Framework for Teachers’ Professional Development on Integrated Education
Introduction
From the 2007/08 school year onwards, the Education Bureau (EDB) has been offering structured training courses pitched at the basic, advanced and thematic (BAT) levels and training targets have been set for schools to arrange their teachers to attend various courses in a systematic manner in order to further enhance the professional capacity of teachers in catering for students with special educational needs (SEN) and the effectiveness of schools in implementing integrated education. After reviewing the training targets and arrangements of the BAT Courses, the training progress of public sector ordinary school teachers, the types and numbers of students with SEN and the views of stakeholders, we has set new training targets to be achieved by each of the public sector ordinary schools starting from the 2021/22 school year in six school years: (i) at least 80% of teachers will have completed the Basic Course; (ii) at least 20% of teachers will have completed the Advanced Course; and (iii) at least 25% of teachers will have completed the Thematic Courses.
Brief history of teacher training in special education
| School Year | Development |
|---|---|
|
1993 to 2004 |
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) (the former Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd)) had been funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) to offer a two-year in-service Training Course for Teachers of Children with Special Educational Needs (TCSEN). |
|
2004/05 to present |
The EdUHK (the former HKIEd) has been offering a part-time Professional Development Programme on Catering for Diverse Learning Needs (PDP-CDLN) funded by the UGC. The teaching hours of the course have been raised to 156 since the 2010/11 school year. |
|
2007/08 to present |
The EDB has been providing serving teachers with structured training courses pitched at three levels, i.e. basic, advanced and thematic levels (BAT Courses). |
Brief history of the BAT Courses
| School Year | Development |
|---|---|
|
2007/08 |
First launch of the BAT Courses and setting of training targets |
|
2012/13 |
Adjustment of the training targets, mode and content |
|
2014/15 |
Enhancement of the practicum elements in the Advanced and Thematic Courses |
|
2015/16 |
Adjustment of the training targets of a five-year training cycle (Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the training cycle is extended for one year) |
|
2021/22 |
Adjustment of the mode and content of the BAT Courses and the training targets of the new six-year training cycle Launch of the online mode of the Basic Course; consolidation of the content of the BAT courses and further uplifting of the training targets |