Ensuring its students have real opportunities in a global context, Melbourne Girls Grammar (MGG) offers Chinese, French and Italian from Year 5, with Spanish and Latin added at Year 9. In addition, the Anglican day and boarding school is trialling online delivery for a second language for students from Year 7.
Principal Catherine Misson says: "We lead the way in our approach to how we craft subjects and design learning experiences. We very much focus on process rather than output – what is the quality of the experience and what are the messages the girls are picking up about what we value?"
Ms Misson believes that if students can be the architects of their learning, and can make fundamental and authentic choices, "they will set themselves up for extraordinary success".
Consequently, from Year 9, teachers no longer construct classes. Rather, the students determine the design of classes, courses, grouping and levels. Every subject offers a core program and an advanced program, with course content described in detail at the start of the year. Students choose their preferred stream.
"We've removed the idea that only the teacher knows who an advanced student is," says Ms Misson. "When the drive to engage with learning comes from the girl, that's when you see amazing things happen.
"We're into our third year and it's reaping amazing benefits. The girls are all over it. They love the fact that if they want a challenge it's completely up to them. We've created a context in which they can reinvent themselves," says Ms Misson.
This year, MGG launched a Centre for Educational Enterprise. "Enterprise is a word for us that encapsulates the idea that we need to be a restless educational community," says Ms Misson. "We want to mirror the life experiences our girls have now and will continue to have, which is – change is the norm; innovation is required. Innovation is about constant improvement; we're really committed to researching the world that's right here before us and understanding that and designing learning experiences that match that."
Ms Misson is as passionate about teacher education as she is about the schooling experience. "I would love to see more investment in teacher education. We need literate and numerate citizens, but we've got to add a few more things to the platform. We'll need entrepreneurial teachers to facilitate the sorts of learning experiences whereby our children will become entrepreneurial in their learning."
The opinions of a recent speaker at the school, Dr Yong Zhao, an international thought leader in education, resonated with the school community. Dr Zhao talked about learners being diverse, curious and creative. "We really loved his message that it's the creatives who will inherit the world," says Ms Misson. "These are young people who understand that what is going to be valued are two things – seeing a problem and fixing it. They see an issue and they're switched on enough to find a solution. In finding that solution they create something of value for the world."
