what students value, constrained
by what students know, and
adjusted to match what students
see as possible”
(Gale et al., 2010).
Context
Tasmanian students and education providers have tra- ditionally seen the end of Year 10 as the completion of their education. Tasmania still has less than 47 per cent of students completing Year 12 against a national average of 74 per cent in 2013. The outcomes for stu- dents in areas classified as provincial and remote are even less encouraging (Report on Government Ser- vices, 2015).
Tasmania’s population is geographically dispersed with nearly 60 per cent of the population living outside of the major cities/ towns (ABS, 2009). Coupled with changes in traditional industries such as forestry, mining, farming and an increasing use of technology in industries such as fish farming this fact means there is a need to shift the educational aspiration of students and that of their caregivers.
Project history
Bigger Things evolved out of the Educational Attain- ment Pilot project based in the Huon Valley. Bigger Things is a partnership between the Tasmanian Gov- ernment and the University of Tasmania to improve educational attainment—over time, and across the State. The project is part of the Tasmanian Govern- ment’s Partnership Agreement with the University and will run over a five-year period (2014–2018).
In its pilot phase Bigger Things is centred on Huonville High School, working with its feeder primary schools and Hobart College. The project’s primary aim is to ensure that all students in the Huon Valley have the aspiration, support and skills required to successfully transition from compulsory to tertiary education. A review undertaken by the Tasmanian State Govern- ment (Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2013) states that the “sustained building of student aspiration, the use of peer mentoring and the frequent exposure and demystification of university life, are some of the key actions than can assist low SES student transi- tion to tertiary education”. The review further states that “the significant decision stage regarding Year 12 attendance and tertiary education participation is around the age of 14; it is critical that the timing of an intervention is viewed as equally as important as the intervention itself”.
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Bigger Things Working Group
At time of writing, membership of the working group comprises staff from Department of Education, Uni- versity of Tasmania, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the principals of Huonville High School and Hobart College. The working group oversees four key strategies: (a) building student aspiration, (b) sup- porting teachers, parents, caregivers and the commu- nity, (c) building student capacity and skills, and (d) strengthening vocational education and training as a pathway. A senior member of the working group leads each strategy.
1. Building student aspiration (Sub-Group 1)
Activity under this strategy includes on-cam- pus visits for senior students to both the Sandy Bay and the Newnham campuses. During these visits, students have had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of topics including Sociology, Psychology, Nursing, Architecture, Human Movement, Mobile Technologies, and Visual Arts. The visits have given students the opportunity to explore campuses, interact with University students, and experience a univer- sity lecture.
During 2015, the Bigger Things team ran a Bigger Science Program across all feeder schools and high schools in the Huon Valley. The program included in-classroom delivery by science outreach staff, and the opportunity for students to present their work at the Huon Valley Science expo and bring their work onto the Sandy Bay Campus for the Science Inves- tigation Awards.
The Expo attracted more than 750 members of the Huon Valley community to a night of Science. The event included science dis- plays, science activities and presentations by Young Tassie Scientists group. We also had 423 participants in our World Record Stargaz- ing attempt.
The Bigger Science Program was successful on a number of levels, with parents and their children working on Science displays, and the schools, their staff, students and parents interacting at both academic and social levels. Regional students where given the opportu- nity to participate in the Science Investiga- tions Awards where their efforts were judged alongside the work of their peers. It was the first time Huon Valley based students partici- pated in the SIA and they did very well winning a number of awards.
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2. Supporting teachers, parents, caregivers and the community (Sub-Group 2)
Parents, caregivers and members of the broader community always play an important role in supporting successful learning out- comes for students.
In the Huon pilot, activity in this area has included having a University presence at events such as Huonville High Schools Year 11 and Beyond event. Parents were actively encouraged to participate in the Huon Valley Science Expo. Bigger Things also provided a bus to the University Open Day.
Bigger Things personnel also worked closely with senior Huonville High Staff organising lec- tures on topics such as Sociology, Psychology Agriculture Science and so on. These lectures coincided with senior student curricular. It is planned that the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment will coordinate a series of professional development opportuni- ties for high school and college staff.
3. Building student capacity and skills (Sub-Group 3)
The primary activity under this strategy has been to work with Hobart College and further develop its successful Buddy Program. The Program identified University of Tasmania stu- dents who have a connection with Huon Valley and invited them to become mentors for Huon Valley students attending Hobart College. The role of mentor includes topic-specific activity as well as study skills and discussion about university.
4. Strengthening VET as a pathway (Sub-Group 4)
Bill Duhig, Programs Officer, Department of Education has been delivering career informa- tion session to senior high school students, with an emphasis on aligning careers and pathways through the Australian Qualifications Framework or AQF, and the vocational and/or academic pathways to the students’ choices. Bill and his colleagues are also planning pro- fessional development sessions for Huonville High School staff.
This sub-group is developing marketing mate- rials better explaining the articulation arrange- ments between diploma level courses and bachelor degrees, including links to TasTAFE and the University of Tasmania web-sites and with specific examples.
Overall, Bigger Things is a longitudinal action project and it will take some time for benefits to emerge. By working closely with parents, students, schools, community and tertiary institutions and providing relevant information and experiences, more students will embrace lifelong learning and the benefits it presents.