Student Voices

Junior Illuminate Extension Program: Exploring Our Shared Planet

This term, we have been taking part in the Illuminate Extension Program, which focuses on an open-ended inquiry around the theme of Our Shared Planet. It has really helped us think more deeply about the world and our place in it.

Our learning began with an activity called “The Race of Life.” In this experience, each of us was given a persona with a name, age and country, along with different levels of access to things like food, water, education, technology and opportunities. We then took part in a physical activity that represented how far each of us could go in life based on these factors.

Harriet:

“I found myself at the back of the race, and it made me realise that life is not fair. Just because of where people are from, they can be advantaged or disadvantaged. It really made me think about how unequal the world can be.”

This experience helped us understand the importance of fairness and equity, and it introduced us to our unit theme: Our Shared Planet. From there, we explored a wide range of global issues and opportunities, both environmental and people-based.

After building our understanding, we each chose a focus area based on our interests. We were paired with others who shared similar passions. Students in our program are investigating a variety of topics, including lack of access to education, deforestation, homelessness and greed.

Imogen:

“I have chosen to look into the issue of biodiversity loss, its causes, its impacts and what is being done to protect it.”

Harriet:

“I’m really interested in ocean health. I’m researching the causes of problems affecting our oceans, the impacts of these issues and what people are doing to help solve them.”

To guide our inquiries, we each developed a central idea, along with lines of inquiry, key questions and search terms. This process has helped us stay focused and organised as we research our chosen topics.

Next term, we will complete our research and begin creating projects that show our understanding. We will also take meaningful real-world action connected to our issues, aiming to make a difference, even in small ways.

Harriet:

“What I like most is that we are surrounded by people who really want to learn and are very focused.”

Imogen:

“We are given real responsibility by our mentor teachers, Mrs Coote and Mrs Patterson. We are e not just told what to do, it’s up to us to do the thinking.”

We are looking forward to becoming experts in our chosen areas and sharing what we have learned with our parents and friends at our Illuminate Showcase. We hope to inspire others to care about these important global issues and take action to support our shared planet.