School learning is often assumed to be abstract, independent, cognitive, and predetermined. Yet, this kind of learning is often disconnected from the lived-in world; in a school setting, learners often forget the course material within a year of completion. Yet, many studies have shown that humans often learn in practice; affective, social, and physical experiences often contribute to cognitive learning and far transfer of knowledge. In this seminar, Dr. Tang introduce a pedagogical approach called “Participatory Action Research” (PAR) which attempts to link abstract learning with actual practice by arranging learners to conduct mini-ethnography in an unfamiliar field. By reviewing their response papers, such an approach is found to engage the learners to 1) identify nuances in learned concepts and 2) relate the learned concepts with their everyday life. Furthermore, learners who have deep reflection in their papers are often found to have close affective, social, and physical encounters in their field.

Dr. Tang Wai Man, Wyman is a lecturer in Anthropology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has taught three General Education courses, namely, UGEA1333 Multiculturalism and China, UGEC1685 Drugs and Culture and UGEC1835 Culture of Hong Kong. Dr. Tang’s research interests include migration, sports and South Asian cultures. He is currently researching a South Asian sport, kabaddi, with the focus its educative value for intercultural education in Hong Kong. Dr. Tang received the Exemplary Teaching Award in General Education 2020.

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