III. A Framework of an Integrated Guidance and Discipline Service

3.1       There are two important fundamentals for the successful development of the WSA to Guidance and Discipline. They are the shared values of all teaching staff in school and the determination of the school management to integrate guidance and discipline into different domains of school education. These two fundamentals make all teaching staff, regardless of their roles in school, work together devotedly to promote all-round development of students, with the aim to help them become optimistic, active, self-respecting, self-disciplined, showing respect to others and willing to take up responsibilities as well as accept challenges.
3.2        This chapter gives examples of practical experiences of some of our primary and secondary schools in implementing the WSA to Guidance and Discipline in the three domains of school education, namely, “Management and Organisation”, “Learning and Teaching” and “Student Support and School Ethos”. The framework may serve as a reference guide for schools in planning and devising school-based guidance and discipline service. The experiences shared in this framework demonstrate that successful implementation and continuous development of the WSA to guidance and discipline rely on the close cooperation and teamwork at different levels of various subject panels to help students develop under the common vision.
3.2.1        Domain of “Management and Organisation”

Area

Key Elements of a WSA to Guidance and Discipline

Planning and Administration

The school reviews the mission and vision of all teaching staff so as to reach a consensus on student development. Based on the school’s characteristics, the school integrates guidance and discipline service and formulates a systematic policy on student development with directions, with the aim to nurture a caring school culture.

The school establishes a well-organized structure of guidance and discipline to effectively coordinate the work on student development with the WSA.

Professional Leadership

School leaders and administrators actively promote cross-panel collaboration between subject panels and the guidance and discipline team to effectively nurture a caring school culture at school, grade, class and student levels.

School leaders and administrators purposefully create a positive, optimistic, caring and joyful working atmosphere, set open communication channels, value staff opinion, and promote a team spirit among all teaching staff.

Staff Management

The school attaches importance to and actively cultivates a sharing and collaborative culture among the teaching staff to guide students with growth needs.

The school devises directional and forward-looking strategies and plans staff development programmes through assessing teachers’ needs, so as to facilitate the integration of the concepts and skills of guidance and discipline in teaching. With emphasis on reason and compassion, this integrated approach serves to help students develop good values and positive attitudes.

Planning and Management of Resources

The school sets the direction and the overall strategy of student development, utilises and allocates school resources effectively, and makes good use of community resources.

The school properly manages and uses guidance and discipline related resources; draws up simple guidelines and procedures; and reviews, introduces, practises and demonstrates to teachers the use of these resources regularly.

Self-evaluation

The school formulates school self-evaluation strategies, applies objective and scientific assessment tools, and periodically reviews the functions of the guidance and discipline system as well as the overall caring school culture.

3.2.2 Domain of “Learning and Teaching”

Area

Key Elements of a WSA to Guidance and Discipline

Curriculum

The school facilitates the growth of students at different stages of development through provision of growth education (e.g. personal growth education for primary school children and life education for secondary school students) with the aim to helping students reflect on their experience in personal, social, academic and career development and setting practical and workable goals and plans.

The school designs appropriate learning programmes through cross-panel collaboration to cater for the needs of students at different stages of development. The elements of personal growth education are well integrated into subjects so that students can consolidate their various life skills and put what they have learnt into practice.

Teaching

Teachers develop good relationship with students based on care and concern, and make good use of debriefing skills to encourage students to reflect on their learning and life experiences with the aim to improve their learning effectiveness.

Student Learning

The school encourages students to participate actively in class activities and discussions, reflect on their personal experience and apply what they have learned (including various life skills, knowledge and attitudes) in everyday life and learning.

Performance Assessment

The school adopts effective and diversified modes of assessment to evaluate the academic and non-academic performance of students, so as to help them understand themselves better and set personal goals for continuous self-improvement.

3.2.3 Domain of “Student Support and School Ethos”

Area

Key Elements of a WSA to Guidance and Discipline

Support for Student Development

Taking into account the needs of students and conditions of the school, the school devises comprehensive and directional strategies and plans for student development with a view to providing students with developmental, preventive and remedial services. The services embrace both guidance and discipline concepts with the emphasis on being reasonable and compassionate, aiming at helping students handle the problems encountered at different stages of development independently.

Staff responsible for guidance and discipline work collaboratively with teachers to early identify students at-risk and provide them with timely and appropriate individual counseling and group activities. Through active communication and cooperation with parents, the school can understand better the causes of the problem of individual students so that more effective guidance can be provided to help him/her design workable developmental goals in equipping him/her for future challenges.

The school formulates a set of clear and reasonable school rules and a system of reward and punishment with regular review and revision so that they are comprehensible and acceptable to teachers, parents and students. In handling disciplinary cases, all teachers should use an integrated approach on guidance and discipline, which emphasizes both reason and compassion, to help students change for betterment.

The school encourages students to participate in various services and activities both within and outside school, so as to help them develop personal plans for future development as well as explore their potentials and enhance their self-respect.

Links with Parents and External Organisations

The school devises systematic strategies of support for parents through assessing their needs with the aim to providing appropriate parent education and promoting parent-child communication as well as parenting skills.

The school develops a system of close and effective home-school communication and cooperation in line with school-based guidance and discipline work for the healthy development of students.

School Culture

The whole school participates actively in guidance and discipline services, and works closely together with team spirit and common vision.
The school engages all teachers and students to cultivate a caring school culture. Teachers and students develop mutual respect and trust and forge a good relationship conducive to nurturing students to become self-respecting, self-disciplined, to show respect for others, to be positive and optimistic, responsible and responsive to changes, etc. so as to help them meet the challenges in learning and in life.