Teaching practice in schools is a vital part in teacher education in Hong Kong. This paper aims at reporting a study of a number of student teachers of Economic and Public Affairs (E.P.A.) practised teaching in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Some of the secondary schools use English as medium as instruction but most of them use Chinese as medium. Questionnaires were administered to student teachers to collect information and views about their field experience in those schools. Interviews were also conducted to collect more in-depth information and data. Information regarding the kinds of support from regular teachers in their practising schools, the instructional approaches employed, the types and sources of instructional materials used, the extent of student involvement in classroom activities, and the problems encountered in preparing and conducting lessons etc. were investigated. Results of the study shows that most of the student teachers of E.P.A. under study inclined to receive more support from regular teachers in schools, highly rated their effective uses of instructional materials, rated their E.P.A. lessons as student-centered, attributed teaching and learning difficulties to classroom management problems, and indicated reliance on textbooks as the main source of teaching and learning information was minimal. Suggestions for improvement in organizing teaching practices and enhancement of the effectiveness of field experience in the subject Economic and Public Affairs in schools were also made.

Textbooks have long been very important tools for the relevant subject teachers in Hong Kong. But very few teachers and researchers have discussed and investigated the role of textbooks in the teaching of Economic and Public Affairs (EPA). The aim of this paper is to highlight important aspects of the characteristics of EPA textbooks in Hong Kong and examine the ways that teachers have used EPA textbooks. In Hong Kong the shortage of time means that teachers often rely on textbooks to help them to present the teaching points to the students. This should not constitute a hindrance to the teaching process if textbooks are well written and teachers are aware of the limitations of textbooks and appropriate steps are taken to overcome these limitations. But when the case of EPA teaching and learning is examined it is found that the situation is deplorable. One of the reasons is that EPA textbooks have not been written in such a way that enquiry learning is promoted. After a content analysis of EPA textbooks is made, it is found that most writers of EPA textbooks are concerned with providing great amount of information to the students. Few attempts are made to give students the opportunity to probe and reflect on the controversies associated with the issues in public affairs in Hong Kong. Moreover, the issue of depth versus breadth is also aroused. In short, the writers of textbooks consider that breadth is more important than depth. Hence few single issues are discussed in greater depth in EPA textbooks. This shortcoming of textbooks can be overcome if teachers use EPA textbooks more appropriately. But due to shortage of time most teachers just overwhelmingly follow textbooks and they are not willing to supplement the use of textbooks by other resources and materials. Worse still, in many cases the teaching and learning of EPA is reduced to underlining and short explanation of important and key sentences in textbooks. The issue should cause concern among textbook writers,

This study documents how the social education curriculum in Hong Kong has changed since Hong Kong's return to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Employing qualitative methods of classroom observations, interviews, and documentary analysis, the researchers found changes in mandated topics in the curriculum (such as increased attention to global issues, global economic connections, Chinese identity), pedagogy (such as strategies for active learning), resources (such as materials from UNICEF) and attitudes (such as empathy for people in less developed parts of the world). The findings also include a comparison of local versus international schools, changes in teacher education courses, and teachers' perspectives on issues they face today.

Teaching approaches and strategies reflect the philosophy and aims of education of a society. Hong Kong has faced a lot of changes in education, both in curriculum and teaching approaches, especially in the subject of Social Studies. With the change of syllabuses, the teaching strategies of Social Studies has been changed from a teacher-centred and didactic approach in the 60s to child-centred and inquiry approach in the 90s. This is evident by three different syllabuses illustrate different needs of society in different periods. The 1967 syllabus pointed out the importance and effectiveness of activity in teaching. The reason of adopting activities was purely to stimulate pupils' interest in learning so that they could pass the external examination easily. This was extremely important to the pupils in that period as Junior 6 could be the end of their education. In 1980, the technological and economic advancements in Hong Kong had brought rapid changes to our society. To live in a highly complex and rapidly changing society was not a simpler matter for out children, so the 1980 social studies syllabus was designed to address their needs. The distinctive feature of this syllabus was the introduction of conceptual learning, value learning and skill learning. It was anticipated that children could acquire knowledge through the mastering of essential enquiry skills, and clarification of personal and social values so that they would be competent in the ever-changing society. Inquiry approach which regarded as an effective method to fulfill the aim, was the major teaching strategy in that period. The rationale of the 1997 General Studies syllabus is to equip children with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, to enable them to solve problems they encounter and to develop good citizenship. To achieve the rationale, the strategies promoted in this syllabus therefore is child-centred approach. Inquiry approach is still the main stream of teaching method. Since the new

This paper describes a simulation exercise that allows business students from two tertiary institutions, namely The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to learn a particular domain of E-Commerce – online auction. Results of student evaluation of the online auction game were analyzed within the same group and across groups. The results indicated that students from two tertiary institutions like to learn the on-line auction using simulation approach, which is one of the active learning strategies that have been used in the two institutions. We have found that business student teachers from HKIEd, who are better equipped with pedagogical knowledge and skills, tended to rate the online action game (OAG) higher than their PolyU fellows in a number of areas. The favorable comments from the pre-service teachers are informative and conclusive. In this case, simulation approach in teaching and learning online auction has proved itself to be effective. It is believed that active learning strategies such as simulation game should be adopted to maximize learning effects in various E-Commerce domains.

Social education in the primary education arena of Hong Kong has taken many forms. This chapter traces the development of Social Studies in the formal curriculum of local primary schools from the 1960s to the 1990s. It critically analyzes the foci of change as stated in the curriculum documents. Based on these official documents, the relationship between the curriculum intent and pedagogy advocated is discussed with reference to the current literature. Learning activities suggested in the syllabi of various decades are compared on a continuum of teaching-learning strategies and evaluated against stated learning targets. Their implications on teaching styles are discussed. Criteria for selecting activities are recommended for readers' reference. This chapter ends with recommendations for further investigation. It is hopeful that the chapter will become a useful reference for investigations on social education in primary schools in terms of curriculum and pedagogy advocated for effective learning.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

本文透過對香港中學商業教育的歷史回顧及課程發展的探討，分析商業教育在不同社會經濟發展階段所起之質性變化，及其正負面影響，並建議未來之發展方向。歷史回顧部分分作三個階段，包括二十世紀五六十年代的萌芽發展期，七十至九十年代的穩步增長期及二千年後的高速更新期；當中課程的演變經歷 “職業”、“技術”、“科技”及“專科與職業分家”等不同方向的發展，各有優勝及不足之處，但只要取得發展上的平衡，商業教育在職業預備上、智能發展上及公民教育上的全面性功能可以有所發揮，令經濟急速發展下的每一名學子均可受惠。
[Copyright © 2007 教育史研究編輯部.]