Media

The Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) successfully held the Academy for Leadership in Teacher Education (ALiTE) Inauguration Ceremony and the first of a Public Lecture Series on March 13, 2019 to celebrate the establishment of ALiTE.

ALiTE is a new platform for multi-faceted work around teacher education and a think tank for innovative research, practice and learning – locally, regionally and internationally. It is envisioned as an international hub for teacher/leader development; exchange and collaboration; knowledge generation and resource curation and dissemination.

Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, JP, Secretary for Education, Education Bureau, HKSAR Government; Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong; Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University, and President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, USA; Dr Carrie Willis, SBS, JP, Chairperson of the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals; and Professor A. Lin Goodwin, Dean, Faculty of Education, HKU officiated at the ceremony.

In the opening speech, Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, JP, remarked that the University of Hong Kong has long been the government’s supportive partner in promoting educational excellence. Not only has it dedicated continuous effort to nurture generations of education professionals, but keen investments have been made to spearhead educational innovation as illustrated by the establishment of this academy. Capitalizing on its strength, the Faculty of Education will deepen and extend its work in teacher education and professional development by means of this new platform.

Professor Xiang Zhang welcomed the establishment of ALiTE. “ALiTE and its international colloquium series will bring together more influential thinkers and creative innovators, such as Professor Linda Darling-Hammond. These activities will help us to continue to reimagine teaching and teacher education for the future.” said Professor Zhang.

Professor Linda Darling-Hammond delivered a keynote lecture entitled “How Can We Prepare Educators for How People Learn? Implications of the Science of Learning for Educator Preparation”. She described how schools can use effective, research-based practices to create settings in which all aspects of students’ development are supported by the design of classrooms and schools as a whole, and how educator preparation programmes can develop teachers and leaders who are able to teach and lead using such practices. A dialogue of Professor Darling-Hammond with the audience, chaired by Dr Carrie Willis, was held after the lecture.

The event was attended by more than 260 participants, including government officials, Deans of Education and senior administrators in local universities, school principals, Consul-generals and Consuls, representatives from NGOs, researchers, educators, and university students.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Emily Cheung, Senior Manager (Development and Communications), Faculty of Education, HKU (Tel: 3917 4270 / email: emchy@hku.hk). Please visit http://web.edu.hku.hk/press to view the e-version of the press release and photos.