2021 Teacher Development Course in Service-Learning

We just concluded the 2021 version of our Teacher Development Course. It has been a very hectic 2 weeks.  We ran this annual Teacher Development Course from 2 to 12 July, in 3 parts.  We ran a Service-Learning Symposium in Putonghua, mainly for the community in Mainland China, on Friday, 9 July, morning, with ~100 people.  We ran a Symposium and Expo online, with speakers, posters, videos, workshops, with a total of 800 people attending various parts over two days.  We made a presentation at a Service-Learning conference in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, 7 July.  Now, we can breath a little easier.  

We have been running a Teacher Development Course on Service-Learning since 2014.  The first time it had only about 5 people.  We took them to Cambodia to see the projects, speak with the students, teachers, and NGO partners.  Then it got more systematic, with training in Hong Kong and field experience in Cambodia, with more people attending.  Initially we offered it only to PolyU staff.  Then we made it open to staff from other universities from Hong Kong.  Then we opened it up to universities in foreign countries.  When covid-19 wiped out travel in 2020, we offered it online.  This year, we offer a 3-part course, and open it further to secondary schools.  The first part is online e-Learning, covering basic concepts.  The second is a face to face, 3 day course on all aspects of designing a course, designing a project, teaching reflection, making assessment.  The third is experiential, taking these teachers to observe some face to face service as well as online service, meeting with experienced SL teachers, NGO partners in Hong Kong as well as overseas via Internet, discussing their own proposals, …  There are 30+ teachers in the face-to-face sections.  

Then they make posters of their own proposals, put them on a workspace, and comment on each other’s proposal.  Today we wrap the class up with a nice lunch at Hotel ICON, and a final discussion on their proposals.  The quality of the proposals are getting better.  Most are going in the right direction, reasonably well thought out.  Some still need a bit of work.  But all have the potential to become good subjects.  We are very happy to see that.  

We consider this Teacher Development Course one of the most important component of our work.  Teachers are at the core of service-learning.  Without them service-learning will not succeed.  People tend to focus on the students when they consider service-learning.  But students come and go, taking what they learn with them.  What remains and sustains the program are the teachers.  It is most important that the teachers are motivated, have clear concepts about service-learning, keep learning and improving.  They are the most critical success factors.  

This year we are seeing a new phenomenon - secondary schools and their teachers getting more and more active in service-earning.  We are hoping to help to build the momentum for a great movement in secondary schools.