High achievers challenged
The first day of challenges for high achieving year seven and eight students was held at Marist-Sion College recently.
Throughout the day students were placed in small groups where they worked collaboratively to problem solve and analyse a contemporary issue to find a sustainable solution to an issue impacting the school community.
The energising question for the day was “how do we change behaviour when it comes to litter at our school?”
Throughout the Day of Challenges, each group, supported by a senior student mentor, was required to solve this demanding, openended challenge; demonstrate their skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant and public way; develop diverse skills, including enterprise, time management, the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment; and problem-solve by thinking outside the square.
With 35 brilliant minds working collaboratively, a range of sustainable solutions were devised.
The school thanked the students for their incredibly hard work throughout the day and especially look forward to seeing the concepts change behaviour of the school community in the future as their projects are implemented into the school community. Rebranding of the Edison Program The Edison Program was implemented late term three to improve the learning experienced by high achieving students in years seven and eight.
To receive a place in the program students needed a combined subject score of 90 per cent or higher.
The students’ first challenge was to rethink the name of the program.
This was an important stage in the implementation of this new initiative. The College wanted a program that the student had ownership of and a name that they could be proud of.
Students had one week to work either individually or in groups to create a pitch to advocate the name of someone/something/or an initiative that inspired them.
The presentations the students came up with were inspirational and it became evident that the students valued the challenge.
The new name of the program is ‘Together we inspire’, created by Zeta Campbell.
Zeta’s inspiration for this name was highly creative and revealed a great depth of character.
The Edison Program had been created to provide extension and enrichment opportunities for high achieving students.
The name of the program had been inspired by the work and life of Thomas Edison, particularly his insatiable need to ask the question why and seek ways to improve his understanding.
Participation in this program encourages students to ask their own ‘why’ questions and increase their problem-solving skills, critical thinking and information synthesising.
In the trial stage of the program selection is determined solely by the students’ overall grade percentage, with a requirement of 90 per cent combined subject totals.
From 2018 selection will be based on a combination of combined subject totals, results from a formal academic placement test and teacher and parent nominations.
The Edison Program will extend into the accelerated program offered to year nine students as part of the subject selection process, whereby students commence a VCE study in Year 10.
Since the students will complete a VCE subject when they are in Year 11, they are encouraged to commence an accelerated VCE subject (first year university subject) when they commence Year 12.