PoLT Online Professional Learning Resource – Principle 4
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Vignettes – Knowledge Bank
Early Years
The Human Powered Vehicle project - Diamond Creek East and Diamond Creek Primary Schools and the broader community.
Two schools in Diamond Creek collaborated on a project to use environmentally friendly technology to power small machines. Units of work were developed in Technology Education, Environmental Education, Social Education, Language and Mathematics, and competencies were developed and enhanced in reporting and presentation, teamwork, fitness and cooperation. Students worked with an engineer to build two human powered vehicles, as well as a song and computer game. Students, parents and teachers later participated in a community event to race the vehicles. The school believes their students have a better understanding of environmental issues, and science and technology understandings in particular.
For more information see: Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Project And Participation in RACV Energy Breakthrough (http://knowledge.education.vic.gov.au/sites/knowledgebank/)
Middle Years
Student led interviews for assessment - Copperfield College Kings Park Campus
Parents were asked to assess student’s thinking behaviours at the end of semester one.
These were used by the parent/student/teacher team to assist with goal setting and to help the student develop more successful thinking strategies. At the end of term 3 students presented their learnings, based on the goals set, from all subjects, to their parents, classroom teachers and home group teacher. Staff at Copperfield College addressed weaknesses in assessment and reporting by introducing student-led presentations. Students were able to present and reflect on their learning for a real purpose and to a real audience. Although time consuming, commitment by teachers, students and parents made the process a success.
For more information see: Student led interviews as an assessment and reporting initiative (http://knowledge.education.vic.gov.au/)
Later Years
Between the Lines: developing thinking skills for problem solving - Balwyn High School
Staff at Balwyn High School have developed a computer program to track and assess students thinking skills. Students are presented with specific problem-solving tasks and their progress monitored. The program shows the thinking skills students are using and developing and these are then explicitly developed in the teaching program. We began with a group of high school teachers tracking the effectiveness of their teaching of thinking skills by presenting students with specific problem solving tasks and monitoring their progress. The program is expanding to include a primary and a special school. The focus is upon developing our understanding of what thinking skills we are teaching in order to be as specific as possible. These could be embedded in content or explicitly taught.
For more information see: Between the Lines: computer program for monitoring thinking skills and motivation in problem solving (http://knowledge.education.vic.gov.au)