Ocean Literacy Programme raises public awareness about dolphin and marine conservation

Jointly organised by the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education (CRSE) and the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) and funded by the Marine Ecology Enhancement Fund, the Ocean Literacy Programme “Dolphin Messenger” aims to promote ocean literacy in primary and secondary schools by using the “ocean literacy” framework to develop a set of teaching materials about Chinese white dolphins and related issues on marine conservation and the value of life.

Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, Director of CRSE and UNESCO Chair of Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning at EdUHK, is the Project Investigator. Professor Eric Tsang Po-keung, Head of SES, and Dr Frank Cheang Chi-chiu, Associate Professor from SES are the Co-Investigators. Dr Cheang is also the Executive Director of the project.

Professor Lee said, “According to UNESCO, an ‘ocean literate’ person is able to understand the importance of the ocean for humankind and communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way. Nurturing our future generation to become ocean literate is key to ocean conservation. We believe this programme can equip primary and secondary teachers with knowledge about ocean conservation and Hong Kong’s marine environment, enabling them to educate the young people of Hong Kong and help them become ocean literate people.”

“To be ‘ocean literate’ means to have an understanding of the influence of the ocean on human beings, and our influence on the ocean,” said Dr Cheang. “The programme’s teaching materials are designed to raise people’s awareness of the ocean’s importance, to be used by primary and secondary teachers to instill a stronger sense of marine conservation among their students with an emphasis on preserving the habitat of Chinese white dolphins.”

Under the programme, a series of talks are taking place from October 2021 to March 2022 at primary and secondary schools to equip teachers with knowledge about Hong Kong’s marine environment, dolphins, and the relationship between dolphins and people.

Professional development workshops have also been arranged for teachers of General Studies in primary schools, as well as teachers of Geography and Biology courses in secondary schools. In the workshops, academics from EdUHK including environmental scientists from SES, along with external experts, provided schoolteachers with more in-depth training on how to use different teaching materials and apply different pedagogical methods in their classes.

As a community-orientated initiative, the programme aims to train up primary and secondary school students as “dolphin messengers”: ambassadors equipped with general knowledge about Chinese white dolphins and the ocean. To become a “dolphin messenger”, students are required to attend workshops and field trips scheduled for March 2022 to learn the basics about dolphins and the city’s marine environment. Students who complete the training will have the chance to share their knowledge and passion for the conservation of dolphins and local marine ecology by acting as a guide for the public under the supervision of EdUHK students during weekends or public holidays between April and June 2022.

A website containing information about Chinese white dolphins and ocean literacy will be developed towards the completion of the programme. A summary of the programme as well as educational materials developed throughout the programme will be made available to the public on the website. Primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong will also have access to hardcopies of the educational materials for their teaching purposes.