Seminar on “Preliminary Exploration & Future Development of Career Education” of the “Support Programme on Fostering Communities of Practice to Enhance Small Class Teaching 2022/23
11 Mar 2023
The seminar of the “Support Programme on Fostering Communities of Practice to Enhance Small Class Teaching 2022/23 entitled “Preliminary Exploration & Future Development of Career Education” was successfully held on March 11, 2023 on the Tai Po Campus of The Education University of Hong Kong. Dr. Stephen Yip, the Co-Director of Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT) and Director (Schools) of CLAP@JC, was invited to be the Keynote Speaker who explained Life Planning Education and its implementation strategies in a professional and humorous manner. He did not only share a case of the CLAP@JC Project but also briefly introduced the content of "Career Education Benchmark (Primary)(Pilot)" to the audience.
The second speaker Mr. Ching Chi Cheung, the Principal of Chinese YMCA Primary School, shared his practical experience in implementing interdisciplinary Life Planning Education activities in primary schools, including discovering and cultivating students’ talents through their performance in academic subjects, multiple intelligence classes and extra-curricular activities, and to widen their exposure through dialogues with celebrities ad parents’ sharing to learn about different industries and jobs, as well as setting up the subject “Healthy Life” for exploring and pursuing dreams with students.
To suggest a possible career path, Professor Ko Po Yuk, the Director of CELT & a Management Board Member of Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association, introduced guide dogs and animal-assisted intervention services, and the related occupational content, values, attitudes, skills and knowledge (VASK) required for employment. Professor Ko had invited Ms. Chi Tan Nin Fianna, who is also a Management Board Member of Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association, to share her career journey from a fashion model to a handler of service dogs, showing that the career exploration process is an endurance race. It is, therefore, necessary to inculcate a positive attitude in students who would be ready to adjust their vision and skills according to the needs of the environment for creating different job opportunities. She had also brought along two therapy dogs, Ace and Obi, which had interacted with the participants and demonstrated their magical comforting power that animals can bring to humans and how that could be integrated in education, bringing a new experience of animal-assisted education to school children.
The 3-hour seminar with professional knowledge which aligned with the practical needs of education was a full-house event. The theoretical framework of Dr. Yip, the authentic case sharing of Principal Ching, and the special speeches of Professor Ko and Ms Chi together with the two therapy dogs had inspired the participants to think from a new perspective which could be a focal point for planning the curriculum and activities of Life Planning Education in future. For any enquiry about this topic or professional support service, please contact our centre.
