Envisioning Innovation in Education
EIE Alliance
When the EIE project neared its final phase, the EIE community expressed a strong desire to develop community-driven initiatives and sustain their collaborative learning journey. Against this background, the Envisioning Innovation in Education Alliance (EIEA) was established with the participation of most of the EIE participating schools.
EIEA objectives are as follows:
-
To foster collaborative platforms for ongoing idea and practice sharing across diverse Hong Kong schools.
-
To organise activities to sustain inquiry-driven innovation in schools and among individuals.
-
To adopt the train-the-trainer model to empower educators as facilitators, deepening EIE learning within schools and expanding its impact on the broader community.
During the 2023/24 academic year, a group of EIE participants volunteered to become EIEA fellows to continue their learning.
Two key structures support this endeavor:
a) Cross-school Study Group: EIEA fellows met in small groups regularly to explore new ideas related to teaching and learning and foster cross-contextual learning.
b) EIE Alliance Learning Community Event: EIEA fellows served as co-planners and co-facilitators, working alongside the CEL team to share their learnings with the wider EIE community.
In the 2024/25 academic year, EIEA continues to sustain professional development practices, as well as promote learning and knowledge sharing within the EIE community.
Cross-school Study Groups
When the EIE Alliance was first established in 2023, a poll was conducted to identify the educational topics of greatest interest to the EIE community. Making Thinking Visible (MTV) and Global Competency (GC) emerged as the two main themes for cross-school study groups in the 2023/24 academic year.
Making Thinking Visible (MTV)
Global Competency (GC)
Making Thinking Visible (MTV) is an educational approach developed by researchers at Project Zero. This approach is centered on using specific thinking routines that help teachers and students make their thought processes explicit during learning experiences. The goal of MTV is to foster deeper understanding and cultivate critical and reflective thinking skills among students. During the study group sessions, EIEA fellows examined the power of MTV on learning processes, explored the “Understanding Map” to analyze different aspects of thinking, discussed the eight forces that shape a thinking culture, and investigated how a Culture of Thinking can be actively implemented to enhance the learning of educators.
According to the definition by Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Global Competence is a multidimensional construct that requires a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values successfully applied to global issues or intercultural situations. Global issues refer to those that affect all people, and have deep implications for current and future generations. Intercultural situations refer to face-to-face, virtual or mediated encounters with people who are perceived to be from a different cultural background. During the study group sessions, EIEA fellows conducted an in-depth examination of the four dimensions of the PISA GC framework. They reviewed strategies for cultivating global thinkers among students through Global Thinking Routines and analyzed examples of GC practices from other schools. They also performed situational analysis and system mapping to identify strengths and opportunities within their own school contexts for enhancing GC promotion.
To collectively explore new ideas and foster cross-contextual learning, two cross-school study groups of 4-5 EIE fellows each were formed in September 2023. Over 4 sessions, they read articles about the concepts, tried out practices in their schools with students or colleagues, and shared their learning process and key takeaways from the experience.
EIE Alliance Learning Community Event
With a desire to strengthen the diverse school connections of the EIE community, and to continue the cross-pollination of ideas for inquiry-driven innovation, the EIE Alliance Learning Community event was held on February 28, 2024.
EIE fellows co-led the event alongside the CEL team and shared insights gained from exploring and implementing the concepts of Making Thinking Visible (MTV) and Global Competence (GC) within their respective school environments. The event aimed to inspire EIE Alliance members with actionable ideas and practices that could be adapted to their own contexts.
Warm-up Activity - Artifact Sharing
Reflecting the themes of MTV and GC, the event began with a warm-up activity where participants were invited to bring an artifact that represents “the moment when you realized the world is bigger than you thought”. These artifacts served as physical representations of individual stories, which supports participants to share and visualize their experiences of connecting with the broader world. This exercise was designed to resonate with themes encouraging a deeper understanding and reflection on “thinking” and “global connections”.
Making Thinking Visible (MTV) Session
EIE fellows, Betsy, Daniel, Gary and Virginia, led the MTV session by initially emphasizing the significance of prioritizing “understanding” as the primary learning goal for students. They highlighted the importance of identifying the specific “aspects of thinking” that teachers want students to demonstrate. In addition, they stressed the need to make thinking visible through various tools, such as the application of Thinking Routines.
To deepen understanding of the idea, EIE fellows conducted a “Looking at Student Thinking” activity. Participants examined a piece of student work collaboratively, following a structured protocol to explore the types of thinking involved in the learning process and to foster reflective discussions among teachers from diverse perspectives.
The session concluded with the school practice sharing from Caroline from Marymount Secondary School. She outlined the school-wide approach to promote MTV and highlighted the necessity to establish a Culture of Thinking. This culture is crucial for deepening the thinking abilities of both students and colleagues within the school environment.
Global Competence (GC) Session
For the GC session, EIE fellows, Alison, Caroline, Chun Ying, Eddy and Jolly took on the role of facilitators. They shared their explorations on the topic and invited participants to use LEGO to construct their understanding of “what does it mean to be Globally Competent”. They highlighted that while there are various frameworks in the education field related to the topic, it is essential to identify the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that we want students to possess. Besides, it is also crucial to contextualize and integrate these elements with existing frameworks, such as the Education Bureau's “Values Education” Framework.
To encourage discussion, participants engaged in a scenario activity where they reviewed a student’s profile. This activity prompted discussions about the values and characteristics exhibited by the students and provided an opportunity to explore ways to support them in becoming global thinkers.
In the final part of the session, Jolly from Fanling Kau Yan College shared her practice of incorporating a Global Thinking Routine - “See, Think, Me, We” into the Chinese History lesson. She described how this approach guided her students through a step-by-step process to develop their understanding of the Sino-Japanese War. The routine began with students watching a video related to the topic, then students expressed their thoughts and reflections on a Padlet. Following this, Jolly encouraged her students to inquire about their perspectives on the topic and engage in a poster design activity to reflect on the impact of the war on the wider community. By implementing this Global Thinking Routine, Jolly provided her students with a structured framework to dive deeper into the subject matter and consider the connection between the world and self.
EIE fellows also discussed the relationship between Global Competence and the existing school framework, such as the “Values Education” Framework proposed by the Education Bureau. They encouraged participants to identify opportunities to integrate GC within their specific learning environment, and emphasized the importance of designing student-centered activities that foster the development of GC.
School-based Discussion on Next Steps
The event concluded with a school-based discussion for EIEA schools to reflect on the key takeaway of the day and consider the next step moving forward. Schools reviewed what is currently thriving and robust in their respective environments. They also discussed strategies for effectively integrating MTV and GC into their contexts.
