Embarking On A Mysterious Cryptography Journey

Inspired by Education in the UK

Yunice took up the role of a Math teacher during her master’s degree in the UK (MSc in Mathematics). She recalled her vivid memory of how her teachers inspired students by adopting an interactive teaching style, which was very different from Hong Kong’s education.

“Hong Kong teachers usually cramp their students with learning materials, whereas teachers in the UK emphasize hugely on student creativity and communication skills. They often asked questions and guided the students to come up with answers, which got me thinking: what does ‘quality education‘ really mean?”

Yunice jumped at the opportunity to join the TFHK fellowship programme when she saw the posting on social media, with hopes to gain first-hand experience in bringing innovative and unconventional teaching methods to Hong Kong. Creating the ‘Mystery And The Hidden Secret Society‘ was one of her attempts.

Dare to try! “Mystery And The Hidden Secret Society”

Yunice explained that the name of the club ‘Mystery And The Hidden Secret Society‘ was short for MATHS. Rather than naming it the ‘Maths Society’, she created the mysterious and fantastical name to make the society more appealing to the students.

The learning materials were heavily inspired by puzzle-solving and detective work. Students gather once a week to learn basic decoding skills, i.e. mathematical cryptography. To add to the fun, she designed various puzzle games and mystery riddles for the students. For instance, there was this task where students searched through the entire library for a piece of paper that held the hint. When they held a flashlight to the paper, they could rearrange the alphabets to put together the answer. Not only did this game train the students’ observation skills but also their creativity and problem-solving skills.

In addition to cryptography training, Yunice also organized various experiential activities. In the ‘One-day Disney Puzzle-solving Event‘, students enjoyed exciting rides and solved mysteries. For example, she gave the students Black-and-white photos of different rides in the park, and they had to figure out the location and take a picture with it. The students also had the opportunity to participate in the Escape Room excursion a while ago. She recalled how excited the students were to experience the Escape Room for the first time and that they enjoyed solving puzzles with their friends.