Dr LAM, Chi Ming    林志明 博士
Acting Head
Department of International Education
Contact
ORCiD
0000-0002-5902-2891
Phone
(852) 2948 8458
Fax
(852) 2948 8877
Email
chimingl@eduhk.hk
Address
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong
Website
https://pappl.eduhk.hk/rich/web/person.xhtml?pid=121358&name=LAM, Chi Ming
Scopus ID
55042418500
SDGs
3 - Good Health and Well-Being
4 - Quality Education
10 - Reduced Inequality
11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Research Interests

Philosophy of Karl Popper, Philosophy for Children, Critical Thinking, Confucianism



Personal Profile

Chi-Ming Lam is Associate Professor of the Department of International Education at the Education University of Hong Kong. He served as Associate Head of the Department between 2014 and 2020, and is currently Acting Head of the Department. He has pioneered the research on Philosophy for Children in Hong Kong since 2003 and has presented it in invited lectures at home and abroad. He is the Hong Kong representative for the Philosophy with Children and Youth Network for Asia and the Pacific.

Chi-Ming publishes in the fields of philosophy of Karl Popper, critical thinking, Confucianism, and Philosophy for Children. His books include Childhood, Philosophy and Open Society: Implications for Education in Confucian Heritage Cultures (2013), Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Education in the Asia-Pacific Region (co-edited with Jae Park, 2016), and Philosophy for Children in Confucian Societies: In Theory and Practice (edited, 2020). He serves on the Board of Editorial Consultants for the Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, on the Editorial Board of the Educational Philosophy and Theory for the annual special issue on Chinese Philosophy of Education, on the Advisory Board of the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network, and on the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Subject Committee for Ethics and Religious Studies.

Chi-Ming was educated at the University of Hong Kong, where he obtained a first-class honours degree in Education and a PhD in Philosophy of Education. He worked as a secondary school teacher for two decades in Hong Kong, having headed the Integrated Science Department and the Guidance and Counselling Team, before embarking on a career in higher education. He won the Teaching Award from the Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning in 2014 and from the Faculty of Education and Human Development in 2016 at the Education University of Hong Kong.

Research Interests

Philosophy of Karl Popper, Philosophy for Children, Critical Thinking, Confucianism



Research Outputs
Scholarly Books, Monographs and Chapters
Research book or monograph (author)
Lam, C. M. (2013). Childhood, philosophy and open society: Implications for education in Confucian heritage cultures (www.springer.com/978-981-4451-05-5). Singapore: Springer.
Chapter in an edited book (author)
Lam, C. M. (2024). A Philosophy for Children approach to cultivation of humility in Confucian contexts. In J. C.-K. Lee, & K. J. Kennedy (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of life and values education in Asia (pp. 38-45). London: Routledge. https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003352471-6
Yip, S. Y.-W., Holman, J., & Lam, C. M. (2024). Career and life planning education in Greater China: A Hong Kong case that brings East and West together. In J. C.-K. Lee, & K. J. Kennedy (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of life and values education in Asia (pp. 140-156). London: Routledge. https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003352471-19
Lam, C. M. (2024). A philosophical approach to teacher education. In W. W. K. Ma (Ed.), Engaged learning and innovative teaching in higher education: Digital technology, professional competence, and teaching pedagogies (pp. 213-231). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2171-9_13
Lam, C. M. (2023). Education for the future: Cultivating thinking through thinking about thinking. In C. Hong, & W.W.K. Ma (Eds.), Applied degree education and the shape of things to come (pp. 301-318). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd..
Lam, C. M. (2020). Conclusions: Philosophy for children in Confucian societies. In C. M. Lam (Ed.), Philosophy for children in Confucian societies: In theory and practice (pp. 183-187). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M. (2020). Confucianism and critical rationalism: Friends or foes?. In R. Hung (Ed.), Cultivation of self in East Asian philosophy of education (pp. 6-15). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M. (2020). Fostering thinking and English proficiency through Philosophy for Children in integrated humanities classes in Hong Kong. In C. M. Lam (Ed.), Philosophy for children in Confucian societies: In theory and practice (pp. 70-99). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M. (2020). Introduction: The significance of Confucianism in the world. In C. M. Lam (Ed.), Philosophy for children in Confucian societies: In theory and practice (pp. 1-6). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M. (2020). Is it possible to teach critical thinking to Hong Kong students through Philosophy for Children?. In C. M. Lam (Ed.), Philosophy for children in Confucian societies: In theory and practice (pp. 22-34). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M. (2016). Does Confucianism hinder critical thinking in education?. In C. M. Lam & J. Park (Eds.), Sociological and philosophical perspectives on education in the Asia-Pacific region (pp. 179-192). Singapore: Springer.
Lam, C. M. (2016). Fostering rationality in Asian education. In C. M. Lam & J. Park (Eds.), Sociological and philosophical perspectives on education in the Asia-Pacific region (pp. 9-22). Singapore: Springer.
Lam, C. M., & Park, J. (2016). Introduction: A sociological and philosophical approach to education. In C. M. Lam & J. Park (Eds.), Sociological and philosophical perspectives on education in the Asia-Pacific region (pp. 1-8). Singapore: Springer.
Lam, C. M. (2015). Philosophy as engagement for rationality. In T. Besley, M. Peters, & J. White (Eds.), PESA Conference 2014: Conference papers (pp. 28-39). Claremont, Western Australia: Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia.
Lam, C. M. (2012). Using "Harry" to foster critical thinking: An exploratory study in Hong Kong. In C. S. Lee & J. W. Park (Eds.), Thinking education through philosophy (pp. 151-174). Seoul, South Korea: The Korean Academy of Teaching Philosophy in School.
Lam, C. M. (2009). A sociological deconstruction of childhood for justice. In W. C. Turgeon (Ed.), Creativity and the child: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 15-24). Oxford, England: Inter-Disciplinary Press.
Lam, C. M. (2009). A justification for children’s capacity to do philosophy. In E. Marsal, T. Dobashi, & B. Weber (Eds.), Children philosophize worldwide: Theoretical and practical concepts (pp. 569-581). Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Peter Lang.
Lam, C. M. (2008). Is Popper’s falsificationist heuristic a helpful resource for developing critical thinking?. In M. Mason (Ed.), Critical thinking and learning (pp. 93-108). Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Lam, C. M. (2005). Is Popper’s falsificationist heuristic a helpful resource for developing critical thinking?. In M. Mason (Ed.), 34th Annual PESA Conference: Critical thinking and learning: Values, concepts and issues (pp. 288-301). Claremont, Western Australia: Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Inc.
Lam, C. M. (2002). Is using ICT a helpful means of developing children’s thinking?. In K. S. Volk & W. M. W. So (Eds.), Science & Technology Education Conference 2002 Proceedings (pp.108-114). Hong Kong, China: Printing Department.
Lam, C. M. (2001). Supporting ESL students in science lessons. In J. Clark, T. Higginbottom, B. Li, R. Matwiejczyk, & B. Ng (Eds.), QEF funded project: Ensuring excellence in English language education in public sector schools in Hong Kong (pp. 49-51). Hong Kong, China: Printing Department.
Edited book (editor)
Lam, C. M. (Ed.). (2020). Philosophy for children in Confucian societies: In theory and practice (https://www.routledge.com/Philosophy-for-Children-in-Confucian-Societies-In-Theory-and-Practice/Lam/p/book/9780367137274). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Lam, C. M., & Park, J. (Eds.). (2016). Sociological and philosophical perspectives on education in the Asia-Pacific region (http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789812879387). Singapore: Springer.

Journal Publications
Publication in refereed journal
Lam, C. M. (2025). Building ethical virtual classrooms: Confucian perspectives on avatars and VR. Computers & Education: X Reality, 6, 1-8, Article 100092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cexr.2024.100092
Lam, C. M. (2023). A Confucian approach to teaching humility. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 55 (2), 207-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2022.2112032
Lam, C. M. (2023). A Philosophy for Children approach to professional development of teachers. Cambridge Journal of Education, 53 (1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2022.2056143
Lam, C. M. (2021). The impact of Philosophy for Children on teachers’ professional development. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 27 (7), 642-655. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.1986693
Lam, C. M. (2021). Development of thinking and language skills through philosophy: A case study in Hong Kong. Cambridge Journal of Education, 51 (1), 127-142.
Lam, C. M. (2020). Fostering critical thinking and English proficiency through philosophy in ESL classrooms. Schools: Studies in Education, 17 (2), 255-270.
Hanaei, S., Takian, A., Majdzadeh, R., Maboloc, C. R., Grossmann, I., Gomes, O., Milosevic, M., Gupta, M., Shamshirsaz, A. A., Harbi, A., Burhan, A. M., Uddin, L. Q., Kulasinghe, A., Lam, C. M., Ramakrishna, S., Alavi, A., Nouwen, J. L., Dorigo, T., Schreiber, M., … Rezaei, N. (2020). Emerging standards and the hybrid model for organizing scientific events during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness (Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.406), xx, xx-xx.
Lam, C. M. (2019). Integrating philosophy into English curriculum: The development of thinking and language competence. The Journal of Educational Research, 112 (6), 700-709.
Lam, C. M. (2018). Multidimensional thinking in a digimodernist world. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50 (14), 1525-1526.
Lam, C. M. (2017). Confucianism and critical rationalism: Friends or foes?. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49 (12), 1136-1145.
Lam, C. M. (2014). Confucian rationalism. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 46 (13), 1450-1461.
Lam, C. M. (2013). A Popperian approach to education for open society. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 45 (8), 845-859.
Lam, C. M. (2012). The disablement and enablement of childhood. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 22 (2), 147-167.
Lam, C. M. (2012). Continuing Lipman's and Sharp's pioneering work on Philosophy for Children: Using "Harry" to foster critical thinking in Hong Kong students. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 18 (2), 187-203.
Lam, C. M. (2008). Deconstructing childhood as a way to justice. Paideusis: International Journal in Philosophy of Education, 17 (2), 27-37.
Lam, C. M. (2007). A justification for Popper’s non-justificationism. Diametros: An Online Journal of Philosophy, 12, 1-24.
Lam, C. M. (2007). Is Popper's falsificationist heuristic a helpful resource for developing critical thinking?. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 39 (4), 432-448.
Lam, C. M. (2004). Philosophy for Children in Hong Kong: A pilot study. Thinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children, 17 (3), 24-29.
Lam, C. M. (2003). A justification for teaching children to be rational. New Horizons in Education, 48, 64-75.
Lam, C. M. (1998). The hard-sell and soft-sell of gender stereotypes in advertising. Gender Studies: News and Views, 14, 16-18.

Conference Papers
Invited conference paper
Lam, C. M. (2024, June). Leveraging philosophy for children programme: Fostering dialogic teaching and promoting internationalization of education. Invited paper presented at IE EdUHK-School of Education SCNU International Forum 2024, Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2023, November). A philosophical approach to teacher education. Invited paper presented at International Conference on Engaged Learning & Innovative Teaching in Higher Education (ELITE) 2023, Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2021, November). Rationality as an educational aim. Invited paper presented at 6th Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN) Congress and Prize Awarding Festival, Istanbul, Turkey.
Lam, C. M. (2020, November). Critical rationalism. Invited paper presented at 5th Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN) Congress and Prize Awarding Festival, Tehran, Iran.
Lam, C. M. (2019, November). Contribution of Confucianism to the development of critical thinking in modern society. Invited paper presented at Chinese People’s Federation for World Peace (CPFWP) World Assembly 2019, Taipei, Taiwan.
Lam, C. M. (2013, August). Promoting Popper's critical rationalism through engaging children in doing philosophy. Invited paper presented at 5th Philosophy with Children and Youth Network for Asia and the Pacific (PCYNAP) International Conference and Workshop, Jinju, South Korea.
Lam, C. M. (2003, November). A justification for teaching children to be rational. Invited paper presented at International Conference on Educational Leadership in the New Millennium, Hong Kong, China.
Refereed conference paper
Lam, C. M. (2024, June). Reimagining teacher education: A philosophy for children perspective. Paper presented at Reimagining Teachers and Teacher Education for Our Futures Conference 2024, Helsinki, Finland.
Lam, C. M. (2022, August). Is it mission impossible to teach critical thinking through P4wC in Confucian classrooms?. Paper presented at 20th Biennial International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC) Conference, Tokyo, Japan.
Lam, C. M. (2019, July). Integrating philosophy into school curriculum for global citizenship: A case study in Hong Kong. Paper presented at 19th Biennial International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC) Conference, Bogota, Colombia.
Lam, C. M. (2017, April). Does Confucianism impede rationality in education?. Paper presented at 52nd Annual Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB) Conference, Oxford, England.
Lam, C. M. (2016, April). A sociological and philosophical approach to education. Paper presented at Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK) Annual Conference 2016 on Learning to Live Together & Comparative Education, Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2014, November). Philosophy as engagement for rationality. Paper presented at 44th Annual Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) Conference on Education as Philosophies of Engagement, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Lam, C. M. (2012, December). When Popper meets Lipman: Promoting falsificationism through Philosophy for Children. Paper presented at 42nd Annual Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) Conference on Education Crossing Boundaries, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Lam, C. M. (2011, July). Using "Harry" to foster critical thinking: An exploratory study in Hong Kong. Paper presented at 15th International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC) Conference, Jinju, South Korea.
Lam, C. M. (2009, July). A sociological deconstruction of childhood for justice. Paper presented at 5th Global Conference on Creative Engagements, Oxford, England.
Lam, C. M. (2005, November). Is Popper’s falsificationist heuristic a helpful resource for developing critical thinking?. Paper presented at 34th Annual Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) Conference on Critical Thinking and Learning (Plenary Speaker), Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2004, July). A pilot study on whether children can and should do philosophy in Hong Kong. Paper presented at International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) World Assembly 2004, Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2002, June). Is using ICT a helpful means of developing children’s thinking?. Paper presented at Science & Technology Education Conference 2002, Hong Kong, China.
Other conference paper
Lam, C. M. (2004, May). A justification for teaching children to be rational. Paper presented at Postgraduate Research Conference 2004, Hong Kong, China.
Lam, C. M. (2002, June). Is using ICT a helpful means of developing children’s thinking?. Paper presented at Postgraduate Research Conference 2002, Hong Kong, China.

All Other Outputs
Review of books or of software
Lam, C. M. (2019). [Review of the book "In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp: Childhood, Philosophy and Education", edited by M. R. Gregory & M. J. Laverty] (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2019.1689815). Educational Philosophy and Theory, retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131857.2019.1689815 (1-3). Educational Philosophy and Theory, retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131857.2019.1689815.
Postgraduate research theses
Lam, C. M. (2010). Engaging children in doing philosophy to promote an open society. Hong Kong, China: University of Hong Kong.

Projects
Emerging Standards and the Hybrid Model for Organizing Scientific Events During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
The purpose of this project is to review the current status of scientific events in the COVID-19 pandemic and to propose a solution for overcoming the barriers to organizing efficient and safe scientific events in this pandemic.
Project Start Year: 2020, Principal Investigator(s): Sara Hanaei (LAM, Chi Ming 林志明 as Co-Investigator)

 
Philosophy for Children in Confucian Societies: In Theory and Practice
The purpose of this project is to contribute to the theory and practice of Philosophy for Children, with a special emphasis on theoretical and practical issues confronting researchers and practitioners working in contexts that are strongly influenced by Confucian values and norms.
Project Start Year: 2018, Principal Investigator(s): LAM, Chi Ming 林志明

 
Understanding Global Issues through Cross-Faculty Collaborations
This study is part of the TDG funded project (PI: J. Lee, B. Adamson, and P. Stapleton) and it aims to investigate global awareness of Hong Kong students who participate in university courses with global elements
Project Start Year: 2016, Principal Investigator(s): LEE, Chi Kin John 李子建, ADAMSON ROBERT DAMIAN 鮑勃, STAPLETON R PAUL , TAM, Cheung On 譚祥安 (LAM, Chi Ming 林志明 as Co-Investigator)

 
Philosophy in Schools: Promoting Thinking and English Competence in Hong Kong Students
This project aims to determine to what extent a Philosophy in Schools programme facilitates the development of thinking skills and English competence in ESL students in Hong Kong.
Project Start Year: 2015, Principal Investigator(s): LAM, Chi Ming 林志明

 
Developing Life and Employment Skills
This project aims to develop specialized courses and coherent programmes in Life and Employment Skills, drawing upon the multi-disciplinary specialists and the UNESCO connections within HKIEd.
Project Start Year: 2015, Principal Investigator(s): ADAMSON, Robert Damian 鮑勃 (LAM, Chi Ming 林志明 as Co-Investigator)

 
Development of High Quality E/Blended Learning Materials for Honours Project I for Five-Year BEd Programme (Phase I)
This project aims at developing high quality e/blended learning materials for the Honours Project I course of the five-year BEd programme.
Project Start Year: 2014, Principal Investigator(s): (LAM, Chi Ming 林志明 as Co-Investigator)

 
Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Education in the Asia-Pacific Region
This project aims to collaboratively address key issues or challenges facing primary, secondary, and tertiary education from a sociological and philosophical perspective in the Asia-Pacific region.
Project Start Year: 2013, Principal Investigator(s): LAM, Chi Ming 林志明, PARK, Jae Hyung 朴宰亨

 
Philosophy for Primary Students in Hong Kong
This is a pilot project aimed at facilitating research into the theory and practice of promoting critical and creative thinking in local primary students through philosophical inquiry.
Project Start Year: 2010, Principal Investigator(s): Dr LYKINS, Chad (LAM, Chi Ming 林志明 as Co-Principal Investigator)

 
Philosophy for Secondary Students in Hong Kong
This project aims to carry out a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of Lipman's Philosophy for Children programme in fostering critical thinking of local secondary students.
Project Start Year: 2003, Principal Investigator(s): LAM, Chi Ming 林志明