Mr. Lau is a typical gifted youngster with some learning difficulties. In fact, these students not hard to find at Kung Lee College.
Mr. Lau transferred to Kung Lee during the 15/16 academic year to study under the two-year VET Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme. Before that, he spent time studying in America. "After I completed Form 4 in Hong Kong, I found that I could not develop my potentials under the local education system. I wanted to go to America to experience the learning environment there. My parents gave me permission, so off I went to America. At the beginning, I studied at a high school, where my academics were quite good, with a GPA above 3. Later, I thought that I hadn't reached the requirements for getting into university, so I continued my studies at a community college. During my year at community college, my academics completely collapsed," reflected Mr. Lau.
"While studying at community college, I lost all my interest in learning. In an environment as free as America, with nobody to force you to go to school, I ended up frequently missing school, staying up late, going to many parties, racing cars and playing video games. I did all the things that a student should not do, and I did them more and more. One day, I finally thought that I could not continue allowing myself to fall even deeper, so I decided to come back to Hong Kong to start my life anew."
After coming back to Hong Kong, Mr. Lau still wanted to continue his studies. After exploring many different schools and programmes, he decided to settle on Kung Lee College.
"My studies in America were recognised by many Hong Kong schools, so I received quite a few offers, but in the end I chose Kung Lee College. What attracted me was the experiential learning experience of the VET programme. Everything in this programme, including lesson materials, learning modes, learning environment, and homework design, is based on real life situations, which made it easier for me to immerse myself in the programme and construct my own answers to questions posed by teachers. I also appreciate the practical tasks that are set for students, because I feel like I could touch my success. The practical aspect of this programme makes it so much easier to understand." Mr. Lau's description accurately represents the essence of experiential learning programmes such as the one offered by Kung Lee. These programmes are specifically designed for students who are not good at abstract thought, but can imagine practical scenarios and methods for work in their minds. Every student has unique talents, so how can a single curriculum or assessment method meet the demands of all students?
Mr. Lau found his natural habitat by coming to study at Kung Lee. In the past, while studying in Hong Kong, his academics were not bad, and he was often a member of the top class in his grade. However, he never had many opportunities to develop his potential. He likes to interact and social with people, but he was never given many chances to do so in his previous schools. Now, he is a student leader at Kung Lee College. He is the chairman of the Rotaract Club, the Head Prefect, an ICT Prefect, and has taken up important roles in the annual Chinese New Year Market stall. Even though he could not participate in the HKDSE examination as a VET student, he regained a proactive attitude towards life and learning.
"Having come to Kung Lee College, I found that I do not really like learning subjects such as Physics and Chemistry, but I must enter university. Universities do not just offer these traditional subjects. I enjoy more practical subjects, so a Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme should be very suitable for me. I will continue developing my life and career in this direction."