Programme Information

Programme Aims

This programme aims to prepare our students to become outstanding primary school teachers who:

• have positive professional attitude;
• have sound academic knowledge and broad-based professional knowledge and skills;
• have lifelong learning skills and are able to appreciate moral, social and cultural values;
• can work collaboratively with students, parents, colleagues, school administrators and other professionals; and
• understand education issues of Hong Kong and react positively to educational innovations.

On completion of the programme, General Studies students are expected to be able to:

• demonstrate a solid understanding and command of the core concepts and methods of enquiry in social sciences, science and technology;
• show a broad understanding of the diverse social and cultural contexts in the local, national and global communities;
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of interdisciplinary concepts and approaches in curriculum integration and display competence in interdisciplinary studies and thinking;
• apply critical and creative thinking and problem solving abilities to deal with social, science, environmental and health-related issues;
• display positive attitude towards the acceptance of diversity and multiplicity; and
• demonstrate the pedagogical literacy and competency required for the development and implementation of curriculum.

On completion of the programme, Mathematics students are expected to be able to:

• demonstrate understanding of mathematical concepts and competence in explaining them clearly to school pupils;
• plan and implement appropriate learning, teaching and assessment strategies to cater for the pupils' individual differences in learning mathematics;
• adopt appropriate strategies to arouse pupils' interest in learning mathematics;
• enrich and apply critical and logical thinking skills in teaching and real-life settings;
• use information technologies and appropriate software to enhance learning and teaching of mathematics; and
• demonstrate proficiency in coordinating STEM education in primary schools.

Programme Structure

Major

This is the key building block for teacher professional competence with a well-developed sequence of academic contents that gradually increases in depth and complexity. Students will study one major subject from the following:

• General Studies
• Mathematics

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).

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

The in-depth academic and professional knowledge confers graduates of the programme with excellent career prospects. They will possess a Qualified Teacher Status in Hong Kong and are ready to become fully qualified teachers in local primary schools. In addition to the professional teaching career, as they will have been equipped with the necessary academic knowledge and intellectual skills, they can also embark on a wide variety of other careers, such as civil service, news organisations, publishing houses, etc.

General Studies Major

Programme Code: JS8234

General Studies is a very important subject in Hong Kong primary schools, with most primary school teachers required to teach this subject. It is also an important vehicle for Civic, Moral and Sex Education.

Taught as an integrated subject, this major aims to prepare outstanding primary school teachers who:

• possess the generic skills (e.g., problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, study skills, communications, information technology, etc.) that are essential for learning in the Information Era and for making sense of social and environmental issues;
• are well-acquainted with the spirit and methods of inquiry;
• are well-equipped with the social and scientific inquiry skills that come into play in the teaching and learning of General Studies;
• have the competence to ride the tide of the new curriculum reforms; and
• are able to play a significant role in curriculum development in the school context.

Mathematics Major

Programme Code: JS8246

Mathematics is one of the three core subjects in Hong Kong's primary schools. This major aims at enhancing students’ mathematical knowledge and training them to help others to acquire an in-depth understanding of and develop a passion for this fascinating subject. Students are schooled to become confident and competent Mathematics teachers who can stimulate the learning interest of pupils and make mathematics lively and relevant to their pupils' lives. We welcome students who are mathematically gifted, inquisitive and highly motivated by mathematics.

Our Features

Our major allows students to:

• understand numbers, geometry, measurement, probability and other essential mathematical concepts;
• develop problem-solving skills and learn how to use technology in teaching mathematics;
• learn to connect advanced mathematical knowledge to the teaching of primary mathematics; and
• develop approaches to help pupils to learn mathematics in exciting and effective ways.

Our Staff Members

• are highly qualified in mathematics and mathematics education;
• have substantial experience and expertise in the preparation of Mathematics teachers; and
• work closely with schools and educational organisations to improve the quality of mathematics education.

Our Facilities

• Computer laboratory with state-of-the-art computers, mathematics software, and AV equipment to facilitate the application of IT to the learning and teaching of mathematics; and
• A STEM laboratory equipped with comprehensive and growing collection of STEM equipment for STEM activities.

Student Activities

• participating in immersion or exchange activities;
• organising local and international mathematics competitions for primary and secondary schools;
• publishing a mathematics education journal for students and teachers in Hong Kong; and
• organising and attending talks on mathematics education for teachers, staff and students.