EdUHK Team Showcases SWEETIE STEM Curriculum at Learning and Teaching Expo 2024, Garners Attention from EDB and HKPC
The Education University of Hong Kong Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Dr Peter Wan Zhihong was invited by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to participate in the Learning and Teaching Expo from 11 to 13 December. Dr Wan introduced his “SWEETIE blended STEM curriculum”, and hundreds of teachers and parents explored the SWEETIE learning platform and teaching kits.
SWEETIE organises design-oriented STEM curricula for primary and secondary schools into four levels, progressively developing the students' creativity by referencing the four stages of the Industrial Revolution. The S.W.E.E.T.I.E. teaching method is integrated throughout all the activities, from Situational introduction to Wondering problems, Envisioning and Exploration, Thinking-back, Innovation, and finally, Extension. The course consists of eight units with over 40 interconnected core activities, each lasting about one hour. In 40 hours of exploratory practice, students can fully experience the development of human industrial civilisation and innovative wisdom.
On the first day of the Expo (11 December), Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, visited the booth to explore the unique features and implementation of the SWEETIE curriculum. Dr Wan explained, “The SWEETIE course is an interdisciplinary STEM curriculum driven by engineering design. It systematically nurtures students’ creativity and aligns closely with the new primary science curriculum. By integrating modern educational technology, the curriculum enables teachers to begin instructing STEM lessons after just two hours of training.” Dr Choi appreciated the course and said, “The SWEETIE curriculum has a systematic framework for STEM education, and its innovative and practical teacher training approach effectively addresses the challenges of implementing new curricula. It is truly worthy of promotion.”
SWEETIE curriculum has been funded by “e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme” of the Quality Education Fund. Supported by the Hong Kong Productivity Council, this project aims to promote the design-led STEM education philosophy in local primary and secondary schools.
In recent years, by combining advanced teaching concepts with modern educational technology, the SWEETIE engineering design course has transitioned to a blended teaching model that integrates online and offline elements, greatly reducing the difficulty of implementing STEM education. It is currently being used in over 60 schools.
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