An ongoing project is investigating online learning-oriented assessment (Carless, 2003) on a two-year project to redesign seven teaching and learning modules at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Simultaneously the project team is developing key principles for online learning assessment. The project uses 'design experiments' (Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992), 'development research' (van de Akker, 1999) or 'use-inspired research' (Stokes, 1997) for the ongoing project. Use-inspired research "includes basic research that seeks to extend the frontiers of understanding but is also inspired by considerations of use" (Stokes, 1997, p. 74). Our focus has been to improve the use of learning-oriented assessment in eight separate modules (four completed and three in-progress) in teacher-education. Four teacher-educators from four different departments: Early Childhood Education, Information and Applied Technology, Creative Arts and the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology participated in the project. Throughout the project we have examined teachers' perceptions of assessment, teaching and learning and technology through video-interviews and concept mapping. In addition we have conducted video-focus groups with students within our classes to determine their perceptions about the new forms of assessment that we have trialled. Online learning technology has significantly changed the landscape of teaching, learning and assessment and allows new possibilities. Learning management systems like Blackboard have unique affordances in allowing collaboration between students. The use of group activities and student-centred approaches like project-based learning allow students to collaborate, debate, negotiate and crystallize their ideas whilst working within a socio-constructivist framework. The nature of the learning task is a predominant factor in the collaborative skills developed by the students. Project-based learning is defined as "an instructional technique in which meaningful

Conceptions of teaching are mental models which people hold concerning teaching. Various models have been proposed as frameworks to explore the conceptions of teaching held by teachers. The importance of this type of research is based on the assumption that teachers' behaviours are guided by their conceptions of teaching and therefore, would influence students learning. It is commonly viewed that pre-service teachers go through changes in their belief systems as they pass through the passage of teacher education. As teacher's belief system may affect their ultimate actions in the classroom, it would be of interest to identify the types of belief changes they make. Included in these models are specific thought representations related to the "action", "belief" and "intention" aspects of teaching (Pratt, 1992). Whereas many factors could influence a teachers process of professional socialization, this study sets out to present a profile of pre-service physical educators' conceptions of teaching and to examine whether gender and practicum experience contribute to differences in conceptions of teaching.

This paper analyses and reports on the action processes of a Hong Kong secondary school adopting a multidisciplinary, project approach. It is written from an observer's perspective exploring the initiation, the nature, the learning activities and the assessment tasks of the student projects, teacher development programmes as well as the technical aspects of implementation. The author has observed how practitioners problematised and reconstructed habitual practices in a cyclical mode where they 'plan-act-observe-reflect' on their daily professional experience and developed practical knowledge. The yearlong processes depict key elements of an action research (Kemmis, 1988; Elliot, 2003). It is found that teachers' tacit knowledge had a significant impact on early identification of problems and suggesting solutions to ensure the smooth running of the curriculum. The learning logs and verbal presentations provided evidences that students had a sense of achievement wherever there were independent learning and decision-making. Both teachers and students reported team spirit, student-teacher rapport, and reflected enhanced self-efficacy. This matches what Katz and Chard (2000) describe as the '(cultivation) of the life of the young child's mind', which means not only knowledge and skills, but also social, emotional, moral, aesthetic and spiritual sensibilities. This paper also illustrates other multifaceted benefits to the school. Conscious of the impact of action research and the contributions of teachers' tacit knowledge in professional practice, the author argues that it is time for university academics or experienced researchers to help teachers publicize the 'tacit' to enrich the knowledge base for teaching and learning.

The process of occupational socialization of Physical Education (PE) Teachers is complex. It starts with the pretraining phase, followed by a preservice intervention including field experience and continues with teaching in schools until retirement. The present study focuses mostly on the pretraining phase with twenty preservice PE teachers as sample for investigation. They are presently attending a two-year full-time course of teacher training (1996-98) in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Issues such as 'why' and 'how' they join the teacher education programme; their PE experience; and their conceptions about PE teacher as well as teaching are discussed thoroughly. The inquiry adopts an 'interpretive' approach. It tries to understand the preservice PE teachers and their inner meanings that they give to their social worlds. Data were collected through interviews and reflective journals of the student PE teachers within the first month after they had been admitted to the programme. The results reveal that these twenty preservice PE teachers join the teacher education programme (TE) for a variety of reasons, such as 'sports continuation' ; 'serving the community'; 'have a better career', 'influenced by others'; and 'the social, cultural and economic milieu of Hong Kong' etc. They possess distinct 'subjective warrants' that comprise the image of a 'PE teacher'; 'requisites for teaching PE' ; 'functions of PE' ; and 'PE teaching'. They are largely formed as the result of societal and sport socialization during thousand hours of 'apprenticeship of observation' period in schools. This study provides information that fosters a better understanding of the underlying perspectives of preservice PE teachers. Their characteristics and orientations can be typecast into five different groups as the 'Athletes' , 'Pragmatists', 'Followers', 'Insure' and 'Idealists' along an ostensible continuum. Different developmental processes concerning their occupational socialization are expected

This paper is dual in purpose. First, it describes what a professional learning community is and how it develops in schools in Hong Kong. A professional learning – 1012 – community is one where teachers relate their own professional learning to the improvement of their students' learning; take collaborative responsibility for students' learning; and work together to maximize their learning. Learning Study, which is premised on a conceptual framework that builds on three types of variation, is employed as the key agent in the development of such community. The three types of variation are: variation in students' understanding of a specific object of learning (V1); variation in teachers' understanding and ways of handling the object (V2); and the use of patterns of variation based on the Theory of Variation (V3). By focusing on the three types of variation in a specific object of learning, teachers in the professional learning communities are able to learn from their students, from each other and from researchers what should be worthwhile for their students to learn, how they can help students learn better and find out if each child is learning. Dissemination through public presentations is also an integral part of the participating teachers' professional learning, as they reflect and prepare a presentation on the results of the Learning Study. Each teacher's personal professional development thus contributes to a collective knowledge base. Second, this papers draws on the data of a Learning Study about the teaching of Three states of water at Primary 3 level to illustrate how teachers' learning can be enhanced through engaging in the study that permits a professional dialogue among colleagues; enhances collaboration with tertiary institution; encourages teachers taking inquiry stance; opens opportunities for multiple means of dissemination; opens opportunities for teachers to reflect on their own practices in a more systematic way.