with Andrew Beitsch Director of Professional Learning and Accreditation Norwest Christian College

We all know that there are times when we need to let go as parents for our children to grow and flourish . When we must take off the training wheels , they fully experience the freedom of riding a bike , even though we know there are going to be some wobbles and bumps along the way . To prepare them for the path rather than prepare the path for them . To shift students from being passengers to progressively becoming pilots of their own learning through lots of small little steps over a long period of time .

This shift , from students being passengers to pilots of their own learning is something that is important at Norwest Christian College . For this reason , it is also something which we want to partner with parents to develop as students move through the college and grow their capacity .

At our recent Community Workshops , we

invited families to come and learn about planned opportunities for students to increasingly become pilots of their own learning .

New Tech Network , a leader in project-based learning who Norwest is collaborating with , explain this approach to learning this way :

Students collaborate on meaningful projects that require critical thinking , creativity , and communication in order for them to answer challenging questions or solve complex problems . By making learning relevant , students see a purpose to developing dispositions and understanding concepts and content . Through this process , project-based learning gives students the opportunity to develop the real-life skills required for success in today ’ s world .

Families who took part in the evening learned about some of the very successful projects which have already been completed at Norwest Christian College and had the chance to have their

questions about project-based learning answered .

Passengers to Pilots was also the theme for our Norwest Christian College Conference last October . All Norwest educators together with teachers from 14 schools across NSW and interstate spent the day exploring how we view learning and learners and how to cultivate classroom experiences and environments where students are curious and seek out challenge .

College Principal , Mrs Felicity Marlow , started the day with a presentation of four key beliefs which underpin the concept of the Passengers to Pilots focuses .

These are that :

1 . Learners are made in the image of God , so learning experiences should foster agency and grow more than content memorisation

2 . Learners are uniquely made , so we need to use a range of approaches to learning

3 . Learners are each made for a purpose , so we need to help each student explore their passions and interests and ultimately uncover their purpose

4 . Learners are made to live in community , so we need to learn with others and to serve others International educational leader , James Nottingham , was the keynote speaker at the conference . Pioneering the concept of the Learning Pit , his metaphor of the process of learning normalises challenge and reframes mistakes . Errors are learning opportunities , not a threat to self-confidence .

As we at Norwest Christian College continue to engage with this approach to learning , we look forward to all the opportunities that it will provide for our students as they progressively becoming pilots of their own learning .

If you would like more information about education at Norwest Christian College , please visit www . norwest . nsw . edu . au .