Senior College Program (Years 7-12)

Big Picture

Big Picture education drives learning through individual student passions and interests. Students in Years 7-12 develop their academic work within an advisory of up to 20 students who are linked with an advisor who supports and facilitates their learning around the Big Picture design. Students become independent learners who are able to take ownership of all areas of their learning from planning their learning, researching their enquiry questions through to exhibiting their work at the end of each term. As part of the Big Picture framework, all students engage in real-world experience through internships or outlearning opportunities that connect their academic college-based learning to industry-based learning. As students move through to Year 11 and 12 they begin to refine and build on their interests to develop a post-school pathway plan for further study or employment.The Big Picture Education program prepares students for opportunities beyond school with an emphasis on relevance and real-world learning.

Family Involvement

Families play an integral part in the journey from being involved with learning through theLearning Plan meeting (9-12) at the start of each term and at the end in the Exhibition/Conference. It is a required commitment by the families to attend both the learning plan meeting and exhibition each term. Families help shape the learning and provide critical support and feedback. The best part of this is that they get to witness firsthand the continued personal growth.

Learning Plans and Exhibitions

The learning plan provides the foundation for student work. The focus is on personalised learning-one student at a time with each student displaying different strengths, passions, interests, needs and learning preferences. Each student has a focussed, personal learning plan that is tailored to meet their interests and needs. This plan is a map of a student's journey through their experience. No two learning plans will be exactly the same. The advisory teacher ensures that the learning plan focuses on different learning goals throughout the year leading to a well-rounded personal learning plan.

Exhibitions/ Conferences allow for the students to showcase their entire term's learning. This is an opportunity for the students to bring together their experiences and present it to their chosen panel. They have a dedicated 1-hour exhibition time slot that ensures their family and advisor are engaged in their learning. Each term's exhibitions highlight personal and academic growth.

Learning Through Internship

We learn best when we are personally motivated and interested. Where we have a passion for what we are doing, knowledge unfolds and evolves naturally. LTI is a core structure in Big Picture. It involves being immersed in an external place of work for 1-2 days per week in an area of interest. Students are linked with a mentor-an expert in that field of work, where they learn essential skills and gain a deeper understanding of the role and their interest. Together, student and mentor develop a project that is of benefit to the workplace and supports student's learning. The primary purpose of LTI is to build knowledge, understanding and skills in the context of authentic work by encouraging students to follow their passions.

Graduation Portfolio

The Graduation Portfolio is a compilation of a student's work, typically from Yr 9-12, that demonstrates their capacity to explore, research and develop as a learner in their field of interest. It demonstrates a student's readiness for employment, vocational education or tertiary education. It can also facilitate support for entrepreneurial ventures. There are key elements that complete the graduation portfolio:

The graduation portfolio standards map the BPLA learning goals against the AQF, through the IBPLC.