Big Picture School membership

Some Schools and communities want to start again. They want to redesign schooling from the ground up.

Big Picture Education Australia is already helping schools around Australia to achieve this.

If you want to join the Big Picture Network as a Big Picture School, contact Viv White (mobile: 0409 120 749 or through the contact form) and we’ll start to consult about making big change.

Big Picture Education Australia has inspiring leaders and fully developed tools and materials ready for the change.

However, every school and student and community is different and we are committed to making you and your community of learners the centre of our process.

Your learning needs come first and so everything is negotiable.

Big Picture schools are distinguished by:

• Small by design: Each school consist of 130-150 students located in a range of settings with facilities designed for personal and community based learning. Small schools are divided into advisories of 15-17 students and a school team that collaborate and manage and support students.
• Adult world immersion-learning: Two days a week the student is in an interest based internship with a mentor from the community on an intellectually rigorous project connected to the learning goals.
• One student at a time: Each student has a personal learning plan which voices the interests of the student. It is developed with the advisor, student and parent.
• Academic Rigour through Learning Goals: Quantitative Reasoning, Empirical Reasoning, Social Reasoning, Communication, and Personal Qualities.
• Exhibitions: At the end of each term the students exhibit their work, providing evidence of achievement of the learning goals.
• Advisory: Each student learns with 1-17 others and a teacher advisor for the whole of secondary education. The teacher advisor manages the learning plan.
• Family engagement: Parents and families are essential members of the learning team, starting with the application process all the way through exhibitions and graduation.
• College/TAFE and university bound: All students are enrolled to work towards graduation to further learning/work and training. All students are concurrently exposed and connected to opportunities at colleges and universities.
• Life long learning: Recognise and count learning that takes place outside school hours and provide support during the transitional years from high school to post graduate opportunities.

So, the Big Picture School is:

• highly personalised,
• immerses young people in the adult world
• connects them with their community
• connects the families to the learning
• makes smooth the post secondary transition
• intellectually and academically rigorous

Becoming a Big Picture School will be a large investment… Of time, of money and of commitment.

We are ready.