Contemporary Learning
Mater Dei Catholic College provides a holistic education in which each student is challenged to develop capacity for self reflection as they engage in the learning process.
A holistic education is one in which students need to be active community members, to work effectively with peers and teachers, to have a strong faith which guides their decision making and underpins their values and to strive to achieve their personal academic best.
A Mater Dei education is one in which the elements of faith, learning and community are present in the education of young people.
Students at Mater Dei develop a love of learning. They engage with passionate, exemplary teachers who value the learning relationship. Growth as a whole person is at the core of learning at the College.
An integral component of the Mater Dei learning program is Integrated Learning, which takes place across the curriculum.
In this context, students undertake, through a series of tasks that focus on real world situations, to develop the skills of independent and life-long learning.
These skills focus on the effective use of ICT, a range of literacies from word literacy to critical literacy and numeracy, as well as the development of social and emotional skills.
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ConnecTED Learning Program
ConnecTED Learning is about preparing students for a lifetime of learning.
In Year 7, we have an amazing team of teachers facilitating English, History, Geography and Religion to 140 students in a flexible space.
We use inquiry-based learning for every unit so that students can clearly see the process of learning. Because they recognise that pattern of learning, we have confident students who can try new things with confidence. Our students know they can go to any teacher or adult in the Glasshouse for help and feedback. We even have student experts in the Glasshouse because sometimes your peers are the best people to ask for help.
Technology is a big part of our learning and students develop skills to find appropriate, useful, relevant information and they’re taught how to use it to show their depth of understanding.
Using peer and self assessment, students are constantly gauging where they are at in their learning and setting achievable goals to improve themselves.
How to give great feedback is explicitly taught from the beginning of Year 7 and so, by setting that expectation and making it easy to respond to, what we end up with is students of all abilities, who can talk about their own learning.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Program
Year 8 students participate in the STEAM program. STEAM is the integrated teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. It is currently at the forefront of educational practice across secondary education, university and TAFE sectors in conjunction with Industry leaders such as Westpac, BAE Systems and Johnson and Johnson. International research also indicates that 75% of the fastest growing occupations now require STEAM skills and knowledge (Australian Chief Scientist, 2014).
This year, students will participate in units such as Makerspace Sandpit, MBot Golfing Challenge, Design Challenge and the Solar Car Challenge. This subject will benefit students by building the skills needed to actively contribute to society and influence scientific developments through innovation, both now and in the future. (NSW Education Standards Authority, 2017) These skills include:
• Complex problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Collaboration and negotiation
• Judgement and decision-making skills
• Practical skills in designing and making
