Comparative Study On Professional Competencies Of Mandarin Teachers In Hong Kong

Since the 1960s researchers at home and abroad have been studying the professional development stages of teachers. The comparative study on novice-expert teachers has become an important topic for the study on the teaching proficiency development. The purpose of this study is to identify the differences between novice teachers and expert teachers and provide a theoretic basis for teaching staff training and development. Some Chinese researchers argue that there is a transition between novice teachers and senior teachers, namely proficient teachers. We also draw on this theory to make a study of the professional competency of Mandarin teachers in Hong Kong. However, because Mandarin teaching in Hong Kong only lasts ten years, many teachers still fall short of the criteria for expert teachers in terms of length of teaching. Therefore, this study attempts to categorize Mandarin teachers into three groups: novice teachers, proficient teachers and senior teachers.As the professional competency of a teacher covers many aspects, this study approaches the topic by starting with teaching strategy, because the teaching strategy can best reflect how well a teacher can teach and a solid knowledge of the teaching strategy is the key to effective teaching. To measure the level of teaching strategy adopted by different types of teachers, we use the Measuring Table of Teaching Strategy for Mandarin Teachers in Hong Kong we design ourselves for quantitative study. This table consists of three parts: pre-class strategy, in-class strategy and after-class strategy. The pre-class strategy includes two elements-planning strategy and preparing strategy. The preparing strategy in turn encompasses preparing for students, preparing teaching materials and preparing teaching methods; the in-class strategy comprises nine elements-lecturing strategy, questioning strategy, discussion strategy, incentive strategy, strategy of creating classroom environment, adaptive teaching strategy, strategy of employing nonverbal methods, strategy of classroom management and strategy of teaching time management; the after-class strategy involves four elements-homework management strategy, evaluation strategy, thinking strategy and remedy strategy. Based on the data available, we have analyzed and discussed each and every element in detail.The result shows the level of teaching strategy differs significantly among novice teachers, proficient teachers and senior teachers. Novice teachers tend to focus on pre-class strategy but, in terms of in-class strategy, still fail to master the major teaching strategies that require flexible and comprehensive teaching knowledge; when it comes to after-class strategy, novice teachers fall far behind proficient and senior teachers. This shows novice teachers remain at a low level of thinking; Proficient teachers concentrate mainly on in-class teaching strategy, but address the pre-class teaching strategy considerably less than novice teachers do and focus slightly less on the after-class strategy compared with senior teachers; Senior teachers focus much on after-class teaching strategy but significantly less on pre-class strategy compared with novice teachers and concentrate almost the same attention on some auxiliary in-class strategies. Senior teachers do best in major teaching strategies like lecturing and discussing. This also indicates that senior teachers enjoy sound teaching capabilities but still lag behind expert teachers.Based on the results mentioned above, during the course of training teachers, it is necessary to motivate novice teachers to teach skillfully as soon as possible and to improve the thinking capabilities of proficient teachers and the research capabilities of senior teachers.