As part of the St John’s Personal Learning and Success Enterprise, we are happy to announce the introduction of three new elective subjects scheduled to commence in Term One, 2022.

The Personal Learning and Success Enterprise acknowledges that education in the 21st Century and beyond is rapidly moving away from the one size fits all model that has prevailed for the last century or more. Here at St John’s, we steadfastly believe that the educational experience of one student does not need to be the same as those around them. Students are individuals and their learning journeys at St John’s should be too.

Moving into the future, St John’s is placing a priority on the individualisation of learning. Operating within the requirements of the QCAA, Australian Curriculum, the provision of QCEs and ATARs and other mandates; our focus is to provide students with the option and flexibility to customise their learning experience. The first stage of this customisation was the introduction of the SOAR program in Mathematics and English which allows students in Years 5 to 10 to work at a modified pace in the subjects in which they demonstrate aptitude. Further developments are continuing across the SOAR program which will expand the opportunities for our students.

The next phase of customisation is through the development and introduction of three new elective subjects, tailored to meet the needs of our students in the fields of Medical Science, Engineering and Technology. Commencing in 2022, these new subjects have been developed in-house, in consultation with educational experts, and are cross-curricular in nature; allowing students to begin customising their pathway prior to the beginning of their senior phase of schooling.

The first new subject to be introduced is in the field of Medical Science oriented towards students who might be considering a career in the health field. Data gathered from St John’s graduates indicates that over 60% enter into a science and health-related field such as Nursing, Biomedical Science, Medicine or Engineering when they enrol at university. At the outset, this elective will be offered to Year 9 students in 2022 and is likely to cover aspects of anatomy, physiology, infectious disease, genetics, neuroscience, psychology, and allied health. This subject may lead into biology, psychology, health, physical education in Senior School and may also provide the opportunity for students to study university subjects whilst still at school.

The second new elective is in the field of Engineering, providing an additional pathway for Year 9 2022 students who have already demonstrated interest in the Design and Engineering Technology course presently offered at the College. Students enrolling in the new Engineering elective will study topics including the History of Engineering, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) as well as materials, electronics, structures and aviation. They will also complete several design projects.

iTech is the third new elective subject the College will offer in 2022, initially to Year 10 students. This subject will be unique to St John’s and has been designed and developed by the College in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). This collaboration represents an Australian first. St John’s is the only school in Australia to work with the CSIRO to design an in-house, innovative industry-based technology subject.

This course of study is unique in that it is a project-based learning subject that calls heavily on current trends in technology-related fields. Students will be able to participate in real-world project scenarios that come from large multi-national companies and will engage in design thinking, computational thinking and systems thinking.

St John’s acknowledges that educational demands are changing however we will continue to offer the traditional, core subjects that make up the key learning areas such as English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities. These subjects are considered foundational and play a crucial role in equipping our students with the key knowledge and skills required to be successful global citizens. At the same time, it is equally important to offer subjects that are reflective of the society our future leaders will live in. Subjects such as these three new electives will play a significant role in providing our students with the skills and knowledge needed for future success.

Andrew Landroth
Deputy Principal – Curriculum & Innovation

Braydon Giles
Head of Middle School