Naracoorte High partners with University of Melbourne!
Universities and leaders in Business across Australia have been in discussions about the skills students leave school with, and how what were traditionally known as “soft-skills”, for example Communication, Collaboration and Quality Thinking, are actually essential to success. How can information about these skills be captured in a reliable way, and how does this form a part of University entry requirements, or used in a pathway to employment?
In 2022 and 2023 Naracoorte High has been a part of a Research Project with the University of Melbourne, a partnership which centres on the assessment and recognition of complex competencies, such as those listed above. Naracoorte High has been working in the area of Agency in Learning, determining how schools can work in partnership with families and community to give students the skills to independently know what to learn, how to learn it and who to learn it from.
As a part of this New Metrics for Success Pilot this year, we provided opportunities for our year 10 cohort to self-assess their own agency in learning using tools and rubrics provided by the University. The process of the Pilot was shared with students within classes, and elements of learner agency analysed. This gave students explicit examples of what agency can look like across multiple contexts. Performance opportunities created by our teaching team have allowed students across Agriculture, The Arts, Food Tech, Outdoor Education, Pathways and Science to demonstrate their Agency.
In June, Naracoorte High representatives attended the Semester conference in Melbourne. Our Principal, along with leaders from other involved South Australian Schools Pultney Grammar, Wilderness School, Heathfield High and Glenunga International College, took part in a panel with SACE Board CE Michaela Bensley and Department for Education CE Martin Westwell, to discuss moves towards Learner Agency within our state, with South Australia described as first movers in this area of education.
Connections have been made with fellow partnership school, Wurun Senior Campus in Fitzroy, where an onsite visit has led to collaboration and transfer of ideas to develop the 10-12 Senior school at Naracoorte High in 2024.
To build on this work, our school has been selected to take part in the SACE Board Capabilities and Learner Profile Pilot in Semester 2. This Pilot explores how the Collective Enga
gement, Quality Thinking, Self-Motivated Learning, Principled Action, Personal Enterprise, and how this is reflected as a part of SACE Stage 2 results at the end of Year 12.
The SACE Board has declared that they are “committed to developing, recognising and certifying student’s development of capabilities”, and Naracoorte High is leading the way to ensure our students, staff and community are best placed at this time of change in education.
