教育改革及香港和中國大陸的教師專業發展

Educational Reform and Teacher Development in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland

自90年代開始，香港和中國大陸的學校教育系統已經歷過一浪接一浪的教育改革，而兩地的學校和教師則需要不斷地迎接改革的挑戰。繁多的改革措施不只要求教師改變其習以為常的教學範式，更驅策他們扮演改革者的角色，參與甚至領導校內改革的非教學工作。本文從教育改革的角度探討香港及中國大陸的教師專業發展問題。討論將集中於情境因素對兩地的教師工作和教師專業發展方向的影響。討論範圍將包括在社會、社區、學校系統、學校及課室中呈現的情境因素，及這些因素如何影響教師的工作和教師發展。本文亦將探討影響教師專業自主性的主導意識及權力形態，並指出，當專業權威呈弱勢甚或不存在時，有關的改革措施將以由上而下的方式施加予教師身上。無論社會的情境如何轉變，教師的專業發展及教師教育的方向將不斷受制於行政指令及官僚體系。在這情況下，教師專業的保守性將會是在充滿憂慮及低沉的士氣中不斷作自我延續。教師的專業發展只會被視為一種狹隘的知識增長及技能上的改進。檢視兩地的情況，教育改革乃建基於一種「不足的教學模式」，即只肯定教師的知識、技能及素質上的不足，卻沒有讓他們在專業上獲得真正的發展。

This paper addresses issues in teacher development in two Chinese societies， Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. It examines the impact of contextual factors on the direction of teacher development and the orientation of teacher education that aims to improve the quality of the teaching force. It is argued that when professional authority is weak or nonexistent， reform measures are imposed on teachers in a top-down manner. Moreover， when the societal context changes rapidly， the direction of teacher development and the orientation of teacher education are dominated by policy mandates and bureaucratic control. In this context， conservatism in the teaching profession can be explained by the perpetuation of a work ethic that is ridden with anxiety and frustration. Teacher development is confined to the development of knowledge and skill， for the current thinking in both Chinese societies reflects a “deficit model of teaching”. Poor teaching quality results from deficiencies in knowledge， skills， or qualities in individual teachers. This paper addresses the issues in the conditions of teaching and teachers’ work， which are borne from the changing context of society and schooling in both societies. Issues include status of teachers in the community， changes in the nature of teachers’ work， job-related satisfaction and frustration in schools， and teaching in segregated classrooms. These discussions draw attention to the limits of education reform and points out that the development of teachers is frequently impeded by false assumptions about their teaching. For a new professionalism in teaching to emerge， teachers in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland should devise strategies for their own empowerment. Such strategies should treat as basic ingredients a sense of purpose， collegiality， and room for growth. Only when teachers can truly reflect on their own life and work and empower themselves can their development transcend its present orientation toward technical competence and compulsion.