Other Learning Experiences is one of the three major components of the Senior Secondary curriculum that complements the core and elective subjects (including Applied Learning courses and other languages) for the whole-person development of students. These experiences include Moral and Civic education, Community Service, Career-related Experiences, Aesthetic Development and Physical Development.
The senior secondary curriculum framework is designed to enable students to attain the seven learning goals for whole-person development and stretch the potential of each student (i) to be biliterate and trilingual with adequate proficiency; (ii) to acquire a broad knowledge base, and be able to understand contemporary issues that may impact on their daily life at personal, community, national and global levels; (iii) to be informed and responsible citizen with a sense of global and national identity; (iv) to respect pluralism of cultures and views, and be a critical, reflective and independent thinker; (v) to acquire information technology and other skills as necessary for being a life-long learner; (vi) to understand their own career/ academic aspirations and develop positive attitudes towards work and learning; and (vii) to lead a healthy lifestyle with active participation in aesthetic and physical activities.
It is a way of organising the school curriculum around fundamental concepts of major knowledge domains. It aims at providing a broad, balanced and coherent curriculum for all students through engaging them in a variety of essential learning experiences. The Hong Kong curriculum has eight KLAs, namely, Chinese Language Education, English Language Education, Mathematics Education, Personal, Social and Humanities Education, Science Education, Technology Education, Arts Education and Physical Education.
ApL is an integral part of the three-year senior secondary curriculum. It takes broad professional and vocational fields as the learning platform to develop students’ foundation skills, thinking skills, people skills, positive values and attitudes and career-related competencies, in order to prepare them for further study/ work as well as life-long learning. ApL courses complement the senior secondary subjects, adding variety to the senior secondary curriculum.
Generic skills are skills, abilities and attributes which are fundamental in helping students to acquire, construct and apply knowledge. They are developed through the learning and teaching that takes place in different subjects or Key Learning Areas, and are transferable to different learning situations. Nine types of generic skills are identified in the Hong Kong school curriculum, i.e. collaboration skills, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking skills, information technology skills, numeracy skills, problem-solving skills, self-management skills and study skills.
A total of 20 senior secondary subjects, a wide range of Applied Learning courses and 6 other languages in the new system from which students may choose to develop their interests and abilities, and they open up a number of pathways into further studies and careers.
Its purpose is to provide supplementary information on the secondary school leavers’ participation and specialties during senior secondary years, in addition to their academic performance as reported in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, including the assessment results for Applied Learning courses, thus giving a fuller picture of students’ whole-person development.
A guide prepared by the Curriculum Development Council - Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority Committee. It comprises curriculum aims/objectives, learning content, learning outcomes, and assessment guidelines.
Individuals who are different from each other in terms of maturity, motivation, ability, learning styles, aspirations, interests, aptitudes and socio-economic background.
Subjects recommended for all students to take at the senior secondary level: Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies.
| Booklet 2 |
Planning Your Whole-school Curriculum – Broad and Balanced Curriculum with Diversification and Sufficient Choices |
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| This is one of a series of 12 booklets in the Senior Secondary Curriculum Guide. Its contents are as follows: |
Contents |
| 2.1 |
Purpose of the Booklet |
| 2.2 |
Principles and Practices for Planning the Whole-school Curriculum |
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2.2.1 |
Principles for consideration |
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2.2.2 |
Whole-school curriculum planning in practice |
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2.2.3 |
Whole-school curriculum planning and block time-tabling |
| 2.3 |
Key Planning Issues for the Senior Secondary Curriculum |
| Appendices |
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| 2.1 Purpose of the Booklet |
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To help schools to design a whole-school curriculum |
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To help schools to make appropriate time-tabling arrangements to provide students with sufficient choices to meet their needs and interests |
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| 2.2 Principles and Practices for Planning the Whole-school Curriculum |
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| The design principles specified in Booklet 1 illustrate the student programme recommended for the senior secondary (SS) curriculum. Systematic whole-school curriculum planning is necessary to ensure that every student works towards achieving the seven learning goals. |
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| 2.2.1 Principles for consideration |
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| Based on the seven learning goals of the SS curriculum as set out in Section 1.3 of Booklet 1, schools should |
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understand the background leading to SS education, e.g. the latest theories of learning and the current situation of education in Hong Kong; |
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establish their own clear and strategic priority learning goals and targets; |
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offer subjects from all Key Learning Areas (KLAs) including Applied Learning (ApL)1 courses where appropriate to cater for the diverse interests, needs and aptitudes of their students, and supplement them with Other Learning Experiences (OLE) to foster whole-person development;
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provide reasonable time for the delivery of the curriculum by making reference to the suggested time allocation in Section 2.2.2 of this booklet to bring about a broad and balanced curriculum; |
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identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in order to deploy their resources to achieve their set goals and targets; and |
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refer to the subject Curriculum and Assessment Guides (CDC, 2007) as the basis for school-based adaptation where necessary to ensure: |
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a diversified choice of elective subjects with optional modules to cater for students’ interests, abilities and needs; |
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the development of a sufficient knowledge base for further studies; |
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the promotion of life-long learning skills, values and attitudes to meet contemporary needs; |
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the promotion of assessment for learning to achieve the life-long learning goals of education; and |
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a strong interface between junior secondary and senior secondary curricula. |
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| 1ApL was formerly named “Career-oriented Studies”. Readers may refer to the report “Action for the Future – Career-oriented Studies and the New Senior Secondary Academic Structure for Special Schools” (EMB, 2006) for details. |
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| Below is an example illustrating the results of a SWOT analysis of a school before deploying its resources and planning its school curriculum. |
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Example : A SWOT analysis of a school |
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Strengths |
Weaknesses |
Opportunities |
Threats |
| School |
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Lower banding students intake expected due to decrease in population |
| Principal |
Open-minded with clear vision on school’s development |
Inexperienced in handling various school administration matters |
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| Teachers |
A dedicated team of teachers |
Staff appraisal system not yet established |
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Some experienced teachers are due to retire |
| Students |
Most students are self-disciplined in participating learning activities |
Students come mostly from families of low socio-economic status |
Students are in general motivated to learn |
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| Parents |
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Difficult to mobilise parents |
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Too much emphasis on academic results |
| Curriculum |
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The areas of Moral and Civic Education and Career-related Experiences not well-developed |
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| Learning and Teaching |
Rich experiences in school-based curriculum development in both language subjects |
Inadequate collaboration among subject panels |
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| Assessment |
Experienced in assessment for learning in junior levels in some subjects |
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Change assessment culture in senior secondary |
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| Professional Development |
Close collaboration with tertiary institutions |
Inadequate training in handling students with special educational needs |
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| School Network |
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Lack of experience in organising network programme |
Form network programme with neighbour schools |
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| Following the above SWOT analysis, this school decided to focus on the following areas in deploying its resources and planning its SS curriculum: |
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The school nurtures a collaboration culture starting from the preparation for Liberal Studies and OLE. |
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The principal attends relevant courses organised by EDB. |
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Teachers take part in professional development programmes with a view to building up the school’s professional capacity. |
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To cater for students’ diversified needs/ capabilities, students can choose two or three elective subjects, including ApL courses and other languages. Students taking two elective subjects will be offered remedial lessons in both languages. Interested students can take one module from the Extended Part of the Mathematics curriculum. |
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The school adopts a more structured approach in arranging class teacher lessons and time-tabled lesson(s) to promote Moral and Civic Education. |
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The school involves parents in decisions related to students’ welfare and prospect to fortify their ownership and participation. |
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| Schools are encouraged to conduct a SWOT analysis and reflect on the following questions before proceeding to design the SS student programme to achieve the learning goals and targets set by the schools. |
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Reflective Questions |
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What are the key factors in planning the curriculum? How should resources be deployed to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for students? |
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In what way can your school build on the strengths identified in planning the curriculum? What are the targets/ focuses of your student programme in accordance with the abilities, interests and aptitudes of your students? |
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What can be done to address the weaknesses identified in your school? |
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How can your school make use of the opportunities ahead? |
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How can your school defend against threats? |
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| In planning the whole-school curriculum and developing strategies for achieving the learning goals, schools are also encouraged to make reference to the “334” Web Bulletin (http://www.edb.gov.hk/334), the website of the Curriculum Development Institute (http://cd.edb.gov.hk) and the website of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk) to obtain up-to-date information on: |
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Curriculum and Assessment Guides; |
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curriculum resources and examples; and |
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examples and tools for planning the SS curriculum. |
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| 2.2.2 Whole-school curriculum planning in practice |
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| In planning the whole-school curriculum, consideration should be given to all related items including time allocation for the different components of the student programme; the elective subjects offered in various levels and classes; flexible grouping and block time-tabling arrangements; the deployment of teachers; and teachers’ professional development and knowledge management; as well as other resources. All these are intertwined. |
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| Time allocation |
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Lesson time is the time when students are in close contact with teachers, normally in the classroom, but not necessarily so. Based on the calculation of 190 school days per year and an average of 6 hours a day in school, the student programme and the time allocation suggested for each subject are based on 2,700 hours of lesson time over three years of SS education. |
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Schools may exercise some flexibility over time allocation for different subjects and learning experiences to suit the specific needs of the students and the context of the school. They should, however, provide students with essential learning experiences, including intellectual development, moral and civic education, community service, physical development, aesthetic development and career-related experiences. |
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Schools should avoid spending too much time on unnecessary tests and examinations. Emphasis should be put on assessment for learning (see Booklet 4). |
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The suggested time allocation for different components of the learning experiences over three years is as follows: |
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Figure 2.1 Suggested Time Allocation |
Component |
Suggested time allocation |
| Core Subjects |
Chinese Language |
338 – 405 hours (12.5 – 15%) |
| English Language |
338 – 405 hours (12.5 – 15%) |
| Mathematics |
270 – 405 hours (10 – 15%) |
| Liberal Studies |
270 hours (Min 10%) |
| 2 to 3 Elective Subjects |
540 – 810 hours (20 – 30%)
270 hours (Min 10% per subject) |
Other Learning Experiences |
Aesthetic Development |
135 hours (5%) |
| Physical Development |
135 hours (5%) |
Moral and civic education, community service and career-related experiences |
135 hours (5%) |
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Reflective Question |
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Has your school ensured an appropriate time allocation for each component of OLE? |
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| Time-tabling arrangement |
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| Schools should adopt a flexible time-tabling arrangement to provide students with opportunities to gain access to different elective subjects. Schools also need to ensure effective use of their available teaching space. In planning the school curriculum, students’ choices should always be accorded top priority in time-tabling arrangements. |
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| Flexible grouping |
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| With the revised teacher-to-class ratio and the provision of the Senior Secondary Curriculum Support Grant, schools should be able to facilitate flexible grouping in teaching the core subjects, as well as offering reasonable choices of elective subjects and diversified OLE for students. |
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| Flexible time-tabling of core subjects |
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| Depending on the specific need and resources available, schools may adopt flexible grouping in teaching the elective modules of the core subjects or Independent Enquiry Studies of Liberal Studies. Schools may also allocate more lesson time to the Compulsory Part of Mathematics for students who do not take any module from the Extended Part. |
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| Maximising students’ choices of elective subjects |
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| In planning the 3-year SS curriculum, schools should ensure that sufficient choices are provided for students to suit their individual aptitudes and interests. To achieve this, schools may make use of the “Student Option Programme” (SOP) software package to construct a block time-table and consider the following approaches: |
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conduct a student survey to identify their interests, needs and the demands for each subject |
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provide career guidance to S3 students and help them to choose appropriate elective subjects |
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communicate with parents and organise briefing and counselling sessions to guide students to choose the elective subjects that are most suitable for them |
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offer more groups for subjects in great demand |
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select elective subjects in each time block with a view to maximising students’ satisfaction according to their preferences |
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allocate subjects to students according to their preferences, ability and performance |
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adopt a week-based (either 5-day or 10-day cycle) time-table so as to offer ApL courses (ApL courses can be arranged on either Saturdays or a fixed time-slot on any weekday) |
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adopt a 10-day cycle for a more balanced time allocation for each subject; or adopt alternate time-tables in different school terms |
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make use of the Diversity Learning Grant to offer more choices to students, e.g. other languages, ApL and network programmes with other schools to offer subjects with low enrolment |
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allow students to take either two or three elective subjects in S4 based on their preferences and/ or abilities |
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allow students to drop one elective subject in S5 and replace it by an ApL course or an enrichment programme. |
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| Arrangement of a ‘taster year’ in S4 |
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Schools may adopt block time-tabling and allow students to take four elective subjects in S4 as ‘taster programmes’ to broaden their horizons but allow them to take two to three elective subjects (including ApL courses) in S5 and S6. |
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As the subjects in different time blocks should be maintained throughout the three years of SS for the same cohort of students, OLE and/ or Independent Enquiry Studies of Liberal Studies can be arranged in these time blocks to fully utilise students’ lesson time in S5 and S6. |
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| On average, schools with 12 to 15 SS classes can usually offer about 10 to 12 elective subjects to students depending on factors such as students’ choices, human resources and the learning and teaching space available in the school. An example of lesson time allocation for SS curriculum with ‘taster programme’ in S4 is given in Appendix I. |
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Reflective Question |
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How does your whole-school curriculum planning cater for the diverse needs of students? |
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| Flexible time-tabling of OLE |
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| For students’ whole-person development, schools are encouraged to extend students’ learning opportunities both within and outside school hours and to provide them with increased exposure in moral, civic, physical and aesthetic areas as well as career-related experiences. Schools may |
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allocate OLE flexibly and sensibly at different times within the three years of SS education; |
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adopt a week-based time-table so that OLE lessons/ activities can be arranged in an afternoon, or arrange OLE after examinations or before long holidays so that community services, career-related experiences can be organised; and/ or |
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adopt a bi-weekly (10-day cycle) time-table to schedule more double lesson(s) for OLE lessons/ activities. |
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| Additionally, schools may provide students with independent OLE programmes through various activities and courses on selected school days. |
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Reflective Questions |
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Does your curriculum planning, school calendar and time-tabling arrangement reflect your school’s mission and learning goals? |
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What would you like to improve? To what extent can improvements be made through curriculum planning, school calendar and time-tabling arrangement? |
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| 2.2.3 Whole-school curriculum planning and block time-tabling |
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| Schools may refer to the following comparison table in constructing an SS block time-table which reflects the schools’ own whole-school curriculum planning and block time-tabling. An example of curriculum planning with block time-tabling is at Appendix II. More examples can be found in http://www.edb.gov.hk/334. |
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Figure 2.2 Constructing a Senior Secondary Block Time-table |
Purpose |
Current Situation |
Possible Solutions |
To increase students’ choices of elective subjects |
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Schools offer pre-set menus of elective subjects in Arts, Science or Commerce streams |
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Students have limited choices of elective subject combinations |
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Not to pre-set subject combinations |
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To conduct surveys on students’ choices of elective subjects |
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To arrange elective subjects in blocks so as to maximise students’ choices according to the schools’ available resources |
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To use school facilities flexibly to create more learning and teaching space |
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| Major considerations in constructing senior secondary block time-tables |
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Elective subjects in great demand are offered to more than one group to increase accessibility and to cater for students’ needs. |
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Combined Science can be offered in three combinations, i.e. Physics + Chemistry, Physics + Biology and Biology + Chemistry. In the example in Appendix II, only two Combined Science subjects are offered according to students’ choices. |
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Students who drop one of their elective subjects at S5 and S6 may take an ApL course or enhancement programme(s) in English Language, Chinese Language and Mathematics. |
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Physical Education, Music, Arts, Moral and Civic Education, and Religious Education are time-tabled on a regular basis. OLE in moral, civic, physical and aesthetic areas, community service and career-related experiences might be provided after school or during the post-examination school days. |
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A school can network with neighbouring schools to offer subjects with a very small intake of students. ;The Diversity Learning Grant will support the network programme. |
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Schools may adopt a bi-weekly (10-day cycle) time-table as depicted below. This arrangement can help to provide each subject with a more flexible allocation of time and more double periods can be arranged to shorten the time spent on changing periods. |
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Figure 2.3 A Bi-weekly (10-day cycle) Time-table |
Time |
Day 1
(Mon) |
Day 2
(Tue) |
Day 3
(Wed) |
Day 4
(Thu) |
Day 5
(Fri) |
Day 6
(Mon) |
Day 7
(Tue) |
Day 8
(Wed) |
Day 9
(Thu) |
Day 10
(Fri) |
8:05 – 8:25
(20 minutes) |
Morning Assembly |
8:25 – 8:55
(30 minutes) |
Class teacher period/ Morning Reading |
8:55 – 9:40
(45 minutes) |
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Elective 3 |
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Elective 2 |
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Elective 1 |
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9:40 – 10:25
(45 minutes) |
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Elective 3 |
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Elective 2 |
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Elective 1 |
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10:25 – 10:45 |
RECESS |
10:45-11:30
(45 minutes) |
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Elective 1 |
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Elective 2 |
11:30 – 12:15
(45 minutes) |
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Elective 1 |
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Elective 3 |
12:15 – 13:20 |
LUNCH |
13:20 – 14:05
(45 minutes) |
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Elective 1 |
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14:05 – 14:50
(45 minutes) |
Elective 1 |
Elective 2 |
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Elective 3 |
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Elective 2 |
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Elective 3 |
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14:50 – 15:35
(45 minutes) |
Elective 1 |
Elective 2 |
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Elective 3 |
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Elective 2 |
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Elective 3 |
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| 2.3 Key Planning Issues for the Senior Secondary Curriculum |
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| As whole-school curriculum planning is not merely subject-based, it is necessary to communicate with stakeholders throughout the process through different means and channels, e.g. sharing forums can be organised to deepen the understanding of various stakeholders both inside and outside the school. Questionnaire surveys can be used to analyse the requirements of stakeholders. Communication is essential when schools have to map out their plan for the New Academic Structure. |
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| A summary of the key issues involved in planning the SS curriculum is given below: |
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Curriculum planning and management – e.g. combination and choice of subjects, school-based assessment, block time-tabling, curriculum resources, student learning profiles |
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Professional development of teachers (pedagogy) – e.g. learning and teaching paradigms, classroom activities, understanding and interpreting the SS curriculum, preparation at junior secondary level, assessment for learning |
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Professional development of teachers (philosophy) – e.g. attitude, life-long learning, management of change |
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Human resources management issues – e.g. staff deployment, workforce and succession planning |
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Flexible use of funding to cope with changes |
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School organisation and reorganisation |
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Effective communication to ensure synergy |
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Effective networking to ensure mobility and availability of the required supportive resources. |
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| Other relevant resources |
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Time-tabling tools and examples: |
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The SOP software package helps schools to analyse students’ preferences in choosing elective subjects and constructing block time-tables to meet students’ needs. The software is available at http://sop.edb.hkedcity.net. |
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Time-tabling module of Web School Administration & Management System (WebSAMS) or other time-tabling tools could be used in accordance with the school’s context and resources. |
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Examples of flexible time-tabling can be found on the “334” Web Bulletin ( http://www.edb.gov.hk/334 ). |
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A centralised curriculum resources website is available at http://www.edb.gov.hk/cr |
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Planning for ApL: To help schools to plan for ApL courses, the following materials and systems are being developed: |
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Information kit on the planning of ApL implementation in schools (to be published in mid 2009) |
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Examples of ApL in the context of whole-school planning, cluster schools, time-tabling etc. (to be published in 2009) |
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A computerised administration module under the WebSAMS (to be rolled-out in the 2010/11 school year) |
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Arrangements of OLE and SLP: |
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SLP Module of WebSAMS has been launched. |
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The NSS Information Kit: The printed and web version provides schools with the tools to communicate with parents and students. |
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University admission requirement: Details of university entrance requirements can be found on the “334” Web Bulletin ( http://www.edb.gov.hk/334 ). |
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| Appendix I |
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| School C adopts a 40 minutes/ period and 45 periods/ week block time-table and offers a ‘taster year’ programme in S4. The time allocation for the whole SS curriculum is tabled below: |
Component |
Subject/ Programme |
S4
(33 wk) |
S5
(33 wk) |
S6
(24 wk) |
Hrs |
Sub-total
% |
|
Chinese Language |
6 |
6 |
6 |
360 |
51.1 |
English Language |
7/6 |
7/6 |
7/6 |
420/360 |
Mathematics |
5/6 |
5/6 |
5/6 |
300/360 |
Liberal Studies |
5 |
5 |
5 |
300 |
|
X1 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
278 |
34.2 |
X2 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
278 |
X3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
278 |
X4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
88 |
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Moral & civic education, physical development and aesthetic development, etc. |
6 |
7 |
7 |
398 |
14.7 |
Total |
45 |
45 |
45 |
2,700 |
100 |
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| Notes: |
1. |
'X' represents an elective subject |
2. |
OLE activities conducted during weekends and holidays have not been included and
therefore the actual time spent on OLE can meet/ exceed the suggested time allocation. |
3 |
Students can take 4 elective subjects in S4 and decide to take either 2 or 3 elective subjects
including ApL courses in S5 and S6. |
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| Appendix II |
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| School D adopts a 40 minutes/ period, 45 periods/ week block time-table to plan its SS curriculum as tabled below: |
Component |
Subject/ Programme |
Number of Periods |
S4 |
S5 |
S6 |
Core Subjects |
Chinese Language |
7 |
6 |
6 |
English Language |
8 |
7 |
7 |
Mathematics |
6 |
6 |
6 |
Liberal Studies |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Elective subjects |
X1 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
X2 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
X3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
Other Learning Experiences |
Moral & civic education, physical development & aesthetic development, etc. |
7 |
6 |
6 |
Total: |
45 |
45 |
45 |
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| Subjects offered in each time block according to students’ choices: |
Block 1 |
Physics |
Chemistry |
Biology |
Economics
(group 1) |
Chinese
History |
Information & Communication Technology |
Block 2 |
Combined Science (Biology + Chemistry) |
Physical Education |
Business, Accounting and Financial Studies |
Chinese Literature |
Combined Science (Physics + Chemistry) |
|
Block 3 |
Visual Arts |
Integrated Science |
Geography |
History |
Economics (group 2) |
Music |
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| Notes: |
1. |
The school allocates elective subjects in different time blocks so that students can take one elective subject from each time block. The allocation of elective subjects to each time block is based on students’ choices with a view to maximising students’ overall satisfaction. |
2. |
Taking into account the OLE activities conducted during weekends and holidays, the actual time spent on OLE may exceed the suggested time allocation. |
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