School Case Study: Yule Brook Community College Western Australia Yule Brook Community College is a government middle school (Years 8-10) in a low socioeconomic outer suburb of Perth. It has a 40 per cent Indigenous student population in a total enrolment of 187 students. The College was founded in 2000 specifically to develop more effective ways of assisting the teaching and learning of young adolescents. In 2007, the College became a Big Picture Inspired School. As such, it draws on the Big Picture Education Australia s highly personalised approach to education, which combines personalised learning and other academic work with real world learning. Big Picture schools are small by design and focus on the power of one-on-one interaction through Advisory Groups, which at Yule Brook are no larger than 17 students. The environment places the students and their interests at the centre of the learning process and involves parents and community. A key to the model is placing students in an internship with a mentor in the world of work and community every week. There is an agreement with parents that they become fully engaged in their child s education. Prior to Yule Brook s involvement in the Big Picture model, parent attendance at school P&C meetings and other school functions was approximately 10 per cent. With the introduction of Personalised Learning Programs (PLPs) and their associated exhibitions of students work, parent attendance is now at 90 per cent. Yule Brook s priorities for Indigenous students include increasing student attendance and engagement by providing opportunities to learn in a social environment. In addition, the school has a focus on fostering and maintaining positive community partnerships. It also prioritises the promotion of active citizenship and improving numeracy and literacy outcomes. Underpinning everything the school does with regard to Indigenous education is its Aboriginal Community Agreement. This is a regularly reviewed commitment between and school and the community to support their Indigenous students and encourage them to attend school. Developing PLPs The implementation of PLPs at Yule Brook commenced with all Year 8 students in 2007. It was introduced in attempt to develop more effective ways of assisting the teaching and learning of many disengaged adolescents at the College. In 2008, the Year 8 and 9 cohorts engaged with these plans, and in 2009, the entire school now operates under this system of learning. From the outset, the Heads of Teams were the driving force behind the implementation of PLPs. They worked with the small group of Year 8 Advisory teachers to develop the process for
implementing the PLPs and the Seven Learning Goals that have become the basis for the plans in 2009. The domains for the goals include: empirical reasoning quantitative reasoning social reasoning communication artistic reasoning technical reasoning health and wellbeing. While all Year groups are now involved with PLPs (which account for between 10 and 16 hours of school time each week), Year 8 and 9 students also attend separate Maths, English, Science, Society and Environment and elective classes and Year 10 students attend Maths and English classes that complement the learning undertaken in their PLP classes. Characteristics of the PLPs Pivotal to the development of the PLPs is the involvement of the Advisory teachers. These teachers work with their small Advisory Group to negotiate student learning plans, convening meetings with students, parents and mentors to develop the plans and discuss progress. They investigate learning opportunities at worksites, help students develop depth in extended projects and exhibition development, and are involved in one-to-one counselling of students. The following themes are pursued with each student by the Advisory teachers: Relevance - by working with students to find their interests and ensuring that internships and projects are connected to those interests. Relationships - by supporting students to learn to work with peers in the advisory class, others in the school with their mentors and others in the community. Rigour - by continually challenging students to deepen their learning and improve their performance across all learning goals. Key aspects of the PLPs include: the development of a learning plan that identifies learning goals linked to the Seven Key Learning Goals regular learning plan meetings between the Advisory teacher, the student, a parent and sometimes a mentor tools to encourage students to be organised, self-managed and to manage their time encouragement of students to follow their passions or interests when planning their PLPs up to 11 opportunities throughout the year for face-to-face parent meetings with the Advisory teacher and their child learning through internship where each student engages in meaningful project work outside the school under the direction of a mentor the evaluation of student learning and development through a variety of performances, including a portfolio of work and quarterly exhibitions. Advisors provide written, in-depth assessments of each student s progress. exhibitions where students present their work and learning at the end of each quarter to their family, mentor, advisory teacher and peers
student reflection in the form of multiple entries in a weekly journal, portfolios and teacher reflection in the form of a written narrative for parents and students at the end of each term. The flow diagram below represents the various stages involved in the development and implementation of a PLP at Yule Brook. While not totally linear in nature, all students are expected to have commenced their PLPs by week 5 of each Term. Creating a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) Determine an Area of Passion (week 1) Make sure you are pursuing your passion. Ask your Advisor for help Refer to Finding Your Passion Personal Qualities Self Assessment (week 1) Set goals for the term using the Personal Qualities Self Assessment rubric. Submit this to your Advisor for checking Mind Map/Analytical Note Taking (week 2) Complete a Mind Map/Note Taking activity to determine your initial knowledge. Use the Mind Map Assessment rubric to ensure that your Mind Map is up to YBC standards assess yourself and ask your Advisor to assess your mind map too Focus and Thesis (week 2) Narrow your topic down by choosing a focus area. Create your thesis statement. Undertake further research on your focus area and complete another mind map or note taking activity. Draft PLP (week 3) Create a draft of your PLP using the template provided by your Advisor. Look at the learning goals and expectations for your year group. If needed refer to the 5 A s of Designing a Good Task. If by now you are not excited by your ILP then go back to Step 1. Your Advisor and family will help refine your PLP at your PILP meeting PLP Meeting Set Up Set up your ILP meeting with your Advisor and family. Go over your PLP and be prepared to speak about it at the meeting PLP Meeting (week 5) Discuss your ILP with your Advisor and family. Make changes and then have your Advisor and family sign the PLP Reflect on the Meeting (week 5) Complete a journal reflection on your PLP and your meeting. Ask your Advisor for guidance Start Your Plan (ASAP) Create your Super Calendar. Conduct research from a range of sources. Work to your deadlines. Submit work regularly to your Advisor for assessment. Exhibition Preparation Portfolio (ongoing) Start creating your power point presentation for your exhibition. Update your presentation as you complete work. A template is provided for you. Implementing PLPs
The Advisory Teacher Resource Booklet outlines the key planning and assessment tools and artefacts Advisory teachers and students use to develop the PLPs and prepare for their exhibitions and internships. An integral part of the implementation plan is the involvement of parents and family members at PLP meetings and exhibitions. Parent attendance at these events has been outstanding. Timetabling at Yule Brook has completely changed to facilitate the implementation of PLPs. Year 8 and 9 students spend approximately a third of their school time involved in PLP work and Year 10 students spend more than half their school time working on PLPs. Fostering strong relationships with the Advisory teacher is the paramount priority for timetabling. The school staffing has also been restructured to facilitate the implementation of the PLPs. Under the Principal and Associate Principal sit the Heads of Teams for each year group. They are responsible for the overseeing of the implementation of PLPs for their particular student cohort. Under each Head of Team sit 4-5 Advisory Teachers who are responsible for the planning, implementation and review of up to 17 students PLPs and also their other academic programs. The Learning through Internship program necessitates strong links with the local community to find regular placements for students. The local business community, the City of Gosnells and staff from the Beacon No Dole program have assisted students and Advisors to find meaningful project work to complement PLPs. The Beacon No Dole program aims to address the issue of youth unemployment and familial welfare dependence, as well as improve the school to work transition. Individual support and mentoring strategies include: a mentoring program whereby members of the local community regularly meet with students whom they have previously been involved with through their Learning through Internship projects to follow their academic and personal progress teacher aides providing additional support for students the involvement of up to half of all first year students from Curtin University s teacher training program as mentors during their compulsory teaching practice at the College the involvement of the Clontarf Football Academy, which runs a football development program for Indigenous boys at the College. To be part of the program students must continue to attend school. The Academy staff members (many of whom are ex-afl players) act as mentors and trainers who help address many of the negative impacts on participants lives. They also assist in class with students PLP achievement the YORGAZ program for predominantly Indigenous girls, which exists to encourage female students to attend school. The program is a life skills based approach that includes a focus on physical activity. Monitoring and reviewing the plan The Principal acknowledged that whole school support for PLPs is crucial for their successful implementation and regular and ongoing professional development of staff in this area has supported the strong cultural shift towards the acceptance of this style of teaching and learning. Yule Brook is classified as a hard to staff school, although interestingly last year no teacher requested a transfer. In addition the College is in the top three winner schools for the Indigenous
Education national Dare to Lead program and recently won the Norm Hyde Pastoral Care in Education Award which is open to every school in Western Australia. Strategies to monitor learning growth of students include: student reflection on their goal setting sheets; student exhibitions; collection of literacy and numeracy data by Advisory teachers to inform future PLPs with tools such as the Literacy Net and participation in NAPLAN standard literacy and numeracy tests. A strong emphasis on cooperative learning programs that focus on personalised learning, such as Getting it Right and First Steps has also helped foster improvements in Indigenous numeracy and literacy throughout the College. A 45 per cent increase in attainment levels for numeracy in the NAPLAN test was achieved at the College for those students tested in Year 7 and Year 9 last year. This was the most significant improvement of any school in the district. Improved outcomes for students include: increased attendance and improved behaviour. In 2005 there were a total of 297 suspension days recorded and in 2008 this figure had reduced to only 31 days. increased social and employment skills improvements in literacy and numeracy through a focus on quality teaching and engaging students in personalised learning Improved outcomes for staff include: increased understanding of students in their care an increased emotional involvement with their work professional growth given that staff work across several learning areas greater staff cohesion and support. Improved outcomes for parents include: increased involvement in secondary schooling and their child s education a sense of control over their child s learning progress increased value placed on education and learning increased emotional involvement between parent and child. Impediments to the personalised approach to learning were cited as being: lack of teacher time; staff inexperience in this whole school PLP approach; and the dysfunctional and dependent nature of their students, which often made academic progress slow. The rigorous reporting systems required by DET to be made available to parents were also noted as an impediment to meaningfully report students progress to parents. It was envisaged these impediments would be addressed as the school staff and community became more familiar with the process. The cohesive nature and give it a go attitude of all staff, the flexibility of the timetable, and the small nature of the school were cited as helpful factors in implementing PLPs at Yule Brook. The next step for Yule Brook is to practise, review and improve the PLP process and extend the Year 10 delivery to incorporate courses of study programs to assist the transition of students into their upper school destinations. Engagement of online curricula and technology links to other schools is being investigated to increase the depth of expertise and enhance internships and rigour of the PLPs.