Schools should refer to the following guiding principles and the other ten SECG booklets in planning the whole-school curriculum that suits their contexts:
Ensure that common understanding and values of the school’s mission and prioritised goals are shared among school members; (Refer to Section 1.3 “The Road We have Travelled” of Booklet 1 and make reference to the mission and vision, major concerns and self-evaluation of schools.)
Refer to Booklet 1:
Section 1.3
Getting school members’ buy-in is conducive to the effective and sustainable school curriculum implementation.
Build on strengths in the light of school context; (Make reference to various sources for information, e.g. student performance, self-evaluation results and external review reports.)
• Design a learner-centred curriculum with the aim of promoting whole-person development and lifelong learning capabilities of students, especially on providing more space to students to learn at their own pace and in their own ways, helping them strike a balance between learning, play and rest and promoting their self-directed learning capabilities;
(Refer to Section 1.6 “Rationale for Ongoing Renewal of the School Curriculum” of Booklet 1 for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 1:
Section 1.6 How do we know if our curriculum is promoting lifelong learning and whole-person development among students?
Foster strategically a positive school culture, which centres on care, collaboration and good interpersonal relationship, to motivate school members to work towards the updated seven learning goals in a pleasant, supportive and safe
Refer to Booklet 2:
Section 2.3.1
Which learning goal(s) is/are more pertinent to my school’s current situation?
learning environment; and (Refer to the Updated Seven Learning Goals of Secondary Education in Figure 2.3 and the current school culture in promoting these learning goals.)
Provide a broad and balanced secondary curriculum aiming at building a solid foundation at the JS level and providing diversification and specialisation at the SS level.
(Refer to the components of the JS and SS curricula framework and suggested time allocation in Sections 2.3.2 and 2.3.4 of this booklet.)
Refer to Booklet 2:
Sections 2.3.2 & 2.3.4 Adequate time should be allocated to different subjects at the junior and senior secondary levels to achieve a broad and balanced design of the whole-school curriculum.
Design a whole-school curriculum with lateral coherence and vertical continuity across the eight KLAs, the five essential learning experiences, and learning experiences organised with the three interconnected components of the school curriculum framework, i.e. knowledge in KLAs, generic skills, and values and attitudes. (Refer to Section 2.3.1 of this booklet)
Refer to Booklet 2:
Section 2.3.1
Enhance the professional development of teachers and the deployment of resources to achieve the school curriculum goals. (Refer to Section 2.5 of this booklet.)
Refer to Booklet 2:
Section 2.5
Reflective Question
What are your past experiences in implementing the JS and SS curricula in your school context?
(1) Referring to and adapting the school curriculum recommended by the CDC; and providing a sufficient knowledge base for further studies and promotion of lifelong learning skills, positive values and attitudes to meet contemporary needs, and making appropriate school-based adaptations; (Refer to the School Curriculum Framework in Section 2.3 of this booklet for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 2: Fig 2.1
Does the curriculum framework of my school at the junior secondary level provide a sufficient and solid knowledge base for students covering eight KLAs?
(2) Sustaining students’ motivation and interest in learning Refer to Booklet 3
and encouraging self-directed learning through a wide repertoire of learning and teaching strategies, helping them connect learning to real-life contexts and real-world applications as well as understand how learning contributes to solving daily problems or bettering our lives, society and the world; (Refer to Booklet 3 “Effective Learning and Teaching: Developing Lifelong and Self-directed Learners” for more information.)
What learning and teaching strategies is my school employing to motivate students to learn and promote self-directed learning among them?
(3) Promoting assessment literacy to inform and improve the effectiveness of learning and teaching; (Refer to Booklet 4
“Assessment Literacy and School Assessment Policy” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 4 What key elements do I need to know as regards “assessment literacy” so that my students will benefit?
(4) Embracing and catering for learner diversity, and to cater for students’ different learning styles and pace, especially in the areas of special educational needs and education for non-Chinese speaking students; (Refer to Booklet 5
“Embracing Learner Diversity” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 5 What kind of learner diversity is my school facing? Are we embracing such diversity and adopting the appropriate approach to enhance students’
learning effectiveness?
(5) Strengthening lateral coherence by realising the existence of multiple perspectives across KLAs/subjects, connecting the knowledge and skills of different KLAs/subjects and providing opportunities for students’ application in daily lives, also helps co-ordinate and better connect learning within and across KLAs to avoid repetitions; (Refer to the recommendations on Major Renewed Emphases in Section 2.3 of this booklet and Booklet 6 “Four Key Tasks:
Towards Major Renewed Emphases” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 6 How often do teachers from different KLAs sit together to share and deliberate on teaching common skills to promote more effective learning with coherence and authentic contexts for skills and knowledge application?
(6) Providing the five essential learning experiences for promoting whole-person development of students throughout the secondary education, and to help them explore their potential, develop strengths and inspire creativity; (Refer to Section 7.3 of Booklet 7 “Life-wide Learning and Experiential Learning” for details of the five essential learning experiences.)
Refer to Booklet 7:
Section 7.3 Do I have a role to play in promoting the five essential learning experiences among students, whose intellectual development is different?
(7) Planning life-wide learning activities such as experiential Refer to Booklet 7
learning and career-related activities to broaden students’
learning experiences, widen their horizons, and foster whole-person development in authentic contexts beyond the classroom, and emphasising the importance of leisure, rest, recreation and sports in student development; (Refer to Booklet 7 “Life-wide Learning and Experiential Learning” for more information.)
“As research has taught us over many decades and many different cultures young people thrive when they are able to carry their learning across the contexts of classroom, school, home and community.”
(Prof John MacBeath, OBE) How do my students benefit from my school curriculum in terms of life-wide learning experiences?
(8) Enhancing vertical continuity and smooth progression in the interface between the curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment practices at each secondary level and between key stages; (Refer to Section 2.3 of this Booklet and Booklet 8 “Interfaces between KS2/KS3 and KS3/KS4” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 8 What strategies is my school using to enhance the interface between P6 and S1 as well as between KS3 and KS4?
(9) Paying special attention to, when planning the SS curriculum, the prior knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and learning experiences expected of students at the JS level, the balance between the breadth and depth of learning, theoretical and practical learning, as well as essential and optional components of learning in order to provide a flexible and diversified curriculum; (Refer to Section 2.3 of this Booklet and Booklet 8 “Interfaces between KS2/KS3 and KS3/KS4” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 8 Does my school keep track of students’ learning progression for their better articulation to senior secondary education?
(10) Providing choices and a reasonable number of SS elective subjects (i.e. at least ten elective subjects including Other Languages, ApL courses) and OLE by exercising professional judgement and flexibility to cater for students’
diverse interests, needs and abilities; (Refer to Booklet 8
“Interfaces between KS2/KS3 and KS3/KS4” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 8 Does my school provide adequate choices of senior secondary elective subjects to students?
(11) Providing ApL courses to cater for further studies, vocational and professional needs, and strengthening administrative support to cater for the diverse needs of students, especially those with aspirations to pursue VPET (e.g. pilot early commencement of some ApL courses at
Refer to Booklet 9 Does my school offer ApL course(s)? If not, what are our major considerations?
What is the relationship
S4, along with opportunities for taster programmes); (Refer to Booklet 9 “Career and Life Planning - Multiple Pathways for All Students to Excel” for more information.)
between ApL and “Vocational and Professional Education and Training” (VPET)?
(12) Deploying resources flexibly to achieve the school curriculum goals; and (Refer to Booklet 10 “Quality Learning and Teaching Resources” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 10 What resources does my school have for achieving the curriculum goals? What external resources could I get hold of?
(13) Providing timely and diversified professional learning opportunities to teachers to help enhance their awareness, knowledge, skills, values and attitudes when dealing with curriculum change and sustain progress, facilitate change and strengthen the ongoing cycle of professional development through setting up communities of practice within school and with other schools and encouraging teachers to share and construct knowledge together. (Refer to Booklet 11 “Professional Development and Schools as Learning Organisations” for more information.)
Refer to Booklet 11 Is my school a community of practice where professional learning is ongoing and targeted towards enhancing students’ learning?