Programme Information

Programme Aims

This programme aims to prepare qualified physical education teachers for both primary and secondary schools who:

• demonstrate academic competence in disciplinary knowledge of humanities and science of human movement appropriate for teaching of PE in Hong Kong secondary and primary schools;
• apply theories into practice innovatively to serve as professional PE teachers facilitating pupils' informed and active learning in Hong Kong secondary and primary schools;
• value and understand critical sports-related values and attitudes;
• demonstrate critical understanding of curricular and pedagogical knowledge and skills appropriate for teaching of PE in Hong Kong secondary and primary schools;
• master and value a variety of physical activities as well as participate regularly in contributing to healthy and active lifestyles;
• engage in on-going enrichment in professional and intellectual development concerning PE.

Despite its training at both primary and secondary levels, students of the programme need to focus their study at a particular level during their course of study subject to the quotas of the respective school levels as decided by the University as well as the projected demand of teachers at the two levels.

Programme Structure

Major

The curriculum covers a wide range of theory and professional activity courses to enhance student teachers' academic knowledge, skill proficiency and teaching competence in Physical Education. Course content reflects contemporary local and global development in Physical Education which focuses on promoting students' all round development, lifelong learning and healthy and active lifestyles. Various teaching and learning strategies are employed to provide student teachers with opportunities to practise and develop innovative pedagogy and curriculum. With an emphasis on developing adequate skills, knowledge, and attitude for primary/secondary Physical Education teaching, the curriculum also builds a solid foundation in the disciplines of Sports, Humanities, Science, Pedagogy and Curriculum for further studies.

Education Studies

Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become beginning teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.

General Education

The EdUHK’s General Education programme prepares students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge and between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgement. It offers a varied but balanced mix of individual courses across a range of subject areas and disciplines, set within an integrated structure of (i) General Education Foundation Course, (ii) Experiential Learning, (iii) General Education Breadth Courses, and (iv) University ePortfolio with a total of 22 credit points (cps).

1. General Education Foundation Course (4 cps)

General Education Foundation Course (GEFC) is a 4-cp course that will run for the whole academic year and be taken by all first-year students at EdUHK. This course will equip students for their intellectual development in the university context by introducing a skill-based development/thematic component in Semester 1 of Year 1. In Semester 2, students will be introduced to a wide variety of themes and topics in general education by taking part in the lectures delivered by Chair Professors/Professors and external Guest Lecturers. These lectures are substantiated by small class tutorials for the purpose of building communities of dialogue and inquiry that foster the intellectual growth of students as reflective thinkers deliberating issues of importance to their own lives, society and the world as a whole.

2. Experiential Learning (6 cps)

Experiential Learning (EL) consists of Co-curricular and Service Learning Course (CSLC) and Experiential Learning Course (ELC). CSLC provides students with an opportunity to engage in learning in action and through action in real-life or work-place context while complementing, connecting with, and mirroring their learning experiences derived from formal curriculum. On the other hand, ELC encourages students to learn through experimentation, observation, reflection and (re-)conceptualization while undertaking a wide variety of activities, such as creative work, student-initiated enterprise/projects, thematic overseas trips, outward-bound training, etc.

Students are required to take at least one CSLC and one ELC starting from Year 1 (3 cps each). Courses in Experiential Learning domain can be taken in parallel with Block Practice (BP) I and II (i.e. Field Experience and Experiential Learning Semesters). If that is the case, students need to ensure the course schedule does not clash with BP (students should check the information listed under the course outline and explore the feasibility with course tutors at the beginning of the semester). Students are encouraged to complete courses in EL domain before semester 1 of final year as they will be engaged in BP II and data collection/field work of Final Year Project in this Semester. Careful academic planning on personal basis is needed.

3. General Education Breadth Courses (9 cps)

Under the new curriculum (from 2019/20 onwards), the General Education Breadth Courses (GEBCs) (9 cps) are composed of General Education Breadth Learning Strands (1-3) (GELS) (Level 1-2), Positive and Values Education (PAVE) Course and General Education Interdisciplinary Course (GEIC) (Level 4). Students have to take one from each of the components in order to fulfill the GEBCs (9 cps) requirement.

These courses aim to equip students better for the study of the ontological, epistemological and/or methodological issues in a wide variety of disciplines. In addition, a new 3-cp GEIC (Level 4) will be offered on cross-faculty basis for students from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1, in order to enable them to appreciate the complexity of issues and problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries and to make sense of them through dialogues across disciplines.

Students are allowed to take GELS and/or PAVE Course(s) after the completion of GEFC or concurrently with GEFC in Year 1 Semester 2 if they are interested and their curriculum schedules allow. After the completion of any GELS/PAVE Course, students are allowed to take the GEIC from Year 2 Semester 2 to Year 3 Semester 1.

4. University ePortfolio (3 cps)

University ePortfolio is a 3-cp “capstone” course which requires students, when they are approaching the end of their undergraduate studies, to reflect critically on their learning experience within General Education in their disciplinary, professional and co-curricular studies, as well as in their lives beyond graduation, and, to develop an integrated view of how and where they position themselves with respect to their future goals, plans, and aspirations. Students will prepare and submit an annotated University ePortfolio based on their experiences, reflections and stored artefacts from their undergraduate studies. Students are encouraged to keep electronic (soft) copies of all their coursework material starting with the completion of the GEFC for potential inclusion in the University ePortfolio.

The course will enable students to synthesise their learning experiences, by reflecting critically on the value and significance of what they have learned, making connections to their lives, and imagining their own futures.

Students are allowed to take the University ePortfolio course after completion of all the GEBCs required (i.e. GELS, PAVE, GEIC). Also, they have to take the course in the semester of study assigned by individual programmes.

For detailed information and the course synopsis about General Education courses, please visit the website at www.eduhk.hk/geo.

Final Year Project (Honours Project / Capstone Project)

The Final Year Project comprises of two courses:

• Honours Project I / Capstone Project I: Research Methods and Proposal
• Honours Project II / Capstone Project II: A one-year project usually to be conducted in the final year.

Electives

Student can choose either one of the following options:

1. Free electives
2. 1 Minor plus electives
3. 2 Minors
4. Second Major

Field Experience

Students will be placed in schools which are important sites for learning to teach and where they will interpret, generate, interact and experiment with theory:

Language Enhancement

From September 2012/13, FT BEd non-language-major students will be required to meet Language Exit Requirements (LERs) for English and Putonghua. The exit benchmarks are IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) for English, and PSC (Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi) 3B for Putonghua. Students are required to study a comprehensive package of English, Chinese and Putonghua enhancement courses.

English Enhancement Programme (EEP) consists of two credit-bearing courses in Year 1/2. These courses will equip students with academic literacy essential to their study at tertiary level and help them develop general English language proficiency. They will also lay the foundation for students to learn English independently in subsequent years through participation in self-access learning activities, blended learning, and optional language enhancement courses appropriate to their level and developmental needs. In addition, students will be required to study two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses. Optional IELTS preparation workshops will also be offered to familiarise students with the EdUHK-sponsored IELTS after they have completed the EEP.

Students are also required to study three Chinese enhancement courses, and up to two Putonghua enhancement courses depending on their level.

Chinese Enhancement Programme (CEP) consists of one mandatory credit-bearing course and two mandatory non-credit-bearing courses, which provide students with the input on Chinese language skills as well as elements of literature and culture.

Students may be exempted from selected Chinese course in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.

Putonghua Enhancement Programme (PEP)
Students have to take up to two mandatory, non-credit-bearing courses depending on their Putonghua levels at entry via the Tertiary Putonghua Test (TPT), and could opt for other non-credit-bearing Putonghua enhancement courses after Year 1.

Students may be exempted from selected Putonghua courses in the package if they have fulfilled the exemption criteria of individual courses.

Cantonese Enhancement Courses (For non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students)
Non-Cantonese-speaking Chinese students will be required to study two non-credit-bearing Cantonese courses. The successful completion of the Cantonese courses will be recorded in the student's transcript.

For Chinese (including Putonghua) and English, language consultation services and other self-access materials are provided at ASLLC, the self-access language learning centre (these arrangements are subject to changes).

Enrichment Activities

To support students' personal and professional development, we provide an extensive range of enrichment activities:

• Oversea Immersion Programme
  Students can participate in an overseas Physical Education immersion programme to expose themselves to a variety of professional preparation and instruction beyond the local context.
• Sports Competitions
  Students are provided with ample opportunities to participate in sports competitions at local, regional and international tournaments.
• Annual Physical Education Training Camp
  Students can participate in the annual training camp for personal and professional development which includes hiking, canoeing, residential and outdoor adventure camping activities.
• Coaching and Sports Proficiency Courses
  Students can participate in a variety of sports proficiency, officiating and coaching programmes jointly organised with various National Sports Associations.

Scholarships

To support outstanding students, we offer attractive scholarships to those who demonstrate excellent academic and sports performance, as well as good leadership skills.

Our Staff Members and Facilities

With experienced staff who are well-connected to local schools and well equipped sports facilities on the Tai Po Campus and the EdUHK Sports Centre (Pak Shek Kok), we provide a rich and dynamic environment for nurturing professional Physical Education teachers for Hong Kong primary/secondary schools.

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

As stipulated by the Government, Physical Education can only be taught by fully qualified professionals. This has created a huge demand for professionally trained Physical Education teachers in Hong Kong. In addition, graduates of the programme can also choose to become professional coaches, sports management personnel and officers of local disciplinary forces.

Graduates of the programme will become fully qualified teachers of Physical Education for local primary/secondary schools with the following skills and qualifications:

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in Hong Kong;
• Good foundation in sports, humanities, science, pedagogy and curriculum disciplines for further studies; and
• Degree-level professional qualifications that are in great demand in the Physical Education related professions.