The Year 8s at Aquinas College are Minecraft mad at the moment. Perhaps they’ve been Minecraft mad for years, but there was no doubt that the prospect of using Minecraft as a learning tool in Religious Education during Term 2 this year tantalised the minds of our Year 8 students.

There’s no question of Minecraft’s appeal, especially to Middle School aged boys. Whatever you make is only really bound by your imagination. It’s those endless possibilities that make Minecraft Education Edition an ideal tool for learning in Religious Education this term, as we look at the themes of Creation and Stewardship.

The engagement by our Year 8 students has exceeded expectations. Students were informed that they would be placed in groups at random in their respective Religious Education classes, as a means to help develop their Collaboration and Communication skills, two of the five twenty-first century learning skills that teaching staff across all learning areas will continue to develop in Middle School through Project-Based Learning. Being placed in groups of three or four at random did present an initial challenge to students as it meant being placed outside of comfort zones. This was done primarily to dissuade students from a “play” mentality. Minecraft, at its core, is a game. In order to move from a “play” mindset to a “project” mindset, placing students in groups at random was a necessary step. This is not to say, however, that our Year 8s will not be having fun. Fortunately, this has borne much fruit. It has been very pleasing to see our Year 8 students working collaboratively and using their maturing communication skills to achieve a common goal and see the bigger picture.

Students were given the freedom to choose between a number of Creation stories: The Fall, The Tower of Babel, Cain and Abel, and Noah’s Ark. In each of these stories are valuable lessons about the responsibilities mankind has towards creation, namely as regards our relationship with God, each other, ourselves, and the rest of creation. The students’ objective will be to - through their builds and subsequent presentation using iMovie - convey these learnings.

So why Minecraft? The creative aspect of Minecraft will encourage students to care for what they have had a hand in making, and there will be a sense of satisfaction that stems from tracking the progress of their work and subsequently completing it. Creativity and Accomplishment are core elements of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, i.e. Self-Actualisation and Esteem. Students become more efficient learners when given opportunities to be creative and when progress is tangible. When the bigger picture becomes more apparent, students will be able to clearly associate their creative and collaborative experiences with syllabus content.

Our Year 8 students will produce something of substance and spectacle. It is hoped that a number of student projects will go on display for the entire College community to see.

Catch up on the events of the Middle and Senior School Houses for the past few weeks.

Read a brief overview of the past few weeks as written by the Heads of School.

The Middle School art club have had a busy term. They have designed an Albert Einstein inspired poster for the art room gate, they have created some clay animals and a clay burger! They are also working on a commission for the Media Arts department!

Here are some comments from the boys at art club:

"The only thing limiting you is your imagination here at art club. Art club is full of creativity, and the attitude in the studio is fun and playful. You get to meet many new people and share your love of art and many other hobbies and interests. you choose your OWN idea and project, whether it be clay, fine art or designing. It is up to you to create your own project. Here at art club, we support the freedom of thought."

-Max Di Lello

"My favourite part about art club is getting to work on your own piece and always looking forward to coming and doing art with my friends."

- Isaac Valente

BREAKING NEWS 🎥

Mr McFadden has been murdered!

No...not really. He's fine. But members of AC TV gathered the other week to undertake an intensive training session - led by BBC Producer (and wife of Mr McFadden) Mrs Eastman - where they learned to craft a news story based around the tragic murder of our College Principal.

Take a look behind the scenes.

Catch up on the latest sports news.

The focus and techniques used in the acquisition of a foreign language have certainly changed over time. Today language teachers successfully integrate digital media with inquiry-based learning. The language student is exposed to a myriad of linguistic and cultural experiences and can interact with authentic material. This enrichment helps students connect and build an understanding of their immediate world and tolerance of foreign cultures. In these unprecedented times, these character traits are expected and highlighted.

Prof Satti explains, ‘Having Pedagogical structure for Junior School students maximises their engagement. Tasks that are relevant really promote creativity and collaboration. The use of technology supports the learning and enhances the 21st-century skills.”

During any given lesson, a Global Studies or Language student will demonstrate critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and Christian character. These 21st Century skills are transferable between courses and enhanced throughout life.

Mr James Brown who teaches Global Studies comments, “Having a large focus on student-directed learning this year appears to be going very well. The boys have improved their ability to reference their work. I believe this is important for them to develop early if they are wishing to attend university.”

At Aquinas College, project-based learning can occur as a face-to-face discussion or on the dynamic Teams Wall. This training ground provides our students with the tools to succeed in school. It also assists them to be an outstanding contributor to the task at hand and for their peers.

Prof Leopardi reflects, “Students who are confident learners are encouraged to help others and this I believe builds character for all involved.”

The Language/Global Studies teachers are teaching traditional syllabus points using modern methodology. They are especially keen on how the Class OneNote can offer opportunities for differentiation. Students are required to complete a variety of activities in any given lesson according to their level of ability and determination.

Mrs Megan Monks and Mr Michael Evelegh agree that OneNote offers greater diversity for the learner.

In conclusion, project-based learning tasks need a wide-angle lens coupled with clear instruction and strong research parameters. Successful learning occurs when learners work together and listen to different viewpoints. A more complete grasp of the concepts is made. Working independently on the same task would not provide the same depth of understanding.

Two are better off than one because together they can work more effectively. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

A Year 7 boy’s journey in character development has continued this term with students examining inspiring people from World War 1 and what virtues they espouse. With this knowledge, each boy considered how they could improve their personal character by comparing the conditions their inspiring person faced in World War 1 with their current life circumstances identifying what their character strengths are and which they weak in and could improve.

The next unit of study in the Year 7 Veritas course is Cybersafety. Our students use the internet to learn, relax, have fun, express themselves, share interests, access services and connect with friends, family and online communities. While this increased connectivity has enormous benefits, it also places students at increased risk of online harms such as cyberbullying, image-based abuse, grooming, privacy breaches and online hate. Student’s online experiences play a significant role in their social and emotional development, which is why cyber safety education is a key component of the Year 7 Veritas program aiding in protecting the safety and wellbeing of our students online.

This term the Year 8 Veritas course undertook an evidence-based drug and alcohol education program. The college uses a harm minimisation approach aimed to reduce the risks associated with drug use, and promote healthier, alternative behaviours for students. This comprehensive approach to drug education gives boys the opportunity to gain accurate information about drugs and drug-related issues, including the misuse of alcohol, vaping/e-cigarettes and illicit substances. They were also provided with the opportunity to explore some communication strategies that can be helpful in disengaging people from being pressured into drug-related activities.

This Term sees the Year 9 boys move further along their path of transformation by being confronted with performing in the Year 9 Dance Spectacular, one of the many challenges’ boys will meet throughout the Odyssey Program. All Year 9 boys have been learning a group dance routine choreographed by specialist Dance Instructors with the goal being to proficiently perform their dance in front of family and friends at the Year 9 Dance Spectacular on the evening of Wednesday 2nd June. This will be the night when boys will be challenged to show courage and confront their fear by stepping on stage in front of 700+ people to perform their routine.

The benefits of this event to the development of character in a boy are huge: he has the opportunity to step outside the ‘Man Box’ challenging the stereotype that men don’t dance, he learns to rely on others as part of a team as well as being responsible for his actions within a team; he learns to use mechanisms to lower his stress levels in situations that are uncomfortable; he has the opportunity to demonstrate a Growth Mindset by stepping outside his comfort zone, and above all, he gets to have fun with his peers.

Throughout this past semester, the Perception and Critical Thinking elective program (PCT, hereafter) has run an Ethics Olympiad Task. This program has presented the Year 9s with many interesting cases surrounding current world events and issues, alongside inquisitive questions they would have to solve in the most ethical way possible, using a range of professional techniques. For example, PCT has seen students creating presentations addressing issues surrounding the unethical ‘Tiger King’ documentary - popular Netflix documentary series which displays the dangerous and abusive actions of Joe Exotic, a self-described gun-carrying redneck, towards animals and his demonizing behaviour towards Carol Baskin, an Animal Rights Activist (including his attempt to assassinate her). In this case, the students had to look at a wide range of ethical theories to attempt to solve a question surrounding the topic such as; consequentialism - determining whether something is ethical based on what determines the best implication. After months of preparation, two teams were selected to participate in the Ethics Olympiad Competition.

The Ethics Olympiad gave an opportunity to the students to share their ethical theories towards these cases with other students from Australia and South-East Asia. Throughout the course of the day, in teams of 5, the Year 9 students had to discuss and rebut 8 cases against students from Years 10 - 12. The students were then judged by professionals from universities around the world, such as Harvard, and the University of Texas. One of the teams placed 6th out of the 16 schools.

Overall it has been a very fun and insightful experience for the students, which has helped develop our public speaking skills dramatically and has introduced us to the topics of Philosophy and Ethics. Furthermore, the Ethics Olympiad has encouraged and exposed students to a new area, which they may take up as a profession in the future.