昔日文章

While international studies have shown that Hong Kong students perform well in reading, mathematics and science, the " spoon-feeding " approach in the education system is still a great concern.  Literally speaking, to spoon-feed someone means to give them food with a spoon. This expression normally applies to babies and toddlers, who only need to swallow the food on the spoon.  Its figurative use was first found in a poetry collection by an English poet, Robert Browning, in 1864.  " So, minds at first must be spoon-fed with truth. "  Nowadays this term is widely used in the domain of education to describe mechanical drilling, rote memorisation, and passive learning. To spoon-feed students means to give them information and answers to the extent that they do not need to do any analysis or exploration but only memorisation of facts.  There are different views on the spoon-feeding culture. While some people think that taking initiative and critical thinking are in children's best interests, some argue that spoon-feeding of learning materials may lead to better exam results. What do you think?  國際研究顯示，香港學生在閱讀、數學和科學表現良好，可是，填鴨式（spoon-feeding）的教育制度依然令人十分關注。 從字面意義來說，to spoon-feed someone的意思是用匙子給他們餵食物。這個說法通常適用於嬰幼兒，因為他們只需吞下匙子上的食物。 這個字的比喻意義首次見於1864年英格蘭詩人羅伯特．白朗寧所撰寫的詩集。 “So, minds at first must be spoon-fed with truth.”  今天，這個術語在教育領域廣泛用來形容機械式操練、死記硬背和被動學習。To spoon-feed students的意思就是倚重給予學生資料和答案，以至於他們無需做任何分析或探究，而只需記誦事實。 人們對填鴨式灌輸的文化持不同意見。一些人覺得積極主動和批判思考能力才是符合兒童的最佳利益，但是有些人卻認為填鴨式灌輸學習材料或能帶來較佳的考試成績。你有甚麼看法呢？     捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation

See Saw Margery Daw Johnny shall have a new master    He shall have but a penny a day    Because he can't work any faster.  Have you ever listened to this nursery rhyme? "See Saw Margery Daw ", a traditional playground song, was published in London in the 18th century. Some scholars have suggested that it is the origin of the word "seesaw ".  However, the word "seesaw " appeared as early as 1640 in a British play script.  It was used as a rhythmical jingle sung by sawyers, who were working a two-man saw back and forth over wood or stone. Children playing on a long plank imitated the sawyers' rhythms and their repetitive movement.  The word "seesaw "is a reduplication. During the word-formation process, the consonant "s " is doubled with a different vowel.  In the old days, the design of the seesaw was very simple and basic. Nowadays, seesaws are made in eye-catching shapes and with creative features. Have you seen an attractive one ?  你曾否聽過這首童謠？See Saw Margery Daw是一首傳統的遊戲童謠，於十八世紀在倫敦出版。一些學者提出，這首童謠是seesaw一字的起源。 不過，seesaw一字早於一六四零年在一部英國話劇劇本中就出現了。 從前，鋸工一邊用雙人鋸在木頭或石塊上進行往復切割的工作，一邊用seesaw一字唱出具節奏感的短歌。坐在長木板上玩耍的兒童模仿鋸工的韻律和他們的重複動作。 Seesaw是重疊字。在詞彙形成的過程中，重複輔音s，但元音則不同。 昔日蹺蹺板的設計十分簡單而基本。現今蹺蹺板的形狀搶眼，且帶有具創意的特色。你有沒有見過一個惹人喜愛的蹺蹺板？       捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation  

Nora and Liam always spend their lunch hours in the library, they are library helpers. Due to their passion （熱愛）for reading, they have a strong sense of belonging（歸屬感）in the library. One of the roles （職責）of Nora and Liam is to alert （提醒）students when a book on the waiting list is returned by inputting（輸入）update information into the school computer. They help to sort the returned books by categories（種類）and the school librarian, Miss Sezto, is responsible to put them back on shelves.  Due to the Coronavirus Covid-19, the school was closed for months, like all other schools in Hong Kong. Now students can go back to school, but the library is still closed. Miss Sezto has been out of town（出埠）and was able to come back to Hong Kong only very recently（近期）. She has to go through a quarantine（檢疫隔離）period of fourteen days. This is a preventive measure（預防措施）from the Hong Kong Government. Without Ms. Sezto, the books students returned are piling（疊放）up in heaps（一堆堆）on the floor. No one can walk through. Seeing this, the principal suggested closing down the library after the first week of school. What a dismay（氣餒）to Nora and Liam. They always have a thirst（渴望）for reading.  Putting the books back on the shelves will simply provide a solution to the situation, but should Nora and Liam voice out（提出）to volunteer? They are students after all. Who should they speak with? What would you do if you were Nora and Liam?  I must know my place（懂分寸）in the first place. As a student, if I put back the books and made a mistake, I would be severely（嚴重地）blamed by whoever uses the library. Miss Sezto would not thank me for helping because it would be more work for her to rectify（矯正）my mistake(s). Also, it would be so very awkward（尷尬）to go directly to the principal as he did not even know me at all. I’d choose to keep my mouth shut and go to the nearest public library instead.  There might be other students who also wanted to use the library. Though the principal might not know me before, I had nothing to lose to speak my mind（說出我的想法）. Or I could ask my class teacher to ask the principal for me.   

" Is she really in need of help or is she just cheating me ? "  Marionette was on her way home after school. Just when she stepped out of the MTR turnsile （轉閘機）, there came（迎面而來）a lady with an empty stroller （嬰兒車）in one hand, a toddler （小孩）in the other, and on her back was another baby dozing off（半睡）.  The flustered（慌亂）lady approached（接近）Marionette and sought（尋求）for help. She explained that she was supposed to meet her husband but had been waiting for over an hour. She claimed that her mobile phone went out of battery（電池）. With two kids and a stroller, she asked for money so she could go home by taxi and would not have to ride on the MTR. She was not asking for much, just thirty dollars which was totally affordable（付得起） . Marionette could have just given her the money as a kind gesture（姿態）. She has been taught by her parents that she should be helping people if it is within her capability（能力）. Yet, Marionette was uncertain （不肯定）if she should give help by giving money. She hesitated（不肯定）for a while. The lady upon seeing her reaction（ 反應）quickly reiterated（ 反覆講） her urgency. Marionette's hesitation was reasonable（合理）. If this was just a plot（陰謀）to cheat people, she should not foster（助長）that.   What would you do if you were Marionette?  Instead of giving the lady the full amount of $30, I’d just give her ten, so if she was really in need, I had helped her a little. To play safe, I’d not let her have any of my contact, name or number, and I’d not ask for the money to be returned.  I’d ask her for her husband’s mobile number and use my own phone to call him to let him know his wife’s location and situation. If she refused my offer, I’d just walk away. I’d politely tell the lady that I would notify the information desk and let the staff come help her out. I’d not judge whether she was really in need or just a crook（騙子）.