Introduction

中文｜Eng

The goals of education are not merely to enable students to acquire knowledge; more importantly, they are to cultivate in students the ability, qualities and enthusiasm to learn how to learn, and to equip them to adapt to a future world of diverse change.

In line with trends in student learning development, Kit Sam has reintroduced the Self‑regulated learning model into teaching, focusing on "individual self‑learning, group co‑learning, and peer support" as the core of autonomous learning. This guides students to acquire the abilities and attitudes of independent learning, and fosters a campus culture of active learning and peer assistance to achieve whole‑person development.

Kit Sam Self-regulated learning

Kit Sam Self-regulated learning integrates scholarly educational theories, the theoretical framework of the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary School’s Autonomous Learning Network, and school‑based characteristics. Lessons emphasise individual self‑study, group co‑learning, teacher facilitation and learning reflection as constituent elements. Through varied learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom, students are expected to establish study habits, increase motivation, employ different learning strategies, and thereby cultivate lifelong learning abilities and attitudes.

Kit Sam’s sekf-regulated learning is adapted from the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary School’s implementation model for autonomous learning, combining educational theory and conceptual development into three main strands of classroom learning reform: collaborative learning, self‑regulated learning and constructive learning.

1. ‘Self-regulated learning’ fundamental elements

Self-regulated learning ability is not innate. It needs to be cultivated. To guide students to learn independently, one must first understand that self-regulated learning consists of elements in three aspects: ability, cognition and affection 

2. Theoretical framework of self-regulated learning

Collaborative Learning refers to learners working together with others to achieve goals together. Learners assist each other, share ideas, experiences, and knowledge, and collaboratively solve problems to reach their objectives (Johnson, Johnson & Holubec, 1991). Every member of the team must learn and learn from each other. The reciprocal learning mechanism allows peers with different perspectives, experiences, and abilities to collectively challenge valuable issues and recognize each other's existence (Huang, Yu-Ting, 2017). 

3. Structure and Principles of Self-regulated Learning Classrooms

The structure of the classroom is decomposed into four main learning methods: 

(1) self-directed learning by students, 

(2) collaborative learning within groups, 

(3) peer learning between groups, and 

(4) teacher-led instruction. 

For details on learning tasks and activities, please refer to the diagram below:

Basic Principles of Classroom Design:

1. 1. Start from students' needs.

   2. Pay attention to students of different abilities.

   3. Focus on students' learning motivation, behavior, strategies, and regulation.

   4. Observe students' generation, changes, and development during classroom learning.

   5. Monitor how teachers comprehensively use classroom organization.

   6. Explore teachers' understanding and expectations of themselves, students, and the classroom.

   7. Assess students' learning outcomes and progress.

   8. Emphasize equal importance on knowledge construction, ability development, and attitude cultivation.

Classroom Operations

In Kit Sam Self-regulated classroom, we cultivate students' roles as self-directed learners. Students prepare for each topic based on clear learning objectives and are guided by teaching plans, which serve as the starting point for self-learning and initiate the process of inquiry. During the classroom, through diverse learning activities, students share the outcomes of their self-study and group collaboration, engage in discussion, showcase, and reflect on what they have learned, experience the process of academic exploration. Finally, students will reflect on their classroom learning to summarize their learning outcomes. 

Expected Learning Outcomes

We expect students to gradually adjust their learning performance through the four learning methods in the classroom, which include: enhanced motivation, demonstration of good learning behaviors, diverse cognition, and metacognitive strategies. This allows students to grasp the key points of classroom learning and empowers them to take ownership of their own learning space, enabling them to become masters of their own education.

4. Student learning community construction, experiences and environment

 To promote self-regulated learning, the School Ethos and Student Support Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Ethos Committee) launches a range of programmes and training each year aimed at helping students learn better. The following briefly introduces the measures and plans:

1. Environment setup

In a conventional classroom, students’ desks are arranged in straight rows facing the blackboard. To facilitate group discussion and cooperative learning, our school arranges student seating into small groups, forming “T” or “F” shapes. In the two central groups of the classroom, two to three students sit side by side facing the blackboard while two others sit facing them, forming a reversed “T”; in the groups along the sides of the classroom, two students sit one behind the other facing the blackboard while two others form a straight line, creating an “F” shape. During examinations and assessments, students turn their desks to face the blackboard, forming single rows. To make desks easy to move for classroom activities, the school has been replacing them annually with lighter desks and placing storage cabinets inside or outside classrooms to reduce items kept in desk drawers, facilitating movement. 

To facilitate students demonstrating what they have learned, an activity blackboard has been added to the rear wall of the classroom. Each group also has a magnetic small blackboard, allowing students to write their discussion outcomes and then stick them on the activity blackboard for clear display to the whole class. In the senior secondary classrooms, the small hanging blackboard (three feet by two feet) is chosen because senior students have more content to display and the board size needs to be adjusted.

To let students know their efforts are recognised at all times, a notice board is provided outside the junior secondary classrooms. Every two weeks the names of the highest-scoring group members in each subject from the classroom rewards scheme are posted, creating healthy competition and encouraging groups to improve together

For grouping, junior secondary mainly considers students’ academic results and conduct, while for S2 and above the previous year’s form teacher comments and recommendations are also taken into account.

2. A campus culture of peer support

• Formulating class management strategies to foster a campus culture of peer support

To support the promotion of self-regulated learning, the school established form committee in 2012 to coordinate and formulate class management strategies for each year, promote form ethos, and cultivate a campus culture of peer support.

• Set goals, review regularly:

The form teacher and class teachers jointly set goals and strategies at the start of the school year according to the characteristics and needs of each form, promoting a positive form environment. Through form meetings and class-based activities, students’ social development is nurtured, helping them build good interpersonal relationships and a sense of belonging to the school in group life. This not only deepens students’ self-understanding and helps resolve difficulties encountered during growth, but also promotes collective academic progress. At each stage, the form meeting reviews the situation within the school year and classes in a regular manner and launches various learning programmes to further strengthen peer assistance and support learning development.

• Promote rewards, establish routines:

To align with the school-wide promotion of group cooperative learning in lessons, the form committee runs a classroom rewards scheme, regularly collecting students’ performance points in class, displaying and publicly praising them, and giving rewards so studnets understand their learning performance and progress. This scheme cultivates learning routines, engagement in lesson activities, and strengthens learning motivation. It further helps students internalise learning, achieving “wanting to learn” and “willing to learn” in self-regulated learning.

• In-class and extra-curricular, self-regulated learning:

To develop and build student learning communities, junior secondary has a reading and reflection self-study lesson at the end of each day. The “Able” leads students to review that day’s learning; group members consolidate the day’s key points through questioning, discussion, clarification and reflection. Class teachers meet with “Able” regularly to guide and support their leadership, and also use this period to invite students to share learning reflections and outcomes. After school there is a student potential development period; through encouragement by the form committee, students with common learning goals form study groups to review and prepare. In senior secondary, they may also undertake examination practice, and pupils can invite teachers to explain challenging questions. Through continuous sharing, joint learning and mutual encouragement, students achieve being “able to learn” and “capable of learning”.

• Self-regulated Learning Reward Scheme

This scheme is divided into junior secondary and senior secondary, with clear differences in implementation.

In junior secondary, starting from the orientation programme, students work in groups to strengthen collaboration both inside and outside lessons. Teachers award points in class based on group performance and compile summaries every two weeks. The group with the highest overall score in each class automatically becomes the Fortnightly Star. All members of that group receive a reward card from the principal. Each month teachers also award Form 1 students with two kinds of reward cards — “Attentive in Class” and “Active Participation”. Teachers must base these awards on whole-group performance to reinforce teamwork. Each term students may redeem accumulated reward cards for snacks, stationery and merit points. Outstanding groups and exemplary group leaders receive certificates of commendation.

In senior secondary, because of a greater diversity of subjects and the need for students to develop higher-level skills required of independent learners, the scheme must be more flexible. Classroom activities are no longer confined to four-person groups, so the reward scheme operates on an individual basis: each month teachers may award senior students the two reward cards “Attentive in Class” and “Active Participation” as encouragement. Besides being redeemable for stationery and merit points, senior students’ reward cards can be exchanged for HKDSE intensive Books particular in core subjects, which many students work hard to earn. 

To encourage students, groups that perform well receive points as recognition. To raise awareness of cooperation, when a whole group completes a task together, they are awarded a number of points. If an answer is incorrect, group members may prioritise helping each other, and other groups are encouraged to cheer others up. The orientation programme features “Best Performance Award” and “Most Active Participation Award”: the former is decided by scores accumulated over the five-day programme, while the latter is by teacher nomination, rewarding groups observed to be actively engaged. Each subject offers these two awards so students can demonstrate their strengths across different areas.

A closing ceremony for the Form 1 orientation programme is held in late August, during which the winning groups come on stage to receive certificates from the school supervisor or the Principal, further reinforcing positive student behaviour. 

• Leader training

At the start of term, the Ethos Committee runs two training sessions for Form 1 and Form 2 “Ables” to establish expectations of their role, help them set goals and teach them how to be competent leaders. The first session encourages leaders to articulate the benefits of autonomous learning, helping them understand the principle that “by helping group members, you benefit yourself most.” Leaders then set goals for themselves and their groups and plan methods to achieve them: they first discuss within their groups and, through sharing and discussion, review whether the goals and methods are appropriate and well matched. Teachers assist students to adjust goals and strategies. The training also introduces the key contents of the leaders’ handbook, reinforcing the leaders’ roles and duties.

The second session aims to review whether leaders are performing effectively, help them resolve difficulties they have encountered and prepare them for Uniform test. The approach is similar to the first session: leaders set target outcomes for themselves and their groups for the assessments, plan methods, share within the group and receive guidance from teachers.

•  Revisiting self-regulated learning for Form 2 and 3

At the beginning of first term, Class teacher in Form 2 and 3 lead the whole class in revisiting the concept of self-regulated learning. The aim is to remind students of the benefits of collaborative group learning and the division of roles, and to familiarise them again with group routines in lessons. This activity follows a “talk more, do more, present more” group model: through group discussion and collaboration, students’ memories are triggered and they are encouraged to participate actively in class.

• Form 4 learning skills workshops

The Ethos Committee runs two learning-skills workshops for Form 4 students. The first workshop aims to help students master classroom learning techniques and to try using personal post-lesson notes as a revision method.

The second workshop strengthens metacognitive self-review and reflective improvement. After students have experienced their first comprehensive assessment, it is the best time to review with them: self-review enables students to check whether their personal notes include the subject’s learning points or difficulties and whether their revision notes can help them reach their target grades; reflective improvement means analysing the causes of mistakes after making them, rather than merely correcting mistakes to satisfy the teacher. More importantly, students should identify conceptual or skill-based issues and improve their future learning.

The learning-skills workshops provide students with more appropriate study methods and emphasise effective use of personal notes as an essential part of autonomous learning, so that students regularly review their performance, adjust goals and strive for progress.

5. Project Studies — Extended Learning Experiences

“Self-regulated learning” emphasises a shift in learning paradigms and deliberately strengthens students’ cognitive and metacognitive strategies. It enhances students’ motivation and caters for personalised learning progress. Beyond regular classroom subjects, cross-curricular learning platforms and diverse presentation opportunities enable students to integrate and apply what they have learned to solve real-life problems. Students gradually gain control over their learning, reveal potential, and develop their individual strengths.

At our school, a cross-curricular project programme is implemented in junior secondary. In Secondary 1, students first learn the foundational knowledge and skills of each subject. In Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 there are project learning lessons, one period per week, centred on humanistic care and creative design. Through problem-based learning, students investigate social issues and strengthen values education in compassion and righteousness.

The project studies curriculum includes:

1. hrough learning activities on different themes, students conduct information gathering, group discussion, analysis and synthesis to enhance diverse thinking and research skills.

2. Based on Design Thinking, students learn a people-centred approach, starting from empathy for human needs to seek innovative solutions for various issues.

3. Practically “hands-on” problem solving: exploring different feasible solutions and conducting scientific research or making prototypes. During the process, students apply skills from different disciplines, including scientific inquiry, logical programming, sensor applications, AI, the Internet of Things, etc., to refine research reports or product designs.

4. In-class and extracurricular presentations allow students to learn from one another and grow, boosting confidence and fostering a culture of collaborative learning and sharing. Result presentations include class reports, inter-class and inter-form competitions within school, displays during English Week, and various external competitions.

Evidence from observable outcomes shows that the project studies curriculum aligns with the development of self-regulated learning, stimulates students’ curiosity and empathy, fosters creativity, improves problem-solving and research skills, and cultivates positive thinking and values. As students have performed strongly in external competitions, our school was awarded the Outstanding STEM School Merit Award in 2020, recognising the efforts and achievements of the whole school community in this area.