A 4CTL Case Study from Jerrabomberra HS, November 2023

Completing the curriculum early produces a whole new approach to delivering learning

As told AT OUR NOV 2023 NETWORK DAYS, by teachers from Jerrabomberra High school, nsw.

Jerrabomberra HS is a new school this year - we have only 13 teachers! So we’re all having to try our hand at teaching new subjects, demonstrating to the students that we can all learn together!

IT BEGAN WITH RUNNING OUT OF SYLLABUS

Our students moved through the year’s art syllabus in just 9 months, which presented us with the challenge of what to teach in term 4. We were driven by the key question “what if students could choose how they learned?” and this lead us to developing our Create unit.

DEVELOPING A NEW MODEL FOR LEARNING

Create involves all the creative components of our syllabus, but offers students the opportunity to choose what they want to learn more deeply. It involves numerous subjects (each row) and multiple classes representing skill levels (each column. These skill levels run from “knowing” to “evaluating”.

Students don’t have to follow a linear path through this syllabus, they can pick whatever they like, anywhere across the model. Students can see the whole model and they can determine which subjects and skill level is right for them.

The model is all online, students select a class and the outline downloads automatically. It tells them what’s involved, how long they’re likely to need to complete the subject, what the learning intention and success criteria, are and of course, the actual activity/ies they need to do to complete the class.

This allows students to self-determine whether the class is too advanced for their skill level, and to select the class that’s right for them.

Some classes have pre-requisites and some do not, to ensure student learning can build on previous learning where necessary.

For example, in one class students are asked to explore two different art movements and create a Venn diagram comparing these two movements in seven or eight aspects. The next class requires this first class as a pre-requisite because it asks students to create an artwork combining elements from the two movements studied in the initial class.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF ASSESSING LEARNING

In order to create a satisfactory assessment potential, students put all classwork into a portfolio. Students develop their portfolio via the medium they choose – some choose Canva, some create a Google site, etc. The portfolio must include an analysis of every activity they undertake, exploring how that activity has helped them progress on their creative journey.

To help students understand and make sense of their creative journey, they attend one 40 minute class per week, that explores the 4CTL Creativity Cascade. The scaffolds the student’s reflection on their creative journey.

Students are required to incorporate the learning from terms 1-3, and to show how their term 4 learning in our new model relates and builds on their learning. Students were able to choose the subjects they most enjoyed across terms 1-3, developing deeper skills and understanding around that subject.

Our assessment is based on the Melbourne University New Metrics approach. This focuses more on their progress and growth in understanding, rather than grading the activity or artwork they create.