Liberal Arts
Aims
The aims of Liberal Arts (Grade 7 to Grade 9), a school-based cross key-learning areas curriculum, are:
- to develop in students a positive self-understanding, enhance competence to meet daily and future challenges, and pursue their goals and aspirations;
- to enable students to make decisions for the optimal use of personal and community resources;
- to develop students to become informed and responsible citizens to contribute to the development of a caring and just society; and
- to cultivate in students’ sensitivity, interests and concern for local, national and global issues.
Curriculum Framework
Liberal Arts cover the learning elements of personal development, Hong Kong’s development, Chinese and foreign cultures and global vision. It is composed of core modules and extended modules. Core modules consist of essential learning elements that students are expected to master in the learning process, while the extended parts provide them opportunities to explore topics related to the foundation part, so as to broaden or deepen their learning and meet their interests.
Liberal Arts adopt the enquiry-based learning approach and diversified teaching strategies like role-playing, project-based learning, etc. Students will be interested in some social and world phenomena. They can apply their knowledge of different disciplines by using different analysis frameworks taught in this subject to analyse different controversial issues so as to construct concrete arguments and cultivate their critical thinking.
Medium of Instruction
To let students explore different social issues in their most familiar language, A-School started to provide both EMI (English as the medium of instruction) and CMI (Chinese as the medium of instruction) classes for students to choose since 2017. Students can apply to enroll in LA (EMI) class in Term 2 of Grade 6 according to their personal preference and language proficiency, while Grade 7 new students can do so when they are completing their registrations.
Learning Activities
Allowing students to experience social phenomena discussed in class is one of the key learning strategies of Liberal Arts. Through different types of learning activities like school-based project-based learning, inter-school creative design thinking competitions, inter-school debate competitions (Chinese debate team), Shatin Flower Belt and Taiping Qingjiao Cultural Studies, Hong Kong Basic law Secondary School Quiz and Project learning Competition and the visit of Legislative Council (LS Club). They allow students to get out of campus and know more about the society.
Debate
A-School has long been integrating debate into the curriculum of Liberal Arts and Liberal Studies. To promote the atmosphere for debate, LA and LS classes hold debating activities regularly and the inter-chamber debate competition in Humanities Week (previously known as the LA & LS Week) every year. Moreover, our teachers led the Chinese Debate team to take part in different inter-school Chinese debate competitions to boost students’ critical thinking and broaden their horizons.
Social Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is one of our key learning strategies. Liberal Arts and Liberal Studies departments collaborated with LS Club to organize different visits, such as:
- Participating in the Hong Kong outdoor real-life puzzle game “West venture” to lead students to experience the reality of poverty hidden in the community through observations and live mystery games.
- Visiting the Legislative Council and sitting LegCo meetings.
- Experiencing extreme poverty by spending $30 on food for one day organized by Oxfam.
Humanities Week (Co-organized with PSHE departments)
Liberal Arts and Liberal Studies departments organized a series of vivid activities in the Humanities Week every year:
- Inter-chamber Debating Competition
Participants had to debate on different world issues to win the Debating competition championship.
- Olympics Mascot Design Competition
Through this competition, students devised their creativity and design skills, and had an in-depth understanding of the cultural characteristics of China and Hong Kong. Students enjoyed this competition so much and their designs are fruitful.
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- Through watching movies, playing board games and visiting special exhibitions, students understand more about contemporary social issues such as poverty and sustainable development
Students’ Achievements
Our students’ outstanding performance was well recognized and awarded in various inter-school competitions:
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Competitions |
Organizers |
Awards |
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Debate competitions |
The 36th Sing Tao Inter-School Debating Competition (2020-21) |
Sing Tao Daily, The Standard and EDB |
Best Debater 8B Kwok Chi Ching |
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The 10th Fun Cup (2020-21) |
Holly Trinity College |
Best Debater 8B 14 Leung Yeuk Hei |
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The 20th Basic Law Debating Competition (2021-22) |
Joint Committee for the Promotion of the Basic Law of Hong Kong |
Best Debater 9B 11 Kwok Chi Ching |
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The 3rd Hong Kong Schools Debate Competition (2021-22) |
Hong Kong Schools Debate Federation |
Best Debater 9D 20 Mak Cin Yee |
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Design-thinking competitions |
2020-2021 |
The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong and D.H. Chen Foundation |
Merit Award 9B Chu Ka Yee 9B Gilbert Lewis James |
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The 15th Consumer Culture Study Award |
EDB and Consumer Council |
Special Recognition Award & Special Recognition (Topic) Award |
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Basic law competition |
“Understanding the Constitution, the Basic Law-Walking with the Rule of Law” Hong Kong Secondary School Quiz and Project learning Competition |
Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation & New Territories School Heads Association |
Overall Performance – Merit Award Individual Online Quiz – School Merit Award 8A 16 KWOK Lok Yao |