Media

June Partnership Forum -Strengthening School-University Partnership Through "Whole School Mentoring Support Approach"

13 Jun 2008

The aim of this year's June Partnership Forum is to promote the idea of the "Whole School Mentoring Support" (WSMS) approach that HKU's Faculty of Education has worked out with a very supportive partnership school - Lock Tao Secondary School. Through the adoption of this WSMS approach which is mutually beneficial to all the different parties involved, it is hoped that the in-depth collaborations between local schools and HKU's Faculty of Education could be actualized and strengthened. Such collaboration will lead to the formation of a professional school with quality professional development for practicing teachers and student-teachers, as well as the substantial enhancement of the success of initial teacher education.

WSMS is an advocated mentoring approach to school change which has the potential to enhance professional learning of different parties (mentor-teachers, student-teachers, university-tutors and school pupils) and to increase schools' teaching and learning effectiveness. This is different from the traditional mentoring practice of just placing a student-teacher with a subject mentor-teacher in a school. WSMS is not only a process, but also a philosophy, of professional development through mentoring. The outcomes of this approach involve changes towards a collaborative culture, synergistic relations with one another, and the formation of professional communities of practice.

Media representatives are invited to attend the forum especially the sharing session, in which voices from the Faculty, School and participants including mentor-teachers, student-teachers and University-tutors can be heard. Details are:

Date:      June 16, 2008 (Monday)
Time:    2:30 - 4 pm
Venue:  Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

• Some participants of the sharing session will be available for interview during the refreshment break.

Note:
Members of the media are welcome to attend any parts of the Forum (2:15 - 5:45 pm at Rayson Huang Theatre). 

For media enquiries, please contact Faculty of Education, HKU Ms. Queenie Wong, Development and Communications Officer (Tel: 2219 4270 / Mobile: 9220 5840 / Fax: 2540 6360 / e-mail: qlpwong@hku.hk).