First Group of Students Visit Ocean Park for “Connecting Students with Nature through STEAM” Programme

Ocean Park invites 10,000 students to join the “Connecting Students with Nature through STEAM” Programme. Two schools that successfully applied to the programme, Yan Chai Hospital Chiu Tsang Hok Wan Primary School and Caritas Ma On Shan Secondary School, are set to be the first school groups to have successfully completed the in-Park activities. The enriching programme encompasses STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning activities and provides opportunities to explore the Park’s diverse rides, animal exhibits and environmental conservation resources.

Students from Yan Chai Hospital Chiu Tsang Hok Wan Primary School visited the Park today and participated in learning activities related to nature. Each student was given a nature exploration kit which includes an activity plate and a pair of binoculars. School teachers carried out pre-planned programmes related to ecological activities with students by making use of the related materials and resources provided by the Park. During the visit, students learnt about the biodiversity in Hong Kong, and at the same time understood and applied ecological survey skills through the recording of the numbers and locations of flora and fauna, and elaborated on the findings through statistical charts and maps.

The students from Caritas Ma On Shan Secondary School joined a STEAM career seminar to learn about STEAM related careers that contribute to conservation.
 
In addition, Ocean Park also held an awards presentation to recognise schools with the best-scoring proposals for the “Connecting Students with Nature through STEAM” programme. The secondary schools with the highest-scoring proposals include: Po Leung Kuk Yao Ling Sun College, Po Chiu Catholic Secondary School, St. Paul’s Convent School and The Chinese Foundation Secondary School. Meanwhile, the primary schools with the highest-scoring proposals include: Aberdeen Saint Peter’s Catholic Primary School, King’s College Old Boys’ Association Primary School, Kwun Tong Government Primary School and Taikoo Primary School.
 
The creative proposals submitted by the award-winning schools included plans to organise activities which effectively utilise the resources at the Park. The Chinese Foundation Secondary School has plans to organise various nature related activities for students before their visit to the Park, allowing them to develop a better understanding about the basic principles of ecology, building a foundation of knowledge that can be applied during their learning activities at Ocean Park. Kwun Tong Government Primary School plans to use Ocean Park’s rides as a model, students from the school will be able to show their creativity by designing their favourite rides with their parents.

Vivian Lee, Executive Director, Business Development and Education of Ocean Park said, “The response to ‘Ocean Park’s Connecting Students with Nature through STEAM’ programme has been overwhelming. We are delighted to see schools in Hong Kong actively promote STEAM education. We hope the programme will make the best use of the Park’s resources, foster diverse thinking and curiosity, and encourage students to understand the importance of nature conservation.”

Ocean Park launched its “Connecting Students with Nature through STEAM” programme this year to promote STEAM education, and schools interested in the programme were invited to submit their proposals. As a result, the Park received applications from a total of 505 schools and after the judging process, 43 primary schools and 37 secondary schools have been successfully admitted. A total of over 10,000 students will be able to select a date to visit and learn at Ocean Park for free.
 
The judging criteria was partly based on the results of the nature and STEAM related activities organised by the primary and secondary schools in the 2017/18 academic year, which included the number of activities organised, number of students reached, awards received, and impact created. This contributed to 20% of the total score. Additionally, the schools’ plans for the 2018/19 academic year included their ideas to effectively utilise the resources in the Park and contributed to 80% of their total score. The judging panel included the Ocean Park Chairman, members of the Ocean Park Education Committee comprising education officials, principals, academics and teaching professionals, as well as school representatives nominated by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union.