Week 10 - Hong Kong Sevens Weekend (Personal Blog)

At the peak...

When I realised in the latter part of last year that I would be coming to Hong Kong, I did the usual internet search for information on a part of Asia that I knew little (or nothing) about.  Seemingly, there were three top attractions essential for visitors to Hong Kong.  A must ‘do’ was sailing around Victoria Harbour on the ionic Star Ferry enjoying the stunning views and the nightly Symphony of Lights show from the harbour front buildings. Another crucial part of the itinerary was to travel up to the top of Victoria Peak which is probably Hong Kong’s most popular attraction, weather permitting or go to Lantau Island to see the Giant Buddha.  However, in my view, all of these impressive attractions fade into the background during the middle of March.

Hong Kong Stadium at full capacity.

This was the week I had always pinpointed in my diary before even coming to Hong Kong, not because it was my 21^st birthday on Wednesday but because it was the weekend of the Hong Kong Sevens. As soon as I knew that I was coming here to study what first crossed my mind was that I would be able to go to the Hong Kong Sevens! Tickets were extremely hard to get hold of, but luckily we managed to get one ticket from a friend from Northern Ireland who is part of a rugby club here in Hong Kong. As luck would have it, I finally managed to get hold of one more ticket after scavenging long and hard on eBay!

In my priest costume!

For those of you who do not know much about the Hong Kong Sevens, it is a three day mix of entertaining rugby and a great atmosphere with many people dressing up in weird and funny costumes. The South Stand is packed with people in fancy dress and I even tried to embrace the spirit of the whole event by dressing up as an Irish priest on finals day. New Zealand beat England in the final 28-17 to top off a fantastic weekend at Hong Kong Stadium  -   there really is nothing better than seeing England fall at the last hurdle! But this also meant I got to see New Zealand doing the Hakka to celebrate their victory. The Sevens really are all they are cracked up to be. It was a fantastic weekend of rugby, entertainment and fun.

Allen, Stewart and I in the thick of the action!

Also this week, I finally managed to complete all three “must dos” for the traveller to Hong Kong and went up Victoria Peak.  After trying to wait and wait for the perfect clear night, I finally went on the Peak tram which took us up to The Sky Terrace - 428 metres above sea level. The panoramic view of the city was spectacular, especially at night time. Only here at the peak do you realise the sheer amount of buildings and infrastructure on such a small area of land. Consequently, it is no wonder that they are starting to reclaim land from the harbour.

An awesome panoramic view of the skyline.

On Wednesday I celebrated my birthday and Rachel’s parents kindly took all three of us out for dinner at Soho Spice. Since moving to Hong Kong I now really do appreciate a good meal a lot more. Study in Asia has made me realise we all take for granted the quality and range of good food that is available back in Northern Ireland. I certainly savoured every bit of the sirloin steak that I ordered on Wednesday night!

This week I am going for a school visit on Thursday to Jockey Club Primary School. Luckily, the school in which I have been placed is on the campus here at the Hong Kong Institute of Education and is literally a two minute walk away from my halls. I know that everyone back home is right in the middle of their respective teaching placements and I look forward to getting some firsthand experience of the Hong Kong schooling system particularly after hearing so much about it through my classes here. Classes are also starting to come to an end which means that I will have to begin work on assignments, most of which are individual papers for the various modules.

Until next time...

Joi Gin (Goodbye)

Michael

Week 9 - The growing importance of foreign languages in the modern world (Personal Blog)

Standing alongside "James" the shark!

This week was another good week in Hong Kong...After waiting weeks for a really sunny and free day, last Monday arrived with clear blue skies and bright sunshine - the ideal day to go to Ocean Park which is the biggest theme park in Hong Kong. I spent the day flying on rollercoasters and other stomach-churning rides and then by contrast wandering through various aquariums seeing lots of different fish of varying shapes and sizes. The different animal exhibits, in particular the Giant Panda habitat was really enjoyable.  However, the highlight of the whole day for me was the spectacular dolphin and sea lion show with the animals’ exploits out of this world!  It was absolutely brilliant and very entertaining.

One of the many amazing acrobatic moves.

Of course, Thursday was Saint Patrick’s Day and it simply wouldn’t do to let the day pass by without doing something to celebrate. So the Northern Irish contingent met up with Simon Duff in Wyndham Street to sing a few well chosen songs from home and a Guinness together. Allen’s mum sent out some leprechaun hats and I eventually managed to build up enough Dutch (as opposed to Irish!) courage to wear it and represent my Irish roots.  Unfortunately, I realised too late that the Hong Kong people don’t know very much about Saint Patrick’s Day and to add insult to injury I discovered that in Chinese culture if you wear a green hat it is a symbol that you have been cheated on!

The first ever leprechaun on the MTR in Hong Kong!

During the week a friend, Summer, from Mainland China asked me to help her with her English as she had a test this weekend to see whether her English was good enough to participate in an International placement.  This brought back memories of the days at school when I had to practice for my French and Spanish orals but significantly this time the roles were reversed - I was conducting the oral and asking her the questions!  In chatting with Summer, I was quick to realise how important learning to speak English is for the Chinese and the fact that having the ability to speak English fluently, opens up many more opportunities not only in Hong Kong but throughout the world. 

One of the main things you learn through travel is that language is such an asset.  Being able to speak a foreign language is so important in Europe and also here in Asia; indeed it makes me feel embarrassed that I am not able to speak a foreign language fluently. This is highlighted even more among the International students, who are all extremely good at communicating using English. Whilst English is probably recognised as the “world” language, this in my view has created a lax attitude in the UK to learning languages, an arrogance which will need to be reviewed in a rapidly changing world. I know that now back home foreign languages are gradually being introduced and emphasised more and more in primary schools. However, I feel that it needs to be a more prominent part of the primary Curriculum to encourage children to start learning a foreign language at an earlier age – because in my view starting to learn a foreign language at secondary school is too late. In Europe and here in Hong Kong children are encouraged to learn English as early as kindergarten and starting at this early stage obviously makes a notable difference. Certainly, it will have contributed in no small part to the economic prominence of China, Japan, India and the Asian continent in general who potentially will be the key world powers of the future.

This week we have our last group presentation to do so it will be a good feeling to have completed all of our group work assignments for our various modules. This has been hard work but we have all worked well together contributing to the overall success of the group.  Of course the timing has been excellent because next weekend is the Hong Kong Sevens, the biggest rugby event of the year, so I really hope that I will be able to grab some tickets. Unfortunately they seem to be like gold dust so I will need a bit of luck if I am to get hold of any.

Until next time...

Joi Gin (Goodbye)

Michael

Week 8 - What is the culture really like in Hong Kong? (Cultural Blog)

Our table at the Spring Dinner.

This week in our Hong Kong History and Culture class a Professor was invited to share with us his views on living in Hong Kong (for the past 9 months) and the differences in culture between Hong Kong and the United States. This encouraged me to reflect on my own experience of Hong Kong and how I have adapted to living so far away from Northern Ireland. It is hard to believe that in just over a year I (hopefully!) will be graduating from Stranmillis as a qualified primary teacher and joining the many graduates in trying to find a job. Indeed, as teaching jobs are currently quite difficult to get back home I feel this experience of studying abroad has made me consider teaching opportunities outside Northern Ireland, especially here in Hong Kong. So what would be the attraction and what is the culture really like in Hong Kong?

Prior to coming to Hong Kong, I knew little about it (other than the Hong Kong rugby sevens!). As a history student, Asia was not an area of study or indeed a particular interest. In 1997, I was too young to understand the hype regarding the British and Chinese governments’ negotiations about Hong Kong’s status after the 99 year lease ran out! I can honestly say that before I came to Hong Kong I didn’t know what to expect in terms of culture, never mind how it compared to what I am used to back home in Ballymena!

Hong Kong is marketed as ‘Asia’s World City’, and this is reinforced throughout Hong Kong where it is possible to see Chinese statuettes and Buddhist symbols jostle alongside snazzy Western clothes and fashion items. What has impressed me is that Hong Kong is quite an easy place to adapt to as a Westerner, although this is only if you have the money to do so! House prices in Hong Kong are notoriously high, particularly the size of accommodation compared to what you could purchase in Northern Ireland. 

Hong Kong is such a diverse and cosmopolitan city, well known for its impressive skyscrapers and its renowned banking empire. Food also holds an important place where restaurants are available at a level of convenience and variety unmatched anywhere in the world. A fusion of east and west makes Hong Kong unique and earns it the reputable title of “gourmet paradise”. Its materialistic culture and high levels of consumerism confirms it as a premier international shopping centre. However, at the other end of the spectrum, it is not unusual to see hundreds of Filipino domestic helpers gather in Central and Victoria Park on Sunday, enjoying their only day off to socialise and picnic.

Living in Hong Kong is made easier because you are able to communicate relatively comfortably in English. Although I have learned some “niceties” in Cantonese, it is possible to get by fairly easily using English alone. Best of all, the local people are very welcoming, friendly and helpful  -  something that has made me reflect on how we treat people from different backgrounds back home in Northern Ireland. Certainly I now feel we could learn a thing or two from the locals here in Hong Kong.

Ease of communication also extends to travel with the transport system in Hong Kong being world class and a lot cheaper than public transport back in Northern Ireland...so much so that over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport. Owning a car in Hong Kong is more to do with ‘status’ than practicality as public transport is so cheap.

As you can see there are many attractions to living and working in Hong Kong, particularly as a teacher which is a well-respected profession. Before I came I was worried that I could be overwhelmed by the cultural differences but on the contrary I am really appreciating the Chinese culture and traditions whilst enjoying some ‘home comforts’ such as Western shops, restaurants and socialising with people from a Western background. For me personally this is what makes Hong Kong such a unique and fascinating place, with so many different cultures mixed together. I suppose the culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China and became more influenced by British colonialism.  Despite the 1997 transfer of sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong continues to hold an identity all of its own.

Allen and I with the student commitee.

This week was the Robert Black Halls Spring Dinner which I had been looking forward to for a while. On Thursday evening we went into Tai Po where we all enjoyed and shared some traditional Chinese food, trying certain delicacies such as shark fin soup, baby pig and my favourite – barbeque pork! Unfortunately I didn’t have the stomach to try some of the baby octopus! Some of the International students went out to a very nice dessert place afterwards and I had some Mango Sago which I particularly liked.

Victor and me.

The international students from Singapore - Gladys and Zhen Hui.

On Saturday evening, after really enjoying the basketball match on a previous occasion, we decided to go and watch IEd....this time they won by a point and it was good fun. I may even start to watch a bit of NBA after developing an interest in basketball. I haven’t lost my passion for rugby however, and Rachel and I went to watch the University play in a sevens rugby match. 

Allen celebrated his birthday this week so we went out for a nice meal (Pizza Hut!!!) and then to top the week off an American Eagle store opened in Hong Kong on Saturday.

Until next time...

 Joi Gin (Goodbye)

Michael

Week 7 - Personal perceptions on assessment (Professional Blog)

One of the many life-size buddhas

This week in my blog I want to reflect on my own conceptions (and indeed perceptions) of assessment. I have found the assessment module here at HKIEd very interesting and feel that this is primarily due to the lecturer who, not only makes the topic relevant and applicable, but also focuses on the different assessment practices all over the world, in particular America (where he is from) and obviously Hong Kong.

In essence, there are only three fundamental purposes for assessment – to improve teaching and learning, to make schools and teachers accountable, and to make students accountable. Consequently, a teacher’s personal perception of assessment has an impact on how he will interpret and put into practice the assessment process in the classroom environment.

After designing our own assessment tool as a group, I have deduced that low scores may be a function of poor assessment practices; for example, the assessment is not aligned to the teaching, items may have been poorly written or the meaning of the student performances may have been interpreted poorly. In essence therefore, teachers should initially consider if perhaps their assessment practices were to blame before investigating the matter further. Indeed, if the assessment process was sound, then instead of blaming students (they did not study hard enough) or society (the students have poor parents so cannot learn enough) we as prospective teachers, must evaluate and consider that our own teaching approach may need to change. Subsequently, for this to happen, we as teachers must have the belief that the primary purpose of assessment is for improvement (for both the student in terms of their learning and the teacher in terms of the teaching methods they adopt), not accountability of students or schools. 

The assessment system in Hong Kong is highly selective. To many Hong Kong students, assessment is regarded as a hurdle that they should conquer to enter a good school and ultimately get a good job. Therefore education is viewed in Hong Kong as ‘education for earning not learning’ (Lee, 1991).

In Hong Kong there is a deeply rooted examination culture, however in recent years there has been a shift in regards to an assessment reform agenda that has focused on ‘assessment for learning’ and formative assessments whilst retaining the importance of summative assessments. With an increased emphasis in schools on ‘assessment for learning’ teachers seek to identify and diagnose student learning problems and provide students with quality feedback so they can improve in their learning as well as teaching. In regards to assessment, teachers are encouraged to use a variety of assessment methods which will provide a comprehensive understanding of student learning. This is underpinned by the belief that every student has potential in different ways to learn.

I remember studying this last year at Stranmillis and the contemporary debate about the roles of formative and summative assessment in the Northern Ireland Curriculum, with much research literature advocating that the former is appropriate while the latter is not.

However, what I realised last year when studying this debate is that there is a role and function for both forms of assessment   - a concept that has been reinforced here in my studies at HKIEd. Assessment for learning involves the teacher and child in a continual review about progress with the objective of improving learning, not to prove it. Too much focus and use of summative assessment turns out to be detrimental to learners who are struggling; teachers should instead set achievable targets for every individual within their classroom and put the emphasis on learning rather than grades or marks. As a prospective teacher, I feel that it is important to view both types of assessment as complementary approaches, as the use of assessment for learning can help pupils perform better on summative assessment tasks and summative assessment can reflect the impact of assessment for learning.

Allen and I raising the roof!

Outside of my studies this week,  I am pleased to report back that after (somehow) making it into the final of the karaoke competition,  Allen and I finished runners-up with a much improved, classic performance of greased lightning. We have tried to implement what has been taught to us in our assessment module...Rachel providing us with some valid feedback and suggestions for improvement (assessment for learning!) which resulted in  Allen and I improving drastically in the final with a runners up position (assessment of learning!)

Runners up!

I also went to rugby training this week with the university which was good, especially as I don’t play sevens very often back home. The pitches here in Hong Kong are much harder and don’t have much grass (because the pitch is being used every day of the week) so the prospect of getting tackled isn’t appealing but this added an extra spring to my step when I received the ball!

The nine-story pagoda for which the monastery is famous.

I also visited the Ten thousand Buddhas on Friday in Sha Tin. After trekking up 400 steps with Buddha statues on either side of the path, we finally got to the top. At the top, the actual temple houses little golden Buddhas, all with unique poses. The giant Kwan Yu and Guan Yin statues outside were not too shabby either!

Standing with the statues outside.

 On Saturday it was one of the international students birthdays and after dinner at the infamous Mr. Wong’s we went to do some karaoke (which is very popular in Hong Kong).....it was on the 51^st floor and the view of the city from inside was fantastic!

The International students at a masquerade party!

This week the Robert Black Halls Spring Dinner takes place on Thursday evening which is the biggest event for halls students during the year. I am really looking forward to this and I will let you know how I get on in my blog next week. 

Until next time...

Joi Gin (Goodbye)

Michael

The Hall C contingent at the karaoke.