Professor Alexander LOKE Receives Teaching Excellence Awards for 2020/21
Warmest congratulations to Prof Alexander LOKE for being one of two recipients of the University’s Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) this year.
Prof Loke aims to inculcate in students a love for deep learning. He teaches students that the key to building a sophisticated understanding of the law is to start with the simple, to progressively build in the complexities, and to relish the process of revising their analytical frameworks to accommodate each new layer of complexity.
Prof Loke places students at the centre of the knowledge-building process by making them take ownership of their learning. In tutorials, each student is given the opportunity of leading the class through their conception of a thorough discussion of the question assigned. Their fellow students then have the task of critiquing or adding to their answer. Whether the comments relate to structure, narrative or substance, each class member is instructed to contribute with a view to building an even more sophisticated answer. Mistakes and errors are seen not as causes for embarrassment, but learning opportunities. And good answers are rendered even more sophisticated, whether by fellow students or by Prof Loke. A student should leave each class feeling that they have learnt something more – and enjoying the process.
Prof Loke encourages holistic learning through the use of linkages to connect the different topics and subject areas. The use of mind maps is highly encouraged to help with understanding new topics, as he frequently reiterates the importance of the links between topics and seeing the law as a whole. At the same time, he emphasises to students that a good lawyer is valued for their ability to dive into the details and nuances, and critically, their ability to work with the “complexities”. The student’s learning experience involves stepping into details, as well as stepping back to appreciate the bigger picture. “This ability to descend into the micro, and to move with equal ease into the macro cultivates mental acuity and the ability anticipate likely developments,” he said.
The TEA affirms Prof Loke’s dedication to teaching. The award will be formally presented at the Commencement scheduled for May this year, and Prof Loke’s name will be added to the permanently displayed register of CityU TEA recipients. Prof Loke will receive a cash prize of HK$15,000 for professional development and a teaching grant of HK$ 150,000.
熱烈祝賀香港城市大學法律學院陸飛鴻教授獲本年度香港城市大學傑出教學獎 (Teaching Excellence Award)。陸教授與城大另一名同事共獲殊榮。
在教學中，陸教授專注於培養學生對於深入學習(deep learning)的熱愛。他教導學生深入理解法律的關鍵在於，學生應當由淺入深加強學習，並享受就不同的複雜層面調整分析框架的過程。
陸教授將學生視為知識構建過程的中心點，鼓勵他們自主掌控其學習過程。在導修課(tutorials)上，每位學生均有機會用其所理解的最佳方式來充分討論獲分配的問題，以此引導課堂討論。其他同學則須對該同學的分析作批判或補充。評論可與架構有關，也可以是關於其敘述方式或實質性內容。其他同學在課堂中的角色，是通過貢獻自己的想法來共同構思更為完整深入的答案。陸教授認為錯誤或紕漏的分析給大家提供更多的學習機會，同學不該為此感到尷尬。在同學或陸教授的幫助下，一個好的答案還能作更深入的探討。這套教學方法的目的在於使學生在下課後，能感受到獲益良多，並享受學習時的過程。
陸教授主張全面學習觀，將不同專題及法學科目通過“鏈接學習”的方法聯繫起來。儘管思維導圖法被認為是瞭解新專題的有效方式，他還經常強調在不同專題間建立聯繫及將法律視為一個整體的重要性。同時，他亦強調好律師應尋根究底，研究個案中的細節、差異，更為關鍵的，是其靈活應對「複雜層面」的能力。在學習體驗中，學生既能進入微觀細節的探索，又能回到宏觀問題的掌控。陸教授說：「靈活進出微觀和宏觀層面的分析能力，將有助提升智識敏銳度、把握未來發展趨勢的能力」。
傑出教學獎肯定了陸教授的教學熱忱。該獎項將於今年五月舉行的學位頒授典禮上正式頒發。陸教授的名字將收錄在香港城市大學傑出教學獎獲獎者的永久名冊。陸教授亦將獲 15,000 港元的獎金，用作專業進修用途，以及150,000港元的教學研究資助金。