Looking for Community Mentors

Connected Curriculum: looking for community mentors

Since it was first piloted in 2015, the Year 9 Connected Curriculum Project-Based Learning Unit has been central to every Fort Street High School student’s junior school experience.

During Term 4 a portion of normal class-time is set aside and students work in small, self-directed project teams on a tight schedule with feedback from selected mentor teachers. Each team applies their skills and knowledge to design a plan for a practical solution to a social, environmental, political or technological problem in their local or global community; this year they will address the most ‘wicked’ problem we face today: Climate Change, studying curriculum central to the Year 9 civics and citizenship course and building their knowledge of other subject areas.
The program will open with a small panel of experts, award-winning science journalist Jonica Newby, climate ethicist Byron Smith and Year 9 student activist Lucie Atkin-Bolton. Students will go on to play the Climate Action Simulation game, which will give them an experience not unlike the recent COP 26, and will view, read and discuss various media including Damon Gameau’s film 2040 before embarking on their own quest for creative solutions, which they will present in 3-minute videos. Robyn Williams AO, presenter of ABC Radio National’s Science Show, will close the program with feedback on group presentations.

Each team must select a brief to address from a menu of options grouped under the headings of
– Understanding and Activism
– Mitigation and Sustainability; and
– Adaptation and Resilience

Each project is also broadly aligned to one or more pathways for future career and study and to one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
Students will have approximately 30 hours to explore and research the issue and complete their project before they present their ideas on Friday 3rd December 2021.

We are looking for parent and community mentors, who may have knowledge or experience of climate change mitigation e.g. in governance, industry or media, to view group 3-4 video pitches of their strategy midweek, ideally on the evening of Wednesday 1 December, and offer feedback on ways to make their strategy more practicable.

Please contact me at Elizabeth.maddox@det.nsw.edu.au if you are able to assist.

Elizabeth Maddox
Connected Curriculum Coordinator 2021