Teacher Yuen Wing-ting said, “When teachers are supported with the right resources and a strong professional network, they can embrace new teaching approaches with confidence and inspire students to explore the world with curiosity.”
Navigating changes in primary science education reform
Starting from the 2025/26 academic year, the General Studies (GS) curriculum at primary level is progressively replaced by Science and Humanities. The primary science curriculum emphasises fostering students’ curiosity, imagination and desire for knowledge through “hands-on and minds-on” inquiry activities, while developing scientific literacy, strengthening scientific and creative thinking, and enabling the application of knowledge to solve problems in daily life.
This transition provides more focused opportunities for students to engage in scientific learning. At the same time, it presents new demands for teachers, who are required to design inquiry-based learning (IBL) activities, adopt a range of teaching strategies, and respond effectively to the diverse questions that emerge during students’ exploration.
Reflecting on this change, Yuen Wing-ting, a teacher at Islamic School shared, “I am feeling excited yet anxious for the change in curriculum. I look forward to engaging students in experiments to explore everyday science, while I am also aware of the need to further develop my skills in facilitating IBL and managing increased preparation workload.”
With the support of the JC CoolScience project, she not only gained access to comprehensive teaching resources but also became an “Advanced Teacher”; through engagement in a community of practice activities, she has gradually built confidence in adapting her teaching practices.
Broadening perspectives through professional learning
The project offers teachers a wide range of professional development opportunities. Ms Yuen, together with more than 20 educators in the “Advanced Teacher Fellowship” training, participated in study trips to the Chinese Mainland and overseas, broadening their horizons on world-leading IBL teaching practices.
Drawing on these experiences, she designed an interdisciplinary lesson titled "star navigation", integrating astronomical principles of celestial motion, mathematical concepts of latitude and longitude, ancient celestial navigation methods, and historical and cultural perspectives. Through computer-simulated stargazing, article reading, hands-on experiments and group discussions, students are guided to explore concepts and construct their understanding.
“Science education is not about simply passing on knowledge, but about inspiring students’ curiosity, encouraging proactive thinking, and developing their ability to analyse problems,” Ms Yuen shared.
Through professional exchanges and classroom practice, her teaching philosophy has evolved to place stronger emphasis on students’ learning journey.
"Letting students try, ask questions and even learn from mistakes is an essential part of science inquiry," she added.
From memorising to exploration
Changes in teaching approaches are reshaping students’ learning experiences. Supported by lesson resources and experiment kits provided through the project, lessons increasingly centre on observation, investigation and application.
Chan Ngo-hei, a primary four student, shared his experience, "We can use everyday materials to do experiments, and that makes learning interesting. I am not afraid of making mistakes, because we learn from them together." He added that he aspires to study science-related subjects and pursue a career in the field in the future.
Ms Yuen also observed greater engagement among her students. They are asking more questions, testing their ideas and building scientific understanding through hands-on experience.
"A meaningful science lesson is not measured by how much content students can recall, but by whether they are motivated to observe, question and think independently,” she said.
Professional support networks driving teaching transformation
The project has also established a professional learning community for science teachers, fostering collaboration across schools. Teachers are able to exchange ideas and experiences on lesson design, conducting experiments and classroom practice, while supporting one another in addressing teaching challenges. This collaborative approach helps break down the isolation of working independently and promotes ongoing professional growth.
For Ms Yuen, this network has allowed her to journey alongside fellow teachers, continuously learning and adapting as she embraces new approaches to teaching.
Looking ahead, Ms Yuen further leverages the project’s resources to provide students with more opportunities for science learning beyond the classroom, allowing students to experience how science relates to real-world contexts.
The introduction of primary science marks an important stage in the ongoing development of primary education in Hong Kong. With the right support, teachers can more effectively foster students’ curiosity, critical thinking skills and passion for exploration.
Did you know?
FAQ
Starting from the 2025/26 school year, the primary General Studies (GS) curriculum will be progressively replaced by Science and Humanities.
All primary schools are required to implement the two subjects at primary one and primary four from the 2025/26 school year, with implementation progressively extended to all levels by the 2027/28 school year.
“When parents are willing to pause, reflect and give their children space to play while spending time with them, more possibilities for their children's growth will naturally unfold," said Miss Yuen, Project Supervisor of KeySteps@JC Hub (Sham Shui Po).