The OECD Global Competence Framework: a Critique Therese Andrews

Time and turf

With courses proposed, we returned to the challenge of fi nding the time. By focusing on using two lessons on a Wednesday afternoon we wanted to give status to the programme by rooting it prominently in the regular student schedule. As a school with a bilingual vision and mission, languages receive more curriculum time than other subjects. In order to achieve this, we adjusted our lesson timings in Secondary School to 70 minutes, and then re-negotiated new curricular allocations with Heads of Faculty. Overall, the loss of time was minimal for most subject areas. We have embraced an approach that all subject areas could access this time, and opt into the programme to help enhance curricular provision. This has helped with our Chinese and Arts Faculties who both saw some diminution in curriculum allocation, but have responded positively by offering a range of Hao Xue courses from their subject areas.

GRADE 6 GRADE 7 GRADE 8 GRADE 9 GRADE 10

MYP MYP MYP MYP MYP

Hao Xue Hao Xue Hao Xue School-based electives School-based electives

Hao Xue Hao Xue Hao Xue Hao Xue Personal Project

Supervised self-study Supervised self-study

Figure 2: the continuum: Hao Xue and overall curricular provision between Grades 6-10

Results

We have started the academic year with just under 70 Hao Xue courses running on Wednesday afternoons, catering to 600 students in Grades 6-9. We were supported by Edval, our timetabling provider, using Edval Choice for students to select their options. We then allocated students to courses on the basis of three equal preferences. We were pleased to have students placed in their selected choices in almost all cases. The majority of courses run for half a year, and for two lessons a week, with a small number of courses running for two lessons a week and for a full year. Importantly, many of these courses are offered to all of the Grade Levels, thus offering opportunities for vertical interaction between students.

Next steps

Our attention now turns to the next iteration of Hao Xue. Feedback from students and parents has been overwhelmingly positive, but many have asked how courses might seek to consolidate skills over a year or two. We would expect there to be some perennial favourite courses on offer (for example, practical activities in the Makerspace, textiles, fi lm making and digital design have been extremely popular in the fi rst iteration) and some courses in future would perhaps offer intermediate or advanced options. The courses have relied upon teacher passion and interest, so ensuring that this principle remains at the heart of the staffi ng will be important as we build for the future. Having six domains to categorise the courses also allows there to be an overall coherence to the program. We are considering, too, how our Grade 5 Primary students might experience Hao Xue as part of the transition program from Primary to Secondary School.

Overall, where does Hao Xue fi t into our overall curriculum ‘garden’? (Ross, 2000). We have always wanted to balance our IB programme offerings, and provide space and resources for other courses to be cultivated. Whereas previously these were on the periphery, we have now placed enrichment front and centre. With our mission being focused on development of independent minds, Chinese virtues and a global outlook, Hao Xue provides full access for students to go beyond the mainstream: something not to be underestimated for parents seeking added value in curricular offerings. ◆

Nicholas Forde is Principal of Secondary at The ISF Academy, Hong Kong. ✉ nforde@isf.edu.hk

References

• Guillén M (2020) How businesses have successfully pivoted during the pandemic.

Harvard Business Review. Available from: https://hbr.org/2020/07/how-businesses-havesuccessfully-pivoted-during-the-pandemic • Ross A (2000) Curriculum: construction and critique. London: Falmer Press.

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