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Jessica Simpsons

From Montessori and Waldorf, to EYFS, IBDP and GCE, each stage of a child’s education comes with a variety of curriculum options.
PRE-SCHOOL
There are numerous curriculum options for pre-schools in Hong Kong, with Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia and EYFS being just four of the “big names” in the market.

Montessori emphasizes a love for nature and independent thinking

Montessori
Founded by paediatrician-cum-psychiatrist Maria Montessori in 1907, this emphasizes a love for nature and independent thinking. It uses a gentle, hands-on approach to teach in five areas – practical life, sensory awareness, language arts, mathematics and humanities. The programme aims to cultivate learner autonomy and independence, while also requiring a high degree of parental involvement.
Teachers – or “guides”, as they are called – take their lead from each child, allowing youngsters to learn at their own pace. Montessori programmes encourage a child’s sense of independence, and also expect a high degree of parent involvement.
Toys and other developmentally appropriate learning materials are laid out in the classroom.
A child can see what their choices are and then pick a task – called “work” – according to their interests. Work options include books, puzzle games, art projects, toys that test spatial relations, and more. When they’re done, children put their work back on the shelves and move on to something else. The daily schedule allows time for children to play alone and in groups.
Guides work with children as a group and one on one, but most of the interaction is among the children themselves. In a Montessori school, teachers are not the only instructors.
Older children often help younger ones learn how to master new skills. That is why each class has mixed ages.
Waldorf
An alternative is the Waldorfian approach to pre-school education, introduced by Rudolf Steiner in 1919. Drawing on three fundamental elements of the human experience – spirit, soul, and body – it proposes that children learn best through experience and should be encouraged to engage in creative and unstructured free play early in life rather than focusing extensively on the development of reading skills.
Waldorf early childhood teachers create a comfortable, homelike environment that offers children plenty of opportunities to freely imitate what they see and to indulge in creative play. Daily activities range from painting, colouring, singing, and reciting poems to modelling with beeswax, baking bread, building houses out of boxes, sheets, and boards, and dressing up and pretending to be parents, kings, and magicians.
The oral approach is used all through Waldorf education: mastery of oral communication is seen as being integral to all learning. Reading instruction, as such, is deferred. Writing evolves out of the children’s art, and their ability to read likewise evolves as a natural and, indeed, comparatively effortless stage of their mastery of language.
According to a 2013 New York Times documentary, “Preparing for Life”, art is instilled in every aspect of the curriculum, so that students can more readily understand complex subjects by visualising and learning in a dynamic and pictorial manner. This is consistent with information provided by the European Council of Steiner Waldorf education, a body representing more than 700 schools in Europe with around 147,000 pupils. What truly defines Waldorf education is the co-existence of artistic, practical and intellectual components in the curriculum. Key skills such as literacy and numeracy are presented in an innovative manner.
Furthermore, Waldorfian schools take account of the need for enhanced mobility and international transfers by basing things on a common ethos. Holistic development is the objective and the curriculum is structured to underpin three developmental stages: from birth to seven years, from seven to 14, and from 14 to 18.
Reggio Emilia
A third popular approach to pre-school education is Reggio Emilia, a method dating back to the 1940s. Essentially, this is rooted in neuro-cognitive behaviour and sees the child as an adventurer. It focuses on the importance of student-centred, activity-based learning and uses a loose, informal structure. A tripartite philosophy expects the child to direct his or her own learning, the class teacher to monitor overall progress, and the parents to act as mediators between home and the learning environment.
The curriculum is flexible: it allows the group of children in a class to guide their own learning. The teacher is a nurturer, guide and researcher. The parents are partners, with co-operation between home and school central to the philosophy.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS, is a mandatory curriculum for all Ofsted-registered (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) and early-year providers in England. Certain schools in Hong Kong also use this curriculum. The guiding principles are based on the fact that each child is not a “finished product” but a “work in progress”. The framework for children up to the age of five sets out six key areas of learning. The cornerstones of the EYFS are that every child is unique and continuously learning; can be strong and independent; requires supportive environments where there is a positive relationship between parents and carers; and can child-develop at their own pace.
In the curriculum, there are three primary areas covered: communication and language; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development. Secondary are understanding the world and expressive arts and design.
PRIMARY
Once students move to primary school, and enter the most formative years of their lives, the two most common curricula are the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and English National Curriculum.
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP)
The IBPYP, which is geared towards children aged three to 12, aims to ready students for the rigours of education and the world of work by concentrating on developing a spirit of inquiry, not just in school but in outside life. It nurtures academic, social and emotional skills, concentrating on personal values and an international outlook. Students are given every opportunity to be responsible for their own independent learning. The IBPYP covers both local and world issues, challenging students to examine six connected themes such as “who we are”, “where we are in place and time” and “how the world works”.
English National Curriculum
The curriculum used in Hong Kong is similar to that of England and Wales. Pupils study
11 compulsory subjects, including English, maths, science, design and technology, history, geography, art and design, music, physical education, computing, and ancient and modern languages. Children must also study sex and relationships, from Year 7 onwards, and religious education, although they may not have to take exams in these subjects.
Schools are also obliged to report on children’s progress to their parents. This can happen in different ways, such as an end-of-term report or meetings held at the school.
SECONDARY
The four most common secondary-level curricula at international schools in Hong Kong are the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE Advanced Level). Each offers students numerous learning opportunities with excellent career pathways.
IBMYP and IBDP
The IBMYP is for students aged 11 to 16 and encourages them to apply what they learn in class to real-world scenarios. In this way, students develop into “world citizens” by studying eight subject groups – language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design. This requires 50 teaching hours for each subject group in each year. Students can opt to take six out of eight subjects in Years 4 and 5 in order to accommodate flexible learning schedules and individual requirements. Each year, there is one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit. Students may also complete a long-term project.
Following on, the IBDP is an intensive two-year programme covering six subject groups – language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, experimental sciences, mathematics and arts. Students can choose from each subject groups, taking three or four at Higher Level (HL) and the rest at Standard Level (SL). They must also complete three core elements, including a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course which explores philosophical questions such as “What is art?” or “How do we differentiate between fact and opinion?” The other core elements are CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) and EE (the Extended Essay).
The rationale behind the CAS programme is to supplement classroom learning with extracurricular experiences which helps students develop into well-rounded individuals. Activities can include involvement in drama, dance and the arts or anything from tennis lessons to hiking. The service element requires unpaid or voluntary work at local or international charitable organisations. This enables students to reach out to underprivileged communities and give something back to society at large.
International General Certificate of Secondary Education
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or IGCSE, was first introduced more than 25 years ago for pupils whose mother tongue is not English. Offered by Cambridge International Education, the syllabus is geared towards the English education system and has a mainly academic focus. It has verbal, written, coursework and practical components and the grading system uses an A* to G framework. There are marginal differences between the IGCSE and GCSE syllabuses, with the former including more foreign languages and a heavier emphasis on coursework.
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE Advanced Level)
Traditionally known as A-levels, this is a school-leaving qualification offered by educational bodies in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries for secondary or pre-university students. Countries such as Nepal, Brunei, Pakistan, Singapore, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Seychelles, India, and Zimbabwe have come up with their own version. A-levels are mandatory for university entrance, are completed over two years and entail two parts: the Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS Level) and the A2 Level. In most international schools in Hong Kong, the British variant of A/AS levels is used and offered either through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations.


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From Montessori and Waldorf, to EYFS, IBDP and GCE, each stage of a child’s education comes with a variety of curriculum options...
