Middle School

Middle School innovation: the Changemakers

Meredith Plaisted Deputy Head of Middle School

The vision of the Carey Middle School is to create a culture where every student develops into a wise, independent and motivated learner. We believe this is done by giving the child autonomy of what and how they are learning. For a number of years now, our Middle School program has been a blend of core and elective subjects so there has been no ‘stealing’ of time from the traditional areas of literacy and numeracy, while still offering significant challenges and choices for every student. Our recent iteration of programs has been more about pedagogical change through the development of double electives, project-based learning and modules. Through this curriculum innovation, we have been able to introduce a collection of electives that includes Changemakers, Creative Silicon Chips and FYI (Follow Your Interest). These units focus on creative thinking, innovation and engaging the students in issues and learning that they are interested in. Changemakers is a new elective unit delivered in a team-teaching environment, comprising a larger class size but two or more teachers. It is allocated two 100-minute sessions per week – that’s almost as much as we spend on maths! – allowing time for all involved to engage in deep thinking, collaboration and developing an understanding of issues that affect people in our communities. In 2019, this design-thinking subject began with students researching the Royal Commission into Aged Care. They then participated in a series of empathy tasks such as wearing sunglasses while threading a needle and remembering a list of ten common ‘leaving the house’ activities for elderly people. Students then chose to investigate issues such as loneliness, financial difficulties and poor nutrition in the elderly and presented their findings to the class with infographics and engaging demonstrations.

‘Changemakers... allow[s] time for all involved to engage in deep thinking, collaboration and developing an understanding of issues that affect the people in our communities.’

Once students understood the problems faced by the elderly it was time to form groups and develop solutions. Initial ideas were put under the microscope and each group was given some constructive feedback during critique sessions. For some, it was back to the drawing board while others reviewed and refined products and ideas. The final presentations saw an amazing range of ideas, from the Bill Buzzer (scan the barcode of your invoice and Bill Buzzer will remind you when to pay), the EA Band (so much more than a Fitbit) and the Oddy App (which reduces anxiety by connecting elderly people to each other). Year 8 student Jess chose the unit because ‘I wanted to try something a bit different and expand my learning. I love that there’s a lot more teamwork and creativity.’ Jess’s classmate Zac agreed, saying that he’d ‘suggest picking Changemakers because you choose what you learn and you learn a lot about helping the community.’ It is exciting to anticipate the ‘Pollution Solutions’ these students will deliver in the next module, once again addressing an issue directly related to current affairs. However, the success of this subject reaches well beyond the students’ useful and creative ideas. The growth of their Positive Learner Attributes are the key success criteria. We all marvelled at the courage shown by Anna as she walked to the microphone to articulate her design. We were uniformly impressed when Alanna reflected, ‘I brought creativity and inclusion to the group as I suggested and helped other people with ideas.’ We all marvelled at the resilience shown by Anna, Tim and Tue as the flaws in their solution were pointed out, and noted their connectedness in staying together throughout. There are many more such examples and we are confident these Changemakers will develop into wise, independent and motivated learners. We are very proud to offer this curriculum innovation to our students.