LEARNING FUTURES NETWORK


BUILDING DEEP LEARNING RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS COMMUNITIES



QUALITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES



RECOGNISED PROGRAMS



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"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship."
-- James Comer



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Our CURRENT PROGRAMS





The Learning Futures Network offers programs that contribute to supporting school engagement and student aspirations for further education:


  • STEM4Innovation - http://www.stem4innovation.org/​ - developed at the height of the COVID-19 impacts in May 2020 - STEM4Innovation is WA education's response to the challenge “How do we emerge from COVID-19 impacts with an education system that is responsive, adaptable, contributory, community-linked and future-focussed?” - all student participants completing the requirements of STEM4Innovation challenges (submission of Solution Report and Video) meet ACES expectations.


  • Global Water Challenge - provides a scaffolded engagement with the content areas that inform understanding of Global Water and Sustainability issues, and introduces learners to the Aqua Republica game that underpins the UNEP-DHI Eco Challenge - unfortunately this challenge has been suspended - all prior participation is still recognised. We are looking for a replacement.

  • Balance of the Planet - is a challenge based learning program, built on Curtin University’s unique Challenge platform , that provides a managed student-centred and collaborative learning experience focussed on developing solutions for the world’s greatest problems in sustainability.

    Learn more and sign up to join the     Balance of the Planet.

  • Global Goals Challenge - is a three-day challenge-based workshop that engages students from Learning Futures Network and Innovative Schools Consortium member institutions to engage in an intensive design process to identify and suggest solutions to problems related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Student participation is facilitated by a hosting teacher and an experienced educator from Curtin University and includes mentoring opportunities with experts from academia, industry, community and cultural organisations. This can also be accompanied by a teacher professional learning event around managing open-ended challenge-based enquiry connected to curriculum outcomes and the development of learner capabilities. Hosted by a member school in the final week of each term (or other times by special arrangement) - learn more and sign up as a host or mentor.

  • Sparking Action Online - (Sky Croeser, Internet Studies) -

    Addressing global challenges increasingly requires an online presence, whether it’s to gain support for your project, to raise awareness, or to connect with others working in the area. This activity supports students in building an understanding of how to develop an effective and thoughtful online presence. The activity is currently offered as a face-to-face workshop but will soon include an extended engagement via an online course. Please contact Dr Sky Croeser for details.

  • First Robotics Competition (FRC) - The FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) is an awe-inspiring STEM Outreach project which combines the excitement of sport with the rigours of science and technology. FRC is resource intensive and is a challenging project to undertake. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand”, hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. In the process of constructing the robot along with the other tasks performed throughout the FIRST® Robotics Competition team, students learn valuable life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, public speaking, technical science and engineering skills, Gracious Professionalism®, and more. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get.

  • The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is designed for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The robot kit is programmed using Java, the MIT App Inventor, or other Android programming systems.

  • UNEP-DHI Eco Challenge Australia - http://ecochallengeaustralia.com.au - the Australian component of the global UNEP-DHI Eco Challenge operating in 20 countries to engage learners in better understanding of Water Management and Global Sustainability issues (annual event from February - August) - unfortunately this challenge has been suspended - all prior participation is still recognised. We are looking for a replacement.

  • Global Water Challenge - provides a scaffolded engagement with the content areas that inform understanding of Global Water and Sustainability issues, and introduces learners to the Aqua Republica game that underpins the UNEP-DHI Eco Challenge - unfortunately this challenge has been suspended - all prior participation is still recognised. We are looking for a replacement.

    For more information on the FIRST offerings see the Curtin STEM Outreach webpage, or contact Tim Keely.



LOOKING AHEAD





Curtin is continuing to develop new engagement partnerships :


  • AHEAD Academy. Schools are invited to make use of Curtin’s outstanding online ‘aspiration-raising’ program to increase the number and quality of students seeking higher education. The Academy is delivered as a blend of online and locally offered learning engagements with the goal of raising expectations and helping students make plans for continued learning after high school




HIGHER EDUCATION INSIGHTS

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The Learning Futures Network also provides an avenue for schools to learn about the expectations of higher education, alternative entry pathways, Direct Entry Portfolio processes, teacher professional learning and postgraduate opportunities, and to be more proactive in collaborative engagements with higher education.



CURTIN SHAPE AWARD

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The Curtin SHAPE Award has been developed to reward and assist students who have demonstrated high achievement and performance engagement and want to pursue study at Curtin University. SHAPE award recipients are committed to and show a strong desire to learn, demonstrate high-level capability in one or more discipline areas and have high aspirations for themselves.


Students can begin accumulating value for a SHAPE application as early as Year 7. The value can be built up to a maximum of $3000 by the time they choose to apply to come to Curtin.

​To apply for the award students must have completed one or more endorsed Curtin Achievement Centred Engagement for Students (ACES) activities (e.g. AHEAD, Innovative Schools Consortium Programs). Students must submit an online personal statement and obtain an online recommendation from a school staff member or ACES endorsed program leader. [MORE]



'Curtin ready' MEMBER PROGRAMS





The Learning Futures Network offers programs that contribute to supporting school engagement and student aspirations for further education.​

Member organisations are able to apply to have their programs recogised. Contact the Learning Futures Team at Curtin University to get an application package. There is no cost but there are selection criteria to ensure quality.


Look for the RAPP badge shown above.​



CURRENT RECOGNISED MEMBER PROGRAMS





Curtin is continuing to develop new engagement partnerships and will update this list as new programs are added:




Attributes for Curtin Ready Learners



Curtin's preferred attributes have been mapped against:
- Mastery Consortium Model,
- ISTE Standards for Learners
- IB approaches to Learning
- ACARA General Capabilities
- Fullan 6C Model
- Global Digital Citizen Foundation Essential Fluencies

Learners are encouraged to develop a digital portfolio of evidence of learning. Capturing the context, the work completed and the learning achieved. The Learning Futures team at Curtin will develop some frameworks and guidelines during 2018.






Collaboration

(5)

Establishing and maintaining shared understanding

Taking appropriate action to solve the problem

Establishing and maintaining team organisation

Creativity

(4)

Idea Generation

Design and Refinement

Openness and Exploration

Working Creatively

Creative Production

Personal Learning

(2)

Sharing experience

Examining diverse concepts

Articulating, applying and building understanding

Communicating new powers and creations

Problem Solving

(3)

Exploring and understanding

Representing and formulating

Planning and executing

Monitoring and reflecting

Global Sustainability

(1)

Recognising and valuing the needs and cultures of others

Active Involvement in addressing global needs

Supporting the development of the social, economic and environmental pillars ​


(1) Brundtland, G. H. (1987). Our common future: The world commission on environment and development.
Sustainable Development (Vol. 154). https://doi.org/10.1080/07488008808408783
(2) Friedrichs, A., & Gibson, D. (2003). Personalization and secondary school renewal.
In J. DiMartino, J. Clarke, & D. Wolf (Eds.), Personalized learning: Preparing high school students to create their futures. (p. 41–68.).
Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Education.
(3) Mayer, R., & Wittrock, M. (1996). Problem-solving transfer.
In D. Berliner & R. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology (pp. 47–62). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
(4) Mishra, P., Henriksen, D., & Group, D. P. R. (2013). A NEW Approach to Defining and Measuring Creativity:
Rethinking Technology & Creativity in the 21st Century. TechTrends, 57(5), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-013-0685-6
(5) Roschelle, J., & Teasley, S. (1995). The construction of shared knowledge in collaborative problem-solving.
In C. O’Malley (Ed.), Computer-supported collaborative learning (pp. 69–97). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.


See the mapping to other frameworks [HTML]

LEARNING FUTURES NETWORK



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Learning Futures Network established July 2017

Members are encouraged to practice due diligence when engaging with other member organisations. Please report any behaviours contrary to the Networks goals and intentions.