Press Release: HKU Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project “Social-emotional learning through play: Helping children stay connected in times of challenges” Result Announcement Online Symposium
新聞稿：香港大學賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃成果公告暨網上研討會 「從遊戲中學習社交情緒：協助兒童在逆境中保持聯繫」
Updated on February 22, 2022 (Tue)
HKU Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project
“Social-emotional learning through play: Helping children stay connected in times of challenges”
Result Announcement Online Symposium
The Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project (the Project), implemented by the Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education (CAISE), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, organised a project-end online symposium entitled Social-emotional learning through play: Helping children stay connected in times of challenges on February 22, 2022. The event was attended by more than 560 participants, including educators and parents. The pre-recorded opening address was conducted by the Guest of Honour, Mrs Chan Siu Suk-fan, Deputy Secretary, Education Bureau, HKSAR.
The two keynote speeches highlighted the importance of interactive play in children’s learning and health. Professor Nirmala Rao, Serena H C Yang Professor in Early Childhood Development and Education, Academic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences, Faculty of Education, HKU, delivered a speech entitled Supporting playful learning in the early years: Challenges and opportunities in the COVID-19 era. She discussed the pandemic’s impact on children’s leisure and learning activities. Citing international examples, she provided suggestions as to how schools could continue to engage their children in learning and how parents can be supported to facilitate play at home.
Another keynote titled Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on socio-emotional development of children: Challenges and opportunities, was delivered by Dr Patrick Ip, Paediatrician, Clinician Scientist, Clinical Associate Professor at HKU with expertise in Child Health and Development, and the President of The Hong Kong Paediatric Society. Speaking from a paediatrician’s perspective, he explained the role of quality parent-child interactive play among other factors in building children’s resilience during the pandemic. He also shared evidence suggesting good family functioning and parent-child relationship are as ever more important at present times in supporting a better growth and holistic development of children.
Three workshops were also held in which parents, teachers and community members who had participated in the Project recounted their moments of discovery. The rationale of the parent education programme was illustrated with a specific focus on the interactions between communication techniques and the outcomes of play. The notion of communication was expanded in the featured comments from teacher participants to include home-school collaboration, in which play served as a common language. The power of play was also a key aspect of the play stories told by participants who found themselves using play in their own social groups and reaping success in interpersonal relationships and personal development.
Dr Mantak Yuen, Chief Investigator, confirmed that the Project had brought positive influences to young children and enhanced parents’ positive attitudes toward play as an educative process. Adults and children playing together can improve relationships and foster social-emotional health. Appreciation, a key element in play education, is practiced as adults and children learn to praise and give thanks to each other for the rewarding moments in playing. This “culture of appreciation” was a significant part of the Project and was extended to cross-generation interactions in various community sectors.
During the online symposium, Dr Sylvia Liu, Project Director, recapped the Project and thanked The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous support over the past 3.5 years. All output pledges were met in full, and the total reach of the Project events was 16,900, which exceeded the originally committed number of beneficiaries. The Project was implemented in 14 kindergartens with encouraging results which were in part driven by the parent education programme. The team organised 230 seminars, workshops, practice sessions, and game ambassador workshops with nearly 4,200 attendees benefitting from the programmes.
The Project reached across the community, touching and transforming many lives as early childhood educators, families with children and other members of society embraced the power of interactive play and spread positive energy in their social groups. The more than 7,000 adults directly engaged by the Project, including some 850 kindergarten teachers, experienced first-hand how the unique play education training could enhance social interactions and induce communication. These trained adults delivered enriching “learning through play” experiences to the nearly 5,600 children they taught or met in the Project.
The education resources used in this Project are accessible on the Project website (https://www.jcplayngain.edu.hku.hk/symp2022?lang=en), and the recordings of the symposium will also be uploaded to the above website.
Photos from previous events can be viewed and downloaded at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14BAIUpFrf7FyUuNKPEEsj2PwOBCAD0Bl?usp=sharing.
About the Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project
The Jockey Club “Play n Gain Project” is a play education programme funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and implemented by CAISE in the Faculty of Education at HKU. The project was developed from a research-based play education programme used effectively in Hong Kong for over 10 years. The conceptual framework underpinning the project is the “Social Star Mirror Model” created by Dr Liu in 2015 to improve children’s social-emotional learning through playing face-to-face interactive games. Fourteen kindergartens have adopted this approach in which parents join forces with teachers to create positive social learning experiences for children. The parents ultimately become skilled and knowledgeable in applying games as a positive aid to increasing children’s social and emotional development, and they are able to apply the skills at home and in community settings.
Upon completion of the funding under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust on February 28, 2022, the Project will continue running under HKU in fostering social skills and emotional development of young children through playing interactive games.
For media enquiries, please contact Ms Virginia Cheung, Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project (Tel: 3917 5828 / Email: [javascript protected email address]), or Ms Emily Cheung, Senior Manager (Development and Communications), Faculty of Education, HKU (Tel: 3917 4270 / Email: [javascript protected email address]).
February 22, 2022
香港大學賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃成果公告暨網上研討會
「從遊戲中學習社交情緒：協助兒童在逆境中保持聯繫」
由香港大學教育學院融合與特殊教育研究發展中心（教研發展中心）推行、香港賽馬會慈善信託基金捐助的賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃（以下簡稱「計劃」）於 2022 年 2 月 22 日舉辦網上研討會，主題為「從遊戲中學習社交情緒：協助兒童在逆境中保持聯繫」。是次網上研討會超過560人參與，當中包括幼兒教育工作者和家長，並得到香港特別行政區教育局副秘書長陳蕭淑芬女士擔任嘉賓致辭（預錄）。
兩場專題演講主要探討互動遊戲對兒童學習和健康的重要性。分別由香港大學教育學院溝通、發展與資訊科學學部楊雪姫基金教授（幼兒發展與教育科）劉麗薇教授，以及兒科專家，身兼香港大學兒童及青少年科學系臨床副教授、臨床科學家及香港兒科醫學會會長葉柏強醫生主講。劉教授的講題為「支援幼兒時期以遊戲學習：COVID-19疫情時期的挑戰與機遇」，探討疫情對兒童休閒和學習活動的影響，並引用國際例子，建議學校如何繼續讓學童投入學習活動，以及如何支援家長在家中跟孩子玩遊戲。
葉醫生的講題為「COVID-19 疫情對兒童社交情緒發展的影響：挑戰與機遇」，葉醫生從兒科專家的角度討論兒童的健康發展，講解具質素的親子互動遊戲如何在疫情期間建立兒童的抗逆力，並以論證說明良好的家庭職能和親子關係對於支持兒童成長和全面發展，在當前尤為重要。
隨後三場工作坊中，部分參與計劃的家長、教師和社區團體成員回顧其得著，並闡釋家長教育課程的理念，尤其是有效運用遊戲與子女溝通技巧的相互作用。在遊戲促進溝通的議題中，有教師特別分享家校合作的細節，展現遊戲如何成為家校之間的共同語言。在其他參與者所講述的遊戲故事中也體現出遊戲的力量，他們各自在社交圈子中實踐互動遊戲，並成功促進人際關係和個人成長。
計劃首席研究員袁文得博士證實，此計劃提升家長的積極態度，讓他們認同遊戲是有效的教育方法，並對兒童產生了正面影響。成人和兒童一起玩互動遊戲可以改善人際關係，並促進兒童社交情緒健康。「欣賞」是遊戲教育中的一個關鍵要素，成人和兒童能在遊戲中體驗到互相讚美和感謝的感動時刻。這種「欣賞文化」是計劃的重要成果，並擴展至社會各層面，促進跨代之間的互動。
在是次網上研討會中，計劃總監廖秀卿博士亦回顧計劃成果，並感謝香港賽馬會慈善信託基金過去三年半的慷慨支持。計劃的整體目標已經全面達到，受惠人數高達16,900，遠超預期的受惠人數。計劃於14間幼稚園推行，成績令人鼓舞，尤其是家長教育課程。團隊過往更舉辦了230場研討會、工作坊、實習課和遊戲大使工作坊，約4,200名參加者受惠於不同的活動。
隨著教師、家庭和社會人士領略到互動遊戲的意義，並在他們各自的社交圈子傳播正能量，此計劃已逐漸滲透至社區令更多人受惠。7,000多名成人親身體驗獨特的遊戲教育培訓，了解如何增強社交互動和促進溝通，當中包括約850名幼稚園教師。他們訓練有素，協助帶領遊戲活動，為近 5,600名兒童帶來「遊戲中學習」的寶貴體驗。
本計劃的教育資源已上載至計劃網站（https://www.jcplayngain.edu.hku.hk/symp2022），稍後亦於該網站上載是次研討會的錄像。
下載活動相片，請瀏覽﹕https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14BAIUpFrf7FyUuNKPEEsj2PwOBCAD0Bl?usp=sharing。
關於賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃
賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃是由香港賽馬會慈善信託基金捐助、香港大學教育學院教研發展中心推行的一個社交情緒學習項目。該計劃建基於一項已在香港有效實施了十多年的遊戲教育研究，以「社交閃星星」學習概念模型（Social Star Mirror Model）（Liu, 2015）為基礎，運用面對面的互動遊戲，提升幼兒的社交技能和情感發展。計劃在14間幼稚園推行，培訓家長與教師攜手為孩子建構正面的社交學習體驗，讓家長運用相關的知識技巧，將遊戲變成提升孩子社交情感發展的好幫手，並適用於家庭以至社區。香港賽馬會慈善信託基金將捐助計劃至 2022 年 2 月 28 日，香港大學將繼續推行計劃，通過互動遊戲培育兒童的社交技能和情緒發展。
傳媒查詢，請聯絡賽馬會「玩學相長」計劃張凱欣女士（電話：3917 5828 / 電郵：[javascript protected email address]）或香港大學教育學院高級經理（發展及傳訊）張可恩女士（電話：3917 4270 / 電郵：[javascript protected email address]）。
2022年2月22日