Promotion of national education: complementing classroom learning with visits, exchange programmes and learning activities

4.4.3 Promotion of national education: complementing classroom learning with

Promoting learning in the National Domain by complementing classroom learning with visits, exchange programmes and learning

activities

One of the learning objectives in the National and Social Domains of the MNE curriculum at Key Stage Three is to appreciate the Chinese culture and understand the interest and essence embedded to enhance students’

national qualities. Teachers may plan a unit about Hakka culture and complement classroom learning with visits, exchange programmes and learning activities in order to help students appreciate the diversity of the Chinese culture using Hakka culture as a gateway.

Learning objective:

To learn to appreciate the Chinese culture and understand the interest and essence embedded to enhance one’s national qualities

Suggested teaching procedures

1. Teachers set “Hakka culture” as the topic for classroom learning.

Appropriate approaches can be used to guide students to know the history and traditions of Hakka and the development of Hakka culture in contemporary society. Teachers may also illustrate with examples and cases, including those aspects of Hakka culture which are listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage (e.g. Hakka folk songs, Hakka snacks, marriage customs, Guangdong Han Music, Hakka opera) and Hakka groups or personalities who made significant contributions to the society.

2. Teachers can complement the above classroom learning and teaching with relevant local and mainland visits and exchange programmes.

Local visits to Sam Tung Uk Village in Tsuen Wan and Tsang Tai Uk in Sha Tin, which show the architectural features of Hakka, could be arranged. On the mainland, students may visit the Hakka districts to visit and talk to the people there. They can learn how the local government preserves the Hakka culture and helps in construction and improvement works to promote sustainable development.

3. Teachers guide students to integrate their classroom learning with learning from visits and exchange programmes to develop a thorough understanding of the topic. Through acquaintance with the Hakka culture, students can learn more about the close relationship between the country and Hong Kong and understand the efforts made by each other to contribute to the advancement and prosperity of our contemporary society.

4. Students can extend their learning by consolidating their learning outcomes through other learning experiences (e.g. project learning and sharing sessions) and through reflection. This allows classroom learning to be complemented with visits, exchange programmes and learning activities for enhanced learning effectiveness.

The learning objectives and learning content in the National Domain can be deepened and strengthened through systematically organised visits and exchange programmes. Apart from reading materials, students also need to have their classroom learning and other learning activities complemented with visits and exchange programmes so as to understand the country’s development from multiple perspectives. When arranging exchange and learning programmes, teachers need to consider consolidating and extending learning before, during and after the programmes.

Promoting learning in the National Domain through systematically organised visits and exchange programmes

The learning objective of the National Domain of the MNE curriculum at Key Stage Two is to build understanding of the close relationship between the development of our country and Hong Kong. Teachers may arrange visits and exchange programmes focusing on the architecture of ancestral halls in the Guangdong Province and Hong Kong to complement classroom learning. This would pave the way for exploring the cultural heritage of the Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, and nurturing the feeling that we are of the same lineage.

Learning objective:

To understand the close connection between the development of our country and Hong Kong, and to show care for our compatriots at appropriate times, to reflect that we are of the same lineage

Suggested learning procedures:

1. Before the exchange programme:

Students are required to conduct information search about the architecture of ancestral halls and the relationship between the Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, and set an investigation subject, e.g. exploring the relationship between ancestral hall architecture and the rise of the social status of clans.

Students also determine the learning purposes and prepare a learning scheme, approaches and steps according to the subject to be studied.

2. During the exchange programme:

Students are required to visit ancestral halls with distinguishing features in the Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, conduct information search and compare it with the information collected before the visit.

Students can think about the symbolic meaning behind the crab-shaped roof ridge during their visit. Crabs, a type of shellfish, reflect the wish to come top in the imperial examination during the ancient times. It also reflects the great importance attached by the clans to the imperial examination, hoping that their descendants could obtain excellent results and bring about a rise in the clans’ social status.

Apart from observing, students can also interview people living near the ancestral halls to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of the ancestral halls on improving the social status of the clan.

3. After the exchange programme:

Students are required to compile and analyse the information they collected and present their learning in different ways, e.g. reports, webpages, models, short films, role-play games or drama related to the subject. They should share with teachers, classmates, parents and different sectors in the society their learning experiences and knowledge gained in a lively and interesting way, and build learning communities to extend and deepen the effectiveness of their learning in the exchange programme.

As there is a wide range of visits, exchange programmes and learning activities to complement classroom learning, teachers may design learning activities of different forms such as project learning and campus activities according to the needs of their students to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness of national education.

Project learning can be carried out by individuals or in groups to complement classroom learning, visits and exchange programmes. Students can demonstrate their learning through words, images and other forms, e.g. contextual models, video clips and e-books, to help consolidate and extend their learning. In addition, students can share their projects through different channels, e.g.

websites, weblogs, publications, exhibitions, reporting sessions and campus TV programmes, to promote national education.

Campus activities can also be promoted to be in line with classroom learning, visits and exchange programmes. For example, competitions, drama performances, lunch meetings and study day/week can help build learning communities in the campus, enable students from different classes to exchange their knowledge gained and expand the reach of national education, all of which can enhance the teaching and learning effectiveness.