LEARNING MATTERS

BYTES: AUSTRALIA - THE LUCKY COUNTRY?

The final BYTES module of the year saw the Year 9s embarking on a conquest for power. As a way of exploring democracy, students formed political parties, developed policy platforms and then ran an election campaign. On offer for the victorious group was real ‘power’, namely total control over the prize pool - either pizza for themselves, confectionery for their peers, or money for charity. This great moral dilemma certainly was a valuable lesson in leadership, integrity, community, teamwork and trust, with some of the performances during the final negotiations (to form a coalition government) worthy of the House of Representatives!

This brief two week unit commenced with an engaging presentation by McKinnon’s Year 12 Legal Studies teacher Ms Angela Arena, who explained the benefits of democracy, and the moral, legal and personal reasons to be actively involved.

We then jumped straight into the election campaign with each mentor group forming a separate political party, and students working frantically to confirm policies, write speeches, film and edit emotive videos, as well as creating posters and even badges to spread their messages and convince the electorate of their credentials.

In addition to introducing students to the intricacies of our political system, including preferential voting and how parties actually form government, this module aimed to help them discuss and therefore better understand many of the topical issues that face our society, a critical factor when it comes to voting in real elections. Moreover, this module, entitled ‘Australia - the Lucky Country?’ required the Year 9s to begin the process of evaluating the success of our country by analysing the influence of political leaders, and considering the crucial role of both the individual and the community in our democratic system. Hopefully we inspired a few people who one day may lead this very lucky country.

Mr Richard Long

Curriculum Coordinator