CUHK
News Centre

The Faculty of Education of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) aspires to be a leading centre for training and research in education in Asia. Prof. Alvin Leung Seung Ming, a respected international scholar in counselling psychology, was appointed Dean of Education earlier this year. With many years of experience in training teachers, counsellors and psychologists in educational and social service settings, Professor Leung's primary objective will be to strengthen the Faculty's contribution in training, research, and service to the education community. Professor Leung said, 'I am very honoured and humbled to be appointed the Dean of Education. I am eager to work with my colleagues to further the contribution and impact of the Faculty. It is my hope that the Faculty could serve as a leader who inspires and contributes to the education community through its teaching, research and service.' 

Teacher Training

The Faculty offers a full spectrum of training programmes to educational professionals, from initial teacher training to doctoral degree in education. Professor Leung believes that teaching is a very demanding profession, and teachers have to be competent in many areas. First and foremost, teachers have to gain mastery of their subject matter and to effectively foster students' learning in the classroom. Second, they have to be competent in teaching students with diverse learning and behavioral characteristics, as classrooms have become more diverse and integrated. Third, teaching is a long-term career and it is important for teachers to persist and grow in their profession. They need to remain healthy, ethical, resilient and optimistic in an age of rapid social and educational changes.

With the above in mind, the Faculty of Education has been devoting great effort in refining its teacher training programmes. Course contents are constantly reviewed to make sure that teachers are prepared for the latest secondary and/or primary curriculum. The Faculty has also strengthened the 'special educational needs' component so that teachers are equipped with the strategies and instructional approaches to meet diverse student learning and emotional needs. The teacher training curriculum aims to train teachers to be capable of reflecting on their strengths, limitations, impact, and professional needs, and to grow in awareness and competence. 

New Programmes

Beginning in the 2012-13 academic year, the Faculty plans to offer two new programmes. The first is a double-major programme in Mathematics and Mathematics Education. This programme aims to equip mathematics teachers in primary and secondary schools with intensive and broad mathematics subject knowledge. Developed in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics, the programme aims at helping students to learn from mathematics educators and mathematicians. Diverse professional and learning experience in school settings will be provided to expose students to the latest developments in mathematics education. 

The Department of Sports Science and Physical Education is also planning to launch a new programme in exercise science and health education. It is a special two-year programme designed for associate degree graduates, in view of the strong demand for exercise professionals in many social and community service settings. Graduates of this programme are expected to assist individuals of all ages to engage in effective life-long exercise and physical activities, and to adopt a healthy and positive lifestyle. This programme will be operated by experts in exercise science, public health and educational psychology to give students a multi-disciplinary exposure. 

On top of the above new programmes, the Faculty also plans to increase the admission capacity of its Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Primary) programme starting from the 2012-13 academic year, in response to the increasing demand for primary school teachers in the coming years, and the observation that teacher competence in primary setting is highly relevant to education in latter stages. With its long history in primary school teachers training, the Faculty is strengthening the programme to ensure that it continues to be vigorous and comprehensive.

Research and Development

The Faculty aims to engage in research initiatives that serve the most important needs of the education community. It is a fertile ground for scholarly work in educational leadership and policy, teaching and learning, curriculum development and changes, educational psychology, as well as physical education and sports science. Members of the Faculty are currently involved in projects that help schools to improve teacher competence and development, and facilitate teaching and learning in classrooms. Professor Leung said, 'The Faculty of Education takes pride in its team of researchers and scholars who are passionate and committed to research endeavours that would make an impact on education in our region and beyond. It has been a very important priority of the Faculty to strengthen its research capacity and impact.' 

Among the existing areas of scholarly inquiry, the Faculty is planning to nurture three key research areas, namely educational leadership, learning and instruction, as well as student development and needs. Research in educational leadership is concerned with leadership development in the education community, which is the key to educational advancement worldwide. Research on learning and instruction, especially in core subject areas such as languages and mathematics, is to identify effective teaching strategies and curriculum to enhance students' competence. Research on student development and needs involves studies on students' social, emotional, and physical development. Members of the Faculty have been actively engaging in these three research areas and it is hoped that the scope and impact of these research works will be further enhanced for more effective service to the educational communities.