The Updated Four Key Tasks

The Four Key Tasks of Moral and Civic Education, Reading to Learn, Project Learning and Information Technology for Self-directed Learning have been recommended for schools’ implementation of the curriculum reform since 2001 to help students develop independent learning capabilities. In the ongoing curriculum renewal, these tasks are updated as Moral and Civic Education, Reading to Learn, Project Learning, and Information Technology (IT) for Interactive Learning.

The updated Four Key Tasks are applicable in the TE KLA to enliven learning and teaching, and to help students achieve whole-person development and become self-directed learners. They can be flexibly embedded into different learning activities as stated in Chapter 3 of the BECG (Primary 1 - 6) (2014) and Booklets 6 of the Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (Secondary 1 – 6) (2017). Suggestions on how to incorporate the updated Four Key Tasks in technology learning activities are given below.

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Moral and Civic Education

4.2.5 The learning elements in the TE curriculum, as presented in Figure 6 in Chapter 2, are related to local business and industries as well as our daily life, and help student develop an understanding of the impact of technology on families, society and nation.

4.2.6 Through technology education, students are exposed to topics such as environmental protection, media education, ethics and healthy living. More importantly, students develop a global outlook of the world, a sense of identity associated with their family, society and nation, as well as their personal qualities, responsibilities and good characters to serve society.

Example 17 Developing Civic Mindedness through Technology Education Learning Activities

In a Technology lesson which aims to provide opportunities for students to explore the conservation of resources for environmental protection, students select an old garment and identify its characteristics. Students plan and decide what to do with it – repair, restyle or recycle. After designing and making, students introduce the ‘new’ article of clothing to their classmates and discuss with them its implication on conservation of resources.

Reading to Learn

4.2.7 Reading is an important learning skill in the TE curriculum. There is a large repertoire of reading materials within the technological context such as:

 the historical development of technology;

 the latest developments in technology and their applications; and

 the manipulation of new technologies.

These reading materials could help students understand how the development of technology is related to geographical locations and natural resources, as well as its impact on social and economic development.

Example 18 Developing Skills to Read across the Curriculum through Technology Education Learning Activities

At the beginning of the school term, students select a topic on a new technology in line with their own interests. They then collect reading materials related to this topic from different sources such as websites and magazines, read them and prepare a presentation in their spare time. The presentation, which is done in the second term, focuses on introducing the new technology and the related reading materials as well as their views on its impact on everyday life. Teachers may also make arrangements for students to share the reading materials through displaying them in the classroom or uploading them to the school intranet.

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Project Learning

4.2.8 A project is a tool for both learning and assessment of the TE curriculum. Project learning enables students to construct and connect knowledge, concepts and skills in the TE KLA and/or across KLAs. STEM-related projects are encouraged so as to enable students to integrate and apply their learning, as well as nurturing positive values and attitudes.

Example 19 A Technology Project for Primary Students

In a GS lesson, students work on a small group project to design and make a tall skyscraper model. Students are required to perform a strength test on different materials and also a test on the weight carrying capacity of prisms in different shapes in order to build a model with the highest stability. Through the project, students apply the TLA design cycle (see Section 4.2.3 and Appendix 1 for details) to improve their design and develop an understanding of what material and prism shape are most suitable for making a stable skyscraper model.

Information Technology for Interactive Learning

4.2.9 Information technology (IT) can provide students with access to the vast network of information on knowledge, skills and applications of technologies and enable them to explore different learning resources to develop self-directed learning capabilities.

Teacher is no longer the sole provider of knowledge but the facilitator of learning.

IT serves as an effective tool for students to carry out their learning activities, particularly when they have to collect ideas, and communicate them through different forms such as sounds, pictures, videos or a combination of them.

Example 20 IT for Self-directed Learning in the Technology Education Curriculum

At the beginning of a product design project, students practice evaluating different product designs by visiting websites which provide many examples of designs. Through this mode, students can learn more about design.

4.2.10 “Computational Thinking involves solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior, by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science” (Wing, 2006). Students become tool builders instead of tool users through a set of concepts such as abstraction, algorithm and automation.

Computational thinking is a problem solving methodology that can be transferred and applied in different contexts. Computational thinkers can accurately describe the problems and construct an algorithm that solves it.

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Example 21 Using Visual Programming Languages to enhance Computational Thinking and Generic Skills

Visual programming language (VPL) is any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually.

Computational thinking:

Computational practices focus on the process of thinking and learning, moving beyond what you are learning to how you are learning. Some VPLs provide learners with a simple visual drag-and-drop user interface for students to manipulate and test different ideas or approaches to a problem.

Testing programs with a simple visual drag-and drop user interface

e-Learning

4.2.11 e-Learning refers to an open and flexible learning mode involving the use of electronic media, including the use of digital resources and communication tools to achieve the learning objectives. The major aim of e-learning is to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness in schools and to help students develop the essential qualities required in the 21st century (e.g. self-directed learning). Teachers may build a repertoire in e-learning strategies to help enhance, modify and complement the pedagogy adopted for the technology classroom.

4.2.12 The use of e-learning to develop students’ information literacy, self-directed learning abilities and habits is highly encouraged.

4.2.13 E-learning can be adopted in TE KLA through:

 using simulation or modelling tools (such as networking simulation in Information and Communication Technology and environmental building design in Design and Applied Technology) to help students learn through an experience which could provide instant feedback to facilitate self-directed learning; and

 using mind mapping tools to help students promote collaborative learning and strengthen co-construction of their personal understanding of the contents (such as using mind mapping apps to construct concept maps about ecology and health in Health Management and Social Care in groups).

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Teachers should exercise their professional judgements in the appropriate use of IT and ensure that students are provided with sufficient opportunity for hands-on experiences to develop their skills.

Example 22 e-Learning

Before the e-learning lesson, which aims to nurture students the basic knowledge of the devices, students are requested to explore the characteristics of an input or output device on the Internet. They then post a message with a brief description of the device with related websites to the school intranet or an online forum. The messages will then be studied and commented by their teacher and classmates during the lesson.

Example 23 e-Learning Resources

In the context of computer education, there are many resources available on the Internet to support the use of e-learning in the Technology classroom. For examples, there are websites with interactive learning activities and tutorials to enable self-directed learning of programming, such as:

Turtle Academy (http://turtleacademy.com/) and Code Academy (http://www.codecademy.com/learn).

 When using e-learning resources, proper guidance and monitoring of students’

learning progress are still required so as to develop their independent learning skills and attitudes.

Life-wide Learning

Schools may refer to "Issues about Life-wide Learning" in Chapter 6 of the BECG (Primary 1 - 6) (2014) and Booklet 7 of the SECG (Secondary 1 - 6) (2017) for suggestions on organising life-wide learning activities for their students.

4.2.14 TE learning should not be confined to schools. Life-wide learning aims to offer opportunities for students to learn:

 in real contexts,

 by doing; and

 through interactions with people from different sectors.

4.2.15 Schools can make arrangements for their students to visit or be attached to different organisations to understand the application of technologies in daily life and to gain experiences by doing.

4.2.16 Alternatively, professionals and experts from different fields can be invited to give talks and conduct activities in schools. Arrangements can also be made for students

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to visit these experts in their workplaces so as to have a wider exposure in different fields related to technology.

4.2.17 There are many possible life-wide learning activities to support the TE curriculum.

The following table provides information on some of the LWL activities which are adopted by different schools.

Life-wide Learning Activity Objectives

 Visits to different organisations (e.g.

power plants, switch stations, control stations, model homes, model

offices, research laboratories)

To expose students to different specialised areas to understand how technologies are actually applied to solve real life problems

 Talks, seminars and public lectures by practitioners or professionals

For students to gain up-to-date and contextual knowledge and experience related to different technologies and to communicate directly with professionals

 Participation in competitions For students to apply knowledge and skills acquired and to learn through team work and collaboration

 Career-related experiences For students to gain knowledge and work experiences and to acquire skills in working with others

 Mentorship programmes by professionals

For students to have a better understanding of a certain knowledge area in the TE curriculum, to work under the guidance of professionals and to be aware of the qualities that employers are looking for in school graduates

Example 24 Technology Education through Life-wide Learning - The Hong Kong Olympiad in Informatics (HKOI) and International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)

The HKOI is a student computer competition which aims at promoting students’ interest in programming. The best contestants will be invited to attend a series of training programmes. Those with outstanding performance in the training programme will then be selected as representatives of the Hong Kong team in some international computer competitions, such as the International Olympiad in Informatics and the National Olympiad in Informatics in China.

The IOI is an annual international computer competition which aims at stimulating students’ interest in computing science and information technology, and encouraging students’ sharing of their technological and cultural experiences with talented pupils from the various participating countries.

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Example 25 Technology Education through Life-wide Learning – Career-related Experiences

Organisation Division No. of Students

Charitable Organisation: Community Services 1

Medical Services 1

Auditing 1

Finance 1

Administration 1

Electronics Manufacturer: Store 2

Human Resources 1

Engineering 1

Marketing 1

4.2.18 LWL activities can be organised according to the specific condition of schools. The following are some LWL activities conducted in schools:

 learning outside school hours

 additional and follow-up work (e.g. out-of-school activities)

 technology week (e.g. exhibition of students’ design work and portfolio)

 technology club

 workplace experiences (e.g. visits to technology sites and attachments)

 integrated learning with other KLAs (e.g. the study of technological artefacts in different time periods in other cities)

 internal and external competitions 4.2.19 Strengthening STEM education

STEM-related learning activities should bridge across the curricula of the KLAs of Science Education, Technology Education and Mathematics Education. When planning and designing these learning activities, teachers of the TE KLA should closely collaborate with teachers of the Science Education and Mathematics Education KLAs to facilitate students’ integration and application of knowledge and skills. Two different approaches to organising STEM-related learning activities are recommended (see Figure 17). It should be noted that these two approaches are not mutually exclusive. Depending on the school contexts, students’ interests and abilities, and teachers’ expertise, schools can adopt one or both of the approaches.

Examples of STEM activities on how to conduct learning activities in an integrative manner and through the application of skills in authentic contexts are provided in the Appendices for teachers’ reference.

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Figure 17 Two Approaches to Organising STEM Learning and Teaching Activities

APPROACH ONE

Learning activities based on topics of a KLA for students to integrate relevant learning elements from other KLAs

APPROACH TWO