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G E E LONG C O L L E G E

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T H E

G E E LONC O L L E G

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A bright learning future with us IMAGINE

2014 O P E N M O R N I N GWe d 2 2 O c t o b e r from 9.15am

Find out more and register at ge elongcol lege.v ic.e du . au

ABOVE: Shelfords end-of-year artexhibition is projected onto theschools 1860smansion.FROM LEFT: Principal, PollyFlanagan; the school hasembracedMYTERN for wellbeing.

Innovation in educationSome of themostexciting develop-ments in educationare to dowith cre-ativity and emo-tional wellbeing.

Advertising Feature OCTOBER 19, 2014 THE SUNDAYAGE 1

Educationhas seenmore innovation in itsmethods, practices,tools andphilosophiesin thepast 10 to 15 years

than in the 100years before that.Naturally,weve leapedalong

in technological bounds andclassroomshavenever been soefficient andexciting as they aresince laptops, tablets andotherdevices arrivedon the scene, butthanks to scientific discoveriesabout howour brainswork,there have also beenmega shiftsin howandwhat students aretaught.

Theres also been awhole newapproach topastoral care.ShelfordGirls Grammarprincipal, Polly Flanagan, says:Someof themost innovativethings that are happening ineducation are to dowith creativ-ity, and social andemotionalwellbeing anddevelopment.

To that end, the 116 year-oldgirls school in Caulfield is cur-rently theonly school inAustra-lia piloting theMYTERN (TakeEmotional ResponsibilityNow)program fromELC toYear 12.Aimedat children andadults, theprogram is a preventative inter-ventiondesigned to create emo-tional fitness and increaseresilience andwellbeing, saysMsFlanagan. If children are re-silient they canhandle theaddedpressures of life andtherefore canperformbetter,havemore successful relation-ships andbehappier.

MYTERN teaches themhowtobuild that resilience.

DevelopedbyDr JaneFoster,MYTERN is a strategybasedonthemetaphor that life is a jour-ney and thatwe can influenceour thoughts and emotions ifwetake control of the steeringwheel aswe travel lifes roads.Some roadsbuild your healthand feel good andothers build

your resilience, but dont feel sogood. No roads are bad; it isOKto travel on all roads butweshouldnt stay on the resilientroads for too longas doing socan affect our health.MYTERNgives people a languagewithwhich to easily express theirfeelings, something thatmanychildren andadults finddifficult.

Shelford embeddedMYTERNinto its studentwellbeingpro-gram,Quaerite (itsmottowhichmeans to search, discover or findout), and it has beenextremelypopularwith all agegroups, in-cludingparents and staff, withmany signingup forMYTERNsdaily supportive textmessagewhich is soon tobe launchedasan app.

MsFlanaganwas drawn to theprogrambecause its very sim-ple, it didnt cost a fortune, and itdidnt interrupt thenormalthingswedo.

When I looked at it closely, Icouldnt disagreewith anyof it. Itdrawson the basic principles ofmindfulness andpositive psy-

chology andhelps everyone tolearn that they can take controlof their emotions and reactionsin everyday life. Nomatterwhatthe circumstances youhave, theoption to change thewayyoufeel, she says.

With about 550 students,Shelford is a smaller school, butone known to be strong in itsvisual andperforming arts.Theres an expectation thatwere going to be innovative and

creative, saysMsFlanagan,andweare!

Consequently, the schools an-nual VCEart exhibitionwas re-imaginedby art staff and is nowmoreof a social affair that in-cludes presentations fromallagegroups,which are projectedonto the schools original 1860smansion. Its important that stu-dents and staff are encouragedtobe innovative andpresenttheir ideas bothwithin andout-

side the classroom, saysMsFlanagan.

Its imperative to appreciateinnovation in all its contexts.Theres thephysical newbuildings and learning spaces,the pedagogical newwaysofteaching and learning andtheres also the social andemo-tional, and I think this area is in-credibly important, saysMsFlanagan.

Iwant a Shelford student toleavehere andbeable to confid-ently say, this iswhat I stand for,if I drawonmyvalues andknow-ledgeofmyself I can copewithanything. It doesntmean Iwonthave tough times, Iwill becausethatswhat lifes about, but Imready to face theworld andmakea contribution to it.

ANDREABISHOP

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Our students say it better than us.At Kilvington Grammar, we promote our School here like lots of other schools to attract parents like you who want an outstanding academic and well-rounded education for your children. But hearing why we are a great School from us is not the same as hearing it from our students. So we asked them to rate the five best things about Kilvington. Below is the result. Of course, there are many other reasons as well. To find out why youshould consider a Kilvington education for your child, contact us on (03) 9578 6231, email registrar@kilvington.vic.edu.au, or go to www.kilvington.vic.edu.au.

Small enough to care, big enough to excel.

1. EVERYONE KNOWS EACH OTHER2. SIZE IS GOOD (NOT TOO BIG!)3. TEACHERS ARE REALLY SUPPORTIVE4. CHALLENGING IN A GOOD WAY5. LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS

2 THE AGE Sunday, October 19, 2014

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION Advertising feature

Wesley College IB Diploma students. Wesley will introduce a new uniform in 2016,designed to reflect both traditional and contemporary elements of the school.

A tradition ofbeing progressive

Since 1866,WesleyCollegehasbeen committed to being an in-novative and leading educationalinstitution. Since then,Wesleywasoneof the first Australian

schools to introduce the InternationalBaccalaureateDiplomaProgramme(1991); has created auniquepartnershipwith theAboriginal people of the FitzroyValley community to develop theYiramalay/Wesley Studio School (1994);and this year, openedanewperformingarts precinct at the St KildaRoad campusequippedwith the latest technology.

Principal, HelenDrennen, says: Alsovery important for the collegewas that 80per cent of demolition and constructionwaste from theoldMusic Schoolwas setaside for re-use, or recycled.

Thenewbuilding has a five-star greenrating in designwith automated shutdown,whennot occupied, for air-conditioning, lighting and so forth. Rain-water is collected and stored for use intoilets and for irrigation.

DrDrennenbelieves that innovations

in new frameworks for learning, outsidethe traditional classroom, havede-veloped curriculum in newand innovat-iveways.

Developments in student assessmentat school have alsobeen transformative,she says. Now, a focus is on findingnewways tomeasure growthof individual stu-dents, in addition to themeasurement oftheir academic attainment andperform-ance.

Continuing its commitment to innova-tion, the schoolwill re-introduce (in 2016,at theGlenWaverley campus) boarding ina contemporaryway throughamodelcalled Learning in Residence, saysDrDrennen. The exciting,multipurposeYears 10-12 residential developmentwillprovide a real-life context for holistic ex-periential learning andbuilds on the richhistory of such residential experiences atWesley a century of boarding, four dec-ades of outdoor education and thehighly-acclaimed residential learningprogramsinClunes for Year 9 andat Yiramalay forYears 10, 11 and 12.

Learningwhat to dowith knowledge

Primary pupils of The Geelong College dont need any prompting as they demonstratehow easy it is for youngminds to be creative and innovative.

Knowledge is important, cer-tainly, but understandinghowthat knowledge canbest beused takes a differentwayofthinking.

TheGeelongCollegeprincipal, AndrewBarr, says: Wevemoved so far beyondmere knowledge and content, to how toapply knowledge decisionmaking, crit-ical thinking andproblemsolving its anewdimensionof education.

For that to be successful includinggoal setting and reflection that reallyhas to bemorewith the learner thanwithour traditional focus on the teacher. Ifweunderstand that students need tobegiv-engreater responsibility, thenweneed toaccept themas innovators aswell.

The school recently opened its Centrefor Learning, Research and Innovation(CLR& I), partly as an incentive to attractand retain highquality teachers.

According to theGeelongCollegeweb-site, in partnershipwithDeakinUni-versity, theCLR& I aims to create out-standingprofessional development op-

portunities for the schools staff, stu-dents andparents, and thenmorebroadlyfor teachers and schools in the region.Thiswill be achieved througha rangeoflectures by key educators, individual re-searchprojects by staff, and research col-laborationswithDeakinUniversity.

Our profession is one thats goingthrougha stagewhere theres a lot ofresearchbeingdone and its something toharness and link into, saysMrBarr. Itenables us to use anelement ofwhatuniversities are good at, and schools, asfar as universities are concerned, are alaboratory of learning, so it assists them.

Mr Barr appreciates the specific expert-ise universities canoffer in termsof ahigh level of thinking that can come intoprojectwork aswell as their linkswiththe corporateworld and real-life projects.

Change and innovation is developed inthe context and culture of a particularschool andhappens at theground level,he says. Youhave tohave a clear visionfor a school, thenpeoplework col-laboratively in developing that vision.

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St Leonards College nurtures our brightest creative minds, allowing them to truly shine.

Our investment in excellence goes beyond our reputation for academic performance. We are particularly proud of the success of our musicians in National competitions and of our thespians unprecedented Victorian Musical Theatre Guild success.

We ensure all students have the chance and confi dence to be excited by their brilliance.

163 South Road Brighton East 3187stleonards.vic.edu.au

Join us on a College tour to understand why our students shine.Visit our website for more information and tour dates.

An education for life.

shineA chance to

St Leonards Colleges Hart Theatre CompanyWinner, Musical Theatre Guild of Victoria Junior Production of the Year 2012 and 2013

Sunday, October 19, 2014 THEAGE 3

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION Advertising feature

Developing ascritical thinkersNew ideas arereflected in all sub-jects when studentsare inspired.

It is the access to information and not merely access to technology which has proven to be the real revolution.

Itseasy to fall into the trapofthinking that innovation is allabout technology andwhereits going to takeus next, butin reality fresh ideas can and

do spring forth in any educationaldomain.

At St Catherines school inToorak, innovationhaswell andtruly blown itsway into the artcurriculumwith artist-in-residenceCameronRobbins andhiswind-generateddrawingma-chinedemonstrating to studentsthe links that exist betweenart,music, science, technology, en-gineering andgeography.

Director of curriculum innova-tion anddevelopment, AdrianPuckering, says: Innovationcomes in all forms. The engineer-ing involved in constructing themachine, that packs up into aportable box for easy transport todifferent locations, allows stu-dents to understandhow to cal-culate the ratios needed to create

themovingparts andassemble itcorrectly to allow thewind to turnall the different sized cogs andwheels.

Students learn about counterbalance, how to tie knots to sup-port themachine fromhighwinds, thedirection of thewindand rain on the roof,with discus-sions drawing links to all subjectareas. FromELC toYear 12, stu-dents havehad theopportunityto diversify their understandingof howart canbemade in an in-novativemanner using science,engineering andgeography.

Mr Puckeringbelieves that in-novation is a term that is oftenequated to any change in educa-tion,whereas heprefers to see itas disciplined imagination, withinnovation at St Catherines refer-ring to awayof improvement viapurposeful interventions.

With this thinking,whether re-ferring to apedagogy, learningspaces, content, feedbackor ana-lytics,we are able to change theexistingparadigms throughame-diumwhich empowers our exper-iencedpractitionerswithin anext-practice culture of organ-iseddiscovery, he says.

Thegreatest paradigmshifthas been in reinterpreting the

questionof whoowns the learn-ing? In aworldwherebeing liter-ate in the 21st Century is beingfundamentally re-defined wemust bedigitally, scientifically,creatively and information liter-ate, he says.

At St Catherines, we are there-fore challengingour pedagogy,our pre-class, in-class andpost-class experiences, our learningparadigmandourmethodsof as-sessment to ensure that all ourstudents are getting theutmostfromevery learning experience.

In 2014, it is perhaps the ac-cess to information andnotmerely access to technology whichhas proven tobe the realrevolution, and therefore all in-novation at St Catherines has atits core the goal of developingstudentswhoare critical thinkerswhocan challenge andvalidateinformation tomakebetter deci-sions in an increasingly complexworld.

More than 720 students attendthe all girls school thatwas estab-lished in 1896.MrPuckering says

that successful innovations atschools are usually broughtabout by a number of people, butit beginswith the leaders.

When such leadership em-powers others, supports a com-pelling vision andhelps foster aforward-thinkingdisposition thenbarriers are reducedandpossibil-ities flourish, he says.

Innovation is often increment-al rather than radical, but in timetransformationdoes occur andkeepsus relevant, contemporaryandat the forefront of learning.

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Elsternwick Glen Waverley St Kilda Road

Celebrating 21 years of International Baccalaureate

In 2013: Five Year 12 students achieved the highest possible ATAR score of 99.95 Wesley College was the top IB school in Victoria Wesley College was the top coeducational IB school in Australia

:tudents in our :enior :chool Years 1012 ourish with broad acadeTic choice including 73 subjects across VC, I) +iploTa and V,T as well as a Tultitude of cocurricular opportunities. To nd out Tore go to www.wesleycollege.net or call AdTissions on 8102 6888

true education A

SheShelfordwill amaze herself

At Shelford, girls achieve far more than they ever thought possible. Contact Judy Ciolli on 9524 7418 to register for a tour.

Twilight ToursThursday 30 October5.30pm 7pm

www.shelford.vic.edu.auShelford Girls Grammar ELC to Year 12 3 Hood Crescent, Cauleld.

ST CATHERINES SCHOOLA Day and Boarding School for Girls, ELC to Year 1217 Heyington Place Toorak VIC 3142 | T: (03) 9822 1285 | www.stcatherines.net.au

Be Part of Something GreatNil Magnum Nisi Bonum / Nothing is great unless it is good

St Catherines School proudly delivers an engaging educational program in our Junior School that provides a sequential approach to learning and facilitates a sound transition into Year 7. Our focus on developing an excellent work ethic ensures a strong foundation for effective learning and long-term academic success. The Senior School curriculum is innovative and offers an extensive range of subjects and co-curricular activities.

Offering a personalised level of academic care and exceptional educational opportunities, St Catherines is a place for your daughter to excel.

Phase Two of our Senior School Renewal, incorporating a newly refurbished Library, Careers and IT Hub, has recently opened and we invite you and your family to visit the School to tour through these outstanding facilities and meet our students and staff.

To secure your Tour at our Open Morning on Thursday 23 October, please contact our Registrar, Ms Amanda Bennett on 03 9828 3071 or email admissions@stcatherines.net.au

Open Morning on Thursday 23 October 9.00am Start

You have to ask the question: what is important in life?

4 THE AGE Sunday, October 19, 2014

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION Advertising featureDeputy principal, TeresaDeshon, with Year 8 and 9students and one of the 3Dprinting creations.

Multi-dimensionsignite imagination

Viewingandappreciatingtechnologicalinnovation fromafar isone thing, but possibly

beingoneof the first schools inAustralia to bring the realmof 3Dprinting into the classroom issomething else!

KilvingtonGrammardeputyprincipal, TeresaDeshon, saysthe school has always beenaleader in the areaof IT. Ouroverall approach to IT in thecurriculum is to ensureweredevelopingdeepand criticalthinkers, she says.

As such,MsDeshonandheadof curriculum IT,MsKirstyWatts,researched thepossibility ofusing 3Dprinting to enhancelearning. They realised that to sellthe concept to the school, 3D

printingneeded tooffermuchmore thannovelty value.

They soonunderstood thatthe theory concepts andpractical applications relate to arangeof subject areas includingIT, art anddesign, science,engineering, robotics,mathematics andhumanities,saysMsDeshon.

The school nowhas three 3Dprinters andaims to acquiremorebecause theyhavebeen sowellincorporated into the curriculumandare a hitwith students,teachers andparents.

Theprinters are usedbyYears6 to9 for projects such asdesigning andproducing aplayground, creating charactersfor use in stop-motion films andebooks, andbuilding a robotpieceby intricate piece.

Advanced students are usingcomplex computer aideddesignsoftware tobuild a boat. It seemstheres no end to ideas flowing infromstudents andalready therestalk of designing rocketswithignition capabilities. This kindofengagement showsbenefits in allsubjects because the schoolengages in a lot of cross-curriculawork. Next year, KilvingtonGrammar Schoolwill open a

purpose-equipped 3D labwiththis andother technologies.

The theory concepts ofplanning inmultiple dimensions,manufacturing andproductdesign, abstract and lateralthinking canbeused across thecurriculum, saysMsDeshon.

For students to create, designanddevelop something that canthenbeprinted in 3Dnot onlyengages them in amore

purposefulwaywith their theory,but also gives theman insightinto the skills and tools requiredtoproduce,manufacture andbuild. In termsofmethod, contentand tools, this innovationaddresses all of those.

The school alreadyhas itssights set on 4Dprinting, but forthe timebeing is contentwithbeing leaders in understandingthebenefits of 3Dprinting inschools. WevebeenapproachedbyEduTech andFutureSchools topresent sessions at a nationalconferencenext year becausewere a school thats been able tofind a sustainable, economic andpedagogically soundapproach tothis thatsworking in ourcurriculum, saysMsDeshon.

The fact thatweve beenableto do it and contribute to thewider educational community toshowhow it canbedone isfantastic.