Mrs Vicki Marinelli & Ms Julia West Interpretations of Lockdown

Name: Ms Karen McArdle Title: Head of Junior School Date: 1 June 2021 Strategic Intent: Academic Achievement

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING

The teachers at St Catherine’s Junior School, Barbreck, aim for girls to see themselves as successful learners. But what are the characteristics and classroom behaviours of successful learners and importantly, how do teachers assist this journey in the classroom? Designing a learning environment that is considered safe and ensures the learning is visible encourages girls to think about their role in the process of the learning journey. A safe learning environment ensures girls feel able to take risks with their learning, where the opportunity to make mistakes is welcomed and the environment for learning is respected by all. The old adage ‘we learn more from our mistakes’ is very true. Girls are encouraged to explore, to be curious and to try new things. As students transition through the Junior School, the opportunity to study more complex investigations requires a curious mind to pose questions and respond by researching answers. Encouraging girls to explore answers to questions without always being provided the answer immediately, makes for a better learner, one who can think more deeply, consider more carefully and make decisions based on sound, researched information. Visible learning in the classroom is evident when students understand what they need to know, this is commonly referred to as the Success Criteria. A teacher who ensures clarity and encourages students to clearly articulate what it is they are learning and the standard to which they need to demonstrate are great examples of Visible Learning. As such, a Barbreck teacher will also ensure clarity is provided at the beginning of each lesson with an explanation of the Learning Intention and what success will look like for the girls. Encouraging girls to see themselves as a learner supports their understanding of self and how they can optimise their learning. As teachers, we encourage such behaviours that are effective for successful learners, thus aiding students to be purposeful and engaged in the learning process. In our Barbreck environment, students are encouraged to ask questions, seek clarity when confused, attempt tasks before seeking assistance, articulate what they need to succeed, know they can improve, and appreciate feedback as assistance to improving. The Barbreck personalised approach to student learning ensures the best academic care for our girls, that supports each student at their own level, and provides guidance and a learning framework to enable progress. We hope to always nurture their curiosity so they can confidently participate, explore, investigate and solve – all of which make for successful lifelong learners.

Ms Karen McArdle

Head of Junior School

Name: Mrs Vicki Marinelli & Ms Julie West Title: Head of Arts & Media Teacher Date: 30 July 2021 Strategic Intent: Academic Achievement

INTERPRETATIONS OF LOCKDOWN

Some of the most poignant images of the COVID pandemic emerged from St Catherine’s Media Studies classes, as students explored the societal impact of the lockdowns. In 2020, Year 10 students investigated the genre of documentary photography, exploring their restricted five-kilometre world, capturing the isolation and the impact on families and work. VCE student Alice Menzies King re-wrote her Media film when she could not assemble her cast due to restrictions. The resulting film Stage 4 is a poignant and often funny reflection of how the pandemic affected her film making. Media teacher Ms Julia West provides an insight into Media as a subject and why students have the depth and capacity to approach challenging themes such as the pandemic. Julia West: “The study of Media is a relatively new area of academia. The development of the subject is influenced by the disciplines Sociology and Psychology, as well as Economics, the Law, and the Humanities in general. Early in the 20th century, Sociology researchers began to see a trend whereby people were attracted and influenced by what they viewed in the media. Interestingly, in the study of Media, the audiences are also known as consumers, with the premise that we are not just looking at media images and productions but consuming them as well. Media affects the social fabric of society and is more than just an art form or entertainment, it is also a lucrative industry. When students study Media, they do not just construct a series of photographs or create a film. They also study the effects of the media on our lives, the global media markets, media regulation in Australia, the effects of culture on media productions, the way women, men and race are represented and the way media in general is created and consumed from a legal perspective. The study of media is broad and reasons for studying it can include: • Enjoyment of media production and mastery in the skill. • Creating a folio for interview-based courses featured at many universities. • Passion for psychology and sociology and investigating the impact of ‘outside forces’ in our lives – the media being one of them. • Strong interest in economics and financial markets, with media organisations some of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. • Desire to study law and to learn about the tensions between governments, business and the legal frameworks employed to navigate issues such as privacy, copyright, and regulation. Past Media students from St Catherine’s School, have transitioned into a wide range of university studies including Criminology at ANU, Law at Deakin and Monash and Professional Communication at RMIT. Others have entered Media and Communications at RMIT and Deakin, Fine Art Painting at VCA, Design at Monash, Film and Television at VCA, Photography at RMIT and Arts at Melbourne to name a few. These courses range from ATAR entrance scores to folio interviews. In each case St Catherine’s alumnae have gained the appropriate skills and knowledge required for their tertiary pursuits from our Media Studies subjects in the Senior School.”