Teaching and Learning

 

An Invitation to Connect

The Remote Learning Program has enabled us to reflect on our teaching and learning and trial a new timetable and mode of delivery. We are more cognisant of the essential and enduring components of education, what it is that sustains us as a learning community and how we remain connected. Our Student Parent Teacher Interview schedule this term has been adjusted to reflect the need for us to connect mid-term and discuss student learning progress.

An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers. This term our three-way interviews actively involve parents, students and teachers or Mentors in reflecting on student progress and review the learning that is happening during the RLP and specifically at home. Professor John Hattie identifies "students self-reporting as the most significant indicator linked to raised student achievement.”  The ability for students to reflect on learning progress and articulate achievements and obstacles is a learned skill and one that we invite our students to practice regularly.

The aim of the interviews is to explore options to support the learning of each student. We are hopeful that parents will be active contributors and may offer insight into learning that has gone on at home.  

• What have you noticed about your child’s ability to be organised to learn each day?
• Have they been able to manage their time independently during study blocks between 2-3.30pm?
• Have they initiated communication with a teacher to seek clarification?
• What have you noticed about their ability to use the technology with confidence?

Interviews will be conducted as a Video Meeting on Microsoft Teams via the student profile. Teachers or Mentors will book a 10-minute interview time that is convenient for all three participants. We encourage you to strengthen our partnership and use this opportunity to connect, reflect and engage on student progress during the Remote Learning Program.

Mrs Susan Bradbeer

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

sbradbeer@hamiltoncollge.vic.edu.au

Science

Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prizes

Become the next generation of Dr Karl and Adam Spencer by telling a scientific story.

The University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize is offered to primary and high school students nationally. If you have a passion for science and for communicating ideas, then enter this competition by telling a scientific story via a short video piece. We’re looking for the next generation of amazing science communicators, such as Dr Karl and Adam Spencer.

The idea is to communicate a scientific concept(s) in a way that is accessible and entertaining to the public while painlessly increasing their science knowledge or, as the Sleek Geeks like to say, “learn without noticing”.

There is a prize pool of $10,000 to be shared between the winners and their schools, and finalist representatives also win a trip to Sydney for the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Award Dinner.

The entries for the 2020 Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prizes close at 7pm AEST Friday 15 May.

For more information about the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize, including entry conditions and tips and tricks from past winners, please visit the Australian Museum website.

https://australianmuseum.net.au/get-involved/eureka-prizes/sleek-geeks-science/

CASE Space School

For the out-of-class environment the CASE Space School International Study Program aims to deliver a specifically developed STEAM program that broadens the mind, cultivates drive, instilling curiosity and the spirit of exploration.

CASE Space School offers enriched STEAM activities, inspiring leadership, and personal development which is not possible in the normal realm of the school environment. The program has empowered more than 3,000 students from over 300 schools internationally.

The CASE Ocean School International Study Program provides students with an all-encompassing STEAM experience including marine biology, ocean ecology, cutting-edge research and technologies. CASE Ocean School inspires a new generation of STEAM-skilled leaders and is recommended to all students pursuing any career path.

Please visit the website below for more information.

https://actura.co.nz/#a-sub-menu

National Youth Science Forum (NYSF)

The NYSF Year 12 Program has run for over 37 years and is one of the best-known science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) experiences in Australia for young people. It has helped over 12,000 + alumni realise life-long STEM literacy. This youth-led, live-in program gives students a broad understanding of the diverse study and career options available in STEM. Students visit world-class facilities, participate in hands-on workshops and meet Australia's leaders in STEM. "NYSF has had a huge impact on my life and helped me to decide my future after school. If you are even just thinking of pursuing science as a career, if you are interested in STEM, then NYSF is an opportunity you should grab with both hands and never let go."

- NYSF 2020 Participant

Students currently studying in Year 11 are eligible to apply via www.nysf.edu.au

Mrs Rebekah Bonnett

Head of Science and Head of VCE Studies