Catalyst • Junior Secondary Curriculum • Handbook 2021
Teamwork and collaborative learning
Innately, learning is a social act and one in which
technology has seen teamwork become global.
Today, the ability to work positively with others is
one of the most important skills that employers look
for in prospective employees. In the junior secondary
curriculum, students will be challenged to work with
their peers, teachers and members of the community
on various projects and team tasks. They will explore
how learning styles and personality influence group
dynamics and affect the way in which they contribute
to a team context. Through these experiences,
students will have the opportunity to strengthen their
interpersonal, communication and leadership skills.
ICT competence
Advances in digital technologies are rapidly
transforming traditional ways of working, learning
and living. Students need to be prepared for the
challenges and possibilities posed by these dynamic
technologies. At Guildford Grammar School,
students will blend the use of their Bring Your
Own Device (BYOD) along with contemporary
software technologies as tools to research, organise,
communicate and create information. Combined
with an understanding of the ethical and legal
issues surrounding access and use of information
technologies, students will develop skills that allow
them to successfully function in a knowledge-based
economy.
Accessing information – research
The Information Age has seen a rapid growth in
knowledge and greatly improved access to that
knowledge. Today, for students who have access to
large amounts of information on any given subject,
the challenge is to analyse and evaluate information
and their sources accurately and efficiently to address
the issue or problem at hand. Catalyst students
will learn research skills enabling them to decipher,
decode and cross reference information and develop
considered arguments and solutions to various
challenges.
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