6. SCHOOL VISIT: RINGWOOD SECONDARY COLLEGE

Ringwood Secondary College

Visit on 28th May 2011
Kathy Hooke, Natalie Manser, Tyson Clancy and Kyle Turpin

Implemented their CHALLEN9E Program at Year 9 in 2010.

 Planning in 2009 through a professional teacher leave program for 4 staff.
 Some adjustments and modifications to program in 2011
 A new structure in middle school helps to implement the program:
 Year 9 & 10 middle school.
 3 Community Heads at each level and 9 classes at year 9 and year 10. (5 periods over two weeks for a community head time allowance)
 One Leading Teacher for student management
 One Leading Teacher for Challen9e Program, Integrate days and special programs.
 SWC now does not run programs just does wellbeing
 Nine Integrate Tutors that take a class for the whole integrate day all year. There is a ‘Floater’ teacher to release any staff member for senior classes. The program aims to reduce the number of teacher teaching a class for another core subject.

The Challenge Program:
Timetable- 4 (75 min) periods a days. 2 week rotation

Curriculum:
 ‘Culture and Community’- Eng, History and Geo into 1 subject 9 periods a fortnight. They developed a new focus for this new subject. Essential questions drive the content
 Maths 5 periods per fortnight
 Science 3 periods per fortnight (‘analysis and investigation’ last year 2 were together but that did not work)
 Elective 4 periods per fortnight

The INTEGREAT Program- every Wed all day (8 periods a fortnight).

 VELS compatible because touch on the skills in personal learning and ICT
 Every wed start off with an assembly in hall where they may have a Guest speaker or a debriefing session, ethic presentation.
 Each of the classes in integrate also have to run an assemble on the theme of their choice (eg Theme of ‘happiness’)
 Three times a term there is a ‘challenge bulletin’ produced with information and upcoming events, sent out to the students families
 Each fortnight a new ‘value’ is focused on throughout the 2 weeks.
 Camp for 3 days at the start of term 1: CYC Phillip Island.
 Integrate calendar provided for the term
 The staff are very well informed, supported and well resourced,
 All the information and almost no planning for the tutors.
 Parent forums introduced to gather feedback from the parents. The parent suggested the introduction of the ‘Extension periods’ to extend the early finishers and high achievers.

The program is divided into 4 different foci each term with additional opportunities throughout the day provided to offer diversity and improve engagement.
1. Extension periods also offered by the faculties that students sign up for so they can extend themselves instead of the personal project time.
2. Workshops on Wed teachers can offer workshops (eg ‘garage band’ or Meditation)
Toolbox sessions – on one-off activities (eg. multiple intelligences or NAPLAN trials)
3. Any Special Programs –(eg cultural diversity master chef competition)
4. Any camps and excursions on Integrate days

Term 1 “Self’- personal values and goal setting and big assessment is a Personal project where students pursued any personal areas. They are encouraged to work on a skill or pursue an interest (eg. make a skate board, or cricket bats, dinner parties, make a cake, art work, series of 3 novels, converting the cubby house to a music room.). They have to document the process they took and some will have the end product. The project includes; the proposal, a timeline, an identity sketch and an outcome.

Term 2 Self in the Community- guest speakers, community challenge projects and students work in groups. (eg. Work in animal shelters, work with school community to put a drought resistant garden, write a letter to the residents in the street to collect the bins, volunteering in the community). The students get 2 periods a week to work on their project. They have to produce a 3- min documentary to show the rest of the group and for assessment.

Term 3 Self in the World- based around the UN. Investigating history and role of UN, the millennium goals. The students are assigned to one of 15 countries or communities. Spend time on producing a profile of the country and focus on the community millennium goal and research additional information on country. Country representatives came together and then report to the UN with a teacher facilitator. To introduce the topic Videos and presentations are offered in an assembly for the preparation.
A Special Global Design City Challenge is linked with the weeklong city challenge (like Urban Adventure): The Global Design Program requires students to design their own city with reference to liveability criteria, they make models and provide a presentation, culminating in a parent evening with the parents voting for the most liveable city. (very successful and well attended)

Term 4 Future self- a lot with careers and workshops, parent careers afternoons where parents are encouraged to talk about their careers and life. End with a 1 week transition program in to year 10. Also look at future and present ethical dilemmas, (eg quest for eternal youth, stem cell research, euthanasia. Each ethical dilemma has a panel discussion around a specific scenario)

Assessment of InteGREAT
Learning portfolio- reflecting journal write about a learning stimulus one specific element in the day that they have to write about. The tutor will respond to their writing.
Assessment:
40% Personal Challenge-Project
10% Community Challenge- Project
20% Learning Portfolio
30% Learning Passport. In 2011 they developed a Passport that is assessed at the end of each wed by tutors. This is continual assessment to improve student accountability and the passports go with them to all the activities.

Responses to changes:
 Surveyed students at end of the year judged against the goals of the program:
o Improve Engagement & Stimulating Learning
o Increase Group work
o Improve Connections
o Improve Personal Learning
 Overall, they have had great results the students particularly like learning about the world, connecting with teachers and learning about themselves.
 Parents are pleased and the interactions are more positive with the teachers.
 Improved Attendance. Before that there were many issues.

Anecdotal feedback:
 It’s been relatively straightforward to motivating the difficult students as the tutors spend time with individual student on helping them select appropriate groups to work with. Helping manipulate the groups is important.
 Students with learning difficulties seem to work well in the structure.
 The Structure in the program has been vital. Students don’t have the whole day to work on projects
 Student Accountability also vital
 Freedom to learn at own pace is valued by students