If learning occurred and there was no rubric attached, did it really happen? Although meant tongue in cheek, this line relates to the core purpose of the ASMS – learning for our own goals and interests, connecting with those around us and looking at the latest in science and mathematics fields.
The Research Project panel presentations this week were evidence of this, where students displayed their passions of how they are going to approach an inquiry of their own making. The vast range of subjects blew the panels away for example, genetic engineering dispositions of 13–24-year-olds, light weight building materials in earthquake zones, nutrition program accessibility and quality, static jump height variability in athletes, and the normalisation of dysmenorrhea.
Another opportunity for chasing passions will be the International Science Fair in Week 7 later this term, the theme being “learning from the past to change the future”. ASMS will be hosting more than fifty visitors from Japan, The Netherlands, Queensland, Burra, Roxby Downs and elsewhere. It’s a week of exploration, interrogation, and collaboration in areas of students’ choosing. It’s a week to learn deep and relate deeply, take some risks, and develop learner attributes with an unknown outcome – scary hey?
The students have selected their choices and more information will be available soon regarding excursions and timetables. In some ways this relates to the outdated answers to – why do we need to learn this? ‘because it’s in the exam’, ‘because you’ll need it one day’ – what if the answer was – ‘because you chose to’ or, ‘it’s the first step in reaching your learning goal’?
Let’s not always focus on the assessment of the learning, but the learning itself.
Kylie Eggers, Principal