Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades
The EDB makes recommendations for the allocation of instructional time for different subjects.38 The recommended time allocated for mathematics education is 12 to 15 percent of total instruction time at both the primary and junior (lower) secondary levels. The time allocated for GS at the primary level is 12 to 15 percent of total instructional time (that is, for GS as a whole). The actual time allocation for science at the primary level is lower than the suggested percentage, as science learning elements comprise only part of the GS curriculum. Based on the TIMSS 2015 teacher questionnaire, in schools where science is taught as part of GS, teachers spent approximately 40 percent of GS instructional time covering science topics. As such, the actual time allocated for science at the primary level comprises approximately 5 percent to 6 percent of total instructional time. For science education at the junior (lower) secondary level, the suggested allocation of instructional time is 10 percent to 15 percent.
Grades at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced
Unlike many parts of the world, in Hong Kong students at the primary and junior (lower) secondary levels are not taught by general classroom or homeroom teachers. They are taught by teachers of different subjects. However, not all teachers are formally trained in the subject they teach, especially at the primary level. Mathematics and GS are not always taught by specialist teachers. In secondary schools, subjects typically are taught by subject specialists.
Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories
There are no mandated instructional materials for mathematics and science in Hong Kong SAR, but the EDB provides lists of recommended textbooks, e-textbooks, and teaching and learning materials for different subjects at the different grade levels,39 which have been vetted by the appropriate reviewing panels of the Textbook Committee at the EDB and are considered acceptable in terms of coverage, content, sequence, exercises, language, illustration, and format. Schools are not required to refer to the EDB’s recommendations when selecting textbooks, teaching and learning materials, or resource packages.
The EDB encourages the use of diverse teaching and learning resources to enhance learning. Materials that provide students with experiences of the world beyond school and help them develop abstract ideas and concepts are particularly useful for facilitating independent learning. The EDB also encourages teachers to use school-based teaching and learning materials, as well as to exercise their professional judgment in preparing and choosing materials that are appropriate to the educational needs and abilities of their students. The recommended lists serve as a good reference for schools when choosing appropriate instruction materials for each subject.
Most primary schools do not have a science laboratory, but an increasing number have a designated room for conducting science-related activities. All secondary schools have science laboratories appropriate to the demands of the curriculum. In the junior (lower) secondary science curriculum, laboratory safety, laboratory equipment, and conducting experiments are introduced at Grade 7 (Secondary 1) in the strand of scientific investigation. Students practice using different equipment and conduct practical activities related to the science topics covered in the three years of junior (lower) secondary education.
Use of Technology
The Basic Education Curriculum Guide: Building on Strengths (Primary 1 to Secondary 3), published by the CDC, states that “information technology for interactive learning” is one of the four key learning tasks that should be emphasized in whole-school curriculum planning.40 The rationale is that information technology (IT) helps build the competencies needed for gaining access to information, processing it effectively, and developing closer interactions with people in different parts of the world.
The EDB recognizes that technological tools such as computers and calculators have changed the world of mathematics education profoundly. Students need to master IT to adapt to the dynamically changing environment. With the help of IT tools, meaningless drilling and obsolete topics are no longer essential or relevant in mathematics learning.41 Teachers are expected to incorporate IT wisely and critically in mathematics education, avoiding aimless and excessive use. In science education, IT enhances the development of students’ scientific thinking, creativity, and problem solving skills. Still, teachers are expected to provide students with sufficient opportunities for hands-on experiments to develop their science process skills.42
The use of computers in schools is becoming more popular. Nearly all schools have a computer room with Internet access and technical support for e-teaching and e-learning. Access to a computer or tablet is common for students at both the primary and junior (lower) secondary levels. However, calculators typically are not allowed in primary schools. Students typically start using calculators in Grade 7 (Secondary 1).
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
The government has adopted a whole-school approach to integrated education, as advocated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, to enhance the quality of local integrated education.43 In 2001, the Equal Opportunities Commission issued the Code of Practice on Education under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. In the same year, the EDB issued Circular No. 14/2001 to all schools informing them about the publication of and the principles governing equal opportunities under the Code of Practice on Education.44 In accordance with current government policy, children with special education needs are enrolled in ordinary schools where they can learn alongside other children and receive the full benefits of education.
To enable ordinary schools and teachers to provide high quality educational services that cater to student diversity and special education needs, and to promote mutual respect for individual differences among teachers and students and foster an inclusive school culture, the EDB provides professional support, operation guides, and professional development courses to schools and teachers with special education needs students. Professional support also is provided to these students, including school-based educational psychology services, school-based advisory visits by specialists and EDB inspectors, speech therapy services, school network supports, etc.45
The Code of Practice on Education states that educational establishments should ensure that their assessment mechanisms do not discriminate against students with disabilities. Teachers are advised to use a variety of assessment methods in order to allow students, including those with disabilities, to display their competencies.46 The operation guide for the whole-school approach to integrated education includes recommendations on assessment accommodations (e.g., design of examination papers, time extensions, provision of technical aids, exemption from parts of examination papers, etc.). In addition, the EDB provides guidelines and leaflets for schools elucidating the principles that schools should observe when providing special examination arrangements for students in school assessments.47
Appropriate assessment accommodations should compensate for the limitations of students with special education needs in the examination process, without changing the nature or content of assessments or creating an unfair advantage. In most cases, the rationale and principles of special arrangements for school assessments also are applicable to public examinations, including Territorywide System Assessment (TSA), HKDSE, etc. The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), an independent statutory body for administering public examinations in Hong Kong, provides special examination arrangements for SEN candidates taking these examinations. SEN candidates are advised to follow the application procedures and register well before the given deadlines so that there will be sufficient time to make necessary arrangements according to the nature and degree of candidates’ special needs. It ensures that SEN candidates are assessed equitably under suitable conditions without giving them an unfair advantage over other candidates.48