small steps

I was fortunate enough to be provided with a first class example of what can be done by colleagues at my school. A year 11 IST class organised a trivia night as an assessment task and raised money for the Childrens Hospital at Westmead. It was a hugely successful event with the students raising well over $8000. The aspect of the task that was so impressive for me was that it was such a relevant and practical task for students and it had ‘real world’ meaning. The students must feel very proud that they organised an event that raised such a substantial amount and it was such a practical way to demonstrate the skills and outcomes required by the course.

The task for me is an excellent example of the ‘assessment for learning’ model. The task also provided huge scope for learning above and beyond the outcomes for the task. The fact that it involved the wider school community and thus generated school spirit were wonderful aspects of the task. The focus on fundraising and raising money for the children’s hospital also strongly supports the catholic values of compassion and is a great way for students to experience this core value.