SL 2010-25

n 2010, we did a self-examination (reflection) in all-rounded (whole-person) education at PolyU and found something missing.  We had always put a lot of effort in academic learning, problem solving, professional discipline expertise, and languages.  Yet there wasn’t much in terms of values, ethical thinking, and social responsibility.  We really could not claim to be educating the whole person when such an important chunk was missing. 

Some of us felt service-learning would be an effective pedagogy to begin to fill that gap.  And that gap existed in all undergraduate programs.  We therefore decided to make service-learning a critical component in all undergraduate programs - compulsory and credit-bearing.  

At that point, the challenge was daunting.  We had nothing.  Zero SL courses, and few people who knew anything about SL.  Not to mention how to teach SL.  How do we find projects?  Partners? Fund the projects?  Teach reflection?  When the teachers didn’t know how to do reflection ourselves?  What we had was plenty of doubters.  We had to bootstrap ourselves in everything. Amid all the challenges, step-by-step we learned.  

In 15 years, we have worked very hard, and come a long way.  Today 70+ SL courses are offered to 4,500 undergraduate students each year.  SL has been entrenched as a distinguishing hallmark of a PolyU education.  Close to half of that 4,500 serve outside Hong Kong, in Mainland China and foreign countries. Thus helping PolyU internationalise -  achieving another important objective.  We are conducting research to inform our teaching of SL, to continuously improve ourselves, and to contribute to the global community.  

But we are far from finished.  We want more students to acquire a global mindset, hence more non-local SL.  We are developing a minor in SL, so that students can learn SL to a greater depth.  We are planning to expand SL to the graduate school.  

We have benefited so much from SL we want to promote SL so that more can benefit.  We are training teachers from other universities, in other countries, to teach SL.  We are training K-12 teachers to teach SL.  We are designing a course to train researchers in SL.  We are learning to bring more technology into SL to create more impact.  …

Feathers

Learned a thing or two about feathers while researching for a new piece. 

Feathers on a wing tend to be pointed at the tip. While the barbs on the two sides of the central shaft are asymmetric - barbs on one side are longer than those on the other. 

Feathers on the tail tend to be rounded at the tip.  The barbs tend to be symmetric. 

So I made a wing feather and a tail feather.  And gave them to two of our best friends. They seem to like them. 

#SChanPalmArt

Christmas is Hope

It is often difficult to be in good mood these days.  So many people died, get hurt or lost their homes due to human negligence, greed and corruption.  Millions and millions continued to be exploited by the rich and powerful.  The big bullies bully their neighbours, and even those far away,, with impunity.  People with huge advantage in firepower bombard those with far less, claiming that their own security is threatened.  Millions and millions continue to survive, barely, without water, electricity, and even basic education. While those making billions want to make even more.  

Many of us, of course, live in relative security, stability, plenty, and even prosperity.  We celebrate our holidays with food, drinks, gifts, and entertainment.  Can we, however, truly be completely happy, knowing that so much sadness, suffering, and plain evil are around us? Even though they may be out of sight?  And it appears that these are not going away.  That there does not seem to be much that we can do about them?

Yet Christmas brings a message - that there is still hope.  That there is a way out.  That someone is in charge.  That even in the deepest despair there is hope.  That with God’s help, we can transcend all these and soar high and free.  

Without hope, life can be unbearable.  I am grateful that we have Christmas.  But we also know we are not supposed to wait for things to happen.  That we have an obligation to respond to the message of Christmas.  

Chinese sausage

Winter has announced itself in Hong Kong with the temperature dropping to 14 C.  Hence my wife and I trek to Sai Ying Pun to make our annual purchase of air-dried Chinese sausages at our favourite sausage maker.

Our favourites, among the many kinds, are the lean pork and the goose liver sausages.  

First of all, they are really good tasting. Just the right amount of fat and meat, texture and flavour. 

Perhaps most importantly, we can be sure that they are made locally, in Hong Kong. 

We can literally watch them prepare the pork and other ingredients, stuff the ingredients into the skin, tie them sausages into the right lengths, and then hang them up to dry.  You can see sausages at different stages of drying.  

They start each year in autumn, work until Lunar New Year, and then stop to celebrate the New Year.  The sausages sell very quickly.  If one comes too late, one has to wait until the following year, when they start the cycle again.  

In Chinese culture, everything has its season. Air-dried sausage is a winter food.  It is best to eat it in the right season. Hence our annual trek to Sai Ying Pun. It is an enjoyable experience.