<ul>
<li>What is inquiry project-based learning? Why is the school curriculum shifting from teacher-centered rote learning to student-driven, self-inquiry learning? </li>
<li>How can inquiry learning help prepare students to become critical thinkers? </li>
<li>How can the collaboration of different subject teachers facilitate students’ learning in an active inquiry process?</li>
</ul>
During the first year of this 3-million worth Quality Education Fund project, teachers (General Studies [GS], school librarians, Chinese and IT) worked collaboratively as a team to guide Primary 4 students through inquiry group projects. In this sharing session, the project investigators as well as the teacher and student representatives from the four participating schools will share their first-hand experiences of how to put this innovative mode of teaching and learning into practice. A preview on how to incorporate the use of Web 2.0 technologies into the GS inquiry group projects and English collaborative writing of Primary 5 students in the coming school year will also be presented.
<p>Dr Chu is Assistant Professor (Division of Information & Technology Studies) and Deputy Director (Centre for Information Technology in Education) in the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. He has published widely in the areas of Web 2.0 for teaching and learning, inquiry-based learning, knowledge management, information literacy and information seeking. Dr Chu holds a number of research grants, including a 3-million-dollar Quality Education Fund, and is a recipient of his Faculty’s Early Career Research Output Award.</p>
<p>Dr Chow is the principal of Sacred Heart Canossian School and the former principal of Canossa Primary School. Before these engagements, he serviced and held various positions at the Education Bureau and other local higher institutions. As a researcher, a teacher-educator and a school leader, Dr Chow shares his professional experiences through lectures, invited speeches, presentations and publications. His research interests include areas in teaching practices, teacher professionalism, sport psychology and physical education.</p>
<p>Dr Ho is Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong. She was presented with the "Distinguished Teacher Award" by the Faculty in 2007. She obtained her PhD in East Asian languages and literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. She has published widely on literature and education. Her research interests are in the study of modern Chinese literature, drama-in-education, and literature education.</p>
<p>Ms Tavares works as a teacher educator in the Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong where she actively promotes the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers within and beyond the university. She was former Chief Examiner of the P3 and P6 English Language papers in the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) and held a number of other major positions at the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). Her teaching and research expertise covers areas ranging from teacher assessment readiness, collaborative learning and use of error-correction techniques in handling learner problems to the use of online platforms in enhancing teacher-student and student-student communication. She regularly runs workshops for primary and secondary school teachers, keeps herself abreast with the latest developments in ELT pedagogy and is keen on supporting school-based professional development programmes. She was presented with the Distinguished Teacher Award by the Faculty in 2006 for all her accomplishments.</p>
<p>Dr Siu has a solid background in Science and Computing Education with many years teaching experience in primary, secondary and tertiary education. He is Teaching Consultant in the Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong.. His research interests and experiences are diverse, covering areas such as multimedia in education, information literacy, information management, information and communication technology in education, and science teacher education. He has published, as author or co-author, many academic papers on the use of ICT in education.</p>