1 . Strategies of studying subjective experiences in the genealogies of context

Choi Pik Lin, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Tang Sylvia Yee Fan, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

2 . Teachers’ continuing professional development and teacher commitment

Dr TANG Sylvia Yee Fan The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Choi Pik Lin, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

3 . Teacher’s changing gender identities and gender equity education

Luk-Fong Yuk Yee, Pattie, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Teachers per se have become one prominent foci of educational inquiry in the last two decades as teaching is considered to be intensely personal. Research on teachers’gender identity, teachers’ career and professional practice etc. has been conducted with a variety of life related narrative methods. However, writing biographies has been criticized as a trivial pursuit, which slips into a discourse of individualism and persona-logic theorizing. This symposium illustrates with three papers how the life history and memory work counteract such criticism and is powerful in studying both the subjective experience of individuals and groups in the ‘genealogies of context’.

The first paper introduces the research design of a life history study on the relationship between teacher role management strategies, teacher identities and teacher commitment. It illustrates how interview-conversations and documentary analysis, which are two important strategies for life history and memory work, are used to solicit personal and contextual data for the understanding of teachers and their professional lives, both as individuals and collective groups. The possibilities and challenges related to the use of interview-conversations and documentary analysis to explore the relationships between the collective socio-historical structure and individuals’ biographies are discussed.

The second paper discusses how life history study informs the relationship between teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) and teacher commitment. By conducting life history interview with teachers who commenced their teaching career in each one of the five decades from 1960s to 2000s, the paper seeks to understand the various types of CPD activities which teachers at different phases of the professional life cycle engage in the wider socio-historical contexts. The paper further discusses the ways in which teachers’ engagement in CPD activities can / cannot contribute to sustained transformative practice and how CPD activities are related to teacher commitment.

The third paper discusses how Chinese teachers’ changing gendered identities can be captured by the life history methodology and memory work. 40 primary school men and women teachers of different ages and professional experiences were interviewed twice, first, individually and then as a group. The in-depth individual interview was to capture personal life stories of how gender were lived whereas the group interviews were to collect information about the collective experiences of the teachers. The two folded data collection helps to validate data obtained from each occasion. This paper argues for the suitability of such a methodology in capturing changing teacher’s identities. Implications of this study to gender equity education are discussed.

1 . Building a school community blog for learning

Chua Guat Kheng, Ministry of Education

Tan Yuh Huann, Ministry of Education

2 . From blogging to self-regulated learning in music

Chong Eddy, Nanyang Technological University

3 . Blogging – building the bridge to Chinese writing

Sim Seok Hwa, The University of Hong Kong

Edublogs—blogs in educational settings—have increasingly gained a foothold in educational institutions across many countries. This is in part due to its inherent appeal to our “information-age” students who enjoy Internet connectivity and interactivity. This symposium brings together three papers on the use of edublogging in Singapore.

“Building a School Community Blog for Learning”

This paper aims to explore the potential of blogging for learning in a school community blog. Learning points are drawn from a national interschool blogging championship organised to raise the awareness of blogging amongst students and teachers. We discuss from the students' perspectives their motivations to blog and how blogging can benefit them. This paper also highlights the challenges faced and provides some suggestions when building a community blog for learning.

“From Blogging to Self-regulated Learning in Music”

Having done two differently-designed pilot studies on the use of blogging in teaching music theory and analysis, I draw upon self-determination theory to re-evaluate the findings in order to propose ways to motivate learning that goes beyond “learning about” to “learning to be” in the subject.

“ Blogging as a Tool for Learning Communicative Writing in Chinese”

This study investigates the potential of blogging as a tool for learning writing in Chinese. It examines how blogging can be used as an interactive tool for online writing and how blogging can facilitate and promote the development of communicative writing. It involves the study of 161 students from  4 different schools in Singapore. This paper will be presented in Mandarin.

1 . A Socio-technical Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Integration of ICT in Primary and Secondary Education

Angeli Charoula, University of Cyprus

Valanides Nicos, University of Cyprus

2 . Learning to Know and Share: New Technologies and ‘Literacy’

Adams Paul, University of Hull

3 . Scaffolding Understandings of Literacy through Multimedia in Teacher Education in Australia

Love Kristina, The University of Melbourne

“A Socio-technical Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Integration of ICT in Primary and Secondary Education”

We live in a world that is constantly impacted by Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is considered an important catalyst and tool for inducing educational reforms and progressively extending and modifying the concept of literacy. With the extensive use of ICT in schools and everyday life, the term “computer literate” has already been established. Schools are open systems that interact with their environment, and the effective use and integration of technology is directly associated with the role of various socio-technical factors that may impact the integration of ICT in schools. In this chapter, we report on an exploratory study undertaken in Cyprus schools to examine the status of using ICT from the perspective of socio-technical systems. Specifically, teachers’ knowledge of ICT, frequency of using ICT for personal purposes, frequency of using ICT for instructional purposes in different subject matters, attitudes toward ICT, self-confidence in using ICT in teaching and learning, and school climate were examined. The findings provide useful guidance to policy makers for planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating the integration of ICT in schools. Implications for the concept of computer literacy will be discussed.

“Learning to Know and Share: New Technologies and ‘Literacy’”

Within contemporary society, the methods by which individuals create and structure knowledge and understanding and display this for social review are ever expanding. The pace at which new forms of digital communication are being developed necessitates radical and rapid change for education both in response and preparation. Given the prevalence for an economically determinist orientation for educational outcomes manifest through policy rhetoric and reform it seems pertinent to ask how learning is to be conceptualised. Accepting the view that education needs to both transform and be transforming, simple input-output methods by which professionals might judge the veracity or otherwise of learning-teaching moments present themselves as both alluring and inappropriate: alluring due to their simplicity; inappropriate with respect to learner-agency. When such dualisms are allied to new technologies it could be said that the debate takes the form of means-ends; that is, proponents of input-output rhetoric might suggest that the acquisition of technologically oriented skills and behaviours is an educational end in itself, whereas those whose beliefs sit ‘other’ to this may adopt the position that technological advances are important for what they have to offer as means by which education might achieve its goal of transforming the learner.

This paper adopts the latter perspective. In this respect it suggests that technological advances, while presenting challenges to the ends for education, are best viewed as the means by which we might engender learning. By adopting a constructivist viewpoint, it is proposed that new technologies offer exciting ways to understand and repopulate professional discourse on learning and thus extend debate on ‘literacy’ from simple measures by which individuals can be judged as able to decode arbitrary ciphers to a position that acknowledges the interdependency of reading and knowing as essentially social acts.

“Scaffolding Understandings of Literacy through Multimedia in Teacher Education in Australia”

In this session, the developer of a DVD, ‘Scaffolding Literacy in the Content Areas’, will outline some of the design features underpinning its function as an interactive resource that can be used for professional development purposes, and in teacher education both in an Australian context and internationally.

‘Scaffolding Literacy in the Content Areas’ is a video-based DVD designed as a comprehensive resource for teachers working with language and literacy across the subject areas in the middle years of schooling. Adopting a simplified version of Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday, 1994) and genre theory (Martin, 1992), ‘Scaffolding Literacy in the Content Areas’ uses video clips, animations, tutorials and various interactive functions to show how spoken and written language are used in effective teaching. The 8 units cover issues to do with Language, Literacy and Learners in the 21st century; up-to-date educational understandings of the concept of 'scaffolding' (Gibbons 2002; Hammond, 2001) in terms of literacy for learning; oral language for learning; the standard and elaborated genres of schooling; supporting and evaluating reading and writing; and planning for language and literacy in the content areas. Key decisions about the design and content of the resource will be discussed in this seminar.

1 . Education Reform and Economic Development - Manpower Developement Perspectives

Chen Ai Yen , Nanyang Technological University

2 . A Proposal for Technical and Vocational Curriculum Reform

Huang Shenlan, Hebei SiJiaJuang Vocational and Technical College

3 . Reconstructing China's Educational Investment Policies for Economic Development

Hu Tongfa, Changjao County Education Bureau, Hebei Province

4 . Developing Professional Medical Education through the Use of IT in Shensi Province

Xie Zheng, Shensi Medical and Nursing Institute

Li Baozhang, Nanyang Technological University

Liu Yuenguo, Nanyang Technological University

Liu Zhiwen, Nanyang Technological University

Wang Zhijiang, Nanyang Technological University

This symposium presents seven case studies on educational reconstruction in a few Chinese provincial, county or school organizations. The main purpose for the educational reconstruction and change of policies, systems, administration or instructional methods and tools is to enhance manpower development and to reduce economic wastage. Collectively, the writers of the cases have attempted to distill from the experience of Singapore in formulating and implementing education policies on bilingual and value education, professional and vocational staff development, management and supervision of schools, the use of IT for education, and recruitment for and the financing of professional and technical education. The case studies are the product of the writers’ one-year study for the degree of Master of Educational Administration, MEA (Chinese) at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. Upon their return to China, the writers are expected to implement their instructional designs and management policies and procedures in their own work places in China.

陈 蔼彦 , 南洋理工大学

1 . 采用行动研究法与两个管理系统来发展咨讯科技英语教学活动

黄 志江 , 南洋理工大学

2 . 借用新加坡学校德育环境建设来改进北京中学德育教育发展

刘 志文 , 南洋理工大学

3 . 借用新加坡教育督导制度推进河北省邢台市的教育督导制度

刘 云国 , 南洋理工大学

4 . 应用中，新两国高校招生标准的对比分析来推动河北省的高等教育发展

李 保章 , 南洋理工大学

采用行动研究法与两个管理系统来发展咨讯科技英语教学活动

新加坡中小学从 2000 年开始实施的 “ 学校卓越模式 ” （简称 “SEM” ）目前获得了广泛的赞誉。 由美国学者卡普兰和诺顿创建的 “ 平衡计分卡 ” （简称 “BSC” ）在新加坡的企事业单位（包括新加坡教育部）也得到了广泛的应用。

在中国大陆的中小学，虽然深受评价模式的困扰，笔者尝试着将 “SEM” 和 “BSC” 进行有机融合，努力创造出一个符合中国实情，特别是符合我校实情的科学的 “ 丰二模式 ” （简称 “FGM” ），并籍此完成我们的使命：为了师生可持续发展的幸福！例如，在 “ 内部流程维度 ” 中有一个指标是 “ 学生学业发展支持系统 ” 我们将依据此流程、采用行动研究法与两个管理系统来发展咨讯科技英语教学活动做一个 “ 08 奥运英语伴我行 ” 的项目。

借用新加坡学校德育环境建设来改进北京中学德育教育发展

本文形容几项措施如何借鉴新加坡中学德育教育的成功经验 , 来促进北京中学新疆班的民族和谐活动。在充分认识办好新疆班的意义基础上，通过宣传教育让师生全面了解与尊重少数民族的风俗习惯。同时，进行种种有益的活动如远足，观海， 登长城等。另一方面是借鉴新加坡学校美好环境来建设优异的绿化学习环境。

借用新加坡教育督导制度推进河北省邢台市的教育督导制度

本文比较中，新两国在教育督导制度执行方面的差异。通过分析新加坡教育督导制度的理念和方法来改造邢台市的督导制度与执行四个层面的行政管理工作。作者以个人行政经验和影响力与各有关人士策划几项执行教育督导的措施。

应用中，新两国高校招生标准的对比分析

本文通过对中，新两国高校招生标准的对比分析来总结新加坡的高校招生标准。新加坡的招生标准是一个考虑到学生的德，智，体，美，劳的全面发展的招生标准。本文论证了引进课程辅助活动和科系积分两项措施在中国实施的可能性，并推进河北省如何应用相似的积极措施。

1 . Overview of the USC/PKU collaboration

Diamond Michael, University of Southern California

2 . Case study: the USC Rossier School of Education and the PKU Graduate School of Education

Gallagher Karen, University of Southern California

3 . Next steps for the USC/PKU collaboration

Robison Mark Power, University of Southern California

The University of Southern California (USC) and Peking University (PKU) recently embarked on an innovative new collaboration designed to enhance graduate professional education and research in China. Multiple schools from within each institution are forging close working relationships which may eventually include joint research and degree programs, collaborative courses and learning modules, and executive education programs. These linkages will go beyond traditional bilateral ties to incorporate significant interdisciplinary elements. Although the relationship between PKU and USC is in the early stages of a multi-year start-up period, the shared vision of the two universities offers a new model for partnerships in higher education.

This symposium will provide a broad overview of the collaboration between USC and PKU, including directions for its future development. The relationship between the USC Rossier School of Education and the PKU Graduate School of Education will serve as a detailed example of this relationship during this session. The two schools are working together on new areas of graduate professional education for China, such as training in student affairs, while also building on their respective Ed.D. programs to create new learning opportunities for students.

Together, PKU and USC seek to jump-start the evolution of professional education. China offers an innovative setting for redesigning curricula to meet the needs of contemporary society around the world. Graduate professional degree programs developed between the two universities, including some previously unavailable in China, will utilize the most current pedagogies in creating programs of study unencumbered by long-standing practices found elsewhere. This powerful combination of leading scholars from both countries and long experience with best-practices in a range of professional fields is designed to create new areas of education and research to meet the needs of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly-growing economy.

1 . Career Counseling: Preparing for Life-long Learning

Bodenhorn Nancy, Virginia Tech

2 . Shaping Educational Future for Immigrant Students: New Perspectives

Chang Mido, Virginia Tech

3 . New Opportunities to Learn: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Introductory College Learning

OLSEN Deborah , Virginia Tech

4 . Underrepresentation of Women in Computer Majors: What Can We Learn From International Perspectives ;

Singh Kusum, Virginia Tech

5 . Web 2.0 & Open Source Software: Educational Implications

Evans Michael A., Virginia Tech

6 . Evaluating Workplace Learning: Matching Approach to Purpose

Wiswell Albert, Virginia Tech

7 . Linking Learning to Organizational Performance

Johnson Jennie, Virginia Tech

One of the implications of a high-tech global economy is the need for developing an educational system that promotes and enables a flexible career trajectory through the lifespan. Jobs that exist today did not exist twenty years ago, and we need to prepare today for jobs that will emerge tomorrow. This reality creates a variety of challenges for education on personal, social, technological, and economic levels. The U.S. educational system has historically encouraged and allowed for greater flexibility in coursework and academic preparation for careers in comparison to many educational systems worldwide. This educational philosophy reflects a longstanding national commitment to scientific discovery, individual rights, freedom of choice, and a firm belief in the benefits of a competitive market economy. Despite this, the U.S. finds itself at crossroads educationally, amidst concerns that its students are not as adequately prepared for the pace and complexity of the new millennium as they need to be. Key challenges include scientific, technological, and mathematical competence, development of citizenship skills, and educational equity and access. Clearly there is much to learn from other educational systems, with potential to create broader, more radical and effective notions of educational innovation across national boundaries. In this symposium, seven faculty and doctoral students from Virginia Tech will present lessons learned in our experience in K- 16 and adult education, and break into discussion groups for focused discussion on each of the areas.

Our specialties include Educational research on issues of gender and ethnic equity and teacher evaluation, school counseling, instructional design and technology, interdisciplinary college learning, adult career development and workplace learning.

1 . Integrated arts education in Mainland

Yang Lei Mei, Beijing Normal University

2 . Integrated arts education in Hong Kong

Cheung Jane, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

3 . Integrated arts education inTaiwan

Lai Mei Ling, National Taiwan Normal University

This symposium intends to provide an opportunity for investigators from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, to problematise key factors and share their vision on what constitutes best practices in the integated curriculum for the 21st Century. Each presenter will include an outline of music /arts education reform in her respective region, school practices, support and resources from tertiary institutions, the government as well as the community. This will provide the basis for a more general discussion of the rationale for the integrated curriculum, teaching and learning of the integrated arts and the application of the integrative approach in the school and tertiary contexts. It will also provide insights into the scope and direction of future music / arts education policy.

This symposium will expose problems facing music and arts teachers in implementing the integrated currículum, and discuss how the design and approaches affect students’ holistic development to face challenges in the new millennium.