Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 3, Issue 1, Article 10(June, 2002) Teresa T S WONG A Case Study of School-Based Science Curriculum Development: Overview of Project Approach and Process of Implementation Previous Contents Next

Background to the School-Based Science Curriculum Development Project

The Emerging Importance of the School-Based Curriculum Development (SBCD) in Hong Kong Education
Educators have always been under the pressure of assisting students to achieve satisfactory results in school and public examinations for class streaming and academic admission purpose. Therefore, they have generally voiced concerns about the lack of resource to improve upon curriculum design and to increase teaching/learning flexibility. It is also a common but mistaken belief that the curriculum is strictly "imposed" and delivered mainly through the coverage of a prescribed syllabus and text, as it has proven to be ineffective in students' learning both in Hong Kong and overseas (Curriculum Development Council, 2001a). Past study of SBCD in Hong Kong (Lo, 1995; Morris, 1996) has shown that the processes of curriculum planning were strongly influenced by teachers' desire to satisfy the complex bureaucratic requirements (such as requiring students to produce displayable outputs for open exhibitions), instead of based on a consideration of pupil's needs by an analysis of the context or situation in which the curriculum was used. After the abolishment of Primary Six Academic Aptitude Test (AAT) and the launching of the education reform in 2001, schools under the Hong Kong educational system, primary schools in particular, are given more opportunities in terms of time and resources innovations. According to the Government's recommendations, schools and teachers are encouraged to adapt the central curriculum, while develop their own school-based curriculum to help their students to achieve the learning targets (Curriculum Development Council, 2001a). At this present moment, the education reform is at its first stage of implementation. The Government official guidelines under the main theme "Learning to Learn" not only offer the curriculum framework, but also suggested development strategies and some exemplars from local schools (Curriculum Development Council, 2001b). The suggested developmental measures, such as varying the organization of contents, context and examples, learning and teaching strategies, pace of learning and teaching, homework, criteria and modes of assessment, are up to the schools and teachers to decide depending on their situations.

The Origin of the SBSCD Project
The present School-Based Science Curriculum Development (SBSCD) focuses on science education, providing school-based professional guidance and on-site curriculum development supports to teachers. SBSCD is one of the initiatives under the Hong Kong Schools Around the World (HKSAW)* Project. Schools Around the World (SAW) project is a multinational academic development model designed by the Council for Basic Education (CBE), an educational interest group based in Washington (U.S.) that advocates high academic performance for all students. Its nine participating nations/regions include the United States, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Hong Kong SAR. As one of the implementing strategies of SBSCD, HKSAW Curriculum Development Team uses science student works from these nations/regions as references to stimulate teachers' professional exchange and discussions regarding the adaptability of these works to the local central curriculum.

Defining the scope of the project
Seven HKSAW member schools volunteered in the SBSCD project. The project was designed for one school-term. The Curriculum Development Team selected a set of science subject units from the Hong Kong Primary 4-6 General Studies Syllabus and the Form 2 Integrated Science Syllabus for the schools to choose from for their project. These units were selected such that all nine SAW participating countries have student work resources of the same subject areas shared in the SAW online database.

Some schools adopt the same science subject units or choose similar objectives for their science curriculum development. With a pre-set range of topics and objectives, the HKSAW Curriculum Developer Team can easily facilitate the sharing of experiences among the schools.

*The Schools Around the World project in Hong Kong is funded by the Quality Education Fund.