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- Evolving Learning Program
- What does the Evolving Learning Program look like?
What does the Evolving Learning Program look like?
The Evolving Learning Program has been structured to support student's learning, by providing support in two key areas:
- Curriculum - what is taught
- Pedagogy - how it is delivered
Structure
Curriculum Extension
Teaching tools
Project-based learning
Outdoor educational settings
Typo Station Residence
Five-to-twelve day expedition
Station Life – No frills community living
Skills-based workshops
Life Skills
Effective communication skills
Team work
Leadership styles
Personal development
Future Pathways
Opportunities for further education
Vocational training
Community and industry links
Curriculum Extension
The Program provides teachers with resources to deliver curriculum outcomes in a real, relevant and relational setting through project-based learning and outdoor educational settings.
a. Teaching tools
Tailored professional development workshops, which focus on curriculum planning and teaching techniques to allow teachers be more flexible in their approach and develop a greater depth of learning and rigor for students.
b. Project-based learning
The Evolving Learning Program encourages students to develop a sense of initiative in their learning and engage with their community through project-based learning. The students take a leadership role on the selection and management of learning topics and timelines as well as approaching a wide range of private and commercial entities in their local area.
Students respond exceptionally well to this approach:
“It’s not about being lectured at, that’s boring; instead we are learning through experiencing.”
c. Outdoor educational settings
As the name suggests, Evolving Learning Program provides a range of educational experiences outside of the standard classroom setting. A core component is the residential stays at our rural properties, as well as commercial and community settings.
There is a substantial body of research outlining the many benefits of alternative educational settings:
- Low literacy levels do not deter involvement and encouragement of skill-based activities allows them to develop in that area in a passive and less confronting manner
- Participation by both genders is more or less equal as a range of learning styles can be catered for
- Young people are able to work to their strengths and thus build self-esteem and confidence
- Students who find it genuinely difficult to be in a school environment for a range of personal, social or emotional reasons are encouraged to remain in school, increasing retention rates
The Residential Experience
The unique residential experience includes three key aspects which all create particular challenges and develop specific skills for both the young people and their teachers.
a. Five-to-twelve day expeditions
The physical, mental and emotional challenges presented by these particular components of the Evolving Learning Program create the right conditions for students to confront genuine difficulties and adversity – and experience immense personal growth as a result.
Each hike takes place in rugged National Park areas and all students are required to be self-sufficient but also take on specific roles throughout the expedition. Along with leadership, navigation and planning skills, teamwork and cooperation is required to successfully complete the hike.
Aside from the personal and life skills gained by the students, the completion of this arduous trek creates a strong and lasting sense of achievement and personal pride
“When we were returning I realised how I had achieved something that only a few people have completed and it makes you feel proud of what you have done.”
b. Station Life – No frills community living
Staying at one of our remote properties is not a resort experience – participants have a list of chores and must to contribute to their own basic living standard. This includes everything from meal preparation to dorm maintenance and even chopping wood for the boiler-heated showers.
The students respond to the responsibility accorded to them and find a renewed respect and confidence in their own abilities and resilience. It also develops a new appreciation for ‘back home’
“You have to take responsibility for your job, unlike home, if you don’t do it, no-one will do it for you and you let everyone else down.”
c. Skills-based workshops
A number of creative activities are undertaken by students participating in the Evolving Learning Program, leading to new skills, new experiences and different ways of learning. Through Tour properties' unique workshops – a fully operational blacksmith forge and a joinery fitted with pioneer tools – the Program enables students to work with their hands and continue the theme of ‘experiential learning’.
Participants – including teachers – also take part in print making, painting and the design, decoration and production of a ceramic tile. These creative activities allow students to reflect on their journey with Evolve and express their revelations in a way they may not be able in a more scholastic form. Students find the ceramics sessions particularly revealing:
“I did the seasons on my tiles to represent change, as I think I have changed so much over the program”, says one participant, while another notes, “I made a puzzle piece in mine (tile) because Typo was sort of the missing piece for me.”
Life Skills
'Life skills’ are defined by the World Health Organisation as those abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. The development of such life skills is a core component of the Evolving Learning Program which works to evolve our participants into well-rounded and self-sufficient young people.
a. Effective communication skills
It has been estimated that over 75% of an adult’s waking hours are spend in some type of interpersonal situation. As young people develop, it is therefore vital that they have effective communication skills and the Evolving Learning Program program works to remove any barriers to this outcome.
The wide range of activities within the Program ensures that students are exposed to many situations which require a range of particular skills – from formal communications with potential business partners for their projects, through to communicating under stressful conditions on the hike. Teachers noted changes in confidence, as well as a maturity and respect in students’ dealings with a range of people.
b. Team work
Most components of the Evolving Learning Program program require team work in order to successfully achieve goals, whether it be getting the evening meal served up at the station or successfully staging a community fundraiser for homelessness. Whilst effective communication is one aspect of doing this, the ability to develop and manage a team, and resolve conflict is just as vital.
The experiences that the Program exposes them to allows this to grow organically and through practice rather than theory - a participating teacher gives an example of this natural cooperative learning style – “A couple of students who came into the program after other students dropped out did not feel they had been selected the same way and were making up numbers. Their peers dismissed this, saying ‘no, if they (the teachers) would only ask you if they thought you had potential.”, thus boosting their team-mates’ confidence and ensuring a cohesive group.
c. Leadership styles
A key aspect of Evolving Learning Program is developing future leaders and students who will act as catalysts for positive change in the wider community well into the future. The teaching and building of leadership skills is the foundation of the program.
Students come to appreciate their own skills and exercise them in a broader setting, with teachers noting that the ‘Evolve kids’ become the face of the school and take more responsibility (than their peers) in the school environment. Even something as simple as changing participants’ attitudes toward leadership.
d. Personal development
Motivation, self-belief and resilience are important skills for a disadvantaged young person (or one attending a disadvantaged school) to develop in order to cope effectively with the challenges in their lives at that time, and into the future.
“Before you went to Typo, you settled for second best. After Typo, you strive for what you want, and you want the best.”
Through enabling and encouraging students to move beyond their comfort zone and be challenged by the various components of Evolving Learning Program, they are also exposed to constant opportunities for development of personal skills such as self-belief, self-discipline, motivation, organisation, goal setting and emotional intelligence.
Future Pathways
Preparation and motivation for life post-secondary educations is fostered in the students through a number of activities that expose them to a range of options.
a. Opportunities for further education
The Program encourages students to explore their options for tertiary and further education, including university, TAFE and apprenticeships. A number of the projects constructed by current students are forward-looking in this sense, focused on investigating pathways to further education. They have posed questions such as ‘What does it take to be a good physical education (PE) teacher?’ and gone on to sit in on relevant university classes and conduct interviews with current PE teachers.
Evolving Learning Program students also gain credits toward their current program at their secondary school and complete a number of qualifications and accreditations across the three years, including First Aid and Vocational & Education Training (VET).
b. Vocational training
Through delivering diverse projects, Evolving Learning Program participants are exposed not only to a range of industries but also a vast business & mentor network.
General workplace skills – including minute taking and chairing a meeting – a developed through the project-based components of the program and students are able to acquire a Certificate II in Vocational Pathways through their participation. The complete experience – from the initial intake application and interview to the delivery of meaningful projects – is viewed as an excellent addition to their resume.
c. Community and industry links
All students make contacts with the corporate world through a number of industries in an effort to deliver their chosen projects. Through this ‘external’ contact, they learn the restrictions and limitations placed on them to meet deadlines set by these ‘outside partners’ and exposure to the nature of a simple ‘yes or no’ delivered by someone outside of the school context.