Our Connected Curriculum, known as the Curious Creators Course (CC), is an innovation of teaching and learning in Stage 4 (18 periods in Year 7 & 13 periods in Year 8). Our students share a learning partnership with their CC teacher completing projects through the connection of learning outcomes in English, Maths, Science, HSIE, PDHPE and TAS. By connecting the learning outcomes, our students are enabled to achieve deep learning in concepts and big ideas, allowing them to explore their curiosities and develop Futures Learning skills. Learning through projects develops our students’ skills in being creative and critical thinkers as well as developing their ability to collaborate and communicate within teams.
We value:
The learning partnership: A partnership in learning between our students and their teacher is developed through co constructed assessment rubrics’ and student voice evaluation. Our students also write their own reports which are then validated by their teacher who co-comments and records their outcome achievement. We love having conversations with our students about where they think they are at!
Intellectual rigour: All projects are differentiated formative assessment tasks so students learn “as” they go. Projects are split into Gobstopper checkpoints which are opportunities to “show” learning and a Gobstopper wall in each of our Futures Learning spaces help students track what Gobstopper they are up to and what to do next.
Feedback for learning: We focus on developing the skills of “self” and “peer” feedback and provide checkpoints for “teacher to self” feedback to ensure students can demonstrate evidence of learning along the way.
Skills: Developing Futures Learning skills underpins everything we do. We use the 4Cs of Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking to help our students become future learners and thinkers.
Our Curious Creators course has been celebrated within the community. As a result, we have been consulting with schools within our local area and schools across NSW on how we’ve developed this innovative course, supporting these schools in developing their own connected learning courses.
AND WE LOVE WHAT WE DO!
