Comprehensive studies on the Hong Kong primary science curriculum are rare. This study is to fill the knowledge gap by examining the science curricula for all primary grade levels from the 1960s to 1990s in Hong Kong. Critical features related to the most important aspects of the intended curriculum are identified and compared, thereby identifying the trends of primary science curriculum development in local context. It is found that the area of learning related to science and technology will become indispensable in the new educational innovation.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The latest music syllabus for Form I - III was published in 1983. It has been put into practice for more than fifteen years. To review the syllabus, the Curriculum Development Institute conducted in 1998 a survey on its implementation. A special meeting of music experts was also organized to examine the future trends of music education of Hong Kong. In anticipation of the revision of the syllabus, this chapter aims at reviewing the music contents stated in the syllabus and discussing the reform implications for teachers, students, schools heads, policy makers, and music teacher educators.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The Hong Kong primary English curriculum has shifted from an emphasis on oral proficiency in the 1970s through a focus on functional competence in the 1980s to a goal of developing learners' ever-improving capability to use English in the 1990s. This chapter applies a multi-level framework, based on Richards and Rodgers' (1986) model for curriculum discussion and comparison, to review and analyze the three syllabi available in the local teaching context in the past two decades. It describes and analyzes the changes in the aims, objectives, and methodology of the primary English curriculum under the "fads" of different approaches recommended in the respective curriculum documents. Attempts are made to capture the theoretical and methodological developments in the primary English curriculum. The main purpose is to explicate the underlying assumptions on the nature of language and language teaching and learning to formulate a basis for understanding curriculum implementation at the classroom level. It is argued in the chapter that congruence between the intended and implemented curriculum relies on the mapping of the underlying assumptions about language and language teaching and learning. Evaluation of classroom implementation, teachers' practices, and classroom research should be related to such deeper level of theoretical orientation. Implications for policy makers, teacher educators, teachers, and classroom researchers are sought.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This chapter focuses on teaching and learning science in Hong Kong primary classrooms. Two broad types of teaching strategies that are based on the most important variables in teaching strategies - teacher dominance in instruction and learners' amount of participation - are discussed. The findings from the analysis of teachers' teaching and pupils' learning of science provided insights for discussion. The issues of addressing teachers' professional development needs, encouraging active participation and bridging the gap between teachers' teaching and pupils' need were concluded. Future directions of work for on-going professional development and continuous work with teachers were suggested.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Current issue of education reform advocated by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has induced numerous discussions within the education sector and the community at large. Music, being one of the long established cultural subjects in the secondary school curriculum, is also under rigorous discussion. The purpose of this chapter is to have an investigation of the past two music syllabi for junior secondary schools (published in 1975 and 1983) in order to collect and analyze data for support of reform. Changes and differences between the two syllabi are analyzed in order to have an understanding of the development of the trend of thinking of the colonial government in the pre-1997 era, of which concerns music education in Hong Kong. In order to have a reference point for the review of the two syllabi, curricula of the three frontier countries, including England, Australia, and the United States, are being examined. Common criteria and standard of these three curricula are summed up and used as guidelines to investigate the two Hong Kong music syllabi. Implications for future reform of the current music syllabus are discussed for the better future of the teaching content and standard of achievement in music in junior secondary schools in Hong Kong.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The Hong Kong secondary school curriculum suffers for many years from the lack of balance between the more vigorous subjects and the more expressive disciplines like the visual arts. A critical review and re-thinking on the content, methods, and assessment of the intended curriculum, comparing with the taught curriculum, will shed light on the ways for improvement. Research findings and advocacy for innovations from aboard provide the readers a global understanding of the current trends in art education. To meet the challenge for educational reform, issues on essential goals, value-based art education, content analysis for instructional delivery, knowledge-seeking strategies, discipline-based pedagogy, authentic assessment, etc. are introduced as a reference to enhance the future development in art education.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

This chapter aims to construct a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing and analyzing the nature, scope, and issues of curriculum change and development so as to inform practice and policy-making. In the first part of the chapter, three important concepts, namely, globalization, localization, and individualization, are delineated and then operationalized for improving the relevancy and values of curriculum. The second part presents a new structure of curriculum effectiveness to conceptualize the complex, dynamic relationships among the various essential components of curriculum at the different stages of the teaching and learning processes. Further, some specific recommendations are proposed for studying, developing, and improving multi-level curriculum effectiveness. Finally, the chpater discusses and compares three approaches to developing teacher competence and conducting curriculum change. It is hoped that the comprehensive framework and related concepts are helpful to policy-making and curriculum change and development in Hong Kong and other parts of the world.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The development of civic education in Hong Kong can be categorized into three phases: before 1985, after 1985, and post 1997. Despite the fact that civic education has a long history in Hong Kong, it is criticized that it has never been successfully implemented. Civic education is described as a sort of subject political education before 1985. Since the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984, education has become politicized and two guidelines on civic education were introduced in 1985 and 1996, respectively. This chapter intends to study and describe how civic education has been developed in specific social and political contexts of Hong Kong. It also points out that civic education beyond 1997 should focus on nationalistic education, human rights education, and education for democracy.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]