Last week, our Year 9 students proudly presented their CUBE projects at the Year 9 Showcase, highlighting the impressive work undertaken in Semester 1 across three innovative CUBE electives founded on project-based learning and design thinking. The showcase provided an opportunity for students to share how they have engaged with real-world challenges, collaborated with community partners and experts, and produced work of genuine value and quality.
A defining feature of these electives is the opportunity for students to work alongside industry professionals, community organisations and clients, enabling them to master new skills while applying their learning in meaningful contexts.
Behind Those Eyes
“Can students blend Humanities, English and Photography to artistically portray elderly lives, weaving compelling stories through an immersive interdisciplinary exploration?”
Working closely with Arcare residents, students built meaningful connections as they listened to life stories and documented personal histories. Through interviews and conversations, students crafted biographies, creative chronologies and photographic portraits that captured the experiences and stories of their participants. Each of the chronologies were crafted in a manner that was of personal significance to the resident interviewed.
Along the way, students developed their photography skills and deepened their understanding of storytelling, empathy and human connection. The final works, accompanied by biographies and chronologies, became treasured keepsakes for residents and their families, demonstrating the impact that thoughtful and purposeful learning can have within the wider community.
Live Streaming
“How do we protect the voice of a healthy river – and, in turn, our own?”
Through a series of field trip experiences, students visited the nearby local Lewis Park Wetlands, where they worked with a professional sound designer to learn specialist sound recording techniques. Using hydrophones and a range of microphones, students captured underwater and environmental soundscapes, discovering a hidden world beneath the water’s surface – including the remarkable symphony of water beetles and other aquatic life.
Students also developed photography and videography skills to document the biodiversity and landscapes of the wetlands as students prepared video footage for Melbourne Water and a proposal related to a form of communication that focused on an aspect of Lewis Park Wetlands. A visit to Wilami Wunmabil Trail along Moonee Ponds Creek provided an excellent example of an immersive experience showcasing innovative approaches to environmental communication and community engagement.
Drawing upon their fieldwork, students are now applying their learning to develop a proposal to pitch to Melbourne Water, recommending effective ways to communicate the importance of protecting aspects of Lewis Park Wetlands.
Mission Possible
“How can we shape fairer outcomes for the future?”
Partnering with Knox Infolink, a local organisation that provides a range of services to the community, students investigated the challenges faced by people accessing support services, particularly when language barriers exist.
Through a human-centred design process, students developed creative solutions to improve communication and inclusivity. Some groups’ ideas included visual welcome packs, wordless comics and universally understood communication tools designed to help people connect, access information and feel welcomed regardless of language background.
The project challenged students to think critically about equity, accessibility and the power of communication while developing solutions with genuine social impact.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The Year 9 CUBE Showcase highlighted the power of authentic learning experiences that connect students with real people, real challenges and real audiences. TKS is a member of the University of Melbourne New Metrics network. Across the three electives, students demonstrated New Metrics complex competencies which acknowledge the types of skills that students will need to thrive within and beyond school. Examples of competencies include acting ethically, agency in learning, collaboration and communication. Each student will receive an electronic fan report with their end of semester reports which indicates the progression level that each student has attained which will include a description of the behaviours and skills demonstrated at this level. These complex competencies are warranted by the University of Melbourne.
We congratulate all students on their efforts and thank our community partners, experts and families for supporting these rich learning experiences.
