Hwa-Wei Ko

Wireless and mobile technologies to enhance teaching and learning

This research aims to build a Wireless Technology Enhanced Classroom (WiTEC) that supports everyday activities unobtrusively and seamlessly in classroom contexts. This paper describes the integration of wireless LAN, wireless mobile learning devices, an electronic whiteboard, an interactive classroom server, and a resource and class management server to build the WiTEC. This contains a number of features that can support class members in various types of teaching and learning activities. Project-based learning is taken as a scenario to elaborate how teachers and students can engage in teaching and learning via WiTEC. Finally, a number of suggestions are discussed for further study.

Estimating the Effect of Word Predictability on Eye Movements in Chinese Reading using Latent Semantic Analysis and Transitional Probability

Latent semantic analysis (LSA) and transitional probability (TP), two computational methods used to reflect lexical semantic representation from large text corpora, were employed to examine the effects of word predictability on Chinese reading. Participants’ eye movements were monitored, and the influence of word complexity (number of strokes), word frequency, and word predictability on different eye movement measures (first-fixation duration, gaze duration, and total time) were examined. We found influences of TP on first-fixation duration and gaze duration and of LSA on total time. The results suggest that TP reflects an early stage of lexical processing while LSA reflects a later stage.

Sustaining teacher change through participating in a comprehensive approach to teaching Chinese literacy

An overview is presented of a three-year project aimed at helping Chinese language teachers in Taiwan refine ways that Chinese, an ideographic language that differs markedly from alphabetic English, is taught in primary schools. Guided by university staff in Taiwan, Hong Kong University and a Taiwanese non-government social enterprise, 20 experienced Taiwanese Chinese language teachers visited Hong Kong, observed literacy lessons, held in-depth discussions with principals and teachers, and engaged in seminars that helped them reflect on ways to modify practice in Taiwan. Back in Taiwan, they tried out techniques witnessed in Hong Kong, shared their experiences with colleagues in and beyond their own school, and evaluated their relevance for language teaching in Taiwan. Experiences were exchanged via practical demonstrations of techniques, video-recordings of lessons, accounts of new ways to teach Chinese, interviews and progress reports on an Internet forum. The outcomes are an example of positive teacher change.

Applying wireless and mobile technology to promote productive interaction

Productive interactions can enhance meaningful learning. Through applying computer technology appropriately, classroom interactions can be preceded more effectively and productively. In view of this, this study presents and applies the WiTEC, a learning environment that adopts ubiquitous computing and wireless learning devices with various interaction-supporting functions, to promote productive interaction between members in the classroom. This study first clarifies the definition and critical factors of productive interaction and illustrates the interrelationship between WiTEC and productive interaction. Then, seven WiTEC-enhanced interaction modes that integrate the features of WiTEC are identified. Furthermore, the features and modes are summarized to reveal how using WiTEC can promote productive interaction.

Do reading practices make a difference? Evidence from PIRLS data for Hong Kong and Taiwan primary school Grade 4 students

This study examined the influence of classroom pedagogic reading practices and out-of-school practices in explaining why the reading attainment of Hong Kong Grade 4 students was superior to that of their counterparts in Taiwan in the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. Analyses of scores from 9301 students (4712 from Hong Kong and 4589 from Taiwan) revealed that independent reading in school made a distinctive contribution to the reading performance of Hong Kong and Taiwan students after controlling for the effects of students’ and parents’ reading attitudes, the availability of supportive home educational resources and student engagement in a range of reading practices. Out-of-school informational reading was found to be negatively associated with students’ reading attainment for both Hong Kong and Taiwan students. There was evidence that reading aloud in class in Taiwan classrooms significantly contributed to the Taiwan students’ poor reading performance.

The learning and teaching of reading literacy of chinese students in hong kong and Taiwan: Guest editors introduction

Shek Kam Tse is the director of the Center for the Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research and a professor of Chinese language education at the University of Hong Kong. Hwa Wei Ko is the director of the Graduate Institute of Learning and Instruction and a professor at the National Central University. The editors thank the Hong Kong SAR Government and the University of Hong Kong for granting permission to translate and publish the research reports and papers in English. Gratitude is also extended to Prof. Gerard A. Postiglione and Dr. Terry Dolan for their kind assistance. Chinese Education and Society, vol. 42, no. 3, May/June 2009, pp. 3–5.