Curriculum Management

3.4.1 Areas of Work

In managing the school-based ICT curriculum, teachers should:

(a) Understand the Curriculum and Learning Context

 Understand the Senior Secondary Curriculum Guide (2009) and the Senior Secondary Information and Communication Technology Curriculum and Assessment Guide (2007) with a view to adapting the central curriculum in school-based curriculum development;

 Understand the school’s vision and mission, strengths and policies, as well as students’ abilities and interests; and

 Understand the community culture and the changing needs of society.

(b) Plan and Implement the Curriculum

 Design and implement schemes of work to help students achieve the curriculum aims and learning targets of the senior secondary ICT curriculum; and

 Design modes of assessment and tasks to promote assessment for learning.

(c) Evaluate the Curriculum

 Review the senior secondary ICT curriculum and teaching and learning on a regular basis through collecting data from different sources, analysing student learning, and making adjustments whenever necessary.

81 (d) Develop Resources

 Develop, collect and organise learning and teaching resources and allow students to access them whenever needed;

 Make effective use of schools and community resources to facilitate student learning of ICT; and

 Expand and share learning and teaching resources by exploiting the use of an e-learning platform.

(For more ideas on learning and teaching resources, please refer to Chapter 6 “Learning and Teaching Resources”.)

(e) Build Capacity

 Keep abreast of the latest curriculum development, teaching strategies, subject knowledge and advances in technology; and

 Build face to face and electronic networks with other schools, and conduct peer lesson observations to foster mutual support and share the best practices in delivering the ICT curriculum.

3.4.2 Roles of Different School Personnel

Managing the ICT curriculum efficiently to promote effective learning and teaching requires a clear division of duties and collaboration among ICT teachers, TE KLA co-ordinator / ICT panel chairperson and the school head, who have different roles in the planning, development and implementation of the school-based ICT curriculum.

(a) ICT Teachers

To help in implementing the school-based ICT curriculum, ICT teachers are encouraged to:

 acquaint themselves fully with the structure, organisation and learning targets of the curriculum;

 help students to identify their specific area(s) of interest in ICT;

 explain clearly to students the overall aims, learning targets, and expectations of the school-based ICT curriculum;

 foster an active learning environment for students, strengthen their skills in learning how to learn, and help to develop their full potential in learning ICT;

 initiate the sharing of teaching ideas, knowledge and experiences to foster peer collaboration, support and professional exchange to improve the learning and teaching of ICT;

 keep abreast of the latest developments in ICT curricula and innovations in ICT; and

 participate actively in professional development courses, workshops, seminars, etc. to enhance professionalism.

82 (b) TE KLA Co-ordinator / ICT Panel Chairperson

TE KLA co-ordinator / ICT panel chairperson steers and co-ordinates the development and management of the school-based ICT curriculum, and monitors its implementation.

He/she also serves as a “bridge” between the school administration and ICT panel members. TE KLA co-ordinator / ICT panel chairperson should lead the panel to:

 set a clear direction and plan for its own school-based ICT curriculum;

 decide on which modules to offer in the Elective Part, taking into account students’

needs, interests and prior knowledge in ICT, as well as teachers’ strengths and practical constraints;

 collect and analyse evidence of students’ learning to make informed decisions in curriculum planning and instruction;

 monitor the implementation of the curriculum, and make appropriate adjustments in strategies for learning and teaching; and

 manage and use the learning and teaching resources, including hardware, software and computer rooms, systematically and effectively.

To facilitate coordination and collaboration among panel members, TE KLA co-ordinator / ICT panel chairperson is encouraged to:

 appoint level co-ordinators and work closely with them to ensure coherence in planning, instruction and collaboration among teachers;

 hold regular meetings (both formal and informal) to discuss matters such as schemes of work and choice of textbooks, and to explore curriculum strategies to enhance the quality of learning and teaching;

 promote professional exchange on subject knowledge, learning and teaching strategies by means of peer coaching and lesson observation, collaborative lesson preparation and team teaching;

 encourage panel members to participate in professional development courses, workshops, seminars, etc.; and

 make the best use of the resources available in school.

83 (c) School Head

School head takes the leading role in planning, directing and supporting school-based curriculum development. With regard to ICT, he/she must understand the needs of the students, the strength of the ICT panel and the organisational culture of the school. School head is encouraged to work closely with deputy head(s)/academic master(s) to carry out the following functions:

 Understand students’ needs, strengths and interests, as well as the significance of learning ICT in their whole-person development;

 Understand the strengths of teachers, and assist the TE KLA co-ordinator / ICT panel chairperson to deploy teachers flexibly to teach the Compulsory and Elective Parts of the curriculum;

 Co-ordinate the work of KLA leaders and subject panels, and set clear targets in curriculum development and management;

 Provide support for trying out new initiatives in the learning and teaching of the ICT curriculum (e.g. flexible time-tabling to facilitate collaborative teaching and peer lesson observation among teachers; and flexible grouping of students for topics of different kinds);

 Convey a clear message to parents regarding the significance of ICT education; and

 Network with other schools to facilitate professional exchange of information and sharing of good practices.

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