XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference

Inspirational Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Catherine Chan

Prof. Catherine K K Chan rejoined the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong as Professor of Practice in 2018 after serving for eighteen years as Deputy Secretary and Principal Assistant Deputy of the Education Bureau, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Benefiting from the experiences of an academic before, she has put theories to practice in policy-making, implementation and evaluation. She led Hong Kong’s Learning to Learn curriculum reform in basic education that had started since 2002, and other initiatives such as gifted education, assessment reform, information technology in education. She also coordinated the implementation of the New Academic Structure at senior secondary level, innovated coherent support strategies for teachers and schools, partnered extensively with stakeholders, and communicated the articulation of post-secondary pathways to Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. The reforms have made significant positive impact at student, teacher and school levels. She aspires to use and conceptualise the reform experiences, to enrich the teaching profession, to inform and catalyze research, and to enable knowledge transfer beyond boundaries. Prof. Chan started her career as a school teacher and school inspector.

XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference, 24-25 October 2019: Keynote Speech

Implementing Large Scale Curriculum Reform – Twelve Lessons

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has embarked on large scale reforms of the education system since 2000. Curriculum development from kindergarten to senior secondary education is a core reform. Student achievements in international assessments have improved amongst others. The new senior secondary curriculum reform is an indispensable part when moving from a selective schooling system to a comprehensive 15- year free education for ALL, as well as changing 3-Year university programme to 4-year university programme to meet the needs of a fast changing world. This presentation would share twelve lessons of implementing large scale curriculum reform characterized by policy coherence based on practical experiences. The processes are consultative, participative and interactive when multiple stakeholders are involved. The stakeholders include students, teachers, principals, universities, parents, professional associations, different government departments, employers, community organisations, the media, overseas institutions and governments.

XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference, 24-25 October 2019: Keynote Speech

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Curriculum Decision-Making

In curriculum development or changing school curricula at policy and school levels, a number of related decisions are involved. These would include student needs, curriculum intentions, content, pedagogies, textbooks/learning and teaching resources, assessment and examination, revision and evaluation. There are always tensions such as those between the ideal curriculum and a feasible curriculum, globalization and localization; single curriculum conception and multiple curriculum conceptions; short-term plan and long-term plan; knowledge transmission and knowledge construction; assessment for selection and for learning; uniformity and diversity. Student learning is at the heart of curriculum change. Different disciplinary studies have rendered useful concepts for considering practical decisions. These include philosophical, global and local, socio-historical, cultural, organizational, economic, scientific-technological, and environmental perspectives. No one perspective is sufficient. This workshop would guide participants to use the inter-disciplinary perspectives in making specific curriculum decisions.