School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
1. Support Service Provider
School-based Curriculum Development (Secondary) Section Curriculum Support Division
Education Bureau
2. Areas and Foci of Support Services
In the light of the school’s option for the area of support services, curriculum support officers of the Section will work with the school to establish a partnership through collaboration with curriculum leaders and teachers, with a view to promoting their professional growth for refining school-based curriculum development and pedagogical practices to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness. School-based support services aim primarily at developing curriculum leadership, shaping up a collaborative and self- reflective team of professional teachers within the school, which contribute to the sustainable professional development of teachers and refined professional practices. Curriculum support officers also assist in reviewing the school’s context and developmental needs, so that the support services are to be formulated and customised to meet the school’s specific needs for promoting school-based curriculum development and enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness. The following furnishes a summary of the areas of support available and a brief overview of foci of support services for schools’ reference:
Areas of Support Overview of Foci of Support Services Enquiries
Support Service Type I Mathematics
Education
• To develop school-based curriculum to cater for the diverse needs of students in learning Mathematics
• To strengthen the interface between the primary and junior secondary, and between the junior secondary and senior secondary school-based Mathematics curricula, including the planning and progressive implementation of the revised Mathematics curriculum for junior secondary from the 2020/21 s.y. onwards
• To optimise the senior secondary school-based Mathematics curriculum to create space and cater for learner diversity in accordance with school context and students’ learning and development needs
• To develop effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies such as gamification, enquiry learning, e-learning and self-directed learning to strengthen students’
mathematical concepts and skills, enhance their learning interest, as well as develop their generic skills, positive values and attitudes
• To enhance the learning of Mathematics through cross-subject collaboration/cross-curricular planning, such as promotion of STEM education and Reading across the Curriculum
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and to promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities
CHENG Pak-chung Tel: 2639 4704 e-mail:
Citizenship and • To develop school-based curriculum in alignment with the Ms HUNG Lai-ting,
School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
Social Development
aims and objectives of the central curriculum and design objective and impartial learning and teaching materials to cultivate students’ independent thinking skills, positive values and attitudes
• To develop learning and teaching strategies for cultivating students’ generic skills, such as self-directed learning and cooperative learning, to help students understand concepts and construct knowledge, as well as develop life-long learning competencies, including thinking skills
• To develop effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies such as e-learning and experiential learning, and to promote national security education under the framework of the Constitution and Basic Law education, which includes strengthening students’ understanding of the country and society as well as enhancing their sense of national identity
• To explore effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies to cater for learner diversity
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and to promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities
Venus
Tel: 2639 4745 email:
Science Education • To develop school-based curriculum to cater for the diverse needs of students (e.g. the learning needs of gifted students, students with SEN and NCS students) in learning Science
• To strengthen the interface between the junior secondary and senior secondary school-based Science curricula with regard to the development of science process skills and scientific thinking for students to learn science and to build a solid knowledge base
• To develop effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies such as self-directed learning and e-assessment, to help students construct science knowledge, and enhance their learning interest, as well as develop their generic skills, positive values and attitudes at junior and senior secondary levels
• To promote national security education through connecting naturally and integrating organically the elements of national security education with the content of Science curriculum
• To enhance the learning of science through cross-subject collaboration/cross-curricular planning, such as promotion of STEM education and Reading across the Curriculum
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and to promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities
CHENG Pak-chung Tel: 2639 4704 e-mail:
Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE)
• To develop a broad and balanced school-based PSHE curriculum to help students, particularly those at junior secondary level, acquire a solid knowledge base, to enhance their enquiry learning skills and to foster positive values as well as to nurture humanistic qualities
• To strengthen the interface between the junior secondary and
Ms HUNG Lai-ting, Venus
Tel: 2639 4745 email:
School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
senior secondary school-based PSHE curricula to build up a balanced knowledge base and develop essential generic skills for learning PSHE subjects at senior secondary level
• To promote national security education through connecting naturally and integrating organically the elements of national security education with the content of Chinese History, History, Geography and Life & Society curricula
•
• To promote Reading across the Curriculum, self-directed learning and students’ media and information literacy through Chinese History, History, Geography or Life & Society
• To explore effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies such as blended learning, e-assessment and use of assessment data to facilitate learning and teaching for catering for learner diversity
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities Catering for
Learner Diversity
• To assist schools in reviewing the effectiveness of various school policies and practices on issues pertaining to catering for learner diversity to formulate school-based curriculum development plans
• To formulate learning and teaching strategies such as differentiated instruction, curriculum adaptation and blended learning, and design learning and teaching materials such as parallel tasks, tiered assignments and cross-subject projects, with the concerted effort of school curriculum leaders and teachers in view of the diverse learning needs and learning styles of students
• To implement and review the learning, teaching and assessment strategies adopted to cater for learner diversity including NCS students, newly-arrived children (NAC), students with SEN and gifted students
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities
Ms HUNG Lai-ting, Venus
Tel: 2639 4745 email:
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education
• To strengthen the connection of knowledge and skills of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education KLAs, as well as the articulation in curricula and activities across year levels, through planning STEM education projects and learning activities, thereby deepening students’ learning in respective KLAs
• To develop effective learning, teaching and assessment strategies such as the application of information technology and design thinking for building a solid knowledge base among students; enhancing students’ interest in Science, Technology and Mathematics;; nurturing their creativity, problem solving abilityand entrepreneurial spirit to help them become self-directed learners; and integrating the cultivation
CHENG Pak-chung Tel: 2639 4704 e-mail:
School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
of positive values and attitudes into STEM education
• To cater for the diverse needs of students in STEM education, such as the learning needs of gifted students
• To cultivate teachers’ curriculum leadership and strengthen their professional capacity
• To establish a learning community in school and promote the culture of sharing and exchange among teachers
• To promote experience sharing and professional exchange culture through inter-school professional network activities Support Service Type II
Curriculum Leadership Learning Community on Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE)
• To broaden knowledge and experience of curriculum leaders (e.g. PSHE KLA coordinators) who are enthusiastic about curriculum innovations, in planning and implementing the focused measures of the school-based values education, through collaboration and reflection on pedagogical practices
• To establish a professional platform to share resources, exchange experiences and in collaboration explore strategies to apply the principle of “integrating organically and connecting naturally” with the curriculum and use the multi- pronged approach to implement national security education, as well as to develop students’ positive values and attitudes
Ms HUNG Lai-ting, Venus
Tel: 2639 4745 email:
Curriculum Leadership Learning Community on Mathematics Education
• To broaden knowledge and experience of curriculum leaders (e.g. Mathematics panel chairpersons and level coordinators), who are addressing the learning needs of different types of students (e.g. gifted students, students with SEN and NCS students) in planning and implementing school-based Mathematics curriculum, through collaboration and reflection on pedagogical practices
• To establish a professional platform to share resources, exchange experiences, and in collaboration explore strategies to cope with the curriculum development issues in Mathematics pertaining to the learning needs of different types of students
CHENG Pak-chung Tel: 2639 4704 e-mail:
Curriculum Leadership Learning Community on STEM Education
• To broaden knowledge and experience of curriculum leaders (e.g. STEM coordinators), who are enthusiastic about curriculum innovations, in planning and implementing school- based STEM education, through collaboration and reflection on pedagogical practices
• To establish a professional platform to share resources, exchange experiences, and in collaboration explore strategies to cope with the issues pertaining to the articulation in curricula and activities across year levels, catering for the diverse learning needs and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit
CHENG Pak-chung Tel: 2639 4704 e-mail:
School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
3. Modes of Support
Support Service Type I
- On-site Professional Support
In the light of the school’s context and developmental needs, curriculum support officers provide diversified collaborative support services, including reviewing and planning school-based curricula, lesson studies, assessment for learning, formulating development plans and professional development programmes (e.g. seminars, workshops and sharing sessions), as well as pedagogical designs. The primary aim is to promote curriculum leadership for strengthened professional capacity, refined professional practices and sustainable school development.
- Support through Professional Network
Professional Network is complementary with on-site professional support. It facilitates collegial sharing and dissemination of effective practices and resources, thus promoting inter-school sharing.
Support Service Type II - Learning Community (LC)
A
professional platform is established for curriculum leaders of all participating schools to explore, in collaboration, strategies to cope with specific issues on school-based curriculum development. It aims at empowering curriculum leaders to become change agents in leading their school teams to promote educational initiatives and/or developing school-based curriculum, through peer learning, sharing and collaboration among the participating schools. The deliverables would be experiences gained through piloting school-based curriculum measures, school-based handbooks or tools, school cases and curriculum plans. In general, there are 2 to 3 curriculum leaders (Vice Principal, Assistant Principal, subject panel chairperson and level coordinators) nominated by each participating school to form a Learning Community on the chosen theme. Teachers of participating schools may join some LC activities flexibly to promote the collaborative culture among schools. Please refer to the table below for arrangement of activities:
LC activity No. of Times
Contents Participants
Preparation meeting
1 Formulating objectives, theme and content of the developmental plan
Devising roles and duties of participating schools
Curriculum leaders of all participating schools
On-site support 2 Providing individual on-site support by curriculum support officers to facilitate schools in devising implementation strategies according to the objectives formulated
Curriculum leaders and teachers of respective participating schools Theme-based
professional development activities
1-2 Professional development activities, in the forms of seminars, workshops or sharing sessions, to enhance professional capacity of curriculum leaders and teachers
Curriculum leaders and teachers of all participating schools Inter-school
Visit
1-2 Inter-school visits and sharing among participating schools
Curriculum leaders and teachers of participating
School-based Curriculum Development Support Services for Secondary Schools
Inter-school collaborative lesson planning, observation and discussion and/or professional development activities
schools concerned
Consolidation 1 Consolidation and dissemination of outcomes Curriculum leaders of all participating schools
Differences
betweenSupport Service Type I and Type II
Support Service Type I Support Service Type II Participants A core team of teachers of each
participating school
2 to 3 curriculum leaders (e.g. Vice Principal, Assistant Principal, subject panel chairpersons and level coordinators) of each participating school Modes Mainly on-site support Mainly inter-school sharing, collaboration and
reflection, with the support from curriculum support officers
Frequency of meetings
Comparatively more Comparatively less
Expectations on participants
Develop school-based curriculum and conduct lesson study in collaboration with curriculum support officers
Explore strategies to cope with the specific issues in developing school-based curriculum, through sharing, collaboration and reflection on pedagogical practices
