ACAD E M I C LE AR N IN G CAP TAI NS’ REPO RT Big History
HPL – Challenge Café
Big History is an interdisciplinary course developed by Macquarie University, Bill Gates and historian David Christian, offered to Year 10 students at Pymble. It encourages extended thinking through extensive discussion and an examination of the past from the Big Bang to the present day, thus nurturing complex thought and a love of learning within Pymble students.
Challenge Café consists of lunchtime clubs open to all girls in Years 7 to 10, where they engage in extensive discussion and project work across a broad range of disciplines. For example, Year 7 studied the Classical Greek epic The Odyssey and developed individual or group projects inspired by the myth, while Years 8 and 9 partook in debate clubs that discussed topics ranging from international politics to ethics and philosophy.
High Potential Learning (HPL) The purpose of the HPL program at Pymble is to extend learning and critical thinking processes beyond the traditional classroom, through a range of individual and group-oriented activities. The HPL program provides an open environment to nurture girls at all levels of challenge.
HPL – Sokratis The Sokratis program is designed to extend girls’ thinking through independent or group research into an area of personal interest, to produce final projects ranging from research papers, to artworks, to songs. Through a rigorous research and composition process developed alongside a staff mentor, students undertake a Sokratis project to develop their lateral thinking and problem solving skills and learn to approach new challenges. For the first time, Year 11 student mentors were also involved in the Sokratis program, in which they could share their own experiences in the program and help guide their younger peers. In 2020, the final Sokratis Showcase moved to an online format to accommodate social distancing requirements, while further contributing to the students’ digital literacy.
Thank You
THE MAGAZINE 2020
Academic Learning
We would like to say a big thank you to our mentor, Mr Raymond, for all his support, encouragement and guidance throughout the year. We really appreciated it! We would also like to extend a thank you to our Principal, Dr Hadwen, and all staff who helped nurture the wonderful learning environment at Pymble Ladies’ College, especially through the challenges posed by the year of 2020. Amelie Yee and Akina Li, Captains of Academic Learning
This year posed a number of
challenges, which prompted many new ideas and solutions...
Ella Liu, Teresa Sun and Annie Luo, Year 7
Academic Staff/Student Workshop
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