Vision for Learners
Endeavour College NAPLAN Online Testing Dates
Endeavour’s NAPLAN testing period is slightly adjusted this year due to Athletics Carnival and other College activities clashing with the schedule.
As a reminder, Year 7 and 9 students will complete NAPLAN in the morning on the following dates:
March 15th – Writing
March 16th – Reading
March 22nd – Conventions of Language
March 23rd – Numeracy
Students are reminded that they need headphones that plug into their laptops and fully charged laptops for each morning of the test.
Please see the PDF attached to further understand participation in NAPLAN, what it assesses and what you can do to better support your child.
If you have any further questions about NAPLAN for 2023, please contact Kirsty.hansen@endeavour.sa.edu.au
Kirsty Hansen
Leader of Middle Years Learning and Innovation
AI in Education - A brave new world
Endeavour College is a place that values learning. We value the learning of specific areas and educative approaches to lifelong learning. We also make the most of opportunities to find topical issues with points of learning. Recently ChatGPT has gained a significant amount of media attention. ChatGPT, which as released late in 2022, uses AI algorithms to gather data from sources and create new written works.
As a community of learners this is one emerging area that we need to understand so that we can speak from positions of knowledge and be able to separate what is true and what could be considered hype. We have spent some time as a teaching group talking about Artificial Intelligence in Education and considering its challenges and opportunities.
As part of these presentations, Teacher-Librarian Catherine Barnes, shared some answers to key questions. Given the current interest in ChatGPT this example is featured heavily. You may be interested in some of this Q&A.
How does AI/machine-learning work?
- Identifies patterns
- Needs to be given examples to be trained
- Known as ‘supervised learning’ (not much different from human learning!)
- It remembers things (as opposed to humans!)
What are some other examples of AI?
When you search for something online, on social media, online video portals, online marketplaces, the search engine uses what it knows about you to give you the best results it thinks you want to see. Current AI tools include Grammarly, Nuanced Dragon Dictation, ChatGPT.
Can AI tools be used in the classroom?
Learning is at the core of teaching. One facet of the role of teachers is to provide opportunity for students to learn about new technologies and how to interact and use them safely. Generative AI is the next step in this.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a machine-learning model developed by OpenAI. It works like a chatbot or virtual assistant.
What can ChatGPT do?
Provide conversational responses to user inquiries, remember what a user has said earlier in the conversation and allow the user to provide follow-up corrections.
What are some limitations of ChatGPT?
From the ChatGPT website:
- May generate incorrect information
- May produce harmful instructions or biased content
- Limited knowledge of world events after 2021
Can students to use ChatGPT?
The Terms and Conditions of ChatGPT state you must be 18 years of age to register for an account. The premise of ChatGPT is it uses your personal data to personalise the experience, meaning it is continually storing data about the user.
Can we stop students using these platforms to plagiarise their work?
Students enter into a learning contract while at the College that the work they produce is their own. In Years 11 and 12 this is a more formal document. There are many ways that students receive help to improve their work eg learning support, tutors, teacher support, drafting, websites, grammar checks, online tools. These tools can be used to further student learning and development. Any assistance that is used to such an extent that the work can no longer be deemed the student's own work breaches this trust and understanding.
To support students in the creation of their own work, teachers include opportunities for checkpoints, check-ins, in-class checks for understanding and drafts. Student are encouraged to take advantage of these supports.
Types and purpose of assessment items also have a significant role to play in this area.
Examples of artificial intelligence in education will increase in prevalence and we will continue to be both blessed and challenged by the services they provide. The important thing is to keep the conversation open and focus on how we can educate those around us about the blessings as well as the challenges. Should you like to know more about this topic please contact either of us at the College.
Sandra Barry
Director of Learning
Catherine Barnes
Teacher Librarian and Research Project Learning Leader
Year 10 Workplace Learning
Recently, Year 10 families received an email regarding our College Workplace Learning program which is a compulsory component of our Year 10 Personal Learning Plan (PLP) program. This experience is aimed at offering students a chance to gain an insight into what a job involves, how a workplace operates, to develop useful work skills such as teamwork, initiative, and effective communication, and to develop confidence in learning new tasks.
Help with organising a work experience placement is offered to students during PLP lessons with further advice available from
Mrs Fitridge. All forms related to Work Experience are expected to be returned to the College by the end of Week 4 Term 2. Students who already have paid work or are involved as a regular volunteer may use this activity as their workplace learning and require a different form available from their PLP teacher.
All students in senior years can undertake work experience and should discuss potential opportunities with Mrs Fitridge. Ensuring the Workplace Learning Agreement Form is completed prior to the placement taking place is essential. Year 11 and 12 placements should be planned for the school holidays to avoid work being missed at school.
We are also keen to hear from any parents or community members who may be able to host students for work experience.
Please contact Annie Fitridge at the College if this is of interest.
Endeavour Pathways Website
All Endeavour students and their families are able to access up to date and relevant career information on the Endeavour Pathways Website.
The website provides detail on careers, SACE, vocational education and training, along with post school options and a calendar of career development opportunities.
Medical and Dentistry Admission Testing (UCAT)
The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is an admissions test used by the UCAT ANZ Consortium of universities in Australia and New Zealand for their medical, dental, oral health and some clinical science degree programs.
It is used in collaboration with other admission processes such as interviews and academic qualifications.
We were fortunate to have Kevin Phan from Fraser Medical attend the College this week to present information to interested students regarding the UCAT and medical entry process. This information supports students in understanding the entry requirements for medical and dentistry university programs and helps in creating career pathways into these competitive courses.
Year 12 students intending to apply to courses that require UCAT should now have access to the website to register for the test.
The deadline for booking and/or cancelling is May. Testing commences in July with results delivered to universities in September.
The cost to sit the test is $305. Please access the detailed PowerPoint on the Canvas Career and Pathways page or contact Mrs Fitridge at the College for further information.
Annie Fitridge
Pathways and PLP Learning Leader