This subject aims to broaden the horizons and skills of Secondary 6 and 7 students by having them study areas outside the traditional Advanced Level Subjects, to increase students' awareness of themselves, and to engender a critical awareness of the society in which they live and the way that society relates to an ever-changing world.
The main emphasis of the subject is on the acquisition of certain thinking and study skills listed in the subject objectives; on learning outcomes rather than on acquisition of factual knowledge. Hence the fundamental aim would be to develop a wide range of skills and techniques concerned with the collection, organization, presentation, interpretation and evaluation of information about the world, so as to promote critical thinking and to make sound judgments on the part of the students.
The subject also aims to provide the means by which students may learn to harmonize the different approaches found in sciences and humanities. In addition, the format also allows schools to choose from the list of modules in such a way that at least one module can provide a contrast to the student's main course of study.
Objectives
The objectives of the subject are to encourage students to :
become better informed, interested in and concerned for Hong Kong and the wider world;
achieve greater self-reliance in learning through the development of self-study skills, independent use of resources and self-discipline in the organization of study time and other priorities, which would ultimately lead students to the point where they can learn to satisfy their intellectual curiosity;
develop the ability to analyze complex wholes into their component parts and to evaluate the adequacy of evidence to support conclusions and the validity of arguments in terms of their objectivity and freedom from bias or prejudice; and to synthesize components into possible solutions to problems or formulate opinions on issues of concern;
think more independently so that they are willing to seek alternatives, to assess and evaluate opinions put forward by others and to be open-minded enough to accept the views of others; or, where there are good grounds for doing so, to maintain their own views; and
be more creative in the sense that they learn to identify problems and their solutions through the application of their skills, their intellectual resources, and what they have experienced, in ways that are new to them.