Tackling Doubt, Teaching Rugby: Choi Ngai-lam’s CEATE Win

EdUHK has a strong track record of nurturing elite athletes into coaches and physical education (PE) teachers who bring a passion for sport to the next generation. Ms Choi Ngai-lam, winner of this year’s Award for Budding Teachers under the Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence (CEATE) scheme, is one of our graduates committed to bringing the benefits of sport to young people in Hong Kong, in her case through teaching PE at a secondary school. She received her CEATE award at the Award Presentation Ceremony on 3 July.

At the University, Ngai-lam studied for the Associate Degree in Applied Science (Sports Coaching and Management) (2015 to 2017) and then the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Physical Education) programme (2017 to 2022), offered by the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE). She has been working at Yuen Yuen Institute MFBM Nei Ming, Chan Lui Chung Tak Memorial College (圓玄學院妙法寺內明 陳呂重德紀念中學) since graduating, and is now the school’s PE panel head.

Ngai-lam is grateful that she met many good teachers at EdUHK who opened her eyes to pedagogy and to the wide scope and impact of PE. “I especially want to thank Mr Roy Chan Ching-yat and Dr Gary Chow Chi-ching from HPE for their inspiration and support. Mr Chan showed me that PE lessons could be engaging and fun, while Dr Chow guided me to take up rugby, which became my favourite and defining sport,” the HPE graduate said.

Among the many ideas Mr Chan taught her, Ngai-lam finds gamified teaching and reciprocal teaching particularly useful in her present work. “Many girls at my school have very low motivation to participate in PE classes. Instead of asking them to run laps and stretch, I designed games to make the warm-up activities more engaging,” she said. The HPE graduate also applies reciprocal teaching in her classes, which shifts away from teacher-centred instruction towards peer-assisted learning.

“In reciprocal teaching, students take turns as observer and doer. When students are in the observer role, they watch their peers perform the tasks and give feedback, while the doers improve their learning tasks based on feedback from their classmates. Through this interactive process, students effectively teach and support one another,” Ngai-lam explained, adding that learning from peers greatly boosts her students’ motivation.

Alongside teaching, Ngai-lam remains active in Hong Kong’s rugby scene as a member of Hong Kong China Rugby’s (HKCR) women’s development XVs squad, also known as the Hong Kong China Dragons. She started playing tackle rugby during her university years with the EdUHK rugby team. “Dr Chow taught me tackle rugby at EdUHK. Since then, I have experienced many ups and downs in the sport. The most challenging moment was in 2019, when I suffered a severe injury and had to rest for nearly a year while going through a gruelling rehabilitation process,” the rugby player recalled.

Even then, Ngai-lam didn’t consider giving up. Whenever she had doubts, she drew on the perseverance Dr Chow had instilled in her, the belief in overcoming every setback and returning stronger. “The injury made me realise how deeply I love the game. It was the determination to push through difficulties, and my passion for the sport, that got me back onto the pitch again,” she shared. Her love for the sport drove her to establish and coach a rugby team at her present school.

Rugby gave Ngai-lam lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories of standing shoulder to shoulder with her teammates. “I’m truly grateful for rugby—it’s a sport that allows me to shine on the pitch, giving me countless experiences of success and a strong sense of self-belief,” she said, hoping that her own experiences of achieving success through perseverance will inspire her students.

Ngai-lam is honoured to receive the CEATE award, an achievement she attributes to the solid foundation built during her studies at EdUHK and the invaluable guidance of her mentors. “My mentors, including Mr Chan and Dr Chow, shared more than just their professional expertise. They passed on a deep passion for sport and a commitment to education that continues to inspire me every day,” she said. Looking ahead, Ngai-lam is committed to upholding the philosophy of “inspiring lives with life”. “I will use my enthusiasm for sport to support the next generation as they find their own paths to shine,” the CEATE awardee said.