A pioneering PhD research programme into ICHK’s Human Technologies programme is officially underway at school.

Education University of Hong Kong lecturer Elke Van dermijnsbrugge is spending one day a week at ICHK, gaining a deeper insight into and understanding of the HT curriculum.

This first, pilot phase of the project, will see her following Human Technologies teachers Doug Kidd and Natalie Bailey and their classes. She will use the knowledge she gains to shape the focus of her research.

Elke will investigate the rationale behind and the genesis of Human Technologies, focusing on how teachers relate to Human Technologies, and how, on the one hand, it shapes their values and beliefs and, on the other, how their translation of policies and standards are shaped through their engagements with HT.

She will investigate how is it possible for ICHK to be part of systems like the IB and simultaneously be able to think about and ‘do’ education ‘differently.’

The project marks a significant point in the development of ICHK, and follows increased international attention from education leaders over the past year.

Elke has been working closely with ICHK since the beginning of 2018, on an International Baccalaureate (IB) funded research project on Free Learning.

During this time she gained insights into the pedagogies and educational philosophies that are at the centre of ICHK's teaching and learning. She came to the conclusion that ICHK caters for something ‘different’, for a kind of education that many schools talk about, but very few actually put into practice.

Elke was particularly interested in Human Technologies because of its unique perspective, its potential for application across countries and cultures, and the ways that it shines a new light on individual and social being.

We are delighted to welcome Elke to ICHK, and we look forward to working with her on the PhD study.