LEARNING MATTERS

STUDENT VOICE

In the final week of Term Two last year, six Year 10 students were selected to take part in an experience known as the Mindshop Excellence Program that was generously sponsored by the Rotary Club.

The Mindshop Excellence program aims to foster skills such as teamwork, problem solving and individual confidence through a one week work experience program hosted by an employer in order to solve a given issue. Throughout the week participants like ourselves are taught to utilise various problem solving tools and techniques to find solutions to the given issues as a team by acting as company “executives” or consultants. Our week involved us working for a company very well known to the six of us - McKinnon Secondary College.

Our sole focus for this week was to assist in solving the question placed forward by our principal team, “How do we ensure McKinnon effectively caters for its community in the future?”

After much discussion, we focused on three smaller key issues to address:

• ”What facilities and resources do we need to deal with growing enrolments whilst improving academic standards?”
• ”How do we prepare students for a changing workplace?”
• ”What are other opportunities for improvement in McKinnon Secondary College?”

To prepare students for a changing workplace, each year level utilises programs and modules focusing on enabling students to develop positive work ethics and skill sets required for school and in the workforce.

In relation to curriculum in 2017, Year 10 currently has limited options for VCE enhancement posing as an area requiring improvement in the future.

At a staff meeting, we presented our ideas and as a collective suggested that VCE enhancement opportunities for students were to be presented to students at an earlier stage, and to have on offer a greater array of subject choices alongside the previous humanities subjects. By providing more choice, students are given the opportunity to enter the VCE curriculum in Year 10 and be able to extend themselves amongst a wider variety of enhancement subjects.

As a result of our investigation, in 2018 the Year 10 curriculum will change to align with the VCE timetable. This means that students have greater flexibility in selecting enhancement subjects and can choose electives that promote student engagement and create a more passionate environment for learning.

In conclusion, the whole experience provided us with a fantastic understanding of working as a company consultant and undertaking challenges in a team environment to help benefit businesses and their success outcomes. On behalf of us all, we would like to thank the Rotary Club for this wonderful opportunity.

Sienna Herterich, Jack Richardson, Ben Krieser, Elinta Sen, Lachlan Arneil and Evie Krieger

Year 11 students