products
Chapter 6 Learning and Teaching Resources
B) Block time-table arrangement
2 Prior Knowledge Developed in the Science (S1-3) Curriculum
Relationship between the various modules in the Integrated Science curriculum and students’
prior knowledge developed in the Science (S1-3) curriculum.
Integrated Science curriculum Science (S1-3)
Modules Units C1 Water for Living 3.1
5 6.1 6.3
The basic units of living things The Wonderful Solvent – Water States of matter
Particle model for the three states of matter Molecules
C2 Balance within Our Body 3.1 11.1 11.9 11.10 11.11 12.2 12.5
The basic units of living things Sensing the environment The brain and our senses Responses to stimuli
Effects of drugs and solvents on our senses Food substances
How food is digested and absorbed in our body The fate of digested food
Our circulatory system C3 Science in a Sprint 3.1
4.2 7.3 9.1 9.2
The basic units of living things Energy changes
How does man obtain energy Forces
Friction C4 Chemical Patterns 6
8.3 13.2 15.5
Matter as Particles Current
How to obtain metals
Beyond infra-red and ultra-violet C5 Electrical Enlightenment 4.4
8
Generating electricity Making Use of Electricity
C6 Balance in Nature 2.3 2.5 7.4 7.5 7.6 13.5 14.2
Diversity of plant and animal life Endangered species
How do green plants obtain energy Gaseous exhange in animals and plants
Balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in nature Environmental problems associated with the disposal of used metals
Environmental problems associated with the disposal of plastics
C7 Radiation and Us 15.3 15.4 15.5
Colour
Beyond the visible spectrum
Beyond the infra-red and ultra-violet C8 From Genes to Life 3.1
3.2 3.4 12.5
The basic units of living things A new life is born
Pregnancy
How food is digested and absorbed in our body The fate of the digested food
E1 Energy, Weather and Air Quality
4.4 5.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 7.1 7.2
Generating electricity The water cycle Gas pressure Density
Thermal expansion and contraction What is air made up of
Burning E2 Keeping Ourselves
Healthy
3.1 12.1 12.8 12.9
The basic units of living things Keeping our bodies healthy
How fatty food affects our circulatory system Exercise and health
Need for rest E3 Chemistry for World
Needs
5.2 6 14
Further treatment of water Matter as Particles
Materials of the Modern World
Appendix 3 Community Resources
Organiser Activity Telephone Number
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
Endangered Species Resources Centre
• The Centre occupy an area of about 1,700 square feet, is situated in Room 601, 6/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
• The Centre has some 600 specimens of about 200 endangered species on display.
• Guided tours are available and advanced booking is required.
(Website:
http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_end /con_end_pub/con_end_pub_esrc/con_end_pub_esrc.
html)
2150 6974
The Hong Kong Herbarium
• The Hong Kong Herbarium is the most
comprehensive herbarium in Hong Kong. There are approximately 38,000 plant specimens for examination.
• By prior appointments, interested persons are welcome to visit the Herbarium and study the specimen collection and the reference books kept at the Herbarium library. Group visit up to 20 people for schools and other non-profit making organisations could also be arranged on Saturday morning.
(Website:
http://www.hkherbarium.net/Herbarium/index.html)
2150 6900
Organiser Activity Telephone Number Hong Kong Wetland Park
• The HKWP is a millennium capital works project to promote wetland conservation, education and tourism in Hong Kong . Located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, the HKWP is situated at the south-western tip of the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site. Over 100,000 waterbirds visit the Ramsar Site every year.
• The HKWP is about 61-hectare in size. It includes the Visitor Centre of about 10,000 square metres gross floor area and 60 hectares of Wetland Reserve for wildlife. The Visitor Centre contains themed exhibition galleries on biodiversity, civilisation and conservation, as well as theatre, souvenir shop, cafe, play area, classroom and resource centre. The Wetland Reserve consists of re-created wetland habitats for waterbirds, and outdoor visitor facilities including Wetland Discovery Centre,
educational walks, boardwalks and bird hides.
• Education resources, like Park Experience, School Visits and Teachers workshop are available for schools.
(Website:
http://www.wetlandpark.com/en/index.asp)
2708 8885
Education
Bureau • Various science related activities and
competitions for students will be held each year.
Schools can get the information through circulars issued by the Education Bureau (Website:
http://applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/circular.asp x?langno=1)
2891 0088
Organiser Activity Telephone Number Food and
Environmental Hygiene Department
Health Education Exhibition and Resource Centre
• It comprises a 1,100-square-metre exhibition area accommodated on two floors of a historical building which is over a hundred years old, a 400-square-metre outdoor health education garden, a resource centre holding a collection of over 6,000 items of publications, one lecture room with 75 seats and an office for the Centre’s staff.
(Website:
http://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/research_educati on/heerc/)
2377 9275
Friends of the
Earth • Friends of the Earth has been one of the major advocates of environmental education.
• School Talks & Workshops on environmental issues can be provided.
• Eco-resources are available for rental.
(Website:
http://www.foe.org.hk/welcome/geten.asp)
2528 5588
Hong Kong
Observatory • Introduces the work of the Hong Kong Observatory
• Displays – instruments for weather observation and environmental radiation.
• Guided tours are available for public. Visitors can see how weather forecasts are made and how technology is put to use. They will also have a chance to see some elegant historical buildings and appreciate the ecology of a mini-forest in the heart of the city.
(Website:
http://www.weather.gov.hk)
2926 8200
Organiser Activity Telephone Number Hong Kong
Science Museum • The Hong Kong Science Museum was opened on 18 April 1991. It offers a fascinating opportunity for discovering the mystery of science.
• The four-storey museum occupies a site of 12,000 square metres while its exhibition halls cover a total floor area of 6 500 square metres.
• There are about 500 exhibits, 60% of which are hands-on exhibits.
• Guided Tour Services for schools are available (Website:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Science/)
2732 3232
Hong Kong
Space Museum • Hong Kong Space Museum has two thematic exhibition halls: the Hall of Space Science and the Hall of Astronomy on the ground and first floors respectively. The exhibits, predominately interactive, enable visitors to learn through a series of entertaining and educational
experiences.
• Teacher’s Corner: Self-Learning Astronomy Course, Space Race Board Game
(Website:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/e_ind ex.htm)
2721 0226
Hospital
Authority Health InfoWorld
• The Hospital Authority launched its Health InfoWorld on 30 January 1999. It serves as a springboard to bring public, patients, and health care professionals together through health awareness programmes including talks, exhibitions, seminars, sharing sessions, etc.
(Website:
http://www21.ha.org.hk/smartpatient/en/home.ht ml)
2300 7733
Organiser Activity Telephone Number Kadoorie Farm
and Botanic Garden
• Educational programme to stimulate students’
appreciation of nature and to arouse their support for environmental conservation.
• Through learning in nature and studying local environmental issues, students can better understand our responsibility to environmental conservation.
(Website:
http://www.kfbg.org.hk/)
2488 1317
LIONS Nature
Education Centre • LIONS Nature Education Centre aims at
encouraging the public to experience the beauty of nature and promotes the message of
conservation.
• The facilities include Countryside Hall, Agriculture Hall, Fisheries Hall, Insectarium, Shell House, Dragonfly Pond, Specimen Orchard, Medicinal Herbal Garden, Interesting Plants, Arboretum, Field Corps and Mineral Corner.
(Website:
http://www.chungtien.com/lnec/lnec.htm)
2792 2234
Ocean Park Academy‧Hong Kong
• It was established in 2004 to make use of the unique environment of the Ocean Park to help students to explore the natural world with fun.
• A variety of programmes are available for students of different levels. ‘Physics in Motion’
is a programme designed for students to explore the beauty of mechanics by experiencing the various Ocean Park rides. Useful references can also be found in the website ‘Contextual Physics in Ocean Park’.
( http://www.hk-phy.org/oceanpark/index.html)
• A ‘Project-based learning at Ocean Park’ (POP) Scheme is also developed for senior secondary school students.
(Website:
http://opahk.oceanpark.com.hk/en/)
2552 0291
Organiser Activity Telephone Number Ocean Park
Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong
‘Hand-in-Hand, conserve the wildlife’ Award Scheme
• To advocate, facilitate and participate in the conservation of wildlife animals in Asian region, including marine mammals, giant pandas, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and their habitats in Asia through research and education.
• A variety of activities like ‘Dolphin Encounter Boat Trip’ and ‘Coastal Clean-Up’ are provided.
(Website:
http://www.opcf.org.hk/eng/index.asp)
2873 8704
World Wide Fund For Nature Hong Kong
Island House Conservation Studies Centre
• The grounds of Island House cover an area of 1.75 hectares and are a mixture of formal gardens and lawns in the English style, with over 140 identified species of plants. It is an outdoor classroom for organising plant-themed environmental education activities to help students discover the ‘secrets’ of plants through a fun-filled learning experience.
Mai Po
• Tailor-made educational programmes are
organised for primary and secondary students. In the tour, visitors are guided by professional interpreter to explore the gei wai, fishponds, bird hide and Education Centre etc, to appreciate the beauty of Mai Po and also learn more the importance of wetland environments.
(Website:
http://www.wwf.org.hk/eng/index.php)
2526 1011
Glossary
Term Description
Applied Learning (ApL, formerly known as Career-oriented Studies)
Applied Learning is an essential component of the three-year senior secondary curriculum. ApL uses broad professional and vocational fields as the learning platform, developing students’
foundation skills, thinking skills, people skills, positive values and attitudes and career-related competencies, to prepare them for further study/work as well as lifelong learning. ApL courses complement the 24 senior secondary subjects, adding variety to the senior secondary curriculum.
Assessment objectives The outcomes of the curriculum to be assessed in the public assessments.
Biliterate and trilingual Capable of reading and writing effectively in Standard Written Chinese, English and to use Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English. The language education policy of Hong Kong is to enable the Hong Kong students to become biliterate (in written Chinese and English) and trilingual (in Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English).
Co-construction Different from the direct instruction and construction approaches to learning and teaching, the co-construction approach emphasises the class as a community of learners who contribute collectively to the creation of knowledge and the building of criteria for judging such knowledge.
Core subjects Subjects recommended for all students to take at senior secondary level: Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies.
Curriculum and
Assessment (C&A) Guide
A guide prepared by the CDC-HKEAA Committee. It comprises curriculum aims/objectives, learning content, learning outcomes, and assessment guidelines.
Term Description
Curriculum interface Curriculum interface refers to the interface between the different key stages/educational stages of the school curriculum (including individual subjects), e.g. the interface between kindergarten and primary; primary and secondary; and junior secondary and senior secondary. The Hong Kong school curriculum, made up of eight key learning areas (under which specific subjects are categorised), provides a coherent learning framework to enhance students’ capabilities for whole-person development through engaging them in the five essential learning experiences and helping them develop the nine generic skills as well as positive values and attitudes. Thus when students move on to senior secondary education, they will already have developed the basic knowledge and skills that the study of various subjects requires.
When designing the learning and teaching content and strategies, teachers should build on the knowledge and learning experiences students have gained in the previous key stages.
Elective subjects A total of 20 subjects in the proposed new system from which students may choose according to their interests, abilities and aptitudes.
Generic skills Generic skills are skills, abilities and attributes which are fundamental in helping students to acquire, construct and apply knowledge. They are developed through the learning and teaching that take place in different subjects or key learning areas, and are transferable to different learning situations. Nine types of generic skills are identified in the Hong Kong school curriculum, i.e. collaboration skills, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking skills, information technology skills, numeracy skills, problem solving skills, self-management skills and study skills.
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)
The qualification to be awarded to students after completing the three-year senior secondary curriculum and taking the public assessment.
Internal assessment This refers to the assessment activities that are conducted regularly in school to assess students’ performance in learning.
Internal assessment is an inseparable part of the learning and teaching process, and it aims to make learning more effective.
With the information that internal assessment provides, teachers will be able to understand students’ progress in learning, provide them with appropriate feedback and make any adjustments to the learning objectives and teaching strategies they deem necessary.
Term Description Key Learning Area
(KLA)
Organisation of the school curriculum structured around fundamental concepts of major knowledge domains. It aims at providing a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum for all students in the essential learning experiences. The Hong Kong curriculum has eight KLAs, namely, Chinese Language Education, English Language Education, Mathematics Education, Personal, Social and Humanities Education, Science Education, Technology Education, Arts Education and Physical Education.
Knowledge construction This refers to the process of learning in which learners are involved not only in acquiring new knowledge, but also in actively relating it to their prior knowledge and experience so as to create and form their own knowledge.
Learning community A learning community refers to a group of people who have shared values and goals, and who work closely together to generate knowledge and create new ways of learning through active participation, collaboration and reflection. Such a learning community may involve not only students and teachers, but also parents and other parties in the community.
Learning differences This refers to the gaps in learning that exist in the learning process. Catering for learning differences does not mean rigidly reducing the distance between the learners in terms of progress and development but making full use of their different talents as invaluable resources to facilitate learning and teaching. To cater to learners’ varied needs and abilities, it is important that flexibility be built into the learning and teaching process to help them recognise their unique talents and to provide ample opportunities to encourage them to fulfil their potential and strive for achievement.
Learning outcomes Learning outcomes refer to what learners should be able to do by the end of a particular stage of learning. Learning outcomes are developed based on the learning targets and objectives of the curriculum for the purpose of evaluating learning effectiveness.
Learning outcomes also describe the levels of performance that learners should attain after completing a particular key stage of learning and serve as a tool for promoting learning and teaching.
Term Description Learning targets and
learning objectives
• Learning targets set out broadly the knowledge/concepts, skills, values and attitudes that students need to learn and develop.
• Learning objectives define specifically what students should know, value and be able to do in each strand of the subject in accordance with the broad subject targets at each key stage of schooling. They are to be used by teachers as a source list for curriculum, lesson and activity planning.
Level descriptors A set of written descriptions that describe what the typical candidates performing a certain level is able to do in public assessments.
Other learning experiences
For whole person development of students, ‘Other Learning Experiences’ (OLE) is one of the three components that complement the examination subjects and Applied Learning (formerly named as Career-oriented Studies) under the senior secondary curriculum. It includes Moral and Civic Education, Aesthetics Development, Physical Development, Community Service and Career-related Experiences.
Public assessment The associated assessment and examination system for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.
SBA Moderation Mechanism
The mechanism adopted by HKEAA to adjust SBA marks submitted by schools to iron out possible differences across schools in marking standards and without affecting the rank order determined by the school.
School-based assessment (SBA)
Assessments administered in schools as part of the learning and teaching process, with students being assessed by their subject teachers. Marks awarded will count towards students’ public assessment results.
School-based curriculum Schools and teachers are encouraged to adapt the central curriculum to develop their school-based curriculum to help their students to achieve the subject targets and overall aims of education. Measures may include readjusting the learning targets, varying the organisation of contents, adding optional studies and adapting learning, teaching and assessment strategies. A school-based curriculum is therefore the outcome of a balance between official recommendations and the autonomy of the schools and teachers.
Term Description Standards-referenced
Reporting
Candidates’ performance in public assessment is reported in terms of levels of performance matched against a set of standards.
Student diversity Students are individuals with varied family, social, economic and cultural backgrounds and learning experience. They have different talents, personalities, intelligence and interests. Their learning abilities, interests and styles are, therefore, diverse.
Student learning profile It is to provide supplementary information on the secondary school leavers’ participation and specialties during senior secondary years, in addition to their academic performance as reported in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, including the assessment results for Applied Learning courses, thus giving a fuller picture of the student’s whole person development.
Values & attitudes Values constitute the foundation of the attitudes and beliefs that influence one’s behaviour and way of life. They help form principles underlying human conduct and critical judgment, and are qualities that learners should develop. Some examples of values are rights and responsibilities, commitment, honesty and national identity. Closely associated with values are attitudes.
The latter supports motivation and cognitive functioning, and affects one’s way of reacting to events or situations. Since both values and attitudes significantly affect the way a student learns, they form an important part of the school curriculum.
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References
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American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1990). Science for All Americans.
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American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for Science Literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2000). Designs for Science Literacy.
New York: Oxford University Press.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2001). Atlas of Science Literacy.
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Arnold, N. (2000). Horrible Science – Deadly Diseases. Scholastic Ltd.
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