Mainstreaming environmental education into local school curriculum has always been one of our priorities. Using various themes and modes, we provide trainings for teachers to familiarize themselves with and strengthen their skills for environmental education. In turn, teachers can conduct school-based environment and outdoor education.
Over the years, we have collaborated with primary schools and teacher training institutions to exchange knowledge and promote preschool environmental and outdoor education. With the themes of local ecology and environmental education, educators’ understanding and perception towards Hong Kong ecology and biodiversity is enhanced through professional development and training for primary school teachers. On the other hand, educators’ also have better grasp on the concepts and theory of environmental education, as well as acquire the essential elements of devising and engaging in environment and outdoor education, resulting in more effective environmental education.
Taking different circumstances and needs of schools, we formulate tailor-made trainings with corresponding content and formats. Trainings can be held in half-day, whole-day or conducted as a structed course. Indoor trainings include thematic talks, experience sharing and activity trial workshop, while outdoor trainings mainly focus on field study or visits. Under the guidance of group tutors, teachers learn about local ecology in a series of sensory observations and games, as well as experiencing a variety of outdoor education pedagogies. Here are some examples of our past initiatives. Schools are welcome to take them as references for deciding your own.
If anyone from schools and teacher training institutions has any preliminary ideas or plans about professional trainings, you are very welcome to contact our team. Let’s come up with tailor-made trainings the best for you.
Po Leung Kuk Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School
To understand the plants at school and their ecology, Po Leung Kuk Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School invited us to provide a plant training for their General Studies teachers in May 2022. Before the training, our staff visited the school garden to gather information to design the programme. In the training, teachers learned about the basic plant identification skills through a thematic talk. Subsequently, they went outdoor to observe plants on campus along with tutors to learn about the interesting stories of them, such as how plants are related to other organisms, how plants are used in our daily lives. Other than touring, games are demonstrated to inspire teachers in designing their own learning activities in General Studies.
Plant EcologySchool Ecological Study
Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si Primary School
In August 2022, we provided a total of five 2-hour training sessions titled "Environmental Education x Design Thinking" for 10 teachers from Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si Primary School. The training content covered the basics of environmental education with the application of design thinking. With a practical session at the end, teachers acquired both theories and skills in designing environmental education activities.
Design Thinking
Kwong Ming School
In August 2021, we held a half-day workshop for 50 teachers from Kwong Ming School on the topic of "Hong Kong's Marine Environment and Biodiversity". Content included lectures as well as board game activities. Teachers experienced and learned to apply the board game "Ocean Crisis" and large-scale game kits to conduct environmental education activities for their students.
Marine EcologyBoard Game Education
S.K.H. Holy Spirit Primary School
Our founder and Education Director, Dr. Xoni Ma, served as a Life-wide Learning Section consultant for the Collaborative Research and Development (Seed) Project initiative with the Education Bureau. As part of the project, Dr. Ma was invited to visit S.K.H. Holy Spirit Primary School in October 2019. A sharing was delivered for the school's Life-wide Learning teaching team, talking about the utilization of environmental education as a key approach.
Environmental Education
Life-wide Learning teaching team of Education Bureau
In October 2018, we collaborated with the Education Bureau's Life-wide Learning teaching team to hold a teachers' professional development workshop themed "Multi-discipline Learning Through Board Games - Environmental Education". Our Founder and Education Director, Dr. Xoni Ma, led a team to share their experience and insights on using OWLHK’s original board game, "Laws of the Forest," for school learning activities.
Forest EcologyBoard Game Education