Strategies for Curriculum Development

This section recapitulates some of the useful strategies which could be used continuously for taking forward the PSHE KLA curriculum.

1.5.1 Using the updated Four Key Tasks to promote the key focuses for curriculum development

In the BECG and the SECG, the Four Key Tasks are updated as:

(1) Moral and Civic Education: Towards Values Education;

(2) Reading to Learn: Towards Reading across the Curriculum;

(3) Project Learning: Towards Integrating and Applying Knowledge and Skills across Disciplines; and

(4) Information Technology for Interactive Learning: Towards Self-directed Learning.

While schools continue implementing the key tasks, they could simultaneously promote the key focuses for curriculum development in the PSHE KLA to enliven learning and teaching, and help students achieve whole-person development and become self-directed learners.

(1) Moral and Civic Education: Towards Values Education

- This key task is closely related to the key focuses of values education and the promotion of national and global understanding. The design of a school-based curriculum or a programme for moral and civic education can also serve the purpose of promoting these key focuses.

(2) Reading to Learn: Towards Reading across the Curriculum

- The key focuses including humanistic qualities and Language across the Curriculum can be promoted through Reading to Learn: Towards Reading across the Curriculum. For example, teachers can ask students to read articles from the resource package A Reader in Humanistic Literacy (Junior Secondary) (EDB, 2009) (《 性 情真章──人文素養讀本（初中）》) published by the PSHE Section of the Curriculum Development Institute, and arrange different post-reading activities to help students reflect on their reading experience, and learn the relevant language skills.

(3) Project Learning: Towards Integrating and Applying Knowledge and Skills across Disciplines

- Project learning has been very useful for deepening students’ learning in the PSHE KLA and connecting their subject-based and/or cross-subject/KLA learning experiences. Building on existing strengths and experience, schools can also plan project learning with a focus on broadening students’ national and global understanding, strengthening

students’ integrative application of knowledge and skills (including generic skills), reading to learn, and/or e-learning within the PSHE KLA and across KLAs.

(4) Information Technology for Interactive Learning: Towards Self-directed Learning

- With the advent of more e-textbooks and e-resources, enhancement in students’ digital awareness and information literacy, and e-learning becoming one of the key focuses for curriculum development in the PSHE KLA, this key task will continue to be emphasised in the PSHE KLA curriculum.

1.5.2 Aligning life-wide learning with the PSHE KLA curriculum

 Life-wide learning (LWL) broadly refers to student learning in real contexts and authentic settings to achieve learning targets that are more difficult to attain through classroom learning. Please refer to Booklet 7 of the SECG for details.

 In the PSHE KLA, LWL has already become a part of the learning and teaching.

A central feature of LWL is experiential learning which involves providing opportunities for students to have first-hand experience with real-life situations in order to construct understanding of a certain theme/topic through interacting with people or the environment in those situations. The learning process requires that students take actions (e.g. interact with others, apply their knowledge, integrate theory and practice, etc.) and reflect on their actions, with the aims of deepening students’ understanding of a certain learning area, broadening their horizons, promoting their whole-person development and developing their lifelong learning capabilities.

 LWL in the PSHE KLA can be provided by schools alone, the EDB, and/or in collaboration with non-governmental organisations within the community.

Activities could include community studies, visits, community service and community improvement programmes in Hong Kong, on the Mainland and overseas, etc. In addition to developing an in-depth understanding of the community, our nation and the world, these LWL activities can promote key focuses, such as humanistic qualities and entrepreneurial spirit, and encourage an early start on life planning. Below are two examples of addressing the key focuses for curriculum development in the PSHE KLA through promoting LWL learning among students.

Humanistic Qualities and Promotion of National and Global Understanding Schools can arrange students to participate in voluntary or humanitarian relief work on the Mainland or overseas to help develop students’ humanistic qualities, sense of national identity as well as global perspectives. Students’ first-hand experience with persons and objects can help clarify misunderstandings and broaden perspectives.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Some existing programmes enable schools to promote an entrepreneurial spirit as well as engage students in life planning. For example, the Business-School Partnership Programme provides the learning environment for students to understand different careers, establish right work attitudes, adapt to changes of the economy and ultimately achieve whole-person development.

1.5.3 Promoting the development of higher order thinking skills

 The provision of opportunities for students to enquire from multiple perspectives and formulate alternative interpretations/solutions to historical and contemporary issues and problems during and after lessons of PSHE subjects contribute to their development of higher order thinking skills, such as critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and creativity, and application in an integrative manner.

The PSHE Section, the EDB, has distributed to all local secondary schools the Curriculum Support Materials on Developing Higher-order Thinking Skills in PSHE Classrooms (2):

Lesson Exemplars (EDB, 2010). The examples and lesson plans provided aim to illustrate the development of students’ higher order thinking skills in relevant topics in different PSHE subjects. For example, problem solving skills, reversal thinking and creative thinking could be developed in the topic “Could the First World War be avoided?”, and problem solving skills and creativity could be fostered in the topic “How can land use conflicts be solved?”. Another booklet Resource Package on the Integrative Use of Generic Skills in Junior Secondary Subjects in Personal, Social and Humanities Education Key Learning Area (EDB, 2017a) has also been made available to schools.

1.5.4 Developing communities of practice to promote teachers’ professional development and capacity building

 The development of a community of practice among PSHE teachers within a school will facilitate the sharing of a common vision, the engagement in reflective dialogue and shared decision making as well as the provision of a caring and productive environment.

 When communities of practice are developed among PSHE teachers beyond the school, they can facilitate the networking of like-minded PSHE teachers to explore curricular and pedagogical issues of mutual interest, exchange experiences and teaching ideas in PSHE subjects, collaborate on tasks that are aimed at improving learning and teaching practices in the PSHE KLA, and advance teachers’ professional knowledge and capabilities.