XN000022-1974-07-16 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1974

VIEWS ON INTEGRATED SOCIAL STUDIES WANTED

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (CHIEF INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS), MR. ARTHUR BROUN TODAY CALLED ON TEACHERS TO LET THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAVE THEIR VIEWS ON WHETHER HISTORY, CEOGRAPHY, ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND HEALTH EDUCATION SHOULD BE TAUGHT AS SEPARATE SUBJECTS IN FORMS TO 111 OR AS A COMBINED SINGLE INTEGRATED SYLLABUS BASED ON SOME UNITING THEME SUCH AS THE TERRITORY OF HONG KONG.

+WITH A WHITE PAPER ON SECONDARY EDUCATION POLICY IMMINENT THIS IS CLEARLY THE TIME TO MAKE THIS DECISION OR PERHAPS DECIDE ON SOME COMPROMISE SOLUTION URICH ATTEMPTS TO GET SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF EACH SCHEME,+ MR. BROUN SAID.

HE WAS SPEAKING AT WAH YAN COLLEGE, KOWLOON WHERE THE FIRST OF TWO SEMINARS ON SOCIAL STUDIES BEGAN TODAY.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SPOKE ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES AND

+CLEARLY THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE INTEGRATED APPROACH. SEPARATE STUDY OF HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY. AND SO ON, HAS A NUMBER OF VERY DISTINCT ADVANTAGES,+ HE SAID, BUT THEY VERE MAINLY ADVANTAGES TO THE TEACHER AND NOT THE STUDENT.

ON THE INTEGRATED. APPROACH MR. BROWN SAID: +ITS GREATEST STRENGTH IS ITS FLEXIBILITY VE ARE WIPING AWAY PRE-CONCEIVED IDEAS AND WITH A TRUE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT APPROACH, WE ARE TRYING TO SEE WHAT WE ARE TEACHING THIS GROUP OF SUBJECTS FOR, WHAT MATERIAL SHOULD DE PRESENTED TO THE STUDENTS, AND HOW THAT MATERIAL SHOULD BE PRESENTED.+

IN SUMMING UP WHETHER SOCIAL STUDIES SHOULD BE TREATED AS A SINGLE ENTITY OR AS FOUR SUBJECTS, IR. EROUN RAISED THREE QUESTIONS IF TREATED AS A SINGLE ENTITY IN WHICH FORMS SHOULD IT BE STUDIED?= SHOULD WE HAVE ONE TEACHER OR MORE THAN ONE TEACHER TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES?= WHAT SORT OF SYLLABUS IS REQUIRED TO MAKE SOCIAL STUDIES RELEVANT TO A STUDENT'S NEEDS?

MR. BROWN TOLD THE TEACHERS: +VE SHOULD MAKE OUR DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE AND WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THE PROBLEMS, BUT NOT DOUBTING OUR ABILITY TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES.+

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