Public seminar on “Play and the Hong Kong Guide to the Pre-Primary Curriculum” co-organised with the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

The Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association – Hong Kong Chapter (PECERA-HK) and the Hong Kong Institute of Education were very pleased to have co-organized a seminar on “Play and the Hong Kong Guide to the Pre-Primary Curriculum” on Mar 28, 2014 (Friday).

The Hong Kong Guide to the Pre-Primary Curriculum (CDC, 2006) confirms the value of children learning through play and recommends it as an important part of the early childhood curriculum. Confucian values are also endorsed in the Guide (2006) and parental preference for academic curricula influences the curriculum (Chan & Chan, 2003). Local research (Fung & Lee, 2008) has questioned whether kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong have beliefs and practices that are compatible with the child-centred approaches to play recommended in the Guide. With the impending revision of the Guide, this presentation encouraged participants to engage with and reflect on questions such as: Is there a place for child-centred approaches to play in the Guide? What kind of play should be encouraged in kindergartens in Hong Kong? What is the place of parental preference and teachers’ beliefs and practices in the pre-primary curriculum? These are important and ongoing considerations for kindergarten curricula in Hong Kong. The presentation encouraged participants to share ideas about these questions, rather than providing answers to the questions.

It is our honor to have Professor Sue Grieshaber as our Guest Speaker. Professor Grieshaber is Chair Professor and Head, Department of Early Childhood Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education. Her main research areas are early childhood curriculum, policy, pedagogy and families. She has published widely about her research interests and is foundation co-editor of the internationally known journal Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. The presentation draws on ideas from one of her recent books, The Trouble with Play(Grieshaber & McArdle, 2010; Open University Press).