Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 19

Upper School
MR TIM RAYNER
HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
Connected to and
challenged by a changing
world
Preparing boys for a world outside of Scotch College could be
considered daunting, if one were to read the many publications
on the topic: ‘12 ways to help students develop 21st century skills’
… ‘13 essential 21st century skills’, and so on; advice readily
available on the internet, and free. And yet a little thought on
the matter soon brings us back to the basics of what a rounded
education should instil in young minds – the following activities
being a small selection of what we currently offer at Scotch.
The curriculum we offer does provide opportunity for boys to
connect to the world in which they live, but also for them to be
challenged. One such offering is the VCE Systems Engineering
course. Systems Engineering encourages boys to problem-solve
and seek solutions to technical problems. The course recognises
that making mistakes is part of the learning process, and that
final products are often better because of this. Boys are allowed
to work independently, and are required to do much preparation
before they can begin to produce final designs. They also have to
present their final products to their classmates, as well as explain
how they were made.
The Scotch Enterprise Project is now offered to Years 9 and
10. Creativity, perseverance and application all come to play
in a course that asks boys to find a problem and then work to
a marketable solution. Curiosity to want to explore and delve
into ideas is certainly cultivated at every opportunity. Boys are
given the time and space to run with ideas and to learn from
mistakes they may have made. This year an odourless toilet was
constructed, while automation also eliminated the need to switch
on lights when entering the bathroom. The chief engineer of
Caroma, a toilet manufacturer, was invited to school to listen
to the boys pitch their product to him. Another group of boys
designed greywater pipes that could sense the level of soap in
flowing waste water to determine if the water was clean enough
to be released onto gardens. Needless to say, many skills would
have been learnt from each team in designing and constructing
these products.
Exploring ideas, reality, and existence, VCE philosophers are
challenged to think about, and understand, our lives. Philosophy
cultivates curiosity and prepares boys to engage with differing
world views in an open and discerning manner. Outside of class,
our philosophers have attended philosothons and enrichment
conferences that have enabled them to grapple with life’s big
questions alongside peers from across the country. Recently boys
MR NICK MILLER
WITH BOYS
IN AN IDEAS
GENERATION
SESSION
FOR VISUAL
COMMUNICATION
AND DESIGN
also attended an Ethics Olympiad, with Scotch hosting a senior
years and middle years conference.
So called soft skills, such as listening and knowing how to
respond appropriately to the opinions of others, are gaining more
and more currency in today’s society. The opportunity to discuss
and debate current topics with boys and girls from other schools
and backgrounds, on one level allows boys to sharpen their
oratory skills, but also, importantly, on another level, understand
others’ perspectives and word views. One such opportunity
occurred when five Year 11 boys attended the inaugural
McWhirter Foundation Australian Student Conference, which
asked its participants, ‘Who should set the limits on free speech?’
This conference, over several days, really inspired our boys and
helped prepare them for the future.
Model United Nations experiences allow our boys to
participate in simulations where they role play delegates from
selected countries and compete against student delegates from
other countries. Boys learn about international relations, but also
have to use debating skills, research and critical thinking to put
forward the position of their selected country. Such participation
allows boys to learn about the ever-changing political and social
dynamics of our world, while encouraging them to empathise
with others’ positions.
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