{"id":17588,"date":"2026-10-15T10:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T02:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hktea.edu.hk\/?page_id=17588"},"modified":"2026-10-15T10:25:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T02:25:39","slug":"interview-article-by-prof-michael-botelho","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hktea.edu.hk\/zh\/interview-article-by-prof-michael-botelho\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Professor Michael Botelho"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Putting Students First<\/span><\/p><\/div>


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In an extensive interview, Professor Michael George Botelho traces his path to becoming a leading educational innovator in Hong Kong and explains how the road to healthy, effective student-<\/span>centred<\/span> learning is founded in empathy, <\/span>communication<\/span> and putting people first.<\/span><\/p>


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It has been a long journey for Professor Michael George Botelho that has led to The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and roles as Clinical Professor in Prosthodontics and Associate Dean of Student Wellness, with a reputation for driving pedagogical reform as an educational innovator and a<\/span> s<\/span>upporter<\/span> of students becoming partners in their own collaborative learning pathway.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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As a champion of an active learning approach that is student\u2011<\/span>centred<\/span>, Botelho encourages students to interact and declare their knowledge, thereby ensuring every student has a voice.\u202fHe has also expanded his scholarship into dental\u2011student wellness and mental health.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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The career of this seasoned educator began in the United Kingdom, where he graduated from the London Hospital Medical College and went into general dentistry practice. He then worked in Zimbabwe for a year, an experience that he describes as a \u201cfabulous adventure,\u201d before returning to the United Kingdom to complete his master\u2019s degree. Looking to develop a nascent interest in teaching, he worked in South Africa for several years before he got the call from HKU that would change his life and see him land in Hong Kong on 5<\/span> November<\/span>,<\/span> 1995.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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\u201cI have been here since, and that\u2019s where I finished my PhD and established my education career and pathway,\u201d Botelho comments.<\/span><\/p>


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Looking back, Botelho says that he was lucky to have \u201cgood schooling and a good upbringing.\u201d He adds that he initially considered medicine as a vocation because of family <\/span>connections, but<\/span> eventually decided it was not for him and went into dentistry. Though he says he <\/span>somewhat \u201cstumbled\u201d<\/span> into education, he also recalls <\/span>a number of<\/span> teachers who inspired him to pursue a career in academia. <\/span><\/p>


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He mentions a charismatic postgraduate studies <\/span>P<\/span>rogram <\/span>D<\/span>irector who <\/span>saw the light<\/span> of an educator in him. He also talks about the positive impact of a passionate secondary school biology teacher who was “approachable” rather than “hierarchical,” while a water polo coach instilled in him a sense of drive. He says they <\/span>essentially shaped<\/span> his view of what kind of teacher he wanted to become.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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Their influence and later experiences in the field taught Botelho that teaching is not just about the dissemination of information, but also the holistic development of the individual.\u202fHe admits that his primary goal now is to be an educator, not just a teacher, which means looking at the learning process from the perspective of the learner.<\/span> <\/span>
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\u2018Sage on the Stage\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/div>

This approach led to one of the most significant shifts in his career. In terms of a teaching style, he moved away from the “sage on the stage” model, where the teacher is the main authority and typically lectures to a passive class. Instead, he advocates for being a “guide on the side,” who encourages students to be more interactive, peer-teach, and actively declare their knowledge.<\/span><\/p><\/div>


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Instead of being an \u201corator giving a monologue to the class,\u201d Botelho says, a more active learning environment is taking \u201cany opportunity that you <\/span>have to<\/span> get the students to talk and explain their knowledge or <\/span>identify<\/span> misconceptions. For me, this is a much more meaningful learning encounter than somebody standing up and telling them how to do it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>

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Addressing the common stereotype about Asian learners being passive in the classroom, Botelho is quick to call this a <\/span>\u201c<\/span>misnomer.\u201d He praises Hong Kong students for being exceptional at group work and active learners when provided with the right environment and strategies. To ensure every student has a voice, he employs a Think-Pair-Share strategy to boost participation and interactivity. By wandering around the class with a microphone and asking targeted questions \u2014 especially to students on their phones \u2014 he ensures the learning encounter becomes a meaningful dialogue.\u202f<\/span><\/span> <\/span>
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Central to Botelho<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s teaching philosophy is the application of the learning sciences, which looks at evidence-based literature on how people\u202f<\/span>actually learn<\/span>. This enables the design of better teaching and environments for personali<\/span>s<\/span>ed learning, collaborative activities, gamification, learning <\/span>analytics<\/span> and teacher training.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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He emphasi<\/span>s<\/span>es several key concepts to help students achieve more. For example, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>space practice\u201d <\/span>generally avoids<\/span> “block teaching” and instead spreads learning out over time to allow for better assimilation and retention.\u202f\u201cRetrieval practice\u201d uses frequent quizzes to <\/span>identify<\/span> knowledge gaps and reinforce memory; while <\/span>\u201c<\/span>elaboration\u201d creates opportunities for students to talk through their knowledge, which inevitably deepens their understanding.\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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A firm <\/span>supporter<\/span> of the Socratic approach, Botelho places an emphasis on the <\/span>\u201c<\/span>special power\u201d of questions. He asks leading questions to help students <\/span>identify<\/span> their own misconceptions and build knowledge frameworks themselves. While this process can take longer, Botelho says it ensures students remember the material better because they “built that knowledge themselves.”\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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Pedagogical Goals<\/span><\/p>

He believes there is often a “technical transition gap” in healthcare education between learning theory in a lab and applying it to a real patient. To bridge this, he created a new level in the clinical skills framework known as \u201cMiller\u2019s pyramid,\u201d which assesses clinical competence. While traditional models focus on knowing and showing, his construct emphasi<\/span>s<\/span>es the\u202fcognitive preparation\u202f<\/span>required<\/span> to solve problems and make clinical decisions in real-life situations.\u202f<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n


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To support this, he uses\u202fVicarious Learning Dialogue Videos to record dialogue and highlight \u201cteaching moments,\u201d as problems are solved together through communication. Other students can then watch these videos to learn vicariously through peer experiences.<\/span><\/p><\/div>


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To support these pedagogical goals, Botelho has developed\u202fVox, a novel e-learning platform used across the university. Unlike traditional platforms that only deliver content, Vox is designed for interaction and dialogue. It <\/span>facilitates<\/span> a “flipped classroom” model, where students engage with content \u2014 such as videos, worksheets, or readings \u2014 before class. This leaves classroom time for deep discussion and problem-solving.\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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The next iteration of this platform will include professional and personal development portfolios. These tools are designed to develop student agency and autonomy, allowing them to track their achievements and reflect on their personal well-being in real-time<\/span>.  <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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One of Botelho\u2019s most provocative positions as an educator is moving away from the final end-of-year exam as the sole determinant of a learning outcome. He argues that waiting until the end of the year to assess students is “too late to be providing remedial support.” He compares this to<\/span><\/span> diagnosing a patient after they have had a heart attack, rather than <\/span>identifying<\/span> factors like the poor diet that led to it.\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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Botelho instead advocates for\u202fprogrammatic assessment, which is a system of continuous feedback and “mastery learning.” In his courses, students must achieve a 70% pass mark on weekly quizzes to <\/span>demonstrate<\/span> their <\/span>proficiency<\/span>. If they engage seriously with the platform and pass these continuous assessments, then he floats the idea that in the future, a traditional final exam may no longer be necessary.\u202f<\/span><\/span> <\/span>
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Prioriti<\/span>s<\/span>ing Student Wellness\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>

Botelho also addresses the diversity of student wellness needs. He says that he noticed there was a gap in how the university supported students. This is <\/span>essentially why<\/span> the position of Associate Dean of Wellness was proposed and created for him in 2025. Botelho believes every faculty should have a dedicated wellness lead to cope with an increasing number of students who have wellness issues. <\/span><\/span><\/p>


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Among his many initiatives are mentorship programs that transition the role of <\/span>\u201c<\/span>personal tutor\u201d to “personal mentor” and provide coaching on personal, academic, and clinical goals.\u202fMeanwhile, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>near-peer mentors\u201d draw on senior students to support juniors, as they best understand the pressures of the curriculum.\u202fBotelho adds that a university-wide platform (<\/span><\/span>wellness.hku.hk<\/span><\/span><\/a>) has also been set up to\u202fsolve the emotional, social, physical, and financial well-being issues that face students.\u202f<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n


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Looking to the future, Botelho sees both challenges and opportunities. While he admits the rise of AI will inevitably <\/span>impact<\/span> clinical practice and the role of the teacher, he believes the core of education will remain <\/span>\u201c<\/span>human-focused<\/span>.\u201d For him, the most important attributes of an educator are empathy, patience, enthusiasm, and the ability to see things from the student’s perspective.\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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His advice to fellow teachers and aspiring professionals is to focus on\u202fimpact. “How might you have impact within your course, within your faculty, within your life?” he asks. The answer, he says, is to be a\u202f”change agent” who prioriti<\/span>s<\/span>es the well-being and active engagement of learners. He insists educators can create a more effective, compassionate, and meaningful learning environment for the next generation.\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>


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Through his blend of rigorous learning science and innovative technology, Botelho serves as a powerful example of how a change agent can influence an entire institution. Even so, his journey to this point reminds us that the more traditional and softer skills of empathy, communication and putting people first truly define an exceptional educator.<\/span><\/p>\n

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