“I have improved on many aspects of my knowledge in the areas of Indigenous culture and nationwide problems in society. I have improved on my public speaking as well as how to structure essays.” – Samuel Kelly, Year 9 “Something I enjoyed as a student in this politics class is that everyone is willing to argue their point to the death at the drop of a hat. This enables us to see people at their best and their worst. Emotions flow like the baptismal waters of friendship and we have all grown and matured as students. Nay! As people. This class has been united by their appreciation of each others views and values.” - Jeremy Pryslak 72
Humanities Humanities in 2013 has seen some exciting and dynamic changes to curriculum at the Year 7-10 levels as we move to Australian Curriculum courses. Students and teachers have been working with new programs and new assessment tasks. The following student comments and articles highlight the incredibly diverse range of learning opportunities offered to students through the Humanities programs. From History to Geography to Commerce and Politics, students have been able to become involved in tasks that allow them to develop skills in critical thinking, concept analysis, communication and creativity. Michelle Bishop - Humanities Domain Leader YEAR 9 HUMANITIES In Humanities, I have developed knowledge from a range of different topics that explore history or modern events. Some of these included learning about Aboriginals, wars, Federation and many other significant historical events that allowed me to learn new things. Aidan Patterson As a part of Year 9 Humanities my class created dioramas of Aboriginal houses and huts in groups. Researching and then finding the materials was an interesting way of self-teaching and learning about the way the Aboriginals lived at the time the English first came to Australia. The next step was collecting all the materials needed to create the downsized houses. After the whole class had finished making their models, as a twist the teachers destroyed our models and then asked us how we felt about the wreckage of all our hard work. Of course we felt a bit sad at the loss of all the time and effort we spent making the models but then the teacher asked us how we thought the Aboriginals would have felt when the English invaded and destroyed their homes. In this way we realised how much the Aboriginals had gone through at the hands of the English. All in all it was a good experience and one that I am glad to have had. Matthew Graham YEAR 11 AUSTRALIAN & GLOBAL POLITICS What I liked about this year in my politics class was learning about and keeping up with current events as they occur around the world. I enjoyed talking about these issues through articles posted on a blog every week. I also enjoyed listening to the opinions of others and debating on these issues. It has been a
REFLECTION POEM The task of making aboriginals with their huts and land spread plains, Was wondrous, joyful and more than a game, With each single stick, branch and tree, Constructed and nurtured to the point of praise, With rivers and dams, Shrub and tree, All accompanied by little, loveable, Aboriginal figurines, But all wasn’t to last, As there was an unexpected event, An event that would destroy all of my content, The event turned into an emotional task,
great year. Aidan Sanchez Global Politics is without a doubt my favourite VCE subject that I partake in at St Joseph’s, due to the fascinating, compelling content of the Year 11 course. My favourite activity was the Global Politics blog task that the class participated in. To be able to discuss current political affairs with my peers increased my knowledge of modern social and political issues. This class challenged my views in such a constructive and resounding way, that the learning experience associated with the subject intensified unlike anything that I have ever experienced. Ryan Bentley Politics this year has been a fascinating class. The number of significant world events combined with the wonderful dynamic of our classroom has made for ever-interesting classes and lively class debate. The great thing about this subject is the way in which the curriculum moves with the international political landscape. A highlight this year would have to be a 10 week SAC we had to complete. I know it’s unusual to enjoy something like a 10 week SAC, but in this one we had to post a news article about a world event for 10 weeks, on an online blog. We also had to interpret and analyse the article. The best thing about this task was our ability to comment on each other’s articles. This always made for some very interesting and sometimes fiery online debate. Jack Callahan Politics has been a blast. As a class we have become more aware and informed of our international community. The best task we have done in Politics was the blog where each week we researched and then debated current issues. I really enjoyed this task as it was good to hear other people’s opinions and perspectives. Charlie Purdy One of the aspects I liked about politics class was the arguments and debates that we had on Mondays about current events going on around the world. The class debate on Australia’s position on the Co2 mitigation program was also a lot of fun. One of my favourite tasks that I did by myself was the task on the Yakuza as I am interested in Japanese culture. Thomas Crowe
Breaking and taking away my heart, Much like the event in 1788, I was faced upon a deadly threat, Taken by storm, Dispossessed by fear, I had to destroy what was so dear, Through my devastation and torn up heart, I felt the cries of the aboriginals above, Breathing in deep, Regaining my strength, I realise now, What we did to a bunch of people we only just met. - By Chad Suphamongkol
