The Curriculum Through ICT Program
Ideas Bank

Worlds Within Worlds
Years 7 - 10Years 10 - 12

THE TASK

This learning program engaged students in investigating our universe: from the unimaginably small to the unbelievably large.

It offered students tasks spanning four learning areas and included a choice of activities across a range of learning styles. The project themes and learning area tasks were determined with explicit student input. The program was presented online as a 16 task matrix that directed students to select tasks from each of the English, Mathematics, Society and Environment and Science learning areas. Some tasks were individual and some group based. Students completed at least one task in each learning area.

The program was created by a cross-curricular middle school learning team. Aspects of the Overarching Learning Outcomes that were relevant across the four learning areas were identified. These included effective teamwork and collaboration, problem solving and creativity, reflection and goal setting, and effective information gathering and evaluation. These outcomes provided the connection between the tasks in different learning areas. They were provided to the students in an evaluation matrix and assessed by teachers from different learning areas.

ICT ENRICHMENT

  • Online delivery of task resources for anywhere, anytime access. Students could access all the inquiry materials in any of the classes they were using during inquiry time, as well as in the library and from their homes.
  • Thinking tools and graphic organisers were provided online to scaffold learning. Students recorded peer tutoring video clips explaining how each tool or organiser could be used.
  • Attached to each task was an online message board that provided students with a forum to exchange ideas and resources.
  • Online delivery allowed multimedia resources to be included. Many tasks had video clips, web sites and music clips available to assist students in completing the tasks.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

ASSESSMENT

  • Final task products, completed scaffolding tools and graphic organisers, extracts from the message boards, the peer tutoring video clips, weekly planners, and group and individual learning reviews, were all contributing evidence used to inform final student evaluation.
  • Students compiled an inquiry portfolio to demonstrate achievement and improvement.
  • Learning outcomes help-sheets were used by students to help them see what it took to achieve the outcomes at different levels.
  • Provision of an evaluation matrix linked to the Overarching Learning Outcomes provided students with explicit criteria on how they would be assessed. The evaluation matrix was very useful in assisting students to set meaningful goals for improvement.

LEARNING AREA OUTCOMES

English
Writing

Mathematics
Number
Understand numbers
Understand operations
Calculate

Society and Environment
Investigation, Communication and Participation
Resources
Place and Space

Science
Communicating Scientifically
Life and Living

Developed by Martin Clery and associated teachers at Como Secondary College.
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