OVERVIEW

Statewide research indicates that students are least engaged in traditional education in year 9.  Typically, student learning begins to plateau as students lose interest and lack motivation. This can lead to disengagement and isolation from the community and, ultimately, to the student dropping out of school.

Leading schools recognise that the learning environment for year nine students has to be significantly different. Examples of innovative programs include Timbertop, The Alpine School, Marshmead and Mittagundi – these are all private school initiatives.  Mount Eliza Secondary College is the only Government School to revolutionise a Year 9 program to challenge and inspire students.

We recognise that Year 9 students are experiencing many complex emotions during their transition to adulthood.  We understand that they need to explore, to take risks, make mistakes, get out and get involved. We know they need hands-on programs without traditional subject blocks or timetables, that they need to choose what and how they learn in order to become independent and self-directed learners.  To encourage our students to strive to achieve, to dare to own their learning, to reach for their pinnacle, we have created Mindware.

The Mindware program is based on students setting and meeting challenging goals and, through the process, learning how to learn and function successfully in tomorrow’s society. The program is underpinned by three broad principles:

The three principles are achieved using the following key ingredients:

Mindware is resourced on a  1:12  mentor : student ratio.  Typically, we have16 staff volunteers for the program.  They, the mentors, are then selected by groups of 6 students, and are allocated two groups each.  Mentors meet students once per week to provide the guidance the students need to undertake the program. Thus, students form a significant relationship with the mentor throughout the year, and with the members of the two groups under the mentor’s tutelage. Parents are encouraged to become involved through information evenings, mentor-parent contact and direct participation if they so choose.

The program is structured to gradually increase the challenge to the student throughout the year.  During Semester One, students start an Individual Investigation and participate in a Workshop involving Reach. This is where they have the opportunity to learn new skills in preparation to their Mindware Journey. In Semester Two, Term Four, they undertake five Activity Weeks, before finishing the year with a Celebration and Evaluation week.  On their Mindware journey, they learn how to learn, how to work in a group and strengthen interpersonal relationships, how to record their progress in a journal and prepare a portfolio of their work and how to recognise excellence in effort and attainment.

Course content draws upon the work of De Bono, Gardner and Hermann, together with the 4C Learner model designed by the staff of the Mount Eliza Cluster.

Mindware requires students to work within four of the Areas of Learning while tapping into their strengths and supporting them with a range of thinking tools and technologies as they seek to demonstrate that they are caring, competent, critical and creative learners.

Now in its tenth year, Mindware continues to provide a challenging and supportive framework from within which students can reach out to follow their passions and forge meaningful relationships with others, to sustain them through their transition to adulthood.