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Prospectus
At Ivanhoe Girls’, we recognise that educational excellence is tangible and is not a ‘one fits all model’. Consequently, as educators, we respond by providing our students with diverse programs and experiences where they can be challenged, as they learn and grow. Whether the challenge be on the sporting field, participating in an immersion experience, or in the classroom and beyond – the opportunities are infinite.
To aspire for excellence, we need commitment and to be constantly evolving. We need to imagine (as well as we can) what our graduates’ world will be like - at a broad level of generality. What does excellence look like and feel like?
Developing student voice and agency is crucial to the development of educational excellence. Quaglia and Corso’s (2014) research presents the premise that there are three guiding principles that must be prevalent for students to be aspirational, irrespective of context or indeed ability. Not surprisingly young people must have a sense of self-worth, be engaged, and have a clear purpose. They must feel valued, trusted, and know they have the ability to achieve. They must develop a keen desire to learn new things and be invested in their learning. And most importantly they must take responsibility for who they are and what they are becoming purpose is as much about who they want to be as what they want to do.
Over the last 12 months, a key focus of the Curriculum and Learning Team within Senior School has been working on identifying a set of core competencies and character strengths that will assist our students as they strive for excellence.
We have consulted with current students, leading educators, been informed by current research and undertaken significant discussion to establish what we wish to see as attributes in our graduates.
The outcome of this process is consequently presented in Figure 2.
Our deliberate intent at Ivanhoe Girls’ is to foster a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence in its broadest sense. We want our students to have a belief that they can face all kinds of difficulty and uncertainty calmly, confidently, and creatively and become the best version of themselves; to develop student voice and agency so they can actively contribute to the world that they will lead.
Ms Louisa Scerri
Director of Learning and Innovation
Thrive: The Purpose of Schools in a Changing World, Hannon V & Peterson A (2021). Cambridge UK.
Expansive Education: Teaching learners for the real world, Lucas B, Claxton, G & Spencer E (2013). ACER Press, Australia.