SENSE

(The following information is provided by the school.)

Background

To address the needs of students with visual impairment, Ebenezer School adopts unique teaching strategies to let students have effective and diversified experiential learning.  Ebenezer School does its utmost to create a blissful learning environment, develop students’ potential, enhance their independent thinking skills and abilities to make judgement and attain innovation competencies.  It is hoped that students can grow adaptively, develop diligent and nurture self-transcendent spirit.  Ebenezer School develops students’ basic competency in mastering the mainstream curriculum and applying assistive visual aids/tools to enable them to have smooth transition with senior secondary and tertiary education curriculum.  Under the diversified life-wide teaching policy, students with different abilities can achieve holistic development.  Ebenezer School follows the Education Bureau’s basic education curriculum guide and incorporates student-focused principles to design, tailor and adapt the curriculum content.  School-based curriculum is developed to cater for the needs, abilities, and interests of students with visual impairment.  To support students with diverse learning needs, Ebenezer School adopts cross-level lesson arrangement and Individualised Education Program (IEP) based on the needs of students.  The school has also developed a specially designed curriculum to help students learn joyfully and effectively.

Highlights

Ebenezer School is the only school in Hong Kong that offers a mainstream curriculum for the visually impaired (VI).  Other than providing mainstream curriculum, the school also provides professional rehabilitation training for students with the aim of helping them overcome visual impairment and integrate into classroom learning and daily life, so as to achieve their full potential.  Ebenezer School’s rehabilitation training includes Orientation and Mobility Training, Low Vision Training and different systems (Cantonese, English, Mathematics, Music, Putonghua) of Braille Training.  After teachers’ assessments, student in need of rehabilitation will receive rehabilitation training at different learning stages.  Ebenezer School emphasises the integration of rehabilitation into teaching.  Therapists are arranged to participate in Braille, Visual Arts, Computer, Career Guidance, Life Education lessons with teachers, in order to transfer the skills and enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching.  To address the needs of students, Ebenezer School makes good use of 3D printing technologies to develop different kinds of teaching materials and tools with a view to improving students’ learning and enhancing the effectiveness of rehabilitation training under the same curriculum framework.  Other than highlighting the effectiveness of teaching and learning, Ebenezer School also emphasises passing on the experience.  Over the past years, the school has turned the experience of rehabilitation teachers and therapists into books and shared them with students, parents and the education sector.  Published brochures such as ‘Orientation & Mobility Training Manual’, ‘Low Vision Training Manual’ and ‘Cantonese Braille Teaching Manual’ are well received by different stakeholders.  Rehabilitation training is undoubtedly a key for VI students to open their door towards the outside world.  Ebenezer School aspires that students can live a fruitful and enlightened life through rehabilitation training.