Teaching and Learning

The Discovery Centre at Concord School has transformed into a Cardboard City with many thanks to the DC Team; Ash Butler, Ashlee Sinclair and Di Villa! The M.I.L.E. (Multisensory Interactive Learning Environment) Room provides opportunities for authentic inquiry learning where students participate in different activities linked to the real world.

The key concept across the school for this Semester is ‘Identity’ and the experiences are designed for individual sections.

In Lower Primary there are opportunities for the students to identify the different community helpers by locating where their place of work is located within the Cardboard City. They can also dress up in different costumes to role play the different jobs and responsibilities within our community.

Upper Primary are focussing on Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and they will explore the impacts of waste within our Cardboard City and see if they can spot any sustainable practices. There is also a Recycling Station within the Discovery Centre where students can put their sorting skills to the test.

For the Secondary 7/8 section the topic is Body Works, with a focus on how we can keep ourselves healthy, both mentally and physically. They will learn about healthy habits at the Cardboard City Café, undergo a health check up at the Doctor’s Office, and even visit the Emergency Room at the hospital.

Parliament and therefore politicians are all within the Cardboard City, providing an interactive experience for our Secondary 9/10 students to explore Australia as a Nation. Covering big topics such as democracy and citizenship, students will have the chance to cast their vote in the polling booth, debate the symbolism of our national flags and emblems, and learn about the different levels of government.

There are also opportunities for our PreCAL students to delve into their unit of teamwork, looking at community values and the need for cooperation. The Year 11, students focus on different job skills, from coffee businesses to horticulture, all of which have represented in our Cardboard City. In Year 12, the focus is on connecting with community, and there is a scavenger hunt for students to learn about emergency services, essential workers, and mapping and navigation skills.

This integrated learning is important for students as it is a process of learning that involves a number of important activities for students, including asking questions, investigating multiple sources of information for a purpose, thinking critically to make sense of information they’ve found, and then communicating new understanding and knowledge. When students learn through this way, they actively make connections and sometimes discover that being wrong, is not only an option but a normal and important part of learning.

Flora Nixon

Assistant Principal

Teaching and Learning