In July 2026, INNOPANDAMO delivered the AI-Empowered PBL and Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design | Inspiration Workshop for Chan Sui Ki Perpetual Help College. All eight professional development sessions were successfully completed, covering both the primary and secondary sections. Nearly 25 teachers attended each session, with close to 100 participations recorded across the eight sessions.

The school-based training was conducted in phases from 9 to 21 July. Four sessions were arranged for the primary section and another four for the secondary section. Each teacher attended two workshop sessions, completing a total of three hours of learning and hands-on practice.

Developing a PBL Curriculum Design Mindset Through Authentic Contexts

The training focused on two core areas: “From Authentic Contexts to PBL Topics” and “From PBL Topics to an Interdisciplinary Participation Framework.” Teachers were guided to identify suitable project topics for student inquiry by drawing on students’ everyday experiences, the school environment, issues within the Macao community, and the teaching needs of different subject areas.

Through conceptual explanations, case analysis, collaborative group work and practical exercises, the workshops helped teachers understand the differences between Project-Based Learning, or PBL, and conventional theme-based activities. Teachers learned to evaluate and refine potential project topics according to criteria including authenticity, relevance to students, the need for interdisciplinary participation, the visibility of learning outcomes and a manageable level of difficulty.

Teachers also practised transforming broad themes into driving questions that were authentic, open-ended and inquiry-oriented. This approach encourages students not only to acquire knowledge, but also to observe problems in real-world contexts, analyse information, propose solutions and continuously improve their ideas through reflection.

Addressing the Needs of Both Primary and Secondary Teachers

Different cases and learning tasks were designed to reflect the respective teaching characteristics of the primary and secondary sections.

At the primary level, curriculum design focused on familiar, everyday contexts. Students are encouraged to solve problems through observation, documentation, discussion, communication and simple actions. At the secondary level, projects may further incorporate information gathering, questionnaires and interviews, data analysis, stakeholder perspectives and solution design, enabling students to support their views with evidence.

During the interdisciplinary curriculum design component, teachers jointly examined the practical roles that different subjects could play within a project. They explored how languages, mathematics, science, information technology, humanities, civic education and the arts could collaborate and share responsibilities.

Rather than combining subjects simply for the sake of being “interdisciplinary,” the training emphasised that every participating subject should make a genuine and clearly defined contribution to students’ problem-solving processes.

Using AI to Enhance Collaborative Planning While Keeping Professional Judgement at the Core

The workshops also included hands-on practice with the CE2 Education Edition AI tool. Teachers were shown how artificial intelligence could support the generation of PBL topics, refinement of driving questions, development of interdisciplinary participation plans, and review of whether a topic was too broad, whether subject involvement was appropriate, and whether the intended outcomes were concrete and presentable.

The training emphasised that AI is not intended to replace teachers’ professional judgement. Instead, it helps teachers develop initial curriculum drafts more efficiently, providing a foundation for discussion, revision and further development. In this way, AI can enhance the effectiveness of subject-team collaboration and school-based curriculum design.

During the sessions, teachers worked in groups to exchange ideas and jointly develop PBL topics, driving questions and interdisciplinary participation frameworks. These collaborative activities established a shared language and practical foundation for the school’s continued development of interdisciplinary learning, smart education and AI-assisted lesson preparation.

Bringing Teacher-Training Outcomes into the Classroom

With the successful completion of all eight workshops, the teaching team has strengthened its understanding of the fundamental processes involved in PBL and interdisciplinary curriculum design. Teachers have also gained an initial understanding of how AI can be applied to collaborative planning and curriculum innovation.

INNOPANDAMO looks forward to continuing its collaboration with schools and educators, ensuring that smart education extends beyond the use of digital tools and becomes meaningfully integrated into curriculum design, teacher collaboration and the development of students’ problem-solving abilities.