要不是蓋茨初中時搬到華盛頓大學近鄰，以及該大學內一中心電腦可供他晝夜使用，一位小伙子在60年代那有機會接觸當時是稀世奇珍的電腦，那可發展出今天常用的軟件！要不是華特廸士尼在潦倒的日子住在骯髒的貨倉裏，他可有機會與「趣緻」的老鼠成為失眠時的良伴，從而找到靈感塑造出栩栩如生的米奇！要不是喬布斯在大學綴學後仍有幸偷偷在美術課程為旁聽生，他可有把美學注入電腦生產的概念，在90年代為蘋果電腦轉虧為盈！成功是需要一些偶然的，也是証明機遇的重要。

二十位中學生被挑選遠赴南極考察，這不單是一個教育改革下的「其他學習經歷」或「全方位學習」，而是改變他們一生的「機遇」。不要光以為是次考察是鍛鍊參加者體能及增潤其科學知識。南極之旅獨特之處是將同學的生命與極地緊密結連，讓同學親身用心感受白色的力量、變幻莫測的天氣、高清的視野、無比的寧靜、萬物的和諧，從而把「保衛地球」成為一生的使命，未來在不同的工作崗位中，為環境保育作出貢獻。

親歷從數百名申請者到一百位極地保育大使的誔生，從去年暑假一系列培訓活動到選出二十位南極考察團成員，從烏斯懷亞啟航到回歸赤鱲角，一切一切只是開始，尚需日後羣策羣力，莫待生態失衡禍至，兔死狐悲。

林克忠 2011年1月

南極考察摘要: http://www.patricklamhc.com/expedition

It is undeniable that life-long learning is crucial to people from different walks of life. As role models, we teachers are heavily engaged in continuing professional development (CPD). Notwithstanding the notion of qualification inflation, our colleagues actively participate in different modes of CPD in order to acquire the latest education trends and pedagogical innovations in order to fit our students’ needs. It is because we are not educating our students for the present days but for their challenges in the 21st Century.

The world is ever-changing. The societal changes, accompanied with Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies, destroy our current education system and traditional practices. What we need to do is to UNLEARN if we are going to re-discover the educational souls of our students! Mr. Peter Woodhead, my friend and retired ICT Adviser, English Schools Foundation, wrote the following inspiring message in an on-line discussion forum last year:

We need to unlearn the idea that we are the sole content experts in the classroom, because we can now connect our kids to people who know far more than we do about the material we’re teaching.
We need to unlearn the premise that we know more than our kids, because in many cases, they can now be our teachers as well.
We need to unlearn the idea that learning itself is an event. In this day and age, it is a continual process.
We need to unlearn the strategy that collaborative work inside the classroom is enough and understand that cooperating with students from around the globe can teach relevant and powerful negotiation and team-building skills.
We need to unlearn the idea that every student needs to learn the same content when really what they need to learn is how to self-direct their own learning.
We need to unlearn the notion that our students don’t need to see and understand how we ourselves learn.
We need to unlearn our fear of putting ourselves and our students “out there” for we’ve proven we can do it in safe, relevant and effective ways.
We need to unlearn the practice that teaches all students at the same pace. Is it any wonder why so many of our students love to play online games where they move forward at their own pace?
We need to unlearn the idea that we can teach our students to be literate in this world by continually blocking and filtering access to the sites and experiences they need our help to navigate.
We need to unlearn the premise that real change can happen just by rethinking what happens inside the school walls and understand that education is now a community undertaking on many different levels.
Certainly, there are many others ……

Modifying our long-adopted habits by “learning” is difficult because it is complicated to alter our mindset. That’s why Chris Patten, in his latest book What next?, expresses a pessimistic view towards a lot of changes around the globe. We need to unlearn before we learn.

The secret to learning new things is to be willing to unlearn even if your behaviours previously brought success.
Learn, unlearn and relearn (on-line article) by Marcia Conner (2006)

http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/learning/conner/022706.html

Should we take a close look at Peter’s view above again and add our own items for searching for excellence in education.

Making change is somehow painful but
Those who put in seed with weeping will get in the grain with cries of joy. (Psalm 126:5)

Reference:
Patten, C. (2008). What next? Surviving the twenty-first century. London: Allen Lane.

Email: patrick@patricklamhc.com
Website: http://www.patricklamhc.com/

 務實求進的渴求
 篤志勵學的渴求
 美滿成果的渴求
 勇於創新的渴求

終身學習是現代教育的目標，對任何人仕也是重要的。作為學生之模範，我們老師積極參與持續專業發展。同工們樂於其中，並不是因為近年之學歷貶值，而是同工們不斷尋求最新的教育趨勢及相關教學策略，從而為我們21世紀的學童預備適切的課程及教學設計。因為我們不但讓同學為今天而努力，還為未來而好好裝備自己。

世界急速轉變。社會上的改變，加上Web 2.0及3.0科技之發展，對傳統的教育制度帶來莫大的衝擊。如果我們要深入探求當今之教育真締，我們必需捨棄己學（unlearn）。Peter Woodhead是我一位朋友，亦為已退休之英基學校協會之資訊科技總監，他於去年在網上討論區留下以下對老師們極具啟發性的字句：

我們需要捨棄「老師是知識專家」的意念，因為我們可以把孩子與專才聯繫上，而他們比我們所知的豐富得多。
我們需要捨棄「老師比孩子知得多」的意念，因為在很多情況下，同學可以成為我們的老師。
我們需要捨棄「學習是一件東西/事件」的意念，因為當今的學習著重過程。
我們需要捨棄「課堂內之協作已足夠」的意念，因為我們若落實同學層面上國際協作，他們更能發展更多21世紀技能。
我們需要捨棄「學習的內容十分重要」的意念，因為他們學會自學更為要緊。
我們需要捨棄「同學不需經歷便學曉」的意念。
我們需要捨棄一些過去我們相信是安全及有效的教學方法。
我們需要捨棄「所有同學學習步伐一致」的做法，試想想為何我們同學熱愛那能在個人達標時進階的網上遊戲呢？
我們需要捨棄「引導式上網」的意念，祇是不斷攔截不良網頁並不能促進同學的文化修養。
我們需要捨棄「只顧校本發展」的意念，因為教育是社區群體共同建設的。
當然，還有很多……

改變常規是件難事，因為更新那根深蒂固的思維的過程極其覆雜。難怪彭定康先生在其新著作《What next?》中對全球未來的轉變抱有悲觀的態度。我們在學習前，必須捨棄所學，正如聖經教導我們「倒空」一樣。
「無論從前有多成功，學習新事物的秘密就是願意捨棄已學」
Mareia Conner（2006）《learn, unlearn and relearn》
（網上文章）http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/learning/conner/022706.html

讓我們深入了解Peter Woodhead 以上「捨棄之論」，並提出自己需要捨棄的意念及常規，追求卓越的教育。

轉變或改革在某程度上是疼苦的，但是
流淚撒種的，必散呼收割。 詩 126：5

參考書籍
Patten, C. (2008). What next? Surviving the twenty-first century. London: Allen Lane.

電郵: patrick@patricklamhc.com
個人網頁: http://www.patricklamhc.com/

林克忠 2011年8月

Steve Jobs, the current CEO and founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, ended his Commencement address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005,
“Stay hungry; stay foolish”.
Source: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

“Be practical!” or “Be realistic!” always refers to a pessimistic expression. For instance, one may say before the exam, “Don’t aim at A. Be practical! We may get C most.” Of course, staying within the comfort zone without high expectations makes life easy. However, this mentality is a great hurdle for advancement. Strive for excellence is a long and tough journey in which we need to maintain high expectations.

During my first year of principalship in 2007, my school focused on two areas of concern, namely cooperative learning and class culture building. We believe that these two items are the practical and fundamental drive for learning. These two foci also echo the 21st Century curriculum trend.

Cooperative Learning is an effective learning strategy for students’ active participation through positive interdependence and individual accountability. Classroom instructions shift from didactic to interactive, from interactive to participative way. Students are arranged into groups and members perform different roles. Through a wide spectrum of coop strategies, such as jigsaw, rainbow grouping, butts-up, 3-step interview, envoy exchange ……., students are mobilized and active in learning. It is also a valuable opportunity of social skills development (a very important 21st Century skills) and respectful mind development (one of the 5 minds for the future illustrated by Howard Gardner, the founder of multiple intelligences).

Class culture building provides students with a positive learning environment. Every class is a family. Students determine their class rules, class motto, anthem, theme and logo. Their aspiration and goals are displayed for mutual encouragement. Through a lot of team building activities including candle lunch, class culture building variety show, caring angel and hundreds of others, a centripetal force emerges. The senses of security, belonging, uniqueness, direction and competence are cultivated. These 5 senses facilitate both academic learning and personal development.

Cooperative learning and class culture building serve as the backbone of students’ campus life. In the atmosphere of active learning and harmony, we believe that our students love inquiry, enjoy their peer accompany, respect each other and most of all, equip well for the future challenges.

Reference:
Arden, P. (2003). It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. London: Phaidon.
Cruz, C. (2006). Once upon a cow: a story about eliminating excuses and settling for nothing but success. Brainstorm Press.
Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Harvard Business School Press
Email: patrick@patricklamhc.com
http://www.patricklamhc.com

 務實求進的渴求
 篤志勵學的渴求
 美滿成果的渴求
 勇於創新的渴求

蘋果電腦公司及彼思動畫製作室的創辦人及現任行政總裁史提夫‧賈伯斯（Steve Jobs）2005年6月12日於美國史丹福大學演說結束時，用以下句子來勉勵該屆畢業生：

「求知若飢、虛心若愚。」
資料來源：http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

「實幹點罷！」或「現實點罷！」通常是用作負面的表達。例如考試前說：「取得甲等簡直是妄想，現實點罷！我們最多只不過可以取得乙等。」當然，沒有高的期望往往令人們心情輕鬆一些，但是這想法妨礙了求進之路。畢竟追求卓越是條漫長及崎嶇的道路，亦需要時刻保持遠大的目標及清晰的願景。

在2007年我首年為校長，學校的關注事項為「優化合作學習以提升學習效能」和「建構優質的班級經營」。它們除了是學習的原動力，亦回應21世紀課程導向。

「合作學習」發揮同學的積極相互依賴（支持）及個人承責，以促進同學積極投入學習。學習模式由傳統的老師講解漸進為師生互動，由師生互動漸進為全民參與。同學們在班中分成小組，而每成員各按其職，共獻所長。透過如jigsaw, rainbow grouping, butts-up, 3-step interview, envoy exchange等等的合作學習策略，同學們躍動於豐富的學習歷程中。除此之外，這全動（不單是互動）的學習法不但幫助同學發展21世紀重要技能之一的協作能力，更讓同學培養尊重之心，此乃多元智能論之父哈沃德‧加德納（Howard Gardner）最近提出「邁向未來的五大能力」之一。

「班級經營」為同學營造正面的學習環境及氣氛。每一班是一個家，各成員共同制定班規、主題、口號、班歌、班徵等。課室亦張貼各家族成員的理想及目標以作互相鼓勵。透過多元化的班級經營活動，如燭光午餐、班級經營匯演、愛心天使等，建以班為核心的立凝聚力，從中亦發展同學的安全感、歸屬感、獨特感、方向感及能力感。此五感之發展對同學的學習及個人素質陶造是十分重要的。

合作學習及班級經營是同學於校園生活的幹脈。在和諧及愉快的學習氣氛裡，同學們喜愛探究、樂群成長、彼此尊重，最重要的是在各方面好好裝備自己，以迎接未來的挑戰。

參考書籍
Arden, P. (2003). It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. London: Phaidon.
Cruz, C. (2006). Once upon a cow: a story about eliminating excuses and settling for nothing but success. Brainstorm Press.
Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Harvard Business School Press.

電郵: patrick@patricklamhc.com
個人網頁: http://www.patricklamhc.com/

林克忠 2011年8月