Types of Resources

6.3.1 Textbooks

Textbooks have a major role to play in helping students to learn key ideas and consolidate learning experiences. They should support student-centred learning and help students to construct models, theories and understanding for themselves.

In considering which science textbooks to select, schools should consider:

 whether their approach and coverage facilitate the development of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes promoted in the curriculum;

 the suitability of the teaching content;

 the quality of the language used;

 the appropriateness of the learning activities;

 whether the examples and illustrations used are appropriate; and

 safety aspects in the practical work suggested.

A set of guiding principles has been formulated for the writing, reviewing and selection of quality textbooks. When choosing textbooks, teachers are encouraged to refer to these principles in the textbook information at http://www.edb.gov.hk/textbook.

6.3.2 References

A variety of reference materials can be used to enrich the curriculum, arouse students’

interest in learning, and promote “Reading to Learn”.

(1) Textual material

Students should be encouraged to read extensively to extend the scope of their knowledge and understanding. There are many useful and interesting texts (e.g. books, journals, magazines) of appropriate breadth and depth. These include, for example, stories about modern science and articles on current developments and issues in science. These enrich the curriculum, arouse students’ interest in learning, and promote “Reading to Learn”. It is important to set up a text-rich environment with ample curriculum-related materials appropriate to students’ ability, linguistic competence and interests to encourage them to get into the habit of reading about science, and so kindle a lifelong interest in it.

(2) Mass media

Materials from the mass media, including audio-visual materials, news articles, TV programmes and advertisements are authentic resources for helping students to learn and make informed decisions and judgments. Videotaped programmes can keep students abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments; and a large number of television programmes have a high educational value. Also, documentaries produced by professional bodies and broadcasting organisations are often pitched at an appropriate level for students. Teachers are encouraged to bring such TV programmes to students’ attention as they will find learning more relevant and interesting when using them.

Local newspapers can also provide valuable articles on which to develop learning activities and assessment tasks. To extend their learning, students can collect cuttings on topics of interest to them in relation to science. Learning and teaching resources from the media can provide students with a variety of perspectives on science-related issues and stimulate their thinking. Students’ motivation and interest in learning science will also be increased by discussing relevant media reports. Teachers should make flexible use of such resources for consolidating concepts, raising conceptual conflicts, visualising connections, and evaluating and applying scientific knowledge.

Teachers should, however, be aware of the risks associated with the use of such a variety of resources, as some may present inaccurate, biased or out-of-date information, and present scientific knowledge in “black and white” terms, as if there were no doubts about the truth of the information. Resources need to be examined carefully to ensure that they are appropriate for the learning and teaching intentions.

6.3.3 The Internet and Technology

The Internet and technology play an important role in providing learning and teaching resources for science. Strategic use of technology can enhance student engagement and give convenient access to vast amounts of information. Teachers can act as facilitators of learning by helping students to search for information and work on it in order to turn it into knowledge.

The Internet and technology can help students to learn by:

 providing audio-visual aids for understanding difficult concepts;

 providing access to information from a wide range of sources and processing large quantities of information;

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

 promoting interaction and collaboration among learners, and between the teacher and learners;

 facilitating the acquisition of information, the development of critical thinking, and the co-construction of knowledge.

Teachers are encouraged to make use of the Internet to promote active learning in students, as it offers opportunities for them to collaborate with their peers in other schools, obtain and deal with real live data, discuss with scientists, publish their work and access learning materials and journals. Many Internet sites offer rich sources of information and materials on issues related to science. It is useful for teachers to give students hints, key words or focused areas for Internet searches, to preview and bookmark useful websites, and to make connections to useful websites in their school network.

There are also computer software programmes suitable for learning and teaching science.

Such programmes include tutorial software, databases of information and simulations or modelling of processes and experiments. For instance, students may use a computer simulation to perform virtual experiments and test their proposed models, which helps them to develop conceptual understanding and reasoning from their own ideas. Some CD-ROMs provide students with interactive learning experiences by presenting information in a variety of forms and requiring them to make notes, search for key words, answer questions, give explanations or solve problems. Finally, the use of devices such as data loggers and computer-based laboratories can help students to collect, interpret and analyse data when conducting scientific investigations.

6.3.4 Community Resources

Various government departments, non-government agencies and educational institutions can contribute to life-wide learning in science by providing students with real-life learning experiences as well as up-to-date information and professional services.

A number of community resources have been identified and provided in Chapter 6 of the C&A Guides of Biology, Chemistry and Physics for teachers’ reference, but the list is by no means exhaustive. Teachers are encouraged to explore further learning opportunities available in the community and use them effectively to make science learning and teaching interesting, authentic and meaningful.

In addition, parents and alumni can be a very valuable resource for supporting student learning. Parents and alumni from different professions can be invited to deliver speeches/lectures to enable students to gain authentic knowledge about various disciplines.

They can share their views on the value of learning to learn to encourage students to learn.

The EDB will continue to develop and update useful resources, inclusive of supplementary notes, to support the implementation of the curriculum. A list of resource materials published by the EDB can be found in Appendix 2. To assist schools in managing curriculum change, the EDB has provided 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.