Subject selection and the 'goldilocks' zone

Several decades ago, well before the advent of internet-based learning models like SEQTA, I enrolled in a ‘distance learning’ course. 

All of the materials were mailed to my home and I endeavoured to work through the modules on my own. The course was well outside of my area of expertise and the content was very technical in nature. As I read chapter upon chapter of information, I found myself wondering whether the content was even of interest to me. Unable to chat with classmates about the learning or clarify the tasks with the teacher, I lost motivation and unenrolled from the course.

Last week, the Year 10 students from Calvin, Emmanuel and other local schools participated in our annual Senior Subject Selection Expo. It was wonderful to see many of our current Year 11 and 12 students joining in the event, sharing their experiences with Year 10 students and interacting with current teachers and classmates. The Library was transformed into an exhibition space as course information was displayed and students engaged with teachers in rich conversations about subjects, pathways and options for study in 2024 and beyond.

In observing these interactions, I was reminded of the social nature of learning. Most of the information needed by students is available in the Subject Selection Handbook - just as most of the information I needed for my online course had been provided in the textbook and handouts. But it will be the conversations and interactions between students and their teachers, classmates and parents that will help our Year 10 students determine their pathways for Year 11 and beyond.

“At Calvin, we aim to construct active learning communities ...”

On the whole, people learn most effectively in social contexts where they are able to interact and learn from each other. The work of Vygotsky (1978) has demonstrated the key role of the social environment in the learning process. As teachers at Calvin, we aim to construct active learning communities where the classrooms are engaging, interactive and social environments. Calvin has often been praised for having a positive community spirit and we hope that this is felt within classrooms as it is within the staff room and at events such as the Oliebollen Festival.

As our Year 10 students make decisions about subjects and options for Year 11 and beyond, I hope they consider the community context of their study as much as the content of the courses they choose. Some questions they may want to ask themselves are:

·         What type of learning environment works well for me?

·         Do I work best in smaller classes?

·         Do I need to be held to account for my learning?

·         How can I be involved in leadership opportunities in my senior years?

·         How do I see my faith being challenged and enriched in my study environment?

Mrs Carly Brouwer is always available to discuss subject selection – and I know that she will encourage students to set goals, consider their strengths and interests, meet the requirements and ensure that the subjects they choose are in the “goldilocks zone” – not too easy, not too hard. But she will also challenge them to think about the broader context of their studies. With small class sizes, strong pastoral care, leadership opportunities and a close Christian community, I believe Calvin has a lot to offer our students in Years 11 and 12.

Bonita Moroni - Head of Secondary

Developing Purposeful Habits

Welcome back to Term 3.

It was wonderful to see so many smiley faces last week and to sense our students’ joy in re-connecting with friends. This is an exciting term for us as site preparations commence next week on four new classrooms on the primary campus and we look forward to preparations for an additional two classrooms on the senior campus overlooking the Denison Street oval.

Whilst our students were enjoying a few extra days break, Christian Education National teachers from around Tasmania were gathering in Hobart for the annual CEN Tas State Conference. The title of the conference was ‘Flourishing in a Digital Age’ and our guest speakers encouraged us to consider the challenges and opportunities of teaching in Christian schools in this increasingly digitally connected era. As a parent and a teacher, some of the insights were sobering.

Keynote speaker, Daniel Sih, pointed to a recent report from the Surgeon General in the United States (2023) that “youth that spend more than three-hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes”. The same report indicated that young people are, on average, spending 3.5 hours a day on social media.

“ ...there was a simple reminder of the need to slow down, to unplug to allow ourselves to think...”

We know from Australian research that many teenagers are not getting enough sleep and that there seems to be a general decline in the number of hours of sleep now compared to previous generations. An Australia Government Report “Growing Up In Australia” (2018) highlighted “later bed times caused by increased use of technology and other changes associated with busy, modern lifestyles” as key reasons for these changes.

As parents, we may be keenly aware of the issues but how do we start to build purposeful habits for ourselves and our children? Daniel Sih encouraged us to consider time (and our use of it) as both a physical and a spiritual reality that has impact on our physical, spiritual, and socio emotional wellbeing. Digital overuse, he reminded us, can lead to the point where we become less happy and certainly less healthy in both our physical and spiritual lives. In contrast to the encouragement to always be connected there was a simple reminder of the need to slow down, to unplug to allow ourselves to think, and to consider what a digital sabbath might look like for us in our increasingly busy lives.

As a young man (many decades ago) armed with my electric typewriter, I was so content with this piece of technology and what it could do, I can remember thinking “I’m never going to need a computer”. How wrong I was. Life and the technology available to us has changed in many ways so that the lives of our children seem so different to previous eras. However, God reminds us that He is constant and the need to manage our time and the things we expose ourselves (and our children) to is nothing new. The author of the Proverbs reminds us “above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”. Simply because the technology has changed, does not mean that we are somehow going to make better decisions. In fact, we need to be attentive to our own and our children’s physical, spiritual wellbeing and relationships as we continue to grow into the pattern of Jesus.

Scott Ambrose - Principal

The Good Life

This morning I heard a beautiful statement from one of our Year 9 boys. He suddenly looked around and stated “we don’t have all of our people”.

What struck me was the sense of connection and relationship inherent in that statement, the feeling that they were not complete as a group without those additional students. It spoke to me of that sense that our students are known and noticed, as much by their absence sometimes as by their presence – they are missed when they are away.

In his book, The Good Life, Dr Robert Waldinger identified a key factor from the world’s longest longitudinal study of adult health and development conducted in the US. It was very simply that positive relationships were the best predictor of wellbeing. In essence, relationships matter. All of the good things that we do to maintain our health and wellbeing are not wasted time but, irrespective of our background and circumstances, it is relationships that will have the largest impact on us in terms of our long-term wellbeing.

“What struck me was the sense of connection and relationship inherent in that statement...”

And wellbeing matters because, as Dr Donna Cross described it, resilience is the ‘primary outcome of wellbeing’. Our ability to get up and keep going, to manage in challenging times or circumstances can be traced back to relationships. For Dr Cross our wellbeing programmes don’t matter if we don’t know our children and if we as teachers don’t know our students.

It is this sense of being known that is an incredible strength of our School and its community. To feel as though there are people who know my name and are interested in me is of vital importance. As parents, we value this for our children. As I interview prospective parents, they want to know about our programmes and outcomes but they are generally far more interested in developing a sense of whether this is a place that my child will be known, find connection and grow.

Some of our Year 11/12 students spoke at the Discover Calvin event recently and commented that one of the great strengths of our Senior Secondary programme for them was that they got to know their teachers better, that they were building on relationship, and that this was a significant support in those potentially challenging years of education. It is perhaps no surprise that our classes are full.

As followers of Jesus, we can know the sustaining relationship with God that will enable us to better support one another and be a better relational community. Jesus modelled relationship walking with his disciples, all whilst encouraging them to know God better. One of our Primary Campus memory verses for Term 3 is that beautiful summary of Biblical relationship – ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind…Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself.’ Luke 10:27 This is relationship with one another built on the foundational strength of knowing who we are in God.

May the God of grace bless you and your families during the coming school holiday break.

Scott Ambrose - Principal