John Sir

John (also known as Eric) is a principal co-founder of EHLA. Over the years, he has collaborated closely with professors, educators, linguists, scholars in innovative technology from the University of Oxford, publishing experts, and other accomplished teachers to address the challenges of traditional teaching and learning models. Together, they have explored how to enhance educational ecosystems to improve teaching and learning efficiency. Years ago, some of his ideas resonated with Professor John Furlong, former head of Oxford’s Department of Education, and other respected Oxford scholars, such as linguist Adrian Bullock. Their support, encouragement, and guidance have been instrumental in shaping EHLA’s development trajectory.

During a visit to Oxford, Eric and his brother presented EHLA’s initiatives to numerous esteemed academic colleagues, including Dr. Niall Winters, who was then the Co-Convener of Learning and New Technologies. This led to a collaborative agreement between EHLA and Oxford University Innovation, signed in March 2017.

John has over a decade of experience in researching and developing resources aimed at improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning for Hong Kong’s DSE as well as international English qualifications (such as iGCSE, IB, and IELTS). Notably, EHLA’s DSE learning and teaching resources have now been adopted by numerous mainstream schools in Hong Kong. John leads the Hong Kong team in collaborating with education research teams from the UK and the US and heads EHLA’s “Innovative Teaching and Learning Support Programme” for Hong Kong schools and the specialised “DSE Teaching and Learning Support Initiative.” Under the name “John,” he has engaged with over 100 schools and more than 1,000 English department heads and teachers. He also regularly shares EHLA’s research insights and valuable resources with students in large classroom settings.

It is worth noting that John’s presentations are not solely his individual effort but rather a collective endeavour supported by EHLA’s research and education teams. He acts as a spokesperson, sharing the collective insights of the entire EHLA team.

Although Eric’s professional background lies in international business law, tax law, mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs, his passion for education led him to leave a long-standing career at one of the “Big Four” international accounting firms over a decade ago. He also established a professional services firm to help fund EHLA’s research endeavours.

Some activity snapshots of Eric/Teacher John

2018 and 2019 School Conferences and Sharing (Photos)

Speech on the Career Forum of ACCA

Invited by ACCA, as a guest speaker on the Career Forum

A Public Speech

Sharing at City University of Hong Kong

Sharing in a Career Forum (photos)

Invited by Hong Kong Bank of Communications Trustee Ltd to share the practical issues commonly faced in IPO and the view on the application of trust arrangements.

Sharing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Lecturing at the International Business School of Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou (photos)