The school visits were extremely enriching. I took home many valuable learning points which I think can be published as a book if I were to share everything here. Thus, I shall highlight only the most impressive ones here.
Creative Primary School (CPS) was the first HK school we visited. The warm welcome extended to us by the school's management and student representatives made me feel very comfortable and at ease during the visit. The thing that left the deepest impression though was the confidence and graciousness that the students exhibited when they brought us around the school and during their presentations. I am particularly impressed because these are very young children yet confident individuals who knew their own strengths and I believe their weaknesses too.
The children's confidence was the result of a well-developed school programme founded on a system that emphasised good moral values and character development that pervades the entire school environment. The school's character and leadership development (CLD) framework is systematic and focuses on the needs of students at various levels. It is also meritocratic and works to credit students who have performed well in various aspects of education from the time they join the school. Students and even classes are awarded prizes based on a point system termly and/or annually. As we walked along the corridors of the classroom block, visitors can witness the accolades that bring pride to the students as the awards or challenge shields recording various achievements at individual or class levels have been hung on the walls just outside every classroom. I am sure these systems are also in place in Singapore schools but perhaps, CPS has done it in such a way that the CLD culture and values it strives to instil have become so highly tangible within the school environment that students have internalised these values and have begun to live them as a part of their lives.
Of course, the CLD framework would not have succeeded if the staff did not embrace the beliefs of the system, which is underpinned by "Invitational Education". It is evident from the brief exchange we had that the staff at CPS certainly plays a pivotal role for the school's effective implementation of its CLD framework.
Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School (YLLSS) was the second school we visited and what left the deepest impression in me was really the relationship the school enjoys with the students' parents. YLLSS is a neighbourhood school situated in the midst of the heartland. Students come from within the neighbourhood, very much like our own students, and they face similar challenges just like ours. However, from my understanding, YLLSS is ranked third in HK and apart from the quality of students received from primary schools at every new intake and the dedication of the school's staff that is evident from our visit, I am sure the support rendered by the students' parents was also a crucial factor. In fact, the refreshments provided towards the end of the visit were prepared solely by the parents, which deeply touched my heart. It reminded me of the importance for collaboration between teachers and parents in the education of every child in order to make the growth and development of that child complete. It is something that I hope to be able to improve in my professional development as a teacher.
Singapore International School in HK (HKSIS), the third school we visited, felt very much Singaporean even though it is an international school situated in another country. The curriculum and co-curricular activities are very much like what we have in Singapore schools except that there is a cross-cultural touch in many of the subjects offered because the school hires teachers from all over the world. The school also boasts of many state-of-the-art facilities that help to enhance student's learning. I am particulalrly impressed by the computer stations put up along the corridors at various parts of the school. These stations allow students to engage in fun and explorative learning through interactive games on the internet or from software applications that are pre-installed (e.g. BrainPoP). I tried playing some of these games and it was indeed a wonderful learning experience! I am sure this is an effective method to help students engage in fun yet productive self-learning through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their daily lives.
The visits to the schools in HK were indeed an eye-opener for me. Although it has been some time now, the encounters and lessons learnt during the school visits are still vivid in my mind as they have, in general, left a deep and positive impression. I am certain that these invaluable take-aways will benefit my professional development as a teacher by positively impacting the way I will educate my students through the use of a variety of pedagogies and technologies and how I shall build enduring relationships with students and their parents.
Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ms Grace Ng and Mr Frederick Yeo for making this learning journey possible, Mrs Jane Cheng, Mr Chew Mun Wai and all my colleagues on the learning journey who have made the lessons picked up along the way more meaningful and memorable.
Dorothy Lim
Bowen Secondary School
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