Basic Education Curriculum Guide - To Sustain, Deepen and Focus on Learning to Learn (Primary 1-6)- Chapter9

Contents

9 Interfaces at Various Key Stages

This is one of the chapters of the Basic Education Curriculum Guide - To Sustain, Deepen and Focus on Learning to Learn (Primary 1 - 6). Its contents are as follows:

9.1	Background
9.2	Purposes of the Chapter
9.3	The Importance of A Smooth Interface
9.4	A Comprehensive and Collaborative Approach
9.5	Suggested Actions to Enhance a Smooth Interface for Students at Different Key Stages
	9.5.1	Action Plan for Enhancing the Interface between Kindergarten and Primary One
	9.5.2	Action Plan for Primary Schools
	9.5.3	Action Plan for Enhancing the Interface between Primary Six and Secondary One
9.6	Promoting Home-School Cooperation
References

9.1 Background

The interface between kindergarten and Primary One as well as between Primary Six and Secondary One is one of the issues that parents and educators are most concerned about. Kindergarten, primary and secondary education are different stages of learning and there are varying degrees of differences in their learning modes and environments. Therefore, when entering a new stage of learning, students may encounter various levels of difficulties in adapting to the new environment at the beginning. Summarising the observation in the past 10 years of the curriculum reform, the majority of the schools have made reference to the guidelines provided by the Education Bureau in conducting a variety of activities to enhance the interface, for example, mutual visits, lesson observations and induction programmes. They have also made adjustments in the curriculum and teaching strategies to strengthen the interfaces between different Key Stages to help students successfully move from kindergarten to the primary level and from the primary level to the secondary level.

9.2 Purposes of the Chapter

	Suggest to schools ways to strengthen the school-based comprehensive and collaborative approach to ensure that students adapt to the interface between different Key Stages
	Suggest ways to further help students adapt better to the new environment when moving from kindergarten to Primary One and from Primary Six to Secondary One
	Suggest to schools strategies to help students adapt quickly to a new learning environment through maximising the role of parents

9.3 The Importance of a Smooth Interface

	When moving from kindergarten to Primary One and from Primary Six to Secondary One, students need a period of time to adjust to the new learning environment. Careful handling of the transition period helps students of different backgrounds and learning and developmental needs build up positive self-image and learn more confidently and proactively in the new stage and environment.
	Effective means to enhance the interface helps nurture students’ positive learning attitudes and habits, strengthens their foundation for learning in the new stage, enhance their independent learning capabilities, as well as fosters students’ physical and psychological growth.

9.4 A Comprehensive and Collaborative Approach

	Adopting a comprehensive and collaborative approach steered by the Primary School Curriculum Leaders and involving all staff (including class teachers of the lower primary classes and the Head of Guidance Team) and students (including upper primary students of the “Big Brothers and Sisters Scheme”) is more effective than relying only on class teachers in providing comprehensive and focused support for students.
	Schools should listen to students’ voices and help parents understand the emotional and psychological responses of students. Schools have to take into consideration the developmental growth, learning needs and parents’ roles when formulating coping measures.
	Schools are encouraged to formulate school policies through comprehensive planning to help Primary One and Six students adapt to the new learning stages with success. The focuses are as follows:
		Establish a working group under the guidance of the Primary School Curriculum Leader. Plan the vertical development of the curricula across different Key Stages to address the developmental growth and adjustment needs of students. This helps to organise and coordinate the work related to the interface effectively.
		Plan stage-specific teaching strategies to appropriately cater for the developmental growth and learning needs of students at different stages. Sustain students’ proactive learning attitude and develop their independent learning capabilities, especially their self-management and collaboration skills. Devise corresponding assessment policy to tie in with students’ different learning experiences and provide feedback on learning and teaching.
		Train a group of upper primary students to help newly admitted students adapt to the new school life.
		Encourage home-school cooperation through establishing partnership and effective communication channels, e.g. inviting parents to share experiences and express views, so that students can grow in a secure and pleasant environment with acceptance both at school and at home.
		Invite experienced early childhood educators, the Head of Guidance Team or Guidance Teachers to organise activities to deepen teachers’ understanding of student development and strengthen their professional capacity to master the effective strategies for promoting a smooth interface.

For Reflection and Action
	Some schools assess students with extremely difficult questions in the Primary One or Secondary One admission interview. This leads to excessive training of children by overstrained parents and a vicious circle, resulting in unnecessary pressure to all stakeholders involved. What is the view of your school?
	How does your school nominate suitable staff members or parents to be involved in the implementation of various interface plans and measures?
	When formulating policies, how can a school collect opinions from students and parents?
	How can pre-teaching the primary curriculum content in kindergarten and pre-teaching the secondary curriculum at the primary level be avoided?
	How does your school understand the difficulties students encounter during the transition period? How can the school find the entry point for enhancing the interface?

9.5 Suggested Actions to Enhance a Smooth Interface for Students at Different Key Stages

	Primary schools should maintain close communication with pre-primary institutions and secondary schools through professional exchange activities such as mutual visits, class observations, open days and seminars to enhance mutual understanding of the curriculum and pedagogical practices. By doing so, schools can better cater for students’ need for continuous learning, help them adapt to the new learning environment and take up new challenges.
	Schools can further help students adapt to the new learning stages through:
		attending to their social, emotional and psychological needs
		considering the interface with regard to their prior learning experiences and cognitive abilities

9.5.1 Action Plan for Enhancing the Interface between Kindergarten and Primary One

Pre-primary institutions can adopt the following measures at the end of the term to familiarise K3 students with the new learning environment and requirements gradually, and prepare them for Primary One:

Simulating the setting of a Primary One classroom;

Slightly increasing the amount of writing assignments and introducing different types of assignments such as reading, information collection and parent-child collaborative tasks;

Helping students develop the habit of recording assignments on the student handbooks;

Simulating Primary One routines and timetabling of learning activities

Arranging K3 students to visit primary schools;

Organising sharing sessions for parents on the selection of primary schools and distributing related reference materials such as “Primary School Profiles” published by the Committee on Home-School Co-operation and “Going to Primary School – Parent-child Reading & Colouring Booklet”; and

Collaborating with parents in helping students learn to make new friends actively and develop their social skills through games or parent-child activities.

Pre-primary institutions should maintain close communication with primary schools through activities such as mutual visits, class observations, open days and seminars to ensure kindergartens and primary schools understand each other’s curriculum design and pedagogical practices, as well as to facilitate exchanges and discussion of issues considered important to the interface.

The exemplars of the interface between kindergarten and Primary One are available at:
http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/curr/sept/c11_pdf/Chapter11-1%28p246-247%29xxx.pdf(Chinese version only)

Chapter 6 of Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (2006) illustrates the interface between kindergarten and Primary One. The Guide is available at:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/pre-primaryguide-net_en.pdf

9.5.2 Action Plan for Primary Schools

	Organise various induction activities to familiarise the new Primary One students and their parents with the school environment. This enables the school to have an initial understanding of the students, and establish rapport between students and the teaching staff. The focuses of the activities can include:
		Introducing the vision, mission, motto and history of the school to new Primary One entrants by, for example, distributing leaflets and information booklets
		Helping students get to know the class teachers, subject teachers, Heads of Guidance Teams and Guidance Teachers through activities such as games
		Having senior students share their experience to help newly admitted students understand primary school life
		Introducing the curriculum and modes of learning and teaching to newly admitted students (for example, by showing videos of classroom learning)
		Introducing the school activities and support available to students (for example, by visiting the school library and special rooms)
		Familiarising students with the daily routines and school rules (for example, through questioning and discussion)
	Continuous care for new Primary One students is conducive to their social, emotional and psychological adaptation. The emphases include:
		Enhancing teachers’ understanding of children’s developmental growth and mode of learning in the kindergarten
		Creating a warm and interesting classroom environment and atmosphere to satisfy students’ emotional needs and strengthen their sense of belonging, for example, by organising activities such as “Campus 123”, birthday parties and celebrations
		Arranging a daily class period/meeting time such as “Sharing My Thoughts” to create more time for the class teachers to interact with the Primary One students in order to understand their emotional and other needs so that timely assistance can be provided and their sense of security can be strengthened
		Making effective use of peer support to help new Primary One students integrate into the new school life and reduce the confusion and anxiety induced by the change of environment. For example, schools can launch peer support schemes such as “Junior Teacher” and guidance programmes such as “Care and Support Services” conducted by the "big brothers and sisters"
	Schools are advised to adopt various measures in teaching and conduct appropriate curriculum planning and adaptation to align with the learning modes that the new Primary One students used to have in kindergartens, their prior experiences and cognitive abilities, and to cater for their adaptation needs effectively and facilitate a smooth and gradual transition in learning and teaching. The emphases are as follows:
		Adopt flexible timetabling for conducting thematic or modular enquiry-based learning activities to extend students’ curiosity developed in kindergartens as the division of subjects are not always clear-cut in kindergartens and learning activities are usually integrated instead of subject-based.
		Help the new Primary One students develop self-management, self-discipline and collaboration skills through holistic curriculum planning so that they can gradually adapt to the more active and independent learning mode at the primary level.
		Provide instructions for students on handwriting with patience, give clear instructions and set concrete requirements for their sitting posture and pen grasp. Allow students sufficient time for writing to cater for their diverse needs and to enhance their interest and confidence in learning.

Exemplar
Daily recording of the assignments in the student handbooks is one of the learning routines new Primary One students have to adapt to. Not only does this help them complete their assignments, it also nurtures their self-management skills and enhances self-confidence.
A primary school implements the following measures to help new Primary One students take on the responsibility of recording their daily assignments duly in the student handbooks.
	A student handbook is specially designed for Primary One students’ use during the first two months of the school year. The handbook provides wider spacing between lines and more blank space for Primary One students, who are still developing their handwriting skills. This makes it easy for them to complete the task, builds up their self-confidence and helps them gradually adapt to the new routine.
	During the class period, students are taught the way to record daily assignments in the student handbooks. For example, when a teacher writes the homework on the blackboard, students are taught to copy them onto the student handbooks immediately and check if all the items are correct before school ends. This can develop students’ sense of responsibility and enhance their self-management skills.

Cater for learner diversity through adopting a student-centred curriculum. Use a variety of learning materials closely connected to students’ daily life to sustain their attention and interest in order to enhance the learning effectiveness.

Plan and implement an appropriate and diversified primary English Language curriculum as the majority of students have been exposed to English learning at the pre-primary level, for example, by creating a relaxing and enriched language learning environment to motivate new Primary One students to learn. Consider students’ previous knowledge to enable students of various proficiency levels to learn English in a systematic way and build a solid foundation from different starting points.

For language learning including the Chinese language, Putonghua and the English language, use more games, songs, nursery rhymes, stories and role-plays instead of written assessments such as dictations, tests and examinations to help students consolidate what they have learned.

Emphasise that the objective of assessment is to enhance learning but not to rank or compare students. Design diversified modes of assessments to display students’ learning progress. Provide appropriate and positive feedback for students to make improvement in various aspects, including knowledge, skills and attitudes. As praises from adults help children develop good self-esteem, provision of appropriate feedback, commendation, rewards or display of students’ work can stimulate their learning interest and motivation.

The booklet on “Enhancing the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School” (Chinese version only) can be downloaded at:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/transition-from-k-to-p/interface_final.pdf

Exemplar

A school takes a series of measures to plan holistically for addressing the interface and the various needs of Primary One students.

At the start of the school year, adaptation activities are organised for Primary One students. For example:

Aim	Activity/Measure	Description
Get to know the school campus	Campus 123	Upper primary students take on the duty as ambassadors and show Primary One students around the campus, including the library and special rooms, to familiarise them with the campus environment.
Get to know the school life	My School	Distribute leaflets, show videos about classroom activities, hold group discussions and organise quiz contests to familiarise Primary One students with the school life, learning modes, new teachers and schoolmates.
Understand the needs of new entrants	Support group meetings and gatherings after lunch	Arrange a period for class and subject teachers to chat with Primary One students. Appoint upper primary students to be ambassadors who chat with Primary One students after lunch to further understand their needs and provide support.
Take care of emotional needs	Primary One celebration	Organise a celebration event for Primary One students after the first month to acknowledge their efforts, enhance their sense of achievement and boost their confidence.

In everyday teaching, the school adopts measures to help Primary One students adapt to the new learning modes. For example:

Aim	Activity/Measure	Description
Trigger learning motivation and interest for learning; Allow students to acquire knowledge and adapt to the new environment at the same time	Theme-based teaching of the module “Making New Friends”	Design interesting learning themes that are closely related to students’ daily life and integrate learning contents across different subjects. For example, the module “Happy Campus” in the Chinese Language allows students to experience the joy of making new friends through reading and language learning. In the English Language and Putonghua, students learn to make new friends and greet each other through singing, storytelling and role-plays. In General Studies, students learn good manners to get along with other people.
Cater for different learning needs	Diversified teaching strategies and assignments	During collaborative lesson preparation, teachers intentionally incorporate diversified learning activities such as group games, enquiry activities, colouring activities as well as music and movement for Primary One students. Tasks are designed and adapted to cater for the diverse needs of learners.
Allow students to gradually adapt to assessment modes	Fun Dictation	As most Primary One students have no prior experience in dictation, the school does not arrange dictation in the first term. After a period of adaptation, instead of dictating a whole text, worksheets with interesting word games and gap-filling activities are designed.

In addition, the school organises activities regularly to cater for Primary One students’ needs for adaptation. For example:

Aim	Activity/Measure	Description
Understand the needs of newly admitted students to enhance teacher-student relationship	Chat Time	Arrange a class period for class teachers to chat informally and relaxingly with Primary One students to understand their progress of adaptation.
Develop self-management ability	Lunch support service	Upper primary students help Primary One students develop self-management abilities by teaching them to tidy up their tableware during lunchtime and provide guidance on the correct ways to record assignments in the student handbooks after lunch.
Facilitate home-school communication	Parent leaflets and seminars	Maintain regular communication with parents through the school website, notices, parent booklets and parent seminars in order to help them understand their children’s learning in school and progress of adaptation.

For Reflection and Action
	What measures does your school adopt to cater for Primary One students’ social, emotional and psychological needs?
	What do you think can cater better for Primary One students’ sense of security, belonging and confidence?
	In what ways does your school make adaptations in learning, teaching and assessment in accordance with Primary One students’ abilities, needs and characteristics?

9.5.3 Action Plan for Enhancing the Interface between Primary Six and Secondary One

To address students’ various concerns about progressing from Primary Six to Secondary One and enhance the vertical continuity of curriculum development of the two key stages, schools are advised to plan for the following:

Catering for students’ social, emotional and psychological needs
Based on the problems anticipated for Secondary One students and their adaptation needs, measures should be implemented well ahead of time to support Primary Six students to settle into their new secondary school life, develop a positive attitude and become engaged in the new life, building a good foundation for pleasurable learning and campus life in future. The emphases include:
	Maintain close ties and communication with secondary schools. Provide Primary Six students with ample information on secondary school life through organising visits to schools, open days and induction days to reduce their anxiety of studying in a new environment.
	Utilise the resources and network provided by the alumni associations. Invite alumni to share with upper primary students their experience of secondary school life to familiarise them with the secondary school environment at an earlier stage. Keep in contact with graduates and encourage them to provide individual support to students who are admitted to the same secondary schools as theirs.
	Encourage Primary Six students to actively participate in orientation programmes in the secondary schools in order to adapt to the new school life more readily. Studies have shown that students are likely to have fewer disciplinary problems and better teacher-student relationship if orientation activities are held before the commencement of the school term.
	Encourage parents to pay close attention to children’s changes and needs, take the initiative to communicate with the school to understand their children’s learning progress and provide support when necessary to help children undergo the transition period smoothly.

Exemplar

A primary school holds orientation activities to prepare Primary Six students for the new Secondary One school life and support their adaptation needs.

Aim	Activity	Description
Help Primary Six students understand and experience secondary school life	A day in secondary school	In order to understand secondary school life, Primary Six students are arranged to visit secondary schools, talk with secondary school students and join activities led by secondary school students such as news analysis and book sharing.
Reduce Primary Six students’ anxiety about entering secondary schools	Alumni sharing	Alumni are invited to share with Primary Six students their experience as secondary students, including features of different secondary schools, difference between the learning modes at the primary and secondary levels, challenges and personal experiences. A Q&A session is held for Primary Six students to raise questions and for teachers to understand students’ concerns or anxiety and provide timely follow-up and assistance.
Promote home-school cooperation to help children adapt to secondary school life	Primary Six parent seminars	A parent seminar is held at the beginning of the school year for the parents of Primary Six students. Not only is the secondary school selection process introduced but parents of alumni are also invited to share their experience to raise parents’ awareness on the transitional needs from Primary Six to Secondary 1.

Organising life education programmes in collaboration with other professionals such as educational psychologists to strengthen students’ time management skills, foster their sense of responsibility, facilitate their social development, and enhance their confidence and self-esteem.

For Reflection and Action

How does your school guidance programme address the social, emotional and psychological needs of Primary Six students who are promoted to Secondary One?

Interface between the Primary and Secondary Curricula

The secondary curriculum is built on what has been covered in the primary school and it is an extension of the primary curriculum in terms of depth and breadth. At the primary level, schools should provide a balanced curriculum to develop students’ knowledge, skills and positive values and attitudes, as well as to help them build a solid foundation for advancing into the secondary stage. Key emphases in the interface between primary and secondary curricula include:

Strategies to facilitate the interface between the primary and secondary curricula should be adopted based on students’ needs and features of the subjects. For instance, General Studies provides students with opportunities to integrate knowledge, skills, values and attitudes across the three Key Learning Areas (KLAs) - Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE), Science Education (SE) and Technology Education (TE). At the junior secondary level, schools have different subject combinations from these three KLAs. Primary school teachers can focus on developing students’ generic skills to prepare them for the junior secondary curriculum, Liberal Studies and other elective subjects at the senior secondary level. For example, the learning objectives on developing students’ generic skills are set at each level based on students’ abilities and opportunities are provided for students to develop their generic skills progressively through the learning activities in General Studies.

For information on the relationship between General Studies and secondary school curriculum, please refer to the “Parents’ Leaflet on General Studies for Primary Schools” (Chinese version only) from the EDB’s website at:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/kla/general-studies-for-primary/gs_edb_parent-guildline_8pp.pdf

A broad and balanced curriculum should be provided to lay a solid foundation for learning so that students can adapt better to the secondary school life. For example, opportunities can be provided to develop students’ biliterate, trilingual and mathematical abilities, nurture their self-learning habits and spirit for enquiry, and cultivate their multiple intelligences.

Exemplar on General Studies

Upper primary school teachers can strengthen students’ information processing skills in General Studies or through collaboration across different subjects. Students are required to give reasons for the information they have collected. This enhances their ability to select and process information, as well as to summarise key ideas, thereby developing their ability for independent learning.

For example, a cross-subject learning task on natural disasters is incorporated in General Studies at the upper primary level. Students are required to choose a country that is currently hit by or has undergone a natural disaster. They collect information on the country’s climate and geographical conditions from books and atlases as well as news related to the natural disaster from newspapers, television programmes and the Internet for a discussion on whether the disaster is mainly a natural one. They then participate in a role-play and assume the role of a government official and discuss effective measures to be adopted by other areas affected by similar problems and submit a proposal on relief measures to the authority concerned.

This learning task aims at guiding students to understand the problems caused by natural disasters from different perspectives. Students are not only able to develop care for the world and positive values and attitudes, but also their critical thinking skills.

Specific learning activities include reading, collecting information, analysing data, summarising key points, presenting conclusions and reflecting on learning. The collaboration between the General Studies panel and the School Library, the Chinese Language panel and the Mathematics panel helps to connect and extend students’ learning space, building a good foundation for learning and strengthening their independent learning capabilities.

Primary School Curriculum Leaders are advised to strengthen the vertical continuity among primary and secondary school subjects through adopting holistic curriculum planning. To provide a coherent learning experience for students, schools should make appropriate arrangements on the school policies and curriculum design. Based on the learning focuses of different subjects and the objectives of horizontal development, schools can formulate school-based measures to enhance the interface between the primary and secondary curricula with reference to the experience from the “Seed” projects by the Education Bureau. This can raise the awareness of the need to help students adapt to the learning of subjects in different KLAs at the secondary level systematically among Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies teachers.

For the experience and measures generated from the “Seed” projects on enhancing the interface between primary and secondary curricula in Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies in eight primary and secondary schools, please refer to the leaflet on “Interface between Primary and Secondary Curricula” (Chinese version only) from the EDB’s website at:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/pri_sec_curr_interface_leaflet.pdf

Students in secondary schools will have more opportunities to study subjects with English as the medium of instruction. Schools should create an environment conducive to English learning, for example, organising English Day and English Book Recommendation Week to strengthen students’ basic English competencies and help them build a solid foundation for secondary education.

Communication between primary and secondary school teachers can be enhanced through conducting meetings, lesson observations, lesson study and collaborative lesson planning. Teachers can share their understanding of student learning and design effective learning and teaching strategies collaboratively, for example, strengthening the training for students’ self-learning capabilities, encouraging students to prepare for lessons and take notes.

For Reflection and Action
	What is the plan for enhancing the interface between the primary and secondary curricula in your school?
	Among all the experiences generated from the participating schools of the EDB’s “Seed” projects on enhancing the interface between primary and secondary curricula in Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and General Studies, which ones are the most enlightening?

9.6 Promoting Home-School Cooperation

Both families and schools play an important role in the process of educating and socialising children. Good home-school communication and collaboration can help children adapt to the new stage of education. Schools should encourage parents to face future challenges with children and provide appropriate psychological and emotional support to effectively cater for children’s needs in learning and personal growth.

Suggested Activities
	Hold seminars, meetings, talks and sharing sessions for the parents of Primary One students to enhance their understanding of the school so that they can provide better support for their children in adapting to the new environment.
	Encourage parents of Primary One students to take part in parent support groups.
	Establish a support team for the Parent-Teacher Association.
	Invite professionals such as specialists in early childhood education, Heads of Guidance Teams or Guidance Teachers to brief parents on the physical and psychological development of children at different stages.
	Provide support for parents to help children overcome the pressure and anxiety of entering a primary or secondary school. Encourage them to seek support services from professionals such as the Head of Guidance Team or Guidance Teachers, social workers or professional medical staff in the school when necessary.
	Establish effective home-school communication channels to facilitate students’ smooth transition to Primary One or Secondary One collaboratively.

Tips for Parents
	Give children a certain degree of freedom, autonomy and independence to explore the new environment and learn to solve problems. This helps them build the confidence in facing new environments and a good foundation for future development and learning, as well as prepare them for life-long learning.
	Parents should have reasonable demands and realistic expectations on their children. Give them appropriate and adequate room for development.
	Parents should be aware of and understand their children’s developmental characteristics and help them adapt to a new learning stage gradually. Do not compare your child’s achievements with those of other children or push them beyond their capacity, which may result in negative impact on students.
	Parents should help children develop good learning habits and master effective learning strategies such as preparing for lessons and taking notes in class.
	Parents and children are encouraged to share feelings with each other to strengthen communication.
	Parents should be guided to nurture their children’s generic skills, particularly the development of self-directed learning habits, to prepare them for the challenges in a new learning stage.

The following information can help parents understand their role in supporting children to adapt to a new learning stage.
	“Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum — Parent Booklet”, which aims to facilitate parents’ understanding on the pre-primary education curriculum to collaborate with the school in helping their children adapt to Primary One, can be downloaded at: http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/curriculum-guide_parent-booklet.pdf
	“Going to Primary School - Parent-child Reading & Colouring Booklet”, which aims to help parents cater for children’s psychological and emotional needs, enhance communication and prepare for future challenges together through parent-child reading, can be downloaded at: http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/storybook2013.pdf
	“Parents’ Pamphlet on Enhancing Children’s Learning for Smooth Transition from Primary to Secondary Level" (Chinese version only), which aims to provide parents with suggestions to help children adapt to secondary school curriculum, can be downloaded at: http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/transition-from-p-to-s/index.html
	“Parents’ Leaflet on General Studies for Primary Schools”, which aims to provide parents with information on the relationship between General Studies and secondary school curriculum, can be downloaded at: http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/kla/general-studies-for-primary/gs_edb_parent-guildline_8pp.pdf

The Myths of Interfaces
	Can teaching students more advanced curriculum contents prior to entering Primary One and Secondary One give them an edge over the others?
		Apart from academic learning, effective measures on enhancing a smooth interface include taking care of students’ social, emotional and physical and psychological well-being and helping them adapt to learning in a new stage and taking up new challenges in a new environment.
		Teaching students curriculum contents far in advance violates the direction of developing a progressive, comprehensive and balanced curriculum. In addition, this will do more harm than good to students because they are over-stressed far too early, which will in turn kill their interest in learning.
		Primary schools should maintain close ties with pre-primary institutions to enhance their mutual understanding on curriculum and pedagogical practices so that schools can cater for students’ continual learning needs, nurture students’ curiosity in learning, develop their potential, self-esteem and confidence, and help them build a good foundation for life-long learning.
	To enhance students’ competitiveness, schools and parents plan students’/children’s learning activities in order to maximise their learning time. Does this help develop students’/children’s independent learning abilities and enhance the interface to Secondary One effectively?
		To help students/children adapt to the secondary school curriculum, apart from strengthening their knowledge and skills, it is more important to develop their proactive and self-directed learning attitudes and daily habits.
		To nurture positive attitudes and habits, and continue to develop independent learning abilities in students/children, schools and parents should work collaboratively to reduce the amount of instructions given to them. Give timely feedback on classwork/homework and try to provide opportunities for them to explore an issue, seek truth, solve problems, find out the answers on their own and reflect on their learning outcomes to develop their independent learning capabilities and critical thinking skills.
		We encourage schools and parents to leave some room and time for students/children to decide on their schedule for the development of multiple talents. On the contrary, arranging excessive learning activities for students/children or even a fully-packed schedule for learning deprives them of the opportunity to learn to be independent. Excessive learning and activities reduce students’ time for rest and fun, which is not conducive to the development of personal interest and potential.
	Does drilling students with exercises about current issues in General Studies at the primary level enhance students’ ability in learning Liberal Studies at the secondary level?
		General Studies at the primary level is designed for students aged 6 to 12. It provides them with opportunities to integrate knowledge, skills, values and attitudes across the three Key Learning Areas (KLAs) of Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE), Science Education (SE) and Technology Education (TE). We recommend schools to adopt diversified teaching approaches to help students construct related knowledge, develop generic skills, and nurture positive values and attitudes. Teachers can use a variety of information, including materials from the mass media to connect the learning objectives with the lesson focus. Students should be guided to think from multiple perspectives, understand themselves and recognise their roles as members in a group, society and the world gradually and enrich their learning experiences. Therefore, the use of current issues does not aim to transfer information but enhance students’ learning interest, encourage participation, stimulate thinking and foster a habit of showing concern for current issues. Regarding the activity design, implementation, evaluation as well as the choice of vocabulary, schools should select appropriate learning materials that align with the curriculum objectives and contents as well as students’ cognitive development and life experience. On the contrary, excessively difficult materials will only bring negative effects. They will kill students’ learning interest and induce unnecessary pressure on students and parents.
		Furthermore, when planning for General Studies lessons, teachers can help to develop students’ generic skills such as communication, collaboration and analytical skills by guiding them to discuss controversial current issues from multiple perspectives. This helps prepare students for meeting the learning requirements of different subjects at the junior and senior secondary levels. However, schools should not over-emphasise the role of current issues in enhancing students’ learning in Liberal Studies in future. To conclude, the learning contents and processes at different stages should tie in with students’ abilities and standards to help them build a solid foundation in a progressive manner.

References

The following references are by no means exhaustive and listed below for reference only.

Publications

Education Department (1999). Circular No. 4/1999. List of Dos and Don’ts for Kindergartens. Hong Kong. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/quality-assurance/dos-donts-for-kindergartens/index.html

Education Bureau (2001). Guidelines on Helping Primary One Pupils Adapt to a New School Life. Hong Kong. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/primary1e.pdf

趙李婉儀、黎慧怡（2002）。優質學校改進系列：我們可為中一同學做甚麼？－中一適應課程設計理念。香港：香港中文大學香港教育研究所。

Curriculum Development Institute (2007). Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum — Parent Booklet. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/curriculum-guide_parent-booklet.pdf

Curriculum Development Institute (2009). Parents’ Leaflet on General Studies for Primary Schools. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/kla/general-studies-for-primary/gs_edb_parent-guildline_8pp.pdf

Curriculum Development Institute (2010). Leaflet on Interface between Primary and Secondary Curricula. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/pri_sec_curr_interface_leaflet.pdf

Curriculum Development Institute (2010). Booklet on Enhancing the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/transition-from-k-to-p/index.html

Curriculum Development Institute (2013). Going to Primary School - Parent-child Reading & Colouring Booklet. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/storybook2013.pdf

Curriculum Development Institute (2013). Parent Pamphlet on Enhancing Children’s Learning for Smooth Transition from Primary to Secondary Level. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/transition-from-p-to-s/index.html

Curriculum Development Institute (2001). Exemplars of Curriculum Development in Schools. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/doc-reports/guide-kla-gs-primary-curriculum/exemplars-of-curriculum-development-in-schools-sept2001.html

Curriculum Development Institute (2001). Learning to Learn – The Way Forward in Curriculum. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/cs-curriculum-doc-report/wf-in-cur/index.html

Curriculum Development Council (2006). Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum. Hong Kong: Education Bureau. Retrieved from

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/cs-curriculum-doc-report/about-cs-curriculum-doc-report/pre-primaryguide-net_en.pdf

Boekaerts, M. (2002). Educational Practices Series 10: Motivation to Learn. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac10e.pdf

Chan, W.L. (2010). The Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School, as Experienced by Teachers, Parents and Children in Hong Kong. Early Child Development and Care. Vol. 180, No.7, 973-993.

Ebbeck, M., Yim, Bonnie H.Y., & Lee, Maria L.W. (2010). Belonging, Bbeing, and Becoming: Challenges for Children in Transition. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, Vol. 4,103-117.

Elias, M. J. (2003). Educational Practices Series 11: Academic and Social-emotional Learning. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac11e.pdf

Galton, M.,Gary, J. and Rudduck, J. (1999). Research Report on the Impact of School Transitions and Transfers on Pupil Progress and Attainment. Norwich: Department for Education and Employment.

Redding, S. (2000). Educational Practices Series 2：Parents and Learning. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac02e.pdf

Topping, K. (2000). Educational Practices Series 5: Tutoring. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac05e.pdf

Vosniadou, S. (2001). Educational Practices Series 7: How Children Learn. Brussels, Belgium: International Academy of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac07e.pdf

Wong, N.C. (2003). A Study of Children’s Difficulties in Transition to School in Hong Kong. Early Child Development and Care, Vol.173(1), 83-96.

Websites

Interface at kindergarten and Primary One

http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/curr/sept/c11_pdf/Chapter11-1%28p246-247%29xxx.pdf

Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum (2006)

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/pre-primaryguide-net_en.pdf

Enhancing the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/index.html

Parents’ Leaflet on General Studies for Primary Schools

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/cross-kla-studies/gs-primary/parent-guideline.html

Interface between Primary and Secondary Curricula

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/index.html

Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum—Parent Booklet

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/curriculum-guide_parent-booklet.pdf

Going to Primary School - Parent-child Reading & Colouring Booklet

http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/tc/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/preprimary/storybook2013.pdf

Parent Pamphlet on Enhancing Children's Learning for Smooth Transition from Primary to Secondary Level (2013)

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/major-level-of-edu/primary/materials/transition-from-p-to-s/index.html