Seven Guiding Principles and School Examples

(1) Schools could implement their LWL programmes in accordance with the seven guiding principles as shown in the following figure.

Guiding Principles of Life-wide Learning

Principle 1: Building on Existing Practices
Start with an existing practice that works and organise new programmes in accordance with the resources available (e.g. expertise, time and organisational links). Schools may carefully examine their existing school activities and identify some that could become LWL opportunities. Schools may also reengineer the existing system, e.g. constructing a consensual LWL programme of the year instead of organising LWL event by event.

Principle 2: Student-focused
Engage students actively in planning and organising LWL activities to include their views and enhance their sense of ownership. The focus is on what students' experience, and how they internalise and make sense of that experience so as to effect a change in personal values and attitudes.

Principle 3: Providing Equal Opportunities
Implement a diverse range of LWL activities to cater for students' different needs, including those of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). LWL is not a reward for good students only. It is important to provide opportunities for all students to develop their potential in different ways, regardless of their gender, socio-economic backgrounds, academic achievements, etc.

Principle 4: Building Coherence
Make sure that LWL is not a combination of unconnected activities but an integral part of whole-school curriculum planning. Devise appropriate implementation strategies, establish partnership or networking with community organisations, and use continuous assessment to achieve sustainable development of LWL and maximise learning effectiveness.

Principle 5: Emphasising Quality
Align the experiences students gain from LWL with the learning targets being pursued. Guide students to reflect on what has occurred in the process of LWL and provide quality and timely feedback.

Principle 6: Allowing Flexibility
Offer students a range of strategies (e.g. teamwork, simulation and role play) to enhance the quality of experiential learning. Use an integrated approach to designing a LWL programme incorporating the five essential learning experiences.

Principle 7: Learning Together
Play the role of facilitators or act as learners alongside the students instead of acting as instructors or activity providers to enable students to improve their learning capabilities, promote self-directed learning as well as strengthen teacher-student relationships.

(For details, please refer to the Booklet 7: Life-wide Learning and Experiential Learning of the Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (2017))

(2) Examples of Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (2017) Booklet 7 Experiential Learning: Life-wide Learning

1. Seven Guiding Principles 　

2. OLE Components 　
　