VCE VM Literacy

Building a Strong Community for the Future

A community is often defined by a group of people who have common characteristics. 'Part of a sense of community is having the trust and support of its members. Communities that help each other solve problems, provide support and educate each other are stronger and more likely to survive overtime.' (Oxford Dictionary)

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (V.C.A.A.) VCE VM Literacy Study Design is based around The Five Pillars of Learning. These five pillars provide clear direction and approaches for staff and students to guide their learning programmes.

Indeed, Pillar Number One Motivation to Engage in Learning, clearly stipulates the importance of allowing students not only to work in the classroom but also to experience community, workplace and other educational settings.

On Friday 19 July, the VCE VM Year 11 Literacy students had this very opportunity. They were able to enhance their oral and written skills, within a community setting, as they continued their project on biographical writing and had a second opportunity to interview our residents from Wantirna Views. Students engaged in meaningful conversations to gather relevant information towards composing biographies that will be presented in coming weeks. 

This event would not have been possible without the amazing teamwork that was evident on the day.

I would like to thank Leanne Nash and the residents from Wantirna Views for visiting our school. Thank you to Natalie Manser our assistant principal for greeting our guests and encouraging our students with their learning. Thank you to Deb Hopper from the front office for all her support, ideas and assistance with catering. A big thank you to our wonderful and inspirational Library Team Jo Montgomery, Andrea Daniels and Binks Bailey for their support with organising the library space and setting up appropriate audio equipment for our students. Thank you to Clarke from IT for being on standby . Thank you to Brodi Martin giving permission to the literacy students to participate in this event. Thank you also to Stephen Daw for his contribution and for guiding and preparing our students . A very big thank you to Nicholetta Rigano for her photography and videos and lastly a big thank you to our wonderful students who showed care and respect to our elderly guests.

'There is no powerful change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.'

Infographic Posters

At the end of last term, the VCE VM Literacy students were able to apply the Experiential Cycle to their own learning by creating infographic posters that highlight aspects of their TAFE studies and their applied learning pathways. 

During stage one and two, students were given the opportunity to improve their literacy skills with an additional emphasis on critical thinking and digital literacy. The planning stages were crucial in understanding the requirements of the task.  A consideration of audience and purpose was also essential to create the appropriate structure and detailed content for the Infographic poster.  

During stage three, students from both the HYBRID VCE VM Literacy class and the VCE VM SBAT class were given  the opportunity to  work in small groups to  present their infographic posters. This way they developed a deeper understanding of the demands in other applied learning areas and were also able to consider the roles of their employers and managers for future reference and growth.  

The final stage of their learning journey involved reflecting on their learning, showcasing their work to each other and our special guests, Natalie Manser, Darren Hooghammer,  Nicholetta Rigano and Kate Cui. This was followed by celebrating with a morning tea and wonderful discussion. 

The students expressed their thoughts in the following ways:

'I really enjoyed talking and meeting new people and learning what trade they are doing.'

'I enjoyed interacting with the other class because it was great being able to speak to more people about our work.'

'I enjoyed getting to show my peers the work I created as well as coordinators and principal team that attended whom I received positive feedback from.'

'I enjoyed showing principals and coordinators my poster and receiving feedback so that I can use that to improve in the future.'

'I enjoyed speaking with new people about the work we have done so far.'

'I enjoyed informing new people about my role.'

'I enjoyed seeing  my work complete and reflecting on my final product and being proud of it.’

'I enjoyed seeing everyone’s   different industries.'

Debbie Mantzanidis

VCE VM Literacy