This study is concerned with aspects of decentralization of curriculum development, a complex educational phenomenon, in Japan and Hong Kong. By introducing fieldwork and the case study research method, it hopes to yield a general understanding of the above phenomenon as reflected in the contexts of selected programs in curriculum reform, namely, (1) Project Learning and SBeD in Hong Kong, and (2) Integrated Learning in Japan, at junior levels of secondary school. In its research design, the objectives are to investigate and compare the broad trends and features in the rationale, practices and processes, and implications of reform in the locations studied. Trends of decentralization of curriculum development, in recent curriculum reforms in Japan and Hong Kong, indicated a strong policy interest in promoting specific essential skills and qualities through partial devolution of curricular control to schools. Most of these programs have multiple educational aims directed at either particular policy emphases or local school conditions, or both.
The practices and processes designed to bring about this change toward decentralization of curriculum development differed in the cases of Japan and Hong Kong. At the policy and system level, the levels of government involvement and commitment were not the same. Japan, through a combination of direct measures at the initiation stage and a longer-term policy of minimalist intervention, legitimized schools' autonomy over curriculum development decisions in the reformed programs, while Hong Kong, being traditionally less centralized and less effective with the power-coercive approach in curriculum planning, adopted more indirect strategies of exhortation and inducement while allowing schools full freedom over their own approach and priorities toward the specific reformed school curricula. In terms of school support systems, Japan seemed to be less prepared with the provision of practice guidelines, professional support and

背景：在二十世紀兩岸三地的課程改革中，課程統整的概念都不約而同地被引入。有關的實施，對學校課程的目的、學習內容、學習的經驗以及評核等方面，實在帶來不少的衝擊。
目的或討論焦點：究竟課程統整的理論根據為何？它能否實施於學校的環境脈絡中？
論點/評論/建議：課程統整的理論有其獨特之處。一方面，課程統整的理論系統很龐雜，它具有各種不同的理念和實施模式，對課程的具體實施未能起清晰的指引作用。另外，課程統整的實徵文獻未臻圓熟，課程統整雖然給人的感覺是一個傳誦中的美好形象，但實際的運作系統並未完全建立。最後，課程統整具有獨特的理念背景，在引入其理論時，我們也須考慮本土的持點。
總結：課程統整有其獨特性，課程設計者必須對它作深入的瞭解，包括理念、實施模式及所需的實施條件，才能務實地進行有關的改革工作。
Background: The concept of curriculum integration has been introduced to Hong Kong, Mainland and Taiwan in series of curriculum innovations. The implementation of curriculum integration has an important impact on the aims, learning contents, learning experiences and assessments on the respective school curriculum.
Aims or focus of discussion: What are the theoretical underpinnings of curriculum integration? How can curriculum integration be implemented in the school contexts?
Arguments / comments / suggestions: The theory of curriculum integration is outstanding from others. On the one hand, curriculum integration has a complex system of theories that has given rise to various implementation models with different rationales and thus resulted in the unclear guidelines for real implementations. On the other hand, the literature review about empirical studies on curriculum integration has not fully informed us how curriculum integration can be implemented. It is also found that curriculum integration has been traditionally existed in a form of abstract image in the field of education but without realistic implementation systems. Finally, curriculum integration has got its own theoretical backgrounds and special attention should be paid to the characteristics of local contexts if curriculum integration is to be introduced.
Conclusion: Curriculum integration has its own characterized theories and rationales. It is necessary for the curriculum designers to look into the concepts of curriculum integration carefully, including rationales, implementation models and the necessary conditions

目的: 本文創作目的是用日常概括見聞事例，淺易地介紹錯綜體科學治學方法——重視的是全盤思維方式、依賴對整體形態格局 (whole pattern) 的描述、並常用隱喻 (metaphor) 的手法去說明相關整體形態佈局的整合相容邏輯。景觀意念圖是一項常用的工具。本文創作的場景是「可持續發展教育」課程的設計爭議，作為闡述應用動態或變系統理論的載體。
背景: 課程改革工程在全球各地，各大城市進行得如火如荼。校本課程，中央公訂新學科，跨學科研習等 推陳出新；一些課程帶地區局限性、難以推廣；一些只是曇花一現，最諷刺的是一部份課程在試教研究宣告成功後便壽終正寢。
「環保」之後有「全球化」(Globalization) 這些議題走進教室。近年我們探討「全球暖化」(Global warming)，「可持續發展教育」(Sustainable Development Education) 等問題。孰先孰後，在時間的巨輪中，沒有遲或早的問題；但怎樣設計才可以在云云創新中突顯價值而成立，然後又在長江後浪推前浪的定律下生存下來呢？
討論: 作者試圖從「混沌理論」 (Chaos theory)，「錯綜體理論」(Complexity heories) 和「動態或變系統理論」 (Dynamical Systems Theory) 去理解新行業、新學科或學術研究興趣潮流的生命演變，從而推敲設計「可持續發展教育」課程應有的策略 —— 要含新技能元素、並且跨學科。更進一步推論包含錯綜體理論元素 (連串本不相關事件可因機緣互相抵銷或隨正回饋無限擴張、並產生革命性轉變) 和動態或變系統概念 ( 因時間引進的變數考慮 ) 進入「可持續發展教育」課程設計的必要性。
Aim: This article is intended to be a layman introduction to the methodology commonly used in complexity science studies, emphasizes holistic consideration, description on the entire pattern against bits and pieces of sectional analysis, use of metaphors to build up integration of ostensibly incompatible features such as simultaneous co-existence of land and rivers, hills and valleys in the landscape portraits, a popular tool in complexity studies. The setting of analysis used in this article falls in the arena of recent hot debate on how curriculum on Sustainable Development Education should be designed, a vehicle to illustrate application of Dynamical Systems Theory.
Background: Curriculum re-engineering has been around for decades throughout the world; school-based curricula, innovative central curricula, inter-disciplinary projects, to name but a few. Some did not last long because of territorial biases; some made a fad and faded. The irony lay in the immediate demise of projects that claimed a success in their pilot run. We had topics like environment conservation, globalization, followed by global warming infiltrating the classrooms these past years. Now the limelight is on sustainable development. Is it late? That is not

在香港，學生的個別差異己是日益嚴重的教育問題，近期的課程改革正積極鼓勵學校運用課程調適的策略來解決這個問題；因此，有很多學校尤其是小學都嘗試用調適課程的方式來幫助個別差異的學生學習。由於負責調適課程的是教師，他們對以課程調適來照顧個別差異學生的觀念，足以影響學校實施課程調適的效能。透過與教師的面談，本研究試圖瞭解教師對以課程調適幫助個別差異學生學習所持著的觀點，從而提醒有心從事學校改革的校長，必先理解教師參與課程改革的心態，然後採取有效的改革策略，才能促使學校達致校本課程改革的願景。
The problem of students' individual differences has been getting worse in Hong Kong. In recent curriculum reform, schools have been encouraged to use curriculum adaptation as the strategy to deal with this problem. Thus many schools particularly primary schools have made attempts to adapt their curriculum to cater for their students' individual differences. As teachers are the ones who adapt the school curriculum, their views on using this strategy to cater for individual differences would have direct impact on the effect of curriculum implementation in schools. Through interviewing primary teachers, this study aims to understand teachers' perceptions of using curriculum adaptation as the strategy to cater for students' individual differences. The main purpose is to remind those principals and educators who would like to implement curriculum innovations including curriculum adaptation in schools, to pay special attention to teachers' views and attitudes towards the innovations and the need of identifying appropriate implementation strategies in their initiation of school-based innovative initiatives.
[Copyright of New Horizons: The Journal of Education, Hong Kong Teachers' Associationl is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Association at http://www.hkta1934.org.hk/]

This paper seeks to present a framework for the school curriculum in the twenty-first century. It first describes and appraises critically the Tyler rationale, which has been influential for many decades. The rationale forms the basis of the school curriculum in many eastern and western countries. Next, the concept and features of modernism which underpin the rationale are described, leading to a discussion of its major strengths and weaknesses.
The paper goes on to present an alternative view of the curriculum - Doll's Model, which better meets the challenges of the fast changing world. The model, with its prominent nature of postmodernism, is discussed. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are also analysed. The author also makes a comparison of the two models, explaining why the latter is preferable to the first in laying the foundation of school curriculum in the coming century.
In the concluding section, recent curriculum initiatives in Hong Kong are described. There is discussion on the merits and limitations of The Target Oriented Curriculum. Then the new curriculum framework and its features are described leading to discussion on the implications for the Hong Kong curriculum. It is stressed that key concepts of postmodernism need to be taken into consideration so that the quality of education can be improved.
[Copyright of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre Journal is the property of Hong Kong Teachers' Centre at http://www.edb.org.hk/hktc]