Corporate Training for FSTE (2014 Summer) Module 2: Understanding Students of the Self- financing Tertiary Education Sector in Hong Kong Facilitator: Ms. Queenie A. Y. Lee Trained Counselor & Former Lecturer (Psy) of CIE, HKBU

Warming-up Say “Hi”! Share with 4 to 5 people your name, the institution you are teaching and your course area(s)

Getting to know you ^^ In about one minute, Please tell us your name or how you would like to be called (e.g., your nickname) Tell us ONE thing that is quite interesting/special about yourself

You wanna know about me?

Question for your reflection: What tactics have I employed at the beginning of the class to connect with you, the learners?

1. Personal Significance & Familiarity It is worth the time and effort to get to know our students by their names  (1) better rapport built and (2) more personal significance given to each Letting students know a little more about you also helps building rapport and a humanistic classroom  Could you suggest other ways? : )

3 Foci of Session 1: Q: What do you expect to learn today? (CILO!!) 1. The characteristics and learning styles of different clusters of sub-degree students 2. Difficulties faced by the sub-degree students in their learning—Etiologies & Solutions 3. Different Types of Learners—Which Type are You?

(I) Group Discussion In small groups (better if you group with teachers who serve the same cluster of students like you do), think of as many adjectives/descriptions as you can to describe the learning styles or characteristics of your students Examples: Creative Weak in languages 

Our students are NOT very different from what we once were when we were younger Better to take away our stereotypes and get to know our students as who they are

(II) Is this a Common Phenomenon in Your Classroom??

Usual Responses by Laypersons or even Teachers: (which don’t help at all!) 川漢背 13 歲殘障子日行 29 公里上學 22/2/2014

What could be the problem(s) behind our students’ difficulties in learning ? Tardiness Wrong study methods (e.g. rote-memorization only) Lack of supervision at home since young Other family reasons or problems Low in abilities in some academic areas & no sense of achievement for years The mode of learning in secondary school The mode of assessment (in internal & public exams) Special Education Needs (SEN)

So What can We Do? Change the mode of learning & assessment (e.g., group work, project work, role-play, presentation, video-making, collage) Be more encouraging ourselves as teachers Be more accepting of where our students are Let them experience a sense of achievement (how to?)

(III) What Type of Learner are you? A Psychological Test Complete the quiz given to you to find out what type of learner you are!

You are of different types when it comes to learning Your students are the same  so “one size cannot fit all!” Try to differentiate your learning-and-teaching tasks

Which strategy do you use most often?

Bloom’s (1956) Taxonomy of Instructional Objectives

Sharing Effective T&L Approaches In a group, share ONE teaching & learning activity you have used that you think is effective for students’ learning your students find interesting/useful/inspiring : )

Session 2: The Two Foci: 1. Ways to build rapport with the students to strengthen their motivation to learn 2. Effective classroom management strategies that can improve your teaching and students’ learning

Activity 1: How to begin a class in a more affectionate way? Can you suggest 3 ways how you can begin a lecture to enhance students’ interest / human touch in the classroom? 1. Asking students what their day is like 2. …… 3. …… Tip: Respond to students’ feelings if you can

Advantages of showing your care to your students in the classroom? 1. You show them you are a human, with flesh and blood and feelings  more understanding about your expectation / difficulties in teaching them 2. You demonstrate to them how to care about other people 3. You know more about your students as individuals, not just ‘objects’  better relationship  better learning and teaching A brief note on “CARE”…… “You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to be there” ~ by Professor Sidney Chung Sheung-chi

Activity 2: How well do you connect with your students? Refer to the handout “Teachers’ use of school connectedness strategies based on feeling positively connected to students” Check those strategies you have been using Check those strategies you hope you will be using Source: Vidourek, R. A., King, K. A., Bernard, A. L., Murnan, J., & Nabors, L. (2011). Teachers' Strategies to Positively Connect Students to School. American Journal of Health Education, March/April 2011, Vol. 42 (2)

Activity 3: Effective Classroom Management Strategies to help students learn effectively (A case-study approach) Form yourselves in small groups of 3 to 4 people. Imagine you are facing the situation described on the paper  Role-play the situation and the solution (5 min) The scenario you encountered The student’s behavior Teacher’s (your) response What you wish could be done to handle it better as you look back now

Summing-up some effective strategies…. Get to know the nature of the problem bothering the student(s) concerned  Personal?  Interpersonal?  Family?  Ability? Motivation?  Financial?  Illness? (physical/psychological?) Show you genuinely care Admit you may not be able to solve all the problems by yourself / at one time Tell the student(s) they can turn to you for support/advice

一個 90 後對中國教育的批評和反思 鍾道然著 易中天序 「受教育者喪失了自我，是因為我們的教育丟掉了根本。今 日之中國，學校是工廠，院系是庫房，班級是車間，學生則 是流水線上批量生產的齒輪和螺絲釘，只不過有的鍍金，有 的鍍銀，有的壓了塑料膜。但指導思想和生產模式，則是一 樣的。

目標， 是「望子成龍」； 標準， 是「成王敗寇」； 方法， 是「死記硬背」； 手段， 是「不斷施壓」，還美其名曰「壓力即動力」。

至於孩子們是否真實，是否善良，是否健康，是否快樂， 沒有人去想。最需要「以人為本」的領域，卻最不拿人當 人，這真是一個奇蹟！ 這就不能原諒！」

Summing up…… How to establish a conducive learning environment for our students? 「學校教育到了現在，真空虛極了。單從外形的制度上、 方法上，走馬燈似的更變迎合，而于教育的生命的某物， 從未聞有人培養顧及。 好像掘地，有人說四方形好，有人又說圓形好，朝三暮四 地改個不休，而于池的所以為池的要素的水，反無人注意 。 教育上的水是什么？就是情，就是愛。教育沒有了情愛， 就成了無水的池，任你四方形也罷，圓形也罷，總逃不了 一個空虛。」 《愛的教育》序 ~ 夏丏尊先生