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The HHCKLA Buddhist Po Kwong School is located in Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong. We have 330 students and our lessons are taught in Cantonese. We are a government funded school for children with moderate and mild intellectual disabilities from 6 years old.
Overall impact
For the school’s development, we invited our teachers and therapists to attend the online strategy meetings, which were organised by the Skills Builder organisation. They were impressed and understood the importance of essential skills in the future, especially with AI’s introduction. We also considered the role of skills learning in the current curriculum. We found that the current curriculum focused on knowledge teaching while essential skills would provide skill based teaching. Therefore, this year, we modified the curriculum of Personal Growth in our school. Personal Growth is a subject to help students establish personal learning experiences before graduation, which includes cooking, art development, exploration of community and working experience. We aligned the essential skills education into the curriculum. Teachers observed the student’s performance in the lesson, which involved the essential skills and they could give interventions to stimulate students to perform better in those skills. For example, asking a question, storytelling, etc. We were so excited to see our students grow after these lessons. Most of them could move to the advanced step in the Universal Framework, especially in Speaking and Problem-Solving skills.
Keep it simple
We have included essential skills on visual boards throughout areas of the school to reinforce the importance and language of essential skills in our school. To positively reinforce behaviour and learning habits we reward our students with stickers. As a specialist school, we have ensured that all the teachers and professionals at the school, e.g. speech therapists, have undergone an introduction to skills builder. This helps to promote a consistent language and approach to essential skills. We have also undertaken in-depth Teacher Training with our Innovative Teaching Group, Personal Growth Teachers, and 4 other teachers who are using the programme with their students.
Start early, keep going
We have a broad range of ages in our school but in this first year of the program, we have focused on our High School students aged 16 to 18.
Measure it
To ensure that students’ skills are being developed at the correct skill step, we split them into 4 groups based on needs and then completed a group-level assessment for each of these groups using the HUB. The results of this assessment were then used to inform teaching and planning, including deciding a step-level target for each group. This ensures that teachers are targeting their teaching and planning at the correct level for a diverse group of learners.
Focus tightly
For the first year of our programme we focused on Speaking and Problem Solving skills to ensure a strong start and achievable goals for staff and students. These 2 skills are important for our students and growth in these areas has had a positive impact. We dedicate 2 double lessons every Thursday to the teaching of our focus essential skills. With 4 groups in total and approximately 15 learners in each group there is ample opportunity for explicit focus on key strategies. Our teachers spend at least 15 minutes of explicit teaching time in each lesson using selected resources from the HUB that fall within the step range for that class.
Keep practising
All our students take part in personal growth lessons, including Work Experience Art and Cooking. As all of our teachers understand the importance of essential skills and have been trained, they can encourage students to practise and build skills in these growth lessons. This gives our students many opportunities to practise their skills in a range of settings and activities. We also use student portfolios to track progress, any member of staff can use skill stamps to record when a student or group of students applies a skill.
Bring it to life
As part of our Natural Environment and Society subjects our students undertake activities outside of the school environment. These outdoor activities allow them to experience the culture and traditions of our region. During these activities, we ask questions, discuss and record student reflections, via photographs and videos. These experiences allow our students to make connections between the essential skills they are learning in the classroom and the real world. This helps them to build strong 21st Century skills that they can use in their lives.
What's next
The traditional schools in Hong Kong focus on equipping students with the knowledge and technical skills for their future careers. After this year, our school principal and teachers recognised that essential skills are important to a student’s overall growth and development, especially for students with special needs. Therefore, we will establish “Skill Education” and put it in the next three-year plan. Under the "Skills Education" program, we will emphasise promoting essential skills to junior high school students. We believe cultivating these skills will better prepare students for their future personal and professional lives. Additionally, we will enhance experiential learning within the core subjects. By actively participating in various learning activities, students will have the opportunity to engage with their peers, teachers, and the environment, creating an ideal setting for acquiring essential skills. To ensure effective implementation, teachers will closely observe students' performance and track their learning progress using the Universal Framework. This approach will provide valuable insights into each student's development and help tailor instruction accordingly. Furthermore, we will encourage students to maintain a portfolio where they can record and reflect upon their learning experiences. This practice will enable students to review their progress, identify areas for improvement, and chart their path for future learning endeavours. Our ultimate goal is to extend the benefits of "Skills Education" to teachers, parents, students, and other specialist schools. By providing professional development opportunities and resources, we aim to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and teaching strategies to effectively integrate essential skills into their instruction. We also recognise the importance of involving parents in this journey, as their support and understanding are crucial for the successful development of their children's skills. We hope we can create a comprehensive and inclusive educational environment that fosters the growth of essential skills among students. By equipping them with these skills, we believe we can better prepare our students for a successful and fulfilling future.
