Types of Resources

6.3.1 Textbooks

Well-written textbooks developed in accordance with the new curriculum framework have an important role to play in learning Chemistry. Teachers can use textbooks as the basic sources of learning and teaching activities, but not as the only one; a variety of other learning and teaching resources need to be used to complement them. The textbooks selected should cover all the essential elements in the curriculum and help students to develop critical and creative thinking, and other generic skills.

Teachers should use the material in textbooks selectively and adapt them to the different needs and abilities of the students, rather than working through them from cover to cover.

They are advised to exercise their professional judgement in selecting tasks and exercises from the textbooks, and make use of other ready-made resources, or produce their own, to develop a wide range of learning activities for their students.

It is anticipated that good textbooks and supporting learning and teaching reference materials suited to this curriculum will be available in the market. A recommended textbook list will be compiled and updated to help schools to choose appropriate ones.

A set of guiding principles has been developed for writing, reviewing and selecting textbooks which support the curriculum framework and a learner-centred approach to learning and teaching. Teachers are encouraged to refer to these guidelines under textbook information at http://www.edb.gov.hk/textbook when selecting textbooks for their students.

6.3.2 The Internet and Technologies

The massive increase in the quantity of information available today, especially with the advance of the Internet, has led to new approaches to learning and teaching. Teachers can act as facilitators of learning by helping students to search for information and requesting them to work on it, in order to turn it into personal knowledge.

The Internet and technologies help learning and teaching in many different situations by:

 providing audio-visual aids for the understanding of difficult concepts;

 providing access to information from a wide variety of sources, handling large quantities of information, and facilitating the extraction of valid and useful information;

 allowing students to work at their own pace, including the use of specially designed software packages;

 promoting interaction among students, and between students and resources / teachers;

 enhancing collaboration among students, and between students and teachers;

 facilitating access to information for the development of critical thinking and the building of knowledge.

Teachers are encouraged to make use of various applications of information technology. For example, there are several computer software packages which are useful for the Chemistry Curriculum, e.g. Chemistry Animations, Nomenclature of Organic Compounds and Visualising Chemistry I and II. Also of value are multi-media databases which provide interactive access to information presented in a variety of forms, e.g. Reactions of Metals and simulations such as PhET interactive simulations. In addition, various websites are rich sources of relevant information  for example, the websites of the Chinese Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society and the WebElements periodic table. Finally, data-logging system, a computer-based data acquisition technology, can make an important contribution to the learning and teaching of chemistry.

6.3.3 Resource Materials from the EDB

Resource materials on learning and teaching strategies as well as the investigative study in Chemistry have been developed by the EDB to provide ideas on designing appropriate learning and teaching activities for students.

Existing resource materials such as Exemplars of Learning Materials for S45 Chemistry (EMB, 2003c), Exemplars of Learning and Teaching Activities for the Sixth Form Chemistry Curriculum (EMB, 2005b) and Nomenclature of Organic Compounds (EMB, 2004) have been updated to meet the requirements of the Chemistry Curriculum. Resources such as Inquiry-based Chemistry Experiments (ED, 2002), Chemistry Animations (EMB, 2003a),

Resource Book for Sixth-form Practical Chemistry (CUHK, EMB & HKEAA, 2004) and Visualising Chemistry I and II (EMB, 2006) are also appropriate for use with the Chemistry Curriculum, but teachers may need to make adjustments when using them.

The handbook Safety in Science Laboratories (EDB, 2013) and Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are valuable resources that provide guidelines and information related to laboratory safety in routine laboratory experiments, and more importantly, in designing experiments for the Investigative Study in Chemistry.

Publications from various collaborative research and development projects such as Informed Decisions in Science Education, Assessment for Learning in Science, Infusing Process and Thinking Skills and Collaborative Development of Assessment Tasks and Assessment Criteria to Enhance Learning and Teaching in Science Curriculum are also good sources of information for teachers.

A list of resource materials published by the EDB is compiled for teachers’ reference. In addition, to assist schools to manage curriculum change, the EDB has developed a curriculum resources directory service at http://www.edb.gov.hk/cr, which provides a central pool of ready-to-use learning and teaching resources and useful references developed by the EDB and other parties.

6.3.4 Community Resources

Resource materials relevant to the Chemistry Curriculum are readily available in the community. For instance, several tertiary institutions are playing an active role in developing science learning resource materials for secondary schools. Relevant resources include: Teaching Kit on Chemistry Testing for New Senior Secondary Curriculum (HKCTC

& HKBU, 2017); and Inquiry-based Laboratory Work in Chemistry (CUHK, 2006).

Professional and non-government organisations are also good sources of support for the learning and teaching of chemistry, e.g. the Hong Kong Association for Mathematics and Science Education and the Hong Kong Chemical Society. They can provide opportunities for teacher development in the field, as well as other means of supporting students’ learning.

Government departments such as the Environmental Protection Department, the Water Supplies Department, the Drainage Services Department and the Government Laboratory can also provide students with valuable, authentic life-wide learning experiences, and some departments offer guided educational tours for students.

Many aspects of the Chemistry Curriculum are directly related to the local environment.

Visits to the Hong Kong Science Museum, the local universities and other research institutes can enhance students’ interest in chemistry, and help them to understand the latest developments in the subject.

Publications from the organisers of some local science competitions such as “The Hong Kong Chemistry Olympiad for Secondary Schools” and “The Hong Kong Student Science Project Competition” provide valuable ideas on scientific investigations and inventions.

Fieldwork that involves studying the chemistry of water bodies and the quality of air samples allows students to understand key concepts for knowledge-building. Students who participate in such activities will be more motivated and have a better understanding of chemistry phenomena.

Parents can play an important part in complementing the work in school. For instance, they can support the curriculum by providing extended learning experiences outside school, e.g.

by discussing the social, moral and ethical issues related to chemistry with their children; and they can instil in them an appreciation of the value of learning. Parents from different professions can also be invited to deliver speeches or lectures to the students which can help them to gain authentic knowledge from various disciplines.

6.3.5 Documentary Videos and Television Programmes

The use of audio-visual materials allows students to experience a world beyond the classroom and gives visual realisation to abstract ideas and concepts. Many videotaped science programmes are good learning and teaching materials for helping students to keep abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments.

Television series can make learning chemistry interesting and relevant. Television programmes and documentary videos produced by broadcasting organisations and professional bodies are often pitched at a level appropriate for students. Teachers are encouraged to draw students’ attention to these programmes, and follow them up with discussions that help them to relate the programmes to the curriculum.

6.3.6 Journals and Newspaper Articles

Useful learning and teaching strategies, and information on the latest developments in science and technology, can be found in education and science research journals respectively. The articles in these journals usually go beyond simply reporting how to conduct learning and teaching activities  they frequently suggest how to integrate the activities into the curriculum and implement them in the classroom. A list of suitable journals is compiled for teachers’ reference. School librarians may provide assistance to teachers and students in identifying and locating these journals.

Articles from local newspapers and other media also provide valuable reference materials for developing learning and teaching activities, especially on the interconnections of Science–Technology–Society–Environment. Students can collect articles on topics of interest such as the invention of LifeStraw^TM and “How fireworks work”. Critical examination of such articles can provide valuable learning experiences that extend classroom learning. Students are expected to have a better understanding of chemistry and to be able to develop an interest in the subject through reading interesting articles. In short, journals and newspaper articles are resources for supporting the use of “reading to learn”.