Foreword
Dr. Jan van Aalst, Professor Carol Chan and Dr. Jin Mu at the University of Hong Kong were commissioned by the Education Bureau in 2012 to conduct a literature review on learning theories. The purpose was to provide an overview of the current theories or pedagogy, instructional practices, and classroom examples relevant to the work of curriculum developers, teachers and other education professionals, which can be applied to the local educational contexts.
This website was developed as a repository of reference materials and also part of the reporting of that project. It presents an overall picture of how ideas about learning have changed in the last few decades and synopses of the main theories relevant to Hong Kongs classrooms, at the same time referencing some instructional approaches for these theories and examples of classroom practices. It is recommended to spend some time browsing the section about learner characteristics, particularly of Chinese learners, which discusses various factors that influence learning in Hong Kongs classrooms, especially in the curriculum reform context of Learning to Learn 2.0. In this light, teachers are not only facilitators of student learning but also leading learners, who possess a wide repertoire of learning and teaching strategies, to unleash innovation, inspire each other and enable successful learning in the classrooms.
We believe a web-based presentation of the project is easily accessible and able to facilitate the on-going management and updates by the research team at the University of Hong Kong in future. We hope that this website will be a useful resource and quick reference for education professionals in Hong Kong and beyond.
Stephen Y W YIP
Principal Assistant Secretary (Curriculum Development)
The Education Bureau