Ashburton College Year 9 student Te Whetu Mapu-Patea presents the findings of her sports science project as part of the school’s innovation programme. Photo SUE NEWMANA class of Year 9 Ashburton College students took centre stage in the school’s auditorium this week as they presented sports science projects to their peers, family and staff.

As part of the school’s new innovation programme, the students worked on projects across a range of subjects, including social studies, science and physical education.

This year the college introduced a new approach to learning at Year 9, based on developing students’ resilience, creative problem solving and communication skills. It is designed to prepare students for a workplace that is constantly changing.

About half of the students at that level are working in classes using the new project-based learning model that sees the integration of some subjects, rather than the traditional, standalone subject model.

Students and their parents decided whether they became part of the integrated learning class.

College staff were also given the option of being part of the pilot programme and acting head of science James Aulsford said it was a choice he was glad he had made.

“This is where we need to head in the future with education and as teachers we need to learn to de-silo ourselves too, I’m a teacher of skills, not just science,” he said.

This week’s presentation of term one work was a good example of students working across several subjects and teachers from several areas working together on one project, Aulsford said.

“This became a multiple stranded, cross curriculum project.”

The students worked individually or in small groups to explore a sport they were familiar with, looking at how it met the needs of a community, how the community supported that sport, how it boosted physical, mental and social well-being. They also looked at the sport’s history and challenged their own perceptions on many aspects of their chosen activity.

They looked at how well the sport was catered to in the Ashburton District today, and how this could be improved
in the future.

Project-based learning is being piloted in a number of other schools around New Zealand and the model is similar to the learning environment of students at intermediate and primary level.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 23 May 2019