MIT graduate receives Chief Executive’s Award of Teaching Excellence on Mathematics Education Key Learning Area

Congratulations to Ms Yeung Wing-ying, a graduate of the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Primary) - Mathematics (BEd(P)-MA) programme (2007-2011) from the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT), for receiving the Chief Executive’s Award of Teaching Excellence (CEATE) 2020/21 on the Mathematics Education Key Learning Area. She received the award from Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary and the then Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government, at an award presentation ceremony held in September.

Since her graduation from EdUHK in 2011, Ms Yeung has been building up her career as a mathematics teacher. Mathematics is perceived by many as notoriously difficult due to its range of abstract concepts, and the highly abstract nature of the subject makes it difficult to learn and teach. Ms Yeung said, “The traditional method of teaching mathematics stresses the importance of practice. Students learn mathematical calculations, principles and problem-solving techniques through repeated exercises. However, learning mathematics this way is boring and causes many students lose interest in the subject.”

To reignite students’ motivation in learning mathematics, Ms Yeung worked together with one of her colleagues at Fung Kai No.1 Primary School for eight years to develop a series of school-based picture books. Unlike traditional mathematics textbooks, these picture books use vivid story characters and gripping plots to arouse students’ interest in mathematics. Through reading these picture books, students acquire mathematical knowledge by looking at how the story characters resolve problems by utilising certain mathematical concepts and making calculations.

Ms Yeung, now Head of Curriculum Development of her school, said, “I was honoured to receive the Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence. This is an affirmation of my teaching. I have been a mathematics teacher for 10 years. While all mathematics teachers follow the same syllabus, they use various approaches to teach students. I encourage mathematics teachers to spend more time designing suitable learning activities for students.” Ms Yeung said that since technology changes with the times, teachers must maintain an open-minded view to new technologies and tools, and make the best use of them in their teaching. “Education should be connected with our daily life. As society is evolving rapidly, teachers should also keep enhancing our knowledge and skills in teaching,” she remarked.

Ms Yeung thanked EdUHK for nurturing her into a mathematics teacher. She recalled that during the course on the mathematics teaching method, her teachers asked students to reflect on their own experience of learning mathematics. “Through reflection, we were able to better understand the mental process behind learning and the reflection was conducive for improving our mathematics teaching,” she said.

To advance her knowledge and skills about teaching, Ms Yeung started her Doctor of Education (Chinese Class) in Mathematics Education programme at MIT not long ago. She is grateful to have met many inspiring professors and lecturers at MIT. “They patiently taught me numerous skills for teaching mathematics. They led us to think deeper about the mathematical concepts that we believed we had already understood. Based on an enlightened understanding of mathematical concepts, we are able to fine-tune and improve our pedagogical method.”

Ms Yeung recalled MIT’s mentorship programme, where mentors spent time discussing with undergraduate students about their learning. She said, “Our mentors gave students advice and a lot of space to try and improve our teaching. Mentors were at times our teachers, and at other times our friends. They were the ones we could turn to for support. They enlightened me on my journey to become a teacher. Mentors arranged for students to take up internships at schools, where we worked as teacher assistants. These experiences have served as a very solid foundation to our pursuit of professional teaching careers.”

Organised by the Education Bureau and funded by the Quality Education Fund, CEATE was established with the following aims: to recognise accomplished teachers who demonstrate exemplary teaching practices; to enhance the professional image and the social status of teachers, thereby gaining society’s recognition of the teaching profession and fostering a culture of respect for teachers; to pool together accomplished teachers through the CEATE Teachers’ Association to facilitate sharing of good practices; and to foster a culture of excellence in the teaching profession.