Home-school communication is essential to strengthening the concerted efforts of schools and parents in improving students’ learning. Schools are advised to:
a. Establish a partnership with parents in educating their children.
b. Help parents understand that standardised learning and teaching processes and materials alone cannot help children achieve all-round development. Rather, diversified learning and teaching modes, strategies, contexts and resources can maximise students’ potential.
c. Help parents understand the purposes of assessment. The rank order of their children in class through aggregated scores does not necessarily reflect the actual abilities of their children. A better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of children enables parents to help them make improvement and progress.
d. Communicate with both parents and students, e.g. by means of a school newsletter, open-door parent-teacher conferences, a parent bulletin board and assignment notebooks.
e. Use different strategies to engage all families in the learning of their children.
Children do well in schools when parents have expectations of their studies, encourage the productive use of their time and provide learning experiences as a regular part of family life.
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1. Meaningful homework has positive and beneficial effects in reinforcing and facilitating classroom learning, stimulating thinking, encouraging active independent learning, developing interests and fostering a closer relationship between learning in school and at home. Moreover, it facilitates a closer liaison between parents and the school.
2. Homework should not be set for its own sake, but should have expected learning outcomes. In view of the wide variation in students’ learning needs, abilities and home environment, there are no hard-and-fast rules about the frequency, amount and type of homework that should be set at each class level. This is a matter in which teachers are expected to exercise professional judgment in accordance with the needs of their students and provide learning support such as scaffolding and learning cues. Homework that focuses on mechanical drilling, repeated copying and rote learning should be avoided.
3. In devising a homework policy, schools should take into account the students’
physical and mental development and other important demands on their after-school time. It is important that each school should have a written homework policy and that the head of school can work with or appoint the primary school curriculum leader/class teachers to monitor and review the implementation of homework policy at different classes. The policy should be worked out in consultation with the teaching staff and parents. It should be reviewed constantly, so that a balance is maintained between the demands of various subjects and the learning needs of the students. For more details of guidelines on homework, please refer to EDBC018/2015 “Guidelines on Homework and Tests in Schools – No Drilling, Effective Learning”, Chapter 8 on “Meaningful Homework” of the
“Basic Education Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 - Primary 6)” (2014), Booklet 4 on
“Assessment Literacy and School Assessment Policy” of the “Secondary Education Curriculum Guide” (2017) and curriculum documents of other subjects and other learning experiences.
4. The following are some examples of variety in homework:
a. Reading outside class
Teachers may advise students on how to choose suitable reading materials according to the contents of teaching, which is very important in education. After students have finished reading, teachers may ask them to share with other classmates the content of the book or to give their views on how the content is related to the aim of the lesson or daily life experiences. Students are therefore
trained to speak to the whole class, which in turn helps enhance their confidence and ability in verbal expression and raises their interest in reading.
b. Collecting information
Teachers may ask students to collect pictures, information or models relating to the contents of a lesson. Such training enhances students’ ability to collect useful information and their interest in learning.
c. Project learning
Teachers can reinforce students’ learning by engaging them in project learning set in line with the contents of teaching. Through such training, students learn how to co-operate with others and understand the importance of division of labour. Project learning also helps students develop their proactive attitude, problem-solving ability and creativity.
d. Listening to audio clips, watching education documentaries or television programmes
Teachers may ask students to listen to audio clips on various topics such as stories, music and phonics. They may also introduce education documentaries and television programmes to students so as to widen their knowledge in different areas.
e. Snippets of information about activities
Students may be asked to make a record of the snippets of information about outdoor activities or visits organised by schools. The exchange of findings and views amongst students helps strengthen students’ powers of observation and their expressive ability.
f. Feature talks and role-plays
Students may be asked to collect information and conduct feature talks or role-plays which are relevant to the contents of teaching, current issues or extensive reading. Students of higher grade levels may be engaged in topical debates as well. All these activities help students consolidate their organisational skills and expressive ability.
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Flleexxiibbllee uussee ooff lleeaarrnniinngg ttiimmee1. The learning time provided by the school includes all school days for lessons as well as activities such as open days, school picnics, sports days and other learning activities organised within and outside school after lessons and in the holidays.
To help schools use school days effectively for learning and teaching, EDBC007/2005 “School Holiday List and Student Learning Time” suggests ways to increase the number of active school days and maximise the learning time for students.
2. Schools have to exercise flexibility in using lesson time by allocating time to Key Learning Areas/subjects based on a percentage of the curriculum time on a yearly
basis. A brief summary of the suggested lesson time allocation for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels is at the Appendix. More details are also provided in the “Basic Education Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 - Primary 6)”
(2014), the “Secondary Education Curriculum Guide” (2017), the “Supplementary Notes to the Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (2017)” and curriculum documents of other subjects and other learning experiences.
3. In preparing the timetable, schools may adopt the following practices in accordance with teachers’ readiness, students’ abilities and interests, and the availability of the necessary facilities and resources:
a. vary the timetable for different terms of the school year according to practical needs;
b. vary the length of lessons or learning sessions;
c. reserve sessions for reading and collaborative learning such as project work, cross-subject and cross-Key Learning Area activities;
d. reserve sessions to address the needs of different students, such as through remedial teaching, self-study and completion of assignments under supervision;
e. allocate more time to take care of the personal growth of students, especially at junior primary level;
f. allocate more time for students to use school facilities such as computers and the school library;
g. keep the school open to students after formal school hours for self-learning and for students who need to use school facilities such as the school library in completing assignments and other learning activities; and
h. adopt a flexible time-tabling arrangement to provide senior secondary students with the opportunities to study different elective subjects. Schools also need to ensure effective use of their available teaching space. In planning the senior secondary curriculum, students’ choices should always be accorded top priority in time-tabling arrangements.
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soouurrcceess1. To enhance learning effectiveness, it is imperative that textbooks and learning materials used by schools should meet the educational needs and abilities of the students, without imposing an undue financial burden on parents.
2. The “Policy of Debundling Textbooks and Teaching/Learning Materials for Pricing” (the Debundling Policy) has been fully implemented since the 2014/15 school year. This policy applies to all printed and e-textbooks no matter the textbooks are on the Recommended Textbook List/Recommended e-Textbook List or not. To tie in with the principles of waste-reduction and cost-efficiency behind the Debundling Policy so as to alleviate the pressure of increasing textbook prices, schools should observe the following in selecting textbooks and learning materials:
a. Schools should not accept or request complimentary learning and teaching resources from textbook publishers (except for inspection copies of textbooks for textbook selection purposes and free teacher’s books which meet the related specifications). For details, please refer to “Specifications of Free Teacher’s Book” at Annex 2 of EDBCM63/2022;
b. Schools cannot accept any form of donations or benefits from textbook publishers or textbook retailers such as the provision of equipment, teaching aids or supplementary teaching packages on free loan, free on-site support service or teacher training (except for essential after-sale technical support for e-textbooks), cash grants for purchase of equipment or teaching aids, funding for school functions, advertisements placed in school publications, gifting floral baskets, scholarships and prizes, so as not to increase publishers’ cost of publishing textbooks and to avoid being affected by the above interests when selecting textbooks. In addition, teachers should not accept advantages or lavish entertainment offered by publishers at any time, in particular during the textbook promotional activities, to safeguard the school reputation and teachers’
professional image;
c. Schools should put due consideration to the use of other learning and teaching resources accompanying textbooks. It is not necessary for schools to select learning and teaching resources that accompany the textbooks. Schools may, at their discretion, select learning and teaching resources (including e-learning resources) developed by different publishers for reference and make flexible use of appropriate learning and teaching resources in teaching, instead of solely relying on the resources accompanying the textbooks;
d. Schools (including kindergartens) should set up subject/Key Learning Area (KLA)/kindergarten textbook selection committees to select textbooks for use by students. A set of pre-determined criteria, with a weighing factor according to their importance, should be set up before the textbook selection commences, and all final decisions and recommendations of the textbook committee should be properly recorded. The School Management Committee (SMC)/Incorporated Management Committee (IMC) should play a monitoring role (For details, please refer to “Notes on Schools’ Selection of Textbooks and Learning and Teaching Resources” at Annex 1 of EDBCM63/2022);
e. Schools should put in place proper procedures to require members of textbook selection committees to declare any conflict of interest that might influence, or appear to influence, their judgement in the performance of the duties of textbook selection. Schools may make reference to the sample of “Declaration of Conflict of Interest” at Annex 3 of EDBCM63/2022;
f. Schools should encourage their teachers to refer to the criteria listed in the
“Guiding Principles for Quality Textbooks” in the selection of textbooks. This set of reference materials can be downloaded from the “Textbook Information”
webpage (http://www.edb.gov.hk/textbook);
g. When selecting textbooks, the textbook selection committees of different subjects should pay attention to the price of textbooks and learning and teaching resources and the financial burden on parents in addition to their quality. When more than
one set of textbooks or learning and teaching resources of comparable quality are available for selection, schools should consider selecting the set of textbooks with the lowest price. In addition, schools should prudently consider if they should choose the learning and teaching resources that accompany textbooks and the textbooks that come without pricing information. Should these textbooks or learning and teaching resources be selected, the reasons for their selection must be properly recorded with the endorsement of the SMC/IMC;
h. There is a wide range of learning and teaching resources from diversified sources, and textbooks are not the only resources to facilitate learning and teaching.
Teachers should exercise their professional judgement in preparing and choosing learning and teaching resources to meet students’ needs. Teachers may make good use of resources provided by the EDB such as the learning and teaching resource kits for different subjects, resources uploaded on the “EDB One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources” (http://www.hkedcity.net/edbosp) as well as EDB Educational Multimedia (https://emm.edcity.hk), and everyday authentic materials as supplementary teaching materials to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness and reduce reliance on using textbooks;
i. When selecting and developing the school-based learning and teaching resources (including textbooks, school-based learning and teaching materials, library books as well as other reading materials), the school management has the responsibility to ensure that these resources are in line with the aims and objectives of the central curriculum. The content and information adopted should be correct, complete, objective and impartial. Teachers should make effective use of resources to help students acquire relevant knowledge and skills, and nurture their positive values and attitudes;
j. Schools should devise a review mechanism for evaluating and updating school’s learning and teaching resources, including school-based learning and teaching resources. Schools should also establish clear school-based criteria for the selection of textbooks and learning and teaching resources. For details about the development and management of learning and teaching resources, please refer to the Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (2017) Booklet 10: Quality Learning and Teaching Resources, Basic Education Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – 6) (2014) Chapter 7: Quality Learning and Teaching Resources and School Library Development and curriculum documents of other subjects and other learning experiences;
k. Schools should make reference to the RTL and eRTL (http://www.edb.gov.hk/rtl) when selecting textbooks. Textbooks on the RTL and eRTL are written in accordance with the curriculum documents of all subjects prepared by the Curriculum Development Council. The content, learning and teaching, structure and organisation, language, textbook layout (applicable to printed textbooks), e-learning pedagogy and technical and functional requirements (applicable to e-textbooks) of these textbooks have undergone the review of the EDB’s textbook review panels;
l. Schools should, through channels such as Parent-Teacher Associations, provide parents with textbook information, collect their views on the textbooks on the school textbook lists and then reflect their views to the textbook publishers or textbook retailers. Schools should also inform parents that the EDB will update the “Information on the Supply of Textbooks and their Accompanying Learning Materials for the New School Year”, which is provided by the publishers, from late-July to October every year on the EDB’s “Textbook Information” webpage (http://www.edb.gov.hk/textbook) for students’ and parents’ reference;
m. Schools should seriously consider the overall price of textbooks and learning and teaching resources that parents need to buy according to the school textbook list.
Schools should also prudently consider if there is a genuine need to use supplementary workbooks, taking into account students’ learning needs and abilities. Under the Debundling Policy, textbooks publishers or textbook retailers should provide separate pricing for textbooks, learning materials and teaching materials;
n. Schools should clearly state on the school textbook lists the applicable edition(s) of textbooks, including “reprinted with minor amendments” version to facilitate students to use second-hand printed textbooks;
o. The school textbook lists should provide the date of compilation and clearly state that the textbook prices quoted are for reference only. Parents and students should be informed that they could purchase their textbooks from whichever textbook retailers they wish; and
p. When compiling the textbook lists for the senior secondary level, schools should include the textbooks required for that particular school year/level only, so as not to create additional financial burden on parents.
3. For details on the selection of textbooks and learning and teaching resources, please refer to:
EDBCM63/2022 “Selection of Quality Textbooks and Learning and Teaching Resources”
4. For the details on the “Debundling Policy”, please refer to:
EDBCM172/2015 “The Implementation of the Policy of Debundling Textbooks and Teaching/Learning Materials for Pricing”
5. Copyright protection is a Government policy. Schools should observe the copyright issue while developing their school-based learning materials.
a. In order to respect the rights of copyright material owners, teachers should try their best to avoid photocopying or scanning of printed copyright materials if there are other means or resources available to achieve the same teaching effectiveness. If teachers do have genuine needs to make certain copies of printed copyright materials to achieve the teaching objectives, they should keep the number of copies to the minimum. For details of the guidelines on the use of copyright works in the course of learning and teaching, please refer to EDB webpage at
www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/admin/about-teaching/copyright and the following circular memoranda:
EDBCM137/2010 “Note for Non-profit Making Educational Establishments relating to the Use of Copyright Works in the Course of Teaching and Learning”
EDBCM149/2018 “New Licence Agreements on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials”
EDBCM166/2021“Licence Scheme for Photocopying and Facsimileing of Hong Kong Newspapers and Magazines at Schools”
b. According to section 43 of the Copyright Ordinance, the playing or showing of a sound recording, film, broadcast or cable programme at an educational establishment before teachers, students, their parents or guardians and other persons directly connected with the activities of the educational establishment for the purpose of giving or receiving instruction is permissible without infringing copyright. The relevant act, however, must be done for the purpose of giving or receiving instruction. For details, please refer to EDB webpage at www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/admin/about-teaching/copyright/films.
6. The School Textbook Assistance Scheme, administered by the Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency, provides assistance to needy secondary and primary students in government schools, aided schools, caput schools and local schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme for covering the costs of essential textbooks and miscellaneous school-related expenses.
For details about the School Textbook Assistance Scheme, please visit the SFO’s webpage (https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/index.htm).
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Weeiigghhtt ooff sscchhooooll bbaaggss1. Over-weight school bags may bring additional stress and fatigue to students. The Department of Health recommends that, as a precautionary measure, students should avoid carrying school bags which exceed 10% of their body weight for long periods of time. Schools are encouraged to implement measures which are practicable and effective in their own circumstances to reduce the weight of school bags. The following are some guidelines for schools to consider:
a. To give advice to students to foster the habit of packing school bags every day, and to remind them that magazines, toys and other unnecessary items should not be brought to school;
b. To obtain co-operation from parents, e.g. to select school bags and stationery items which are made of light-weight materials and help their children develop a habit of packing school bags according to the time-table and instructions of the teachers;
c. To review the time-table and minimise the number of subjects for each day so that lessons requiring students to bring plenty of learning materials are evenly spread over the week;
d. To take the price, weight and size into account in addition to their educational value for teaching and learning when schools select textbooks; textbooks which
are separated into thin volumes or printed in separate modules should be given preference;
e. To adopt different ways for the submission of homework and design a variety of approaches and styles of assignments, such as using loose-leaf worksheets, searching information from the Web, doing experiments, having oral presentations etc.; and
f. To provide storage facilities to avoid students from carrying unnecessary items to and fro every day.
2. For more detailed guidelines and references on reducing the weight of school bags, please refer to EDBC017/2015 “Guidelines on Reducing the Weight of School Bags” and “Primary Education – Learning and Teaching Resources” webpage.
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sProfessional support to teachers and schools is essential in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. Since different needs require different strategies and no one strategy is all-powerful, multiple interactive development strategies are planned to support teachers and schools.
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iaallssEDB is developing a variety of curriculum support materials for schools’
reference:
a curriculum guide for each KLA and revised/ new subject guides;
a bank of exemplary teaching/ learning/ assessment materials for the curriculum, to be generated by development and research projects and contributed by schools;
textbooks to be made available by publishers; and
other relevant publications such as research and development reports and newsletters.
For further information regarding the “Resources and Support” and “Key Learning Areas”, please browse the EDB webpage on “Curriculum Development”.
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grraammmmeess1. A variety of professional development programmes are provided to in-service teachers and school heads based on the needs of curriculum change, the purpose of different modes, the demand from schools, and other opportunities available in Hong Kong. Teachers may choose to study those that are relevant to their needs.
Two broad categories of professional development programmes are provided:
a. courses to enhance the overall professional knowledge of teachers, e.g.
understanding and mastery of whole-school curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation, enhancing assessment literacy for improving curriculum management and leadership as well as their capacity in different scopes, including catering for learner diversity, gifted education, values education (including Constitution, Basic Law and National Security Education), Chinese culture, STEM Education, media and information literacy education, curriculum management and leadership; and
b. KLA/subject specific courses to meet the needs of the curriculum framework, and sustain the curriculum and assessment reform.
2. Information about most programmes is accessible at “Training Calendar System”.
3. A range of collaborative research and development projects on key curriculum changes has been conducted in partnership with schools and consultants/
universities. The projects will serve the following purposes: