Dr. Serene Chan
Biography
Dr. Serene Chan is the Programme Director (Research Development) of the Laboratory and Program for Creativity and Talent Development, Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education at the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong. She is an experienced language teacher and curriculum developer. She has previously taught in the United States, Costa Rica, and Macau. Her academic interests focus on creativity enhancement, early career awareness, talent development, and teacher training. Currently at the University of Hong Kong, she co-ordinates the Master of Education Specialism in Gifted Education and Talent Development, and she teaches graduate courses in creativity, gifted education, and talent development. In addition, she has extensive experience providing consultancy and curriculum support to teachers in local primary schools and kindergartens. She has assisted in the editing of several issues of the newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Federation on Giftedness.
Invited Symposium Title
Talent development and early career awareness: A creative cross-disciplinary workshop for primary school students
Invited Symposium Description
Early career awareness activities can be useful for children’s growth and development. Having increased knowledge about adult occupations may affect children’s talent development in positive ways. In this presentation, findings from a career development workshop for children aged 7 to 9 will be shared. In the workshop, children expressed their career aspirations through creative means. To explore the children’s conceptions of future aspirations, their creative work was analysed and interviews were conducted. It was found that these activities heightened children’s self-awareness and helped develop their talents. Practical implications and suggestions for further research will be discussed.