by Monica Pfister
Hong Kong—where schools closed in late January for a scheduled break but have not yet reopened due to the coronavirus—has implemented distance learning this year for longer than almost all other jurisdictions. Hong Kong’s strategy of “suspending classes without suspending learning” relied on a rich set of existingresources for teachers. One key resource is the EDB One-stop Portal, an online library of teaching and learning materials developed by the Education Bureau. The materials are searchable by subject, grade, and type and are designed to support Hong Kong’s jurisdiction-level curriculum. Another is the online STAR Platform, which contains more than 57,000 assessment items that teachers can use to create and administer assessments in Chinese, English, and mathematics. In order to help teachers use these resources well, Hong Kong provided guidance for teachers on how to use them as well as a calendar of suggested learning activities for February through May. Hong Kong plans to gradually resume in-person classes beginning on May 27. But the resources Hong Kong has organized to support distance learning and their several months of experience in providing support for teachers will be key if blended or distance learning continue into the fall.
