Newsletter No. 165

CUHK Newsletter No. 165 19th May 2000 3 A C U L T Y OF S O C I A L SCIENCE Faculty of Social Science Rewards Exemplary Teaching Three teachersfrom the Faculty of Social Sciencewere the proud recipients of the Faculty's Exemplary Teaching A ward, held for thefirst time in 1999. Nomination took place in September last year, and a selection committee comprising the Dean of Social Science, threefull-time teaching staff of thefaculty, one external member from other faculties, and a student member was set up to vet nominations. The nominees were judged on the basis of course evaluation results, innovation in teaching, teaching development grants and teaching performance honours received, etc. After much scrutiny, Prof. Chan Kin-man (Department of Sociology), Prof. Sunny Kwong Kai-sun (Department of Economics), and Prof. Giovanni Moneta (Department of Psychology) were selected recipients of the award for 1999. They were honoured at afaculty lunch gathering held on 20th April at the United College staff common room. Prof. C.B. Hazlett, head of the Teaching Development Un i t , was invited to present the awards and gave a short talk on the occasion. All three exemplary teachers happen to put students first and foremost, believing that teaching techniques and facilities are not unimportant but always secondary to students. Here are extracts of what they have to say about being teachers. Credit is due to the Social Science Faculty Office for allowing us to use some of the information carried in Issue no. 7 of the Faculty Newsletter. Prof. SunnyKwon gin his office Prof. Chan Kin-man (back row left 3) among his students Prof. Giovanni Moneta (middle of front row) among his students Prof. Chan Kin-man (Sociology) Prof. Chan believes that the relevance of teaching content to life is crucial to good teaching. I t is by bridging the gap between what is taught and the students' dail y live s that their interes t in the subject matter ca n be kindled , tha t the y ca n hav e greate r identification w i t h an d a mor e activ e understanding o f wha t i s bein g taught . Though he always tries to put himself int o his students' shoes , Prof. Chan admits that it i s not always easy . After all , he is muc h older than they are . His lifestyle , hi s tast e in books , televisio n programmes , an d entertainment ar e different from theirs, not to mention his values and outlook o n life . And po p cultur e an d fashio n ar e fickle . However, lik e a good studen t should , h e does his homework by visiting the favourite hang-outs o f youn g people , suc h a s shopping malls in Mongkok, to try to have a better grasp of their tastes and culture. Being able to understand young people enables Prof. Chan to quote up-to-date and lively example s to illustrate his teaching i n class. Creatin g a friendly environmen t i n the classroo m i s ver y important , h e believes, i n orde r tha t student s ca n spea k their minds without fear of being criticized. He maintains tha t everyone i s equal in the classroom 一 n o one , not even himself, i s the authorit y o n knowledge ; h e actuall y invites student s to challenge his views . He advise s agains t comparin g th e standard o f student s no w wit h tha t o f students i n th e pas t a s i t woul d no t b e constructive. Th e importan t thin g fo r teachers i s to accep t them as they ar e and educate them the best way they could. The sincerity o f the teacher and his seriousnes s in teachin g dutie s neve r f a i l t o w i n appreciation from the students. Prof. Giovanni Moneta (Psychology) Prof. Monet a recall s havin g ha d catastrophic result s in teaching in his firs t semester a t CUHK : cours e evaluatio n results wer e extremel y bad . Hi s analysi s was, 'My languag e an d cultura l background create barrier s fo r mutua l understanding. My wa y of thinking, presentation of arguments , an d humou r ar e largel y different fro m wha t m y student s hav e encountered before.' Keepin g this in mind, he set s ou t t o rever t th e situatio n an d manages t o creat e a learning atmospher e where both the students and the lecturer can ask questions, make mistakes, and have fun with the subject matter. Prof. Moneta' s hint s are : improve th e selection an d organizatio n o f materials ; include material s no t covere d b y th e textbooks; explai n to student s what one is teaching and why; illustrat e concept s wit h real-life examples ; matc h th e cours e objectives an d the assessmen t methods . Furthermore, h e treasures daily verbal and non-verbal feedback from the students. For Prof. Moneta , a course is successful whe n the interaction s evolv e dynamicall y an d both th e student s an d th e lecture r ar e enjoying the process. When aske d abou t ho w t o enhanc e teaching qualit y i n th e faculty , Prof . Moneta share s hi s view s o n tw o mai n aspects. First , facult y member s shoul d regularly atten d 'micro-teaching ' workshops, such a s thos e organize d b y th e Teaching Developmen t Unit . Durin g th e workshops, participant s teac h in fron t o f each other , reflec t o n their strength s an d limitations, an d get constructive feedback . Having serve d as facilitator fo r tw o suc h workshops, Prof . Monet a ensure s tha t insights an d stimulatin g thought s com e out in abundance. Secondly, the University should revie w th e existin g teachin g an d research reward mechanisms: ' I f we wan t staff t o inves t energ y an d tim e i n improving their teaching , w e mus t rewar d them fairly , i n proportion t o thei r effort s and results.' Prof. Sunny Kwong Kai-sun (Economics) According t o Prof . Kwong , th e mos t usual reasons fo r ineffectiv e teachin g ar e insufficient consideratio n o f students ' backgrounds, inadequat e preparation, to o fast a pace o f teaching , an d excessivel y difficult contents . Student s ten d no t t o approach teacher s abou t wha t the y don' t understand, henc e teacher s shoul d b e reflective i n their teachin g and observan t of thei r students ' reaction s a t al l times . However, he adds that students should also play their role in the teaching and learning process b y spendin g time t o diges t wha t they hav e bee n taught, t o wor k ou t wha t they don' t understand , an d b y a t leas t showing u p fo r class . It i s not alway s th e teacher's faul t i f student s fai l to grasp the essentials o f a subject taught. Prof. Kwong points out that a prevalent challenge fo r teacher s o f economic s i n Asian cities suc h as Hong Kong i s how t o tie i n th e teachin g o f economi c theories , which originat e fro m th e West , wit h th e local context . Student s ma y fin d thes e theories irrelevan t becaus e they seem too detached from their own cultural and social experiences. T o overcom e thi s proble m Prof. Kwon g trie s a s much a s possible t o integrate wha t he teaches with the curren t situation in Hong Kong. He also organizes study group s outsid e th e classroo m t o discuss interestin g topic s tha t ar e no t covered by the syllabus. As participation i n these discussio n group s i s voluntary , attendance rate may fluctuate. However, as a means to achiev e hi s educationa l ideal , he thinks they are worth the try. Prof. Kwo n g wou l d wis h t o se e teachers an d students of his faculty takin g greater initiativ e i n exploring other modes of learnin g an d teaching, perhap s extra- curricular, tha t are conducive to the multi - perspective an d interdisciplinary stud y o f social science issues. The existing curricula are perhap s to o compartmentalize d t o enable student s t o appreciat e th e multi - disciplinary complexit y o f contemporar y social issues. Piera Chen