Newsletter No. 476

8 476 • 19.4.2016 ’ 口談實錄 Viva Voce 本刊由香港中文大學資訊處出版，每月出版兩期。截稿日期及稿例載於 www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/chinese/newsletter/ 。 The CUHK Newsletter is published by the Information Services Office, CUHK, on a fortnightly basis. Submission guidelines and deadlines can be found at www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/english/newsletter/ . 秦家慧教授 Prof. Cecilia Chun • 學能提升研究中心主任 • Director, Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) 請介紹一下你在出掌學能提升研究中心之前的教學生涯。 在中大畢業後，我在中學任教英文六年多，跟着到香港大學從 事培訓教師的工作，歷時十一年。1994年加入中文大學教育 學院，繼續培訓中小學英文教師，除了授課、研究，還擔任課 程總監，制訂培訓英語教師的四年制本科課程。這需要從較 高較廣的視角，規劃如何裝備學生成為勝任的教師。這份經 驗對個人和專業成長均大有幫助。其後我出任學院副院長，負 責學生事務，到去年8月加入學能提升研究中心（CLEAR）。 職前培訓跟在職培訓有甚麼分別？ 你不能說職前培訓的學員就是白紙一張，別忘了他們起碼有 十多年學習經驗，是教學的受眾。他們對教育有興趣，希望探 索的東西很多。在職的有實際教學經驗和既定看法，會多討 論教學法的應用。對所有學生，我都希望他們明白學院所教的 只是原則和方法，不是萬應良方。我不是提供一份食譜，只要 照辦煮碗，就會弄出好菜式。每位老師面對的學生都不同，必 須因時制宜，運用他們的「話事權」，按課堂環境靈活調適。 你三度獲得教育學院的模範教學獎。身為老師的老師，  你的教學風格是怎樣的？ 我常提醒學生和自己：教並不等於學。在學校觀課常碰到這 樣的現象：教師做這個做那個，忙個不了，可是，看不到學 習的出現。我們需不斷反思自己的「教」是否真的令學生有 所「學」？例如，新進教師的教學風格常會受本身受教的經驗 影響，但放諸今時今日還奏效嗎？我喜歡加插學習活動，推 動學員體驗和嘗試，用他們的前線教學經驗與我所授的結合 參照。也愛用提問法，引發思考和討論，而不是單向的灌輸知 識。我希望能夠示範活潑有效的教學。如果學員覺得我教得 差勁沉悶，希望他們思考我錯在甚麽地方，應該如何補救。 可簡述一下學能提升研究中心的主要工作嗎？ 在教師專業發展方面，中心負責開辦助理教授級或以下的教 師須在入職一年內完成的專業發展課程，涵蓋大學的教學理 念、課程設計和教學策略，還有觀課評鑒的環節。我們也受研 究院委託開辦研究生學習提升課程、研討會、講座等，內容包 括撰寫研究計劃、論文、文獻評論、實驗室安全和教學助理培 訓。另一重點工作是評估學生學習以助課程檢討，透過在學生 修業的不同階段進行調查，收集數據。所有數據都會交給課 程，並開辦工作坊解釋怎樣利用各種調查數據輔助檢討，分 析教學效能，以資改進。此外，中心還管理多個教與學撥款計 劃，鼓勵同事開發新教學法。 新成立的ELITE如何配合網上學習「翻轉課堂」的巨浪？ 電子學習創新科技中心（ELITE）由CLEAR管理，在許讓成樓 有兩個攝錄室，提供技術支援，教師可與其教學設計員商討如 何糅合電子科技與教學。ELITE也會開辦研討會，聚合不同科 目的同工切磋合作。「翻轉課堂」的理念是把一部分的知識教 學交學生課前準備，騰出寶貴的課堂時間刺激思考，深入討論 和總結。大學設立了MMCDGS資助計劃供同事申請，製作微 單元，例如數分鐘的錄像或其他非文本內容，輔助學生自習。 公餘有甚麼活動？ 人的生命有很多面，工作和家庭不是全部，我放很多時間在 社會服務上，出任非牟利機構的董事、校董會成員。有時會利 用長假期北上交流，正與北京師範大學合作培訓六十位卓越 小學英語老師。公餘學過插花、邏輯思維、公開演講等短期課 程，現在跟一位心理學系老師學少林內養功，是一種呼吸練 習。我每天都看英文偵探小說，喜歡一本又一本追讀某個作者 的作品，早前看的是律師出身的 John Grisham ，現在又開始 看 J.K. Rowling 寫的偵探小說。他們豐富的想象力、深入的資 料搜集，叫我欣賞佩服，也間接增長了課外知識。 Tell us about your teaching experience before joining CLEAR. After graduating from CUHK, I worked as a secondary school English teacher for more than six years. Then I served at the University of Hong Kong and worked on professional teacher training for another 11 years. In 1994, I joined the Faculty of Education at CUHK. In addition to teaching and research, I was also the programme director and designed a four-year undergraduate curriculum that prepared students to become certified English teachers. It was a very valuable experience as I was required to adopt a broader perspective. Later, I worked as Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of the Faculty and joined CLEAR in August 2015. How are pre-service and in-service trainings different? Education is not a new subject even to the pre-service course participants—as each of them has already been exposed to different teaching styles as a student for over 10 years. They have a passion in education and wish to explore more. In-service participants have practical teaching experience and their own perceptions in pedagogy. They are ready to discuss how various methodologies can be implemented. However, when it comes to teaching strategy, ‘one size does not fit all’. Teachers should be flexible enough when exercising their autonomy in teaching to successfully manage all classroom situations. You are a three-time-winner of the Faculty’s Exemplary Teaching Award. What is your teaching style? I always remind myself and my students that ‘teaching does not necessarily lead to effective learning’. It is not uncommon to observe diligent teachers overwork themselves without enabling students to learn. The question is whether students can truly learn by the way we teach. For example, novice teachers tend to teach in the way they were taught. But is the same kind of teaching strategy still effective to students nowadays? My teaching involves a lot of interactive activities. I always encourage students to compare their own teaching approaches with the way I teach. I also prefer asking questions, facilitating discussions and inspiring students to think, instead of simply giving them instructions. I wish to make my teaching as interactive and effective as possible. If students consider my classes dull and ineffective, I hope they can identify the problem and try to come up with a solution. Can you briefly describe the services provided by CLEAR? CLEAR offers a one-year Professional Development Course for teaching staff at Assistant Professor grade or below. It covers the mission and values of teaching at CUHK, course design and teaching strategies, as well as a practicum session. We are also commissioned by the Graduate School to offer Improving Postgraduate Learning courses, which include seminars and lectures, covering the writing of research proposals, papers, and literary review, laboratory safety and trainings for teaching assistants. Another important duty is the evaluation of students’ learning. Data collected at different stages of learning at the University will be delivered to various course administrators. CLEAR also hosts workshops to explain how to use various surveys to facilitate evaluation and analyze the effectiveness of teaching. Moreover, CLEAR manages several teaching and learning grants, as well as encourages teaching staff to develop new teaching methodologies. How does the newly established ELITE accommodate the latest trend of ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy and e-learning? With two sound-proof recording studios at Hui Yeung Shing Building and an instructional designer, The Centre for E-Learning Innovation and Technology (ELITE, managed by CLEAR) offers technical support for developing teaching materials with the latest digital technology. ELITE also hosts seminars to initiate interdisciplinary collaborations. The latest ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy allows students to obtain materials online to prepare themselves in advance, so that they would be ready for discussions and to raise questions during class time. The University has established the Micro-Module Courseware Development Grant Schemes to support the production of digital teaching materials to facilitate self-learning. How do you spend your time after work? Social services take up a large part of my leisure time, as I think there should be more to life than just work and family. I am the council and board member of various NGOs and institutions. Currently, I am training 60 outstanding primary school English teachers in cooperation with the Beijing Normal University. I have also taken some short courses on floristry, logical thinking, and public speech. Now I am learning a Shaolin breathing exercise from a psychology professor. I enjoy reading detective novels. I’ve finished those by John Grisham and recently moving to J.K. Rowling ’s. These writers have done enormous research for their imaginative stories. Reading their works is truly a pleasurable and enriching experience. Photo by ISO staff