Newsletter No. 59

CUHK NEWSLETTER recognizes the fact that the time a student can spare is limited, but believes that such participation w i ll be beneficial to the student's personal growth as well as to the department itself. Social work is a Western construction, and the department w i ll continue to work closely with scholars in the West to keep abreast with new theories and ideas that are pertinent to local circumstances. On the other hand Prof. Chau believes the department can assume an active role in the indigenisation of social work studies, by grounding theories on the social and cultural realities of Hong Kong and China. He also looks forward to his colleagues breaking into the international scene by means of collaborative research, publications, and academic exchanges. As to how department chairmen should be nominated, Prof. Chau does not attach great importance to one way or another. He thinks it is much more important that the appointee has the ability to work with his colleagues and can put collective widom to its best use. He reserves judgment on the one-year term as its effect has yet to be seen and measured. Teaching and administration aside, Prof. Chau hopes to continue his research in cross- cultural social work theories, and keep up his hobbies of jogging and swimming. Mr. Chung Choi-man, Curriculum and Instruction To r as long as it expresses the views and intentions of colleagues in the department, any method through which the department chairman is produced is a good method ,' Mr. Chung told us at the beginning of the interview. His own appointment was the result of a secret ballot by the department's academics which was then conveyed to the vice-chancellor and the Senate by the dean of education. The formal appointment, of course, came from the Council. Mr. Chung said that he was satisfied with both the curricular and teaching aspects of the department and therefore would not anticipate great changes in the near future. He added that his colleagues were all specialists in their respective fields with years of experience in teaching, and student evaluation of their performance over the past few years had been impressive. However, he also notes that as the courses offered by his department tend to be professionally oriented, research in theory development and practice has yet to be strengthened. Colleagues in the department will heighten their research efforts to catch up with the research output of the other departments in the Faculty of Education, and Mr. Chung himself will encourage and support their active participation in research, in particular interdepartmental and interdisciplinary projects. He is currently working with his colleagues on a seminar series on subject curriculum teaching to be conducted next year. Mr. Chung read chemistry at Chung Chi and graduated in 1969. He then taught at the Diocesan Boys' School for 13 years, during which he attended many of the Education Department's teacher training courses. He took his DipEd and MA(Ed) from The Chinese University, and joined the teaching staff of what was then the School of Education in 1983. His specialty is computer application in education. According to Mr. Chung, his department is well-known for the harmonious atmosphere among the teaching staff, and it is his intention to uphold this tradition as individual colleagues strive to improve performance. NO.59 OCTOBER 1994 15