32.
Among the problems in the tryout was the lack of TOC textbooks. To solve the problem, the school has designed some learning tasks on its own and is also using a lot of the Exemplar Learning Tasks provided by the Education Department, adding its own adaptations.
Dr Leung told the teachers during a discussion session that a recommended list of TOC packages would be ready in April for the first phase of implementation in September 1995.
"So far, a total of 16 sets of teaching and learning packages on the three core subjects of English, Chinese and Mathematics have been submitted to the department for vetting," he said.
A teacher, Ms Jacqueline Lau, said she had to be very careful with grouping the students during class sessions so as to avoid unduly classifying and 'labelling the students. She is now splitting the class into groups only during class activities.
Nevertheless, she noted that working in groups helped the weaker students complete teachers' assignments successfully.
"One way to avooid 'labelling' students in grouping is to put both strong and weak students into the same group, with the weak ones posing the questions and the strong ones answering them during the exercise," she said.
The school supervisor, Sister Mary Lam, said the principal and teachers
of the school believed in the spirit of TOC.
The school is still "exploring and learning" about TOC.
Earlier, Dr Leung, in his capacity as Chief Executive of the Education Department's Curriculum Development Institute, addressed a seminar attended by some 50 Catholic primary school heads to help them acquire a more in- depth understanding of TOC.
Dr Leung has attended similar talks and seminars arranged by two other school sponsoring bodies.
End/Thursday, January 12, 1995