Overview

Passions and Pathways is designed to operate over a full term and provide students with a range of experiences to enhance their knowledge of the variety of career pathways the local community has to offer.

Students from generational poverty have:

• Limited understanding and experience of family members involved in ongoing employment and consequently limited experience with the skills and values important in the workplace.
• Limited aspirations in regard to higher education, ongoing employment and having a career based on what has happened in their own families.
• Very limited understanding of the types of occupations in the broader community or the various and often multiple education pathways to achieving a career (on the job training, apprenticeship, study at TAFE, university degree structure).

Participation in a broad range of experiences around employment and exploration of a range of pathways to a variety of careers prior to secondary schooling can significantly raise the aspirations, knowledge and skills of students from generational poverty and support them to have a positive approach to developing a career pathway.

Through Passions and Pathways the broader community (Local Learning & Employment Networks, local councils, industry and employment groups, tertiary education providers) can play a critical role in supporting schools to raise the aspirations, knowledge, and skills of students.

Components:

Workplace Preparation

• Young Industry Ambassadors visit schools and operate an interactive workshop with students in Passions and Pathways with an emphasis on their individual jobs and the pathway they used to get to this job.
• OH&S staff visit school and prepare students on a range of OH&S requirements for the workplace tours the students will participate in.

Workplace Tours

These are across a range of workplaces in the local community. Ideally they cover a broad range of occupations both across the tours and within each tour location itself. Each tour is for the duration of approximately one hour and is designed to be interactive with students asking a variety of questions and recording a range of information for analysis later at school.

Projects

The aim of the projects is to provide a more hands on experience for a small group of students (approximately 8).  The project may explore an aspect of the work at a tour location in a meaningful way for grade 6 students. Additional projects may be hosted by additional workplace providers and local educators. Projects operate over a 3 week period with a set group of students attending the project during this time.

Tertiary Education Providers

Students participate in workshops at a local tertiary provider (TAFE or university). The aim is for students to work in one of the faculty areas exploring a range of hands on activities appropriate for Year Six students but making use of some of the facilities available which are not on offer at local primary schools. These experiences provide an opportunity for students to visit the local tertiary providers – something many students from generational poverty have not done with their families.

Time Provision

Passions and Pathways is designed to operate over a period of a full term. During this period a weekly allocation of time needs to be made to the program along the following suggested lines:

• A minimum of two hours for the tour and project part of the program. (This allows for 2 tours per day). This time allocation does not include travel time to venues or travel between venues.
• A minimum of 1.5 hours for workshops conducted by OH&S specialists and Young Industry Ambassadors.
• At least 2 additional hours of class time weekly to explore prior learning and develop further learning from workshops, tours and projects.

Planning the Program

Extensive work prior to the program needs to be put into building a team of local stakeholders who will be instrumental in developing the program. This group could include local industry, manufacturing and employment groups, local tertiary education providers, local council representatives, Local Employment and Learning Network leaders as well as participating school staff.

A timetable for setting up the program can be found on the Resources page.

The program would benefit from a management committee with representatives of the above group and the schools involved. Extensive communication between the schools and the workplace providers needs to take place.

It is recommended that schools nominate a person to be responsible to responding to communications. The person nominated needs to be able to respond to communications in a timely manner.

Preparation for Tours

Once a range of tours has been decided teaching staff need to visit each of the tour locations to familiarise themselves with the type of business operated at each location and the range of occupations the students will see.  These visits provide important opportunities for:

• Teachers to obtain a detailed working knowledge of the business the students will tour. This will be important in developing students’ prior knowledge as they prepare for tours and helping students explore their learning more deeply after the tours.
• Teachers to gain first-hand experience of the supports and challenges for students as they participate in the tour, especially issues around student safety and active student participation.
• Teachers and tour leaders to plan together so the tour can best match the learning needs of Year Six students and tour guides can understand the prior experiences of students participating. Tour leaders in general do not have a first hand working knowledge of the learning capabilities of a Year 6 student. The teacher will play a pivotal role in helping students link prior learning to what they are seeing during the tour.

• Teachers and tour guides can explore prior to the tours what the learning goals of the tours will be and how these relate to the learning objectives of the overall program. Learning goals should include the knowledge, skills and values students will explore when participating in the tour.

Preparation for Projects

• Projects work best if they have around 8 students participating in the group as this allows for a higher level of active student engagement and very little down time.
• Well planned projects are hands on and explore aspects of a career or job covering some of the knowledge, skills and values integral to that career or job. A project will normally operate over 3 weeks. Projects operating over different periods of time may be hard to co-ordinate at the school level.
• A project may operate over multiple locations which may or may not involve the same project leaders at each venue.
• Students are given a degree of choice in selecting their project and students are encouraged and supported to identify why they are keen to pursue a particular project.
• Projects are planned jointly with teachers and project leaders working together to plan the learning experience. Project leaders provide the job specific technical knowledge, skills and values the students will use and teachers are instrumental in ensuring the activities match the learning abilities of the group of students.

• Teachers link the learning experience to Victorian Curriculum F – 10 content descriptions in a range of key learning areas including: English, Mathematics, Capabilities of Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Technologies, including Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies, Humanities including Economics and Business.
• Teachers identify learning from the project that can be integrated and extended in other learning within the classroom program.
• Students are encouraged to record their learning in the project. This could take the form of a Project Booklet developed by the project planning team for students to identify their learning goals through participating in the program and record their learnings over the duration of the project. Digital ways of recording their learning could also be considered. Goals and learnings are across the areas of knowledge, skills and values developed.

Budget for the Program

During the trial of the program all workplaces provided tours and projects free of charge to the schools involved. This was an enormous in-kind support of the program.

There were however a range of costs to schools in order to operate the program. These included:

• The provision of buses for students to attend tours and projects. In order to minimise down time of students and keep tightly to times provided by workplace providers, mini buses for each group of students were used. During the trial period it proved very difficult for more than two groups to share a bus as bigger groups amounted to students spending a lot of down time waiting for buses.
• A teacher – student ratio of 1 : 8 for projects and 1 : 15 for tours is recommended. Teachers who will work with students in developing the learning from the tours and projects need to be involved in the tour and project excursions.

• A small additional budget is required for stationery and other materials for projects. During the trial period a range of resources were provided free by local participating businesses.

Organising and Timetabling

Trial schools participating in Passions and Pathways, all of whom had composite grades at the 5/6 level, expressed the need to consider internal organisation strategies to allow the Year Six students to work as a group during their Passions and Pathways sessions both at school and off site. This, for the term involved, required considerable structural and timetable flexibility.

Preparing Staff for using the Curriculum

As new schools have entered Passions and Pathways they have suggested the successful implementation can benefit from the provision of some initial professional development for teaching staff and key stakeholders around the key understandings of Passions and Pathways and the best ways to build effective communication with all stakeholders.

In addition, schools have suggested at least a half day for planning should be provided for teaching staff prior to beginning Passions and Pathways. This planning time allows the teaching staff to determine which parts of the curriculum advice they wish to make use of.

Using the Curriculum Advice

The advice provides Teacher Reference Guides, Student Reference Guides, Trial School Units of Work and Student Activity Planners for each of the components. These are suggestions only for how Passions and Pathways can be organised and it is not envisaged schools use everything provided. Rather it is recommended they choose the relevant parts for their students.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

ENGLISH

Reading and Viewing

Language

Expressing and developing ideas

• Identify and explain how analytical images like figure, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to our understanding of verbal information in factual and persuasive texts. (VCELA340)

Literacy

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

• Analyse strategies authors use to influence readers (VCELY346)
• Select, navigate and read increasingly complex tests for a range of purposes, applying appropriate text processing strategies to recall information and consolidate meaning (VCELY346)
• Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (VCELY347)

Writing

Expressing and developing ideas

• Investigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas (VCELA350)
• Understand how ideas can be expanded and sharpened through careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of adverb groups/ phrases (VCELA351)

Creating texts

• Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (VCELY358)
• Reread and edit own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices (VCELY359)
• Develop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and that can vary depending on context (VCELY360)
• Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new programs as required to create texts (VCELY361)

Speaking and Listening

Language ad interaction

• Understand that strategies of interaction become more complex and demanding as levels of formality and social distance increase (VCELA363)

Literacy

Interacting with others

• Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions, and use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interaction according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of audience (VCEDLY366)
• Participate in formal and informal debates and plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate context and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis (VCELY367)

Level 6 achievement standard

Reading and Viewing

By the end of Level 6, students understand how to use knowledge of phonics when decoding familiar words and the technical or derived words in increasingly complex texts. They understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects and can analyse and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas, characters and events. They compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. They select and use evidence from a text to explain their response to it.

Writing

Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used. They use banks of known words and the less familiar words they encounter to create detailed texts elaborating upon key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They demonstrate understanding of grammar and make considered choices from an expanding vocabulary to enhance cohesion and structure in their writing. They also use accurate spelling and punctuation for clarity, provide feedback on the work of their peers and can make and explain editorial choices based on agreed criteria.

 Speaking and Listening

Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’ ideas. They understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used. They create detailed texts, elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

MATHEMATICS

Number and Algebra

Number & Place Value 

• Investigate everyday situations that use integers. Locate and represent these numbers on a number line (VCMNA210)

Fractions and Decimals

• Compare fractions with related denominators and locate and represent them on a number line (VCMNA211)
• Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same or related denominators (VCMNA212)
• Find a simple fraction of a quantity where the result is a whole number, with and without digital technologies (VCMNA213)
• Make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages (VCMNA217)

Using units of measurement

• Connect decimal representations to the metric system (VCMMG222)
• Convert between common metric units of length, mass and capacity (VCMMG223)
• Solve problems involving the comparison of lengths and areas using appropriate units (VCMMG224)
• Connect volume and capacity and their units of measurement (VCMMG225)
• Interpret and use timetables (VCMMG226)

Geometric reasoning

• Investigate, with and without digital technologies, angles on a straight line, angles at a point and vertically opposite angles. Use results to find unknown angles (VCMMG231)

Data representation and interpretation

• Construct, interpret and compare a range of data displays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables (VCMSP235)
• Interpret secondary data presented in digital media and elsewhere (VCMSP236)
• Pose and refine questions to collect categorical or numerical data by observation or survey (VCMSP237)

Level 6 achievement standard

Number and Algebra

Students recognise the properties of prime, composite, square and triangular numbers and determine sets of these numbers. They solve problems that involve all four operations with whole numbers and describe the use of integers in everyday contexts. Students locate fractions and integers on a number line and connect fractions, decimals and percentages as different representations of the same number. They solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of related fractions. Students calculate a simple fraction of a quantity and calculate common percentage discounts on sale items, with and without the use of digital technology. They make connections between the powers of 10 and the multiplication and division of decimals. Students add, subtract and multiply decimals and divide decimals where the result is rational. Students write number sentences using brackets and order of operations, and specify rules used to generate sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. They use ordered pairs of integers to represent coordinates of points and locate a point in any one of the four quadrants on the Cartesian plane.

Measurement and Geometry

Students relate decimals to the metric system and choose appropriate units of measurement to perform a calculation. They solve problems involving time, length and area, and make connections between capacity and volume. Students interpret a variety of everyday timetables. They solve problems using the properties of angles and investigate simple combinations of transformations in the plane, with and without the use of digital technology. Students construct simple prisms and pyramids.

Statistics and Probability

Students interpret and compare a variety of data displays, including displays for two categorical variables. They analyse and evaluate data from secondary sources. Students compare observed and expected frequencies of events, including those where outcomes of trials are generated with the use of digital technology. They specify, list and communicate probabilities of events using simple ratios, fractions, decimals and percentages.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

SCIENCE

Science Enquiry Skills

Questioning and predicting

• With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules (VCSIS082)

Planning and conducting

• With guidance, plan appropriate investigation types to answer questions or solve problems and use equipment, technologies and materials safely, identifying potential risks (VCSIS083)
• Decide which variables should be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data (VCSIS084)

Recording and Processing                                 

• Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to record, represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data (VCSIS085)

Analysing and Evaluating

• Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (VCSIS086)
• Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem (VCSIS087)

Communicating

• Communicate ideas and processes using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and to identify simple cause-and-effect relationships (VCSIS088)

Level 6 Achievement Standard

Students follow procedures to develop questions that they can investigate and design investigations into simple cause-and- effect relationships. When planning experimental methods, they identify and justify the variables they choose to change and measure in fair tests. They make predictions based on previous experiences or general rules. They identify and manage potential safety risks. They make and record accurate observations as tables, diagrams or descriptions. They organise data into tables and graphs to identify and analyse patterns and relationships. They compare patterns in data with their predictions when explaining their findings. They suggest where improvements to their experimental methods or research could improve the quality of their data. They refer to data when they report findings and use appropriate representations and simple reports to communicate their ideas, methods, findings and explanations.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

ECONOMICS & BUSINESS

Resource Allocation and Making Choices

• Describe the difference between needs and wants and explain why choices need to be made (VCEBR001)
• Explore the concept of opportunity cost and explain how it involves choices about the alternate use of limited resources and the need to consider trade- offs (VCEBR002)
• Identify types of resources ((natural, human, capital) and explore the ways societies use them in order to satisfy needs and wants of present and future generations (VCEBR0003)

Consumer and Financial Literacy

• Identify influences on consumer choices and explore strategies that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices (VCEBC004)
• Consider the effect that the consumer and financial decisions of individuals may have on themselves, their family, the broader community and the natural, economic and business environment (VCEBC005)

The Business Environment

• Identify the reasons businesses exist and investigate the different ways they produce and distribute goods and services (VCEBB006)

Work and Work Futures

• Explore the meaning of work and why individuals choose to participate in work (VCEBW007)
• Investigate the influences on the ways people work and explore factors affecting work now and into the future (VCEBW008)

Levels 5 and 6 achievement standard

By the end of Level 6, students distinguish between needs and wants and recognise that choices need to be made when allocating resources. They recognise that consumer choices and financial decisions are influenced by a range of factors and describe the effects of these choices and decisions on themselves, their family, others, the economy and the natural, economic and business environments. Students identify strategies that will assist in making informed consumer and financial decisions. They explain the purpose of business and recognise the different ways that businesses choose to provide goods and services. Students outline the many reasons why people work and describe the changing nature of work. They describe the nature of enterprising behaviours and capabilities and explain why these behaviours are important for individuals and businesses. Students outline the advantages and disadvantages of proposed actions in response to an economics and/or business issue or event and identify the possible effects of their decisions on themselves and others.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING – LEVEL 6

Questions and Possibilities

• Examine how different kinds of questions can be used to identify and clarify information, ideas and possibilities (VCCCTQ021)

Reasoning

• Consider the importance of giving reasons and evidence and how the strength of these can be evaluated (VCCCTR025)

Metacognition

• Examine learning strategies, including constructing analogies, visualising ideas, summarising and paraphrasing information and reflect on the application of these strategies in different situations (VCCCTM030)

Levels 5 and 6 achievement standard

By the end of Level 6, students apply questioning as a tool to focus or expand thinking.  They use appropriate techniques to copy, borrow and compare aspects of existing solutions in order to identify relationships and apply these to new situations.

Students distinguish between valid and sound arguments and between deductive and inductive reasoning. They explain how reasons and evidence can be evaluated.  They explain and apply basic techniques to construct valid arguments and test the strength of arguments.

Students represent thinking processes using visual models and language. They practice and apply learning strategies, including constructing analogies, visualising ideas, summarising and paraphrasing information. Students disaggregate ideas and problems into smaller elements or ideas, develop criteria to assess and test thinking, and identify and seek out new relevant information as required.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES

Self- Awareness and Management

Development of Resilience

• Reflect on how personal strengths have assisted in achieving success at home, at school and in the community (VCPSCSE026)
• Describe what it means to be confident, adaptable and persistent and why these attributes are important in dealing with new and challenging situations (VCPSCSE027)
• Identify the skills for working independently and describe their performance when undertaking independent tasks (VCPSCSE028)

Relationships and Diversity

• Explore and discuss behaviours that demonstrate sensitivity to individual, social and cultural differences (VCPSCS0029)
• Define and recognise examples of stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice and discuss how they impact on the individual (VCPSCS0030)
• Describe the characteristics of respectful relationships and suggest ways respectful relationships can be achieved (VCPSCS0031)

Collaboration

• Identify the characteristics of an effective team and develop descriptions for particular roles including leadership, and describe their own and their team’s performance when undertaking various roles (VCPSCS0032)
• Describe the various causes of conflict and evaluate possible strategies to address conflict (VCPSCS0033)

Levels 5 and 6 achievement standard

By the end of Level 6, students describe different ways to express emotions and the relationship between emotions and behaviour. They describe the influence that personal qualities and strengths have on achieving success. They undertake some extended tasks independently and describe task progress. They identify and describe personal attributes important in developing resilience.

Students recognise and appreciate the uniqueness of all people. They are able to explain how individual, social and cultural differences may increase vulnerability to stereotypes. They identify characteristics of respectful relationships. They contribute to groups and teams suggesting improvements for methods used in group projects and investigations. They identify causes and effects of conflict and explain different strategies to diffuse or resolve conflict situations.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum

Passions and Pathways links to the Victorian Curriculum in the following Curriculum areas and capabilities. It should be noted that English, Economics and business, Technologies including Design and technology and Digital technologies link to multiple components of the program. Extensive Maths and Science links can be found to individual projects. Depending on the range of projects selected further links to other curriculum areas may be appropriate.

TECHNOLOGIES

Design and Technologies

Technologies and Society

• Investigate how people in design and technologies occupations address competing considerations, including sustainability, in the design of solutions for current and future use (VCDSTS033)

Technologies contexts

Materials and technologies specialisations

• Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate impact of their use (VCDSTC037)

Creating Design Solutions

Investigating

• Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions (VCDSCD038)

Generating

• Generate, develop, communicate and document design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (VCDSCD039)

Producing

• Apply safe procedures when using a variety of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to produce design solutions (VCDSCD040)

Evaluating

• Negotiate criteria for success that include consideration of environment and social sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions (VCDSCD041)

Planning and Managing

• Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making design solutions (VCDSCD042)

Levels 5 and 6 achievement standard

By the end of Level 6 students describe some competing considerations in the design of solutions taking into account sustainability. They describe how design and technologies contribute to meeting present and future needs. Students explain how the features of technologies impact on designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts.

Students create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts, suitable for identified needs or opportunities. They suggest criteria for success, including sustainability considerations and use these to evaluate their ideas and designed solutions. They combine design ideas and communicate these to audiences using graphical representation techniques and technical terms. Students record project plans including production processes. They select and use appropriate technologies and techniques correctly and safely to produce designed solutions.

Digital Technologies

Data and Information

• Acquire, store and validate different types of data and use a range of software options to interpret and visualise data to create information (VCDTDI028)
• Plan, create and communicate ideas, information and online collaborative projects, applying agreed ethical, social and technical protocols (VCDTDI029)

Creating Digital Solutions

• Define problems in terms of data and functional requirements, drawing on previously solved problems to identify similarities (VCDTCD030)
• Design, modify and follow simple algorithms represented diagrammatically and in English, involving sequences of steps, branching and iteration (VCDTCD032)

Levels 5 and 6 achievement standard

By the end of Level 6, students explain the functions of digital system components and how digital systems are connected to form networks that transmit data.

Students explain how digital systems use whole numbers as a basis for representing a variety of data types. They manage the creation and communication of ideas, information and digital projects collaboratively using validated data and agreed protocols.

Students define problems in terms of data and functional requirements and design solutions by developing algorithms to address the problems. They incorporate decision-making, repetition and user interface design into their designs and develop their digital solutions, including a visual program. Students explain how information systems and their developed solutions meet current and future needs taking sustainability into account.