Invited by the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Dr. Peter Wan, Associate Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Education University of Hong Kong, showcased his SWEETIE blended STEM curriculum at the 2024 Learning and Teaching Expo from December 11 to 13, 2024. During the event, hundreds of teachers and parents explored the SWEETIE learning platform and teaching kits.
Dr. Choi Yuk-lin, the Secretary for Education, visited the booth to inquire about the unique features and implementation of the SWEETIE curriculum. Dr. Wan explained, "The SWEETIE course is an interdisciplinary STEM curriculum driven by engineering design. It not only systematically nurtures students' creativity but also aligns closely with the new primary science curriculum. By integrating modern educational technology, the curriculum enables teachers to begin instructing STEM lessons after just two hours of training." Dr. Choi praised the program, stating, "The SWEETIE curriculum has a systematic framework for STEM education, and its innovative and practical teacher training approach effectively addresses the challenges of implementing new curricula. It is truly worthy of promotion."
SWEETIE (思維奇) is a STEM education theory established by Dr. Wan. It organizes design-oriented STEM curricula for primary and secondary schools into four levels, progressively developing students' creativity by referencing the four stages of the Industrial Revolution. The S.W.E.E.T.I.E. teaching method is integrated throughout all activities, starting from Situational introduction to Wondering problems, followed by Envisioning and Exploration, ensuring Thinking-back, Innovation, and Expansion at the end. This design guarantees the quality and efficiency of each activity implemented.
The course consists of eight units with over 40 interconnected core activities, each lasting about one hour. Through 40 hours of exploratory practice, students can fully experience the development of human industrial civilization and innovative wisdom. In recent years, by combining advanced teaching concepts with modern educational technology, the SWEETIE engineering design course has transitioned to a blended teaching model that integrates online and offline elements, greatly reducing the difficulty of implementing STEM education. This blended STEM curriculum has been well received by primary and secondary school teachers and is currently being implemented in over 60 schools.