Tight Teacher Teams Strategies for coordinating an effective Applied Learning Program
* Background of Applied Learning VCAL at Berwick College * Strategies for coordinating our program include * 1 Team Teaching * 2 teaching in unit themes with consistent curriculum and course outlines * 3 introducing the VET elective instead of VCE electives for VCAL students * 4 Benefit of Community Partnerships
Year 9 ALP – 30 students 8 staff Year 10 PreCAL 40 students 10 staff Year 11 VCAL 60 students 10 staff Year 12 VCAL 50 students 8 staff. Our students are at school Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. VET Wednesdays and Structured Workplace Learning on Friday PreCal was introduced in 2006 after a need was discovered for our year 10 students requiring an Applied Learning Pathway. The year 9 ALP program was introduced in 2011 and the students are at BSC 4 days in Semester 1 (one day at Chisholm Dandenong completing a Tafe Taster Program) and in Semester 2, once they are 15, they attend school 3 days complete one day SWL and the other at Chisholm
For example: A year 11 VCAL class . Period Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 Personal Literacy VET Elective Development SWL / 2 Numeracy VET Elective Literacy VET/ SWL VET 3 -4 VET Elective Numeracy Numeracy 5- 6 Literacy Personal Personal Development Development / Work Skills VET elective is in replacement of VCE elective, our students select from Cert 2 • Building and Construction • Small Business (students can do a VCE subject if suitable) • Outdoor Rec • Community Services • Engineering • Visual Arts
Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Term 1 Team Building Ordinary Heroes Homelessness Major Community Project. Leadership National Sports Museum / Winter sleepout. Relay for Life – 24 hours Caving Shrine excursion Alcoholism lap challenge. Treetops excursion Sport/ war heroes Making mocktails Youth and the law Read Simple Gift (kindness) “Pursuit of Happiness” Bite size – coffee and Magistrates Court “oasis documentary” cake small business excursion Lunches every Thursday Term 2 RSPCA Risk Taking Read Night Writing short stories. Animal care /cruelty Read “The story of Tom Tour the Jewish Holocaust Creative writing tour of RSPCA, bake Brennan” Road Whys /Drive 4 Amazing Race in Melbourne Writing Picture Story cupcakes to sell Life Location /numeracy Book with Local Primary Ambulance / police visits tasks School. Read Tomorrow Salvos Red Shield Appeal When the war Looking after your mates began Road Toll Health STI’s Clean Oceans Local Nursing home visits Read the Happiest Refugee. Work shop with Head Term 3 Surfing/snorkel Looking after our Space Southern Ocean Community Refugees Create Program for Education incursion mentoring year 7 8 and Tree Planting Queen Victoria Market 9 students within BSC excursion Writing Biographies make a 3 course meal with Local Nursing home residents. Term 4 Preparing for the work force Read Brilliant Lies Career Mapping. Camp Mock interviews Film Review Prepare for year 10 Work place Harassment.
Senior VCAL tasks have included Relay for Life, Creative Writing with Berwick Primary School and Writing Biographies for Seniors in Villa Maria Nursing home.
Intermediate VCAL student have completed a unit on Homelessness developing a partnership with CornerStone, making and serving food at a Soup Kitchen and Raising money for swags with Sleep out and Footy Day. They also developed a Health unit with Local Primary Schools, running Sports Carnival Days and Healthy cooking lessons.
VET elective in the timetable. In 2013 we introduced a VET elective for VCAL students to access in the timetable. This gave our students the option of a more practical subject instead of a VCE elective, yet still providing 2 units for VCAL. We offer Cert 2 Outdoor Rec, Community Services, Engineering, Building and Construction and Business. This year also saw a partnership develop with Edrington Park Kindergarten where our student have completed hands on activities with kinder kids.
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