This article is an academic commentary on the concept of sociology of education. The authors have ventured through the lens of Hannah Arendt's "The Human Condition" and discuss its impact might have had if the corresponding mode of education and pedagogy be carried out in reality according to what Arendt had inspired her readers. A cross…

This commentary aims to discuss an overarching boundary crossing framework under which integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) pedagogy can be conceptualized. Four potential learning dialogical processes for boundary crossing are presented and used as the main theoretical construct for the discussion. A proposal of an…

This Forum article addresses some of the issues raised in the article by Ying-Syuan Huang and Anila Asghar's paper entitled: "Science education reform in Confucian learning cultures: teachers' perspectives on policy and practice in Taiwan." An attempt is made to highlight the need for a more nuanced approach in considering the Confucian…

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the ethical foundations and principles underpinning the learning organization (LO) concept. Design/methodology/approach: By interviewing one thought leader in the field, Professor Robin Snell, this paper traces how his early days in academia shaped the development of an ethics-driven research agenda on LO.…

A report entitled "What we can learn from the English, mathematics and science curricula of high-performing jurisdictions" seems taken to suggest... "that imitating the content, pace and pedagogy of Singapore and Hong Kong in particular, would enable us to improve the mathematical performance of English children". This is…

Although Hong Kong's education system has long been criticized as lacking in creativity and over-emphasising rote learning, on the whole it has served Hong Kong well in the past years, breeding outstanding business, academic and political leaders who continue to maintain Hong Kong's competitive edge. The traditional elite schools have played a…

One of the strengths of narrative research in TESOL is its potential to provide insight into long-term language learning experiences that cannot be investigated in real time. Reliance on retrospection, however, brings two problems that are addressed in this article through the concept of "language learning careers". The first problem is…

In an increasingly global higher education environment, many universities are taking their educational services overseas. One model of overseas provision is through transnational (offshore) education. Transnational teaching challenges the prevailing understanding of an academic role at every level. Transnational teachers are expected to work in…

This paper discusses the concept of "cultural cross-currents," their implicit nature and the potential they have to effect second language literacy learning, teaching and curriculum reform in Hong Kong primary classrooms. Despite the substantive implications for learning, the exploration of cultural influences upon teacher and student…

Students--and their best interests--are the focal point of curriculum reform in basic education in Hong Kong. Since 2001, Hong Kong has sought to reform basic education so as to enable every student to become "all-rounded." At a practical level, this has meant the cultivation of students' ethics and values, intellect, physical fitness,…

Poetry performance is an approach to learning where students can use theatrical techniques to develop a response to the poem. This paper argues that ELL students can explore the aesthetic function of language and, more widely, develop confidence in using English as a communicative tool through the dramatization of poetry. We describe the process…

Race matters in the classroom when you are a minority female faculty member. This chapter discusses the emergence of the adaptive female academic of color who, while teaching in several countries, balances a happy work and family life. (Contains 3 notes.)

Basic training in the earth sciences, social sciences, and visual arts is discussed as essential for the education and training of government advisers on physical planning matters. Urban planning examples are presented that highlight the ecological factors, social influences, and aesthetic values which need to be considered when dealing with…

Explains how the education system in Hong Kong has helped to shape Hong Kong's past diglossia and how the country is preparing to face the changes inherent in the new political context in which Putonghua will be another element. Reports on the status and use of Cantonese and Putonghua (the national language of the People's Republic of China). (33…

Adult continuing education (ACE) has different audiences and characteristics than distance learning and full-time education. The University of Hong Kong is regarded as the leading provider of ACE through the programs offered by the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE). To maintain that position, SPACE's challenge is to develop…