Ten FLASS students recognised as model prospective teachers

To honour prospective teachers who demonstrate excellent teaching abilities and a passion for education, the Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association and the Hong Kong Prospective Teachers Association co-organised “The Ninth Hong Kong Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award” from February to May 2022. A total of 116 prospective teachers from various local universities participated in this year’s competition. After several rounds of selection interviews, 38 prospective teachers were awarded gold, silver, bronze and merit awards. An award-presentation ceremony was held on 28 May.

Thirty-one EdUHK students have been named recipients of the award, taking home nine gold, five silver, 10 bronze and seven merit awards. The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (FLASS) is honoured to have 10 students win three gold, two silver, three bronze and two merit awards in the competition. Gold award winners received a cash prize of HK$5000, while silver and bronze award winners received HK$3000 and HK$1000 respectively.

Moses Ng Chi-hong, winner of a gold award. (Photo credit: HKNGCA)

Moses Ng Chi-hong, a student in the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Science) programme from the Department of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) and one of the three gold award recipients from FLASS, said that the award encouraged him to strive for excellence in his efforts to become a teacher. He believes a good teacher should be knowledgeable, disciplined and caring. “Being knowledgeable guarantees a good quality of teaching and ensures students are receiving accurate information. Being disciplined means establishing myself as a role model for students, teaching them the proper manners to behave. And being caring ensures good relationships with students, facilitating the teaching and nurturing of them,” he said.

Taylor Law Yan-yan, winner of a gold award. (Photo credit: HKNGCA)

Taylor Law Yan-yan, a student in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Creative Arts and Culture and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Music) co-terminal double degree programme from the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), also won a gold award. She said: “During the selection process, I received a lot of feedback on my teaching from school principals. Their advice supplemented what I had learnt at EdUHK and helped me improve my teaching skills. There are many factors that affect the effectiveness of teaching, such as the students’ background and the physical environment where teaching is conducted. There are always sudden things that can happen in classrooms too. In view of these, teachers need to be responsive and make prompt decisions on the spur of the moment.”

Jacky Lo Wing-kong, winner of a gold award. (Photo credit: HKNGCA)

Jacky Lo Wing-kong, a student of the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Business, Accounting and Financial Studies) (BEd(BAFS)) programme from the Department of Social Sciences (SSC), is another gold award winner. He believes that good teachers must keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in this fast-changing world where new knowledge emerges every day. “Take teaching BAFS as an example. The number of constituent companies of the Hang Seng Index keeps changing constantly. Teachers should follow the news closely to ensure the timeliness of their teaching materials,” Jacky said. He expressed his gratitude for all the teachers of the BEd(BAFS) programme: “Their teaching has enlightened me in many different ways. Their care motivated me to learn and improve.”

Jayden Lee Kwok-shing (right), winner of a silver award, and his family members.

Jayden Lee Kwok-shing, a student also from the BEd(BAFS) programme and a silver award winner, highlighted that enthusiasm and professionalism are the most important qualities of a good teacher. “Good teachers should know how to use different strategies and teaching skills to motivate students to learn. More importantly, a good teacher should be patient and helpful in accompanying students to grow, always pay attention to their needs and difficulties, and communicate with them continually to maintain a trustworthy teacher-student relationship,” he added. Jayden sent his sincere thanks to Professor Christina Yu from SSC for her nomination and mentorship during the whole award selection process.

At FLASS, we always encourage our students to solidify their academic and pedagogical knowledge through field practice. We are glad that our students’ efforts to become academically capable and caring educators have been recognised by these awards.

The full list of FLASS awardees is as follows. Please join us in congratulating them on their accomplishments. 

Gold award

Silver award

Bronze award

Merit award