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In the academic year 2021-22, I went on a year abroad to study Education at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. In particular, I chose a track on Education Policy and International Development which is the filed that I would like to explore more. Moreover, I hope to gain more international perspectives from learning the topics in one of the best institutions around the world. Among all papers, I really learned a lot of different concepts and ideas that I have never studied in Hong Kong. In particular, the paper I like the best is Emergence of Educational Systems and Thinking. In this paper, it explores how ideas about ‘knowledge’, ‘schooling’, and ‘educational systems’ arose, shifted and expanded in different societies over time and space. It studies the rise of educational systems starting with the range of schooling on offer across different societies in the ancient world, following through with the formation of early and medieval higher education institutions and universities, and the emergence of ‘vocational education’. Throughout the historical footage, I realised ‘universal education’ is a very modern concept expanded from colonial projects and also the ‘massification’ of education. I particularly like the timely examples and case studies provided by the course, including Residential schools in Canada and the role of schools in the Prevent strategy in the UK. More importantly, the design of the paper also informs us, as educationists that we are in the process of shaping the future of education by studying a range of critical thoughts and thinkers to dislocate current realities and rethink alternative discourses that challenge dominant social orders and thinking.

After all, this outreach experience is completely an eye-opener. This is a lesson that I do not believe I could have learned in anywhere else. It required exposing myself to a new situation filled with new people and new experiences. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had. Studying abroad is one of the most formative experiences, and I know I will carry the lessons I learned in Cambridge with me for the rest of my life. Of course, after the great experience I have had here at Cambridge, I cannot recommend applying to come here enough. Now that I am back on campus, I have a new set of eyes. Everything that was once common is new once again. The beautiful architecture buildings around the campus make me pause as I walk by. The buildings that were remodeled while I was gone enticed me to enter and visit. Even the posters on the lamp posts that I always used to walk by caused me to stop and see what is happening on campus. I am spending time looking all around me and appreciating the beauty of CUHK.

为期三周的UBC-CUHK实习交流,让我有机会接触及体验不同的教育体制和文化。

交流期间,我参观了一所加拿大的中学,观摩不同的课堂,亦体验了一些创新的学习方法。当中令我印象最深刻的,就是根据「思维课堂(thinking classroom)」的理念而设计的教室环境:学生透过小组学习形式,探索相关的学科内容,老师则充当引导者的角色;这设计不但提升学生自主学习的动力,同时亦促进同侪间的互动学习。此外,当地的老师亦会运用不同的素材来阐释数学概念,其中一课,老师就运用了立方体和西瓜,教授学生三维绘图和旋转体积,令他们更能形象化地理解相关的数学概念。学校亦同时提供不同范畴的选修科目,包括戏剧、木工和管弦乐等等,让学生更能深入地探索及了解自己的兴趣。

除了课堂观摩外,我亦游历了当地自然美景,如惠斯勒(Whistler)、维多利亚岛(Victoria)和班夫(Banff)等。 总括而言,是次加拿大的学习之旅让我眼界大开,作为准教师的我,未来会多加鼓励学生,让他们追求自己兴趣之余,亦能培养自主学习的能力。

Reference: Yeung, W. L.., & Ng, O. (2023). Characterizing touchscreen actions in technology-enhanced embodied learning for mathematics instruction in K-12 setting – A systematic review (2010 – 2023). Computers & Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104881