ACTIVITY WEEKS

Camp ( www.oeg.net.au ) – Students are provided with training sessions prior to camp week to build their skill level with tent pitching and tranjia use. They are given instruction on what to pack, how to pack and how to cater for their food needs.  On Monday of Camp week, students undertake a preparatory half-day hike so that they can experience carrying a pack and make last-minute adjustments to their load, their clothing and their footwear.

Then, the camp begins.  Following a half-day journey to the Cathedral Ranges, the students undergo a three-day level-one challenge camp.  This is a journey-style expedition that incorporates elements such as bushwalking, abseiling, rock climbing, teamwork and cooperation exercises and reflection sessions.  Both mind and body are targeted and the students invariably see themselves in a new light having completed the week. They arrive home on the Friday evening full of stories of their adventures, their new understandings of their own abilities and their respect for their team mates.

Comments from past students regarding camp week:

"To face your fears – it’s the only way to defeat them"

"Hard but very rewarding and satisfying"

"Don’t complain about anything because it doesn’t change anything"

"Great camp. It got rid of any boundaries there were between people"

"I learnt to keep trying and don’t give up"

The Journal and Portfolio - Each week students meet with their chosen mentors where they work through a set of tasks. This year the students are creating their own journal which will give them more ownership over their experiences throughout the year. Students are requested to record their thoughts, feelings, actions, progress, set-backs, in fact any information related to their learning journey through Mindware.

As they undertake their journey, they are required to complete a wide variety of tasks; some small, others substantial.  The records they create during the completion of the tasks comprise their portfolio.  Typically, these include:

Individual Investigation – each student works on a challenge of their own choosing, typically a research or construction task that encompasses four areas of learning, and includes components that draw upon and build their critical, creative, caring and competent thinking skills.  They deliver a 20 minute presentation to provide evidence of the work they have undertaken towards the completion of their Individual Investigation. The form of this presentation is negotiated between the student and their mentor.  The completed Investigation itself might be presented then, or it might not be completed until some time later in the year.  In either case the student describes the journey they have undertaken as they have set themselves a task and structured their learning activities towards achieving their goal.

City Hypothesis – each group develops a question about the City and poses an hypothesis.  They work together to plan how they will resolve an answer to their research question and then, during City Week, they conduct research to gather evidence around their hypothesis.  They process and analyse this evidence to reach a conclusion using their learning about the 4C’s from their Individual Investigation and focussing on developing team-skills.  The group is required to complete a presentation of their research findings at the end of the week.  Each group member must be able to demonstrate their own contribution to the group’s undertaking and their level of teamwork.

Specialist Work – during each of the activity weeks, there are small challenges that the students must complete.  These include the:

City Week – Students meet on the Frankston station at 7.40 and travel to the City from Monday to Thursday. This familiarises them with travel on public transport – for some it is the first time they have used it. They spend five hours each day in the City, before returning en masse to Frankston.  In the city, they undertake orientation exercises to become familiar with city layout and city life, and they begin their group research task.  Visits to City landmarks punctuate the week.  Communication and safety in the city are reinforced through regular contact via mobile phones and check-ins.  On the Friday, students are required at school to complete and deliver the presentation of their findings, and to celebrate their city week experiences.

Comments from past students regarding City week:

"Was the best week because we were given responsibility"

"We were treated like adults; It was one of the best weeks"

 "We discussed things together instead of following one person"

"After doing the final project presentation I felt like the King of the World"

Lifeskills – Lifeskills week is a combination of many small challenges, each designed to foster new skills-mastery.  Students participate in workshops on self defence and first aid.  They are introduced to a range of services and organisations specific to supporting young people on the Mornington Peninsula, where they are provided the opportunity to develop essential skills in a range of areas including personal finance management - surviving on a basic wage and paying for rent, bills, accommodation, food, clothes and spending money.  One day is spent designing and delivering a culinary masterpiece – menu planning, followed by shopping at Dandenong Market and finally cooking for the family that night.  Another task requires that they learn resume writing and interview skills.  They undertake pre-driver education and complete a number of home-based skill challenges – a very full week in all.

Comments from past students regarding Lifeskills week:

"After lifeskills Mum has made me cook all the time"

Local & Recreation Week – Provides students with an opportunity to explore the local peninsula environment.  During bus tours of local historical sites such as Coolart, Point Nepean and Cape Schanck, and agricultural and commercial sites, they are challenged to consider the consequences of development on the Mornington Peninsula.  They demonstrate their understanding and their ICT skills by designing a promotional pamphlet for Mornington Peninsula.

As a group, students research and design a recreational activity for a ‘disadvantaged person’, then they participate in it for one day and evaluate the success of their design. This is aimed at raising awareness of issues of accessibility and suitability of activities for people on the peninsula.

Community Service – This program delivers workplace safety training to students and aims to raise awareness of the value to society of community service. Students are asked to volunteer their time to work in an organisation that supports people less fortunate than themselves.  Or they may elect to develop their interest in the environment or animal care.  These, and a number of other opportunities, challenge students to make an active contribution to the community, to increase student awareness of issues affecting others in the community, to spend time interacting with people from different backgrounds. Students who are not yet 15 are encouraged to volunteer as teacher-aides at primary school level.

Comments from past students regarding Community Service:

 "I enjoyed it. I learnt what teachers do and how to interact with children"

Presentations & Health Days - Held in Term 4, these days engage the students in passing their first milestone – the presentation of their Individual Investigation report.  Feedback from their presentation comes from the students themselves, from their mentor and from their peers (and parents, if available) and can be used by students to inform their work within the group tasks that follow later in the year.  Interspersed with the student-presentations, students participate in workshops aimed at raising awareness of Drug Issues, Conflict Resolution and Effective Communication, Anger Management and Positive Health Management.

Evaluation & Celebration - The final week of Mindware!  Students evaluate their journey through the  Mindware program and provide valuable feedback on how the program can be improved for future students.  They revisit the Herman Brain Dominance Model and are asked to reflect upon how they and their peers have changed over the year.  Certificates are issued to celebrate student achievements and they farewell their Mindware groups with small group celebrations.  Mindware mentors then undertake a debriefing in order to review the year’s experiences and suggest improvements for future years.

Comments from past students regarding Celebration week:

"After Mindware - I find it easier to talk to people I don’t know and it has made me more confident"

"As a result of Mindware I’m more independent and organized".