Meeting the Needs of our gifted students at TJHS
Challenge based learning (CBL) is a student centred mode of inquiry which starts with the formulation of a big idea. This learning, unlike traditional learning, asks the student to apply their research to a real world connection and to act upon it.
The brainchild of Apple US it has four aims:
- to use technology to leverage learning
- to utilise the project management process to prepare students for the workplace
- develop collaborative skills and hone abilities to meet deadlines
- to build capacity to apply knowledge to the real world as agents of change.
The CBL process ideally targets our gifted students, requiring focus, self-motivation and disciplined time management skills, encouraging them to be active rather than passive learners.
At TJHS a further challenge occasionally undertaken may be that the 'big idea' is a cross-curricular idea drawing on themes across different KLA’S.
Two things happen. First, young people are encouraged to integrate learning experiences into their schemes of meaning so as to broaden and deepen their understanding of themselves and their world. Second, they are engaged in seeking, acquiring, and using knowledge in an organic – not an artificial – way.’ (Beane, 1995)
CBL projects have been undertaken since 2017 and have involved our targeted top classes from Years7-10 in Maths, Science, English and HSIE Faculties. In 2020 there will be 5 targeted projects involving Year 7 Bees, Year 8 Maths, Year 9 History and English cross KLA on the importance of Stories , Year 10 Dance on Belonging and Year 10 Geography on the Economic Management of Sustainability.
