Bridget O'Leary

Yarra Ranges Tech School - Box Hill Institute

We live in a fast-paced globalised world that is becoming more automated and interconnected. Students need to learn the skills to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow. YRTS is a high-tech innovative learning environment where teachers and students undertake Project Challenges and Design Briefs to discover STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), Design Thinking, Industry Context and Systems Processes. The Design Briefs incorporate technologies such as Robotics, Virtual Reality, Electronics, 3D CAD design software, 3D Printing, Arduino C-Programming, Raspberry Pi (Python Programming), Computerised Business Scenario Simulation gaming environment. An online learning management system provides comprehensive resources to teachers and students, thus enabling the conduct of blended and flipped classroom learning. The Project Challenges and Design Briefs are designed for Year 8, 9 and 10 students. Each Design Brief is designed to be run in a single school day - over the course of a few hours - for teachers and students to gain hands-on exposure to technologies, industry context, systems processes and soft skills practice. Twenty local schools in the local precinct are Partner Schools to YRTS. Students undertake these Project Challenges by working in teams, and the projects help the students develop high-level transformative soft skills, namely: We strive to design, develop and deliver Programs that are sophisticated and differentiated from the commonplace lessons and experiments used in home schools. Our desire is to inspire and upskill teachers so they pass it on to their students. Schools gain optimum benefit when they integrate the YRTS Program into their school lessons and program; and when they practice the discovery learning approach.