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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1976
273 PRIMARY CLASSES PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITY APPROACH SCHEME ******
ACTIVITY APPROACH IS USED IN 273 CLASSES IN 38 GOVERNMENT, SUBS IDISED AND PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
THIS WAS STATED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON BY THE HON. KENNETH TOPLEY, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, IN REPLY TO THE HON, MISS KO SIU-WAH WHO ASKED THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE A STATEMENT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE ACTIVITY APPROACH TO LEARNING NOW BEING CONDUCTED IN SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
MR. TOPLEY SAID +AT THE PRIMARY 1 TO PRIMARY 3 LEVEL, FOR WHICH THE SCHEME IS PRIMARILY INTENDED, ABOUT THREE PER CENT OF ALL CHILDREN ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE SCHEME.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY A PILOT PROJECT LAUNCHED BY THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IN SEPTEMBER 1972 IN SIX PRIMARY SCHOOLS WITH THE INTENTION OF BRINGING ABOUT A LESS FORMAL APPROACH TO TEACHING IN LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS,
+THE APPROACH AIMS AT PROMOTING A LESS PASSIVE ATTITUDE TO LEARNING, AND ENCOURAGES ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF PUPILS THROUGH LEARNING BY DOING. AS PART OF THE SCHEME ROWS OF DESKS ARE REPLACED BY SMALL GROUPS OF TABLES WHICH THE TEACHER VISITS INSTEAD OF STANDING CONTINUOUSLY BEFORE THE CLASS, THE DIRECTOR SAID.
FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF A SPECIALIST ADVISER, SPONSORED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL, WHO VISITED HONG KONG LAST YEAR, +A MODEST RATE OF EXPANSION IS ENVISAGED AT PRESENT BECAUSE IT IS VITAL TO GIVE SYSTEMATIC IN-SERVICE TRAINING TO THE TEACHERS ADOPTING THE TECHNIQUES AND ALSO TO MONITOR PROGRESS IN THE EARLY STAGES,+ HE SAID.
MR. TOPLEY SAID A SUBSTANTIAL SUM HAS BEEN REQUESTED IN THE 1977/78 ESTIMATES TO GIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS WHICH SO FAR HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN SUCH AID FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE SCHEME.
IT WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE A STEADY EXPANSION OF THE SCHEME.
SINCE THE ACTIVITY APPROACH MAKES MORE STRENUOUS DEMANDS ON TEACHERS IN THE EARLY STAGES, MR. TOPLEY SAID, + THE FUTURE RATE OF EXPANSION WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON THE ENTHUSIASM OF TEACHERS AND HEADS OF SCHOOLS.+
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