusions: Hong Kong is a very prudently managed economy with substantial reserves and a commitment to "small government" and the impact has been different from many other systems. Places on teacher education programmes remained unchanged. Applications for teacher education programmes however increased significantly during the crisis.
[Copyright