A new version of an Active Learning Environment

Today I joined a group of Mainland Chinese students who are studying at a University in Canada, currently in Hong Kong for a summer school. Although they are studying economics, finance and business, they are required to complete a module on History.

Their course is run by a wonderfully eccentric Welsh Professor of History. Each week during their stay, they are taken on a field trip. Today's trip was to Happy Valley, probably better known for its racecourse where the coach dropped us off. It wasn't the horses we went to see though, rather we walked up the road for a few minutes until we arrived at the Cemetery!

I heard about this trip last week and asked to join them! I recently bought a book called "forgotten souls" which is a history of Hong Kong though the lives of the ordinary people now residing in cemeteries on the Island so this was perfect timing

The students had started the morning with a lecture to get them primed, then, armed with some task sheets, they broke into groups and went exploring.

I stayed with the prof to gleen as much information from him as I could.

It was a beautiful day, hot but happily, not humid and it was very pleasant wandering around finding the last resting places of famous names from Hong Kong's rich history alongside memorials to sailors who had died whilst at sea. An amazing number had died after "falling from aloft"

The picture shows the area which is occupied mainly by children, very sad, but a reminder about the mortality rate 150 years ago. It also shows the prof still finding new things to interest him despite having visited many times.

There are several such places on the I and, and I will definitely be adding one of them to my "places to see" list.

After the visit, we returned to the racecourse to look at the Jockey Club museum, interesting, but we were more grateful for the air conditioning!