November is synonymous with VCE exams, with students working hard to revise and prepare, with the continuing assistance of their teachers.

With a diverse range of Unit 3&4 subjects within the Humanities Faculty, a large number of our Years 11 to 12 students will have completed exams in Humanities subjects in the coming weeks.

Students have been working through rounds of practice questions and exams, then seeking feedback via meetings with their teachers. It is this final stage of preparation where students have one-on-one conversations with their teachers, accessing their expertise and undertaking the necessary work of calibrating and refining their responses and building exam confidence.

We wish them all the best in their exams.

The conclusion of subjects in Term 4 provides an opportunity for reflection on the variety of learning opportunities that students have experienced in Humanities this year. An excellent illustration of this can be seen in one of the Year 9 Humanities electives, Finance, Business and Entrepreneurship. Within this elective students have been benefiting from engaging with real life aspects of the study through regular engagement with property and construction business, Dexus.

The subject teachers, Mrs Peele and Ms Wilkinson have helped students understand the theories and practical features of the subject. Mrs Peele managed to facilitate a range of excursions (real and virtual) in which students visited property and construction operations and spoke with experts from Dexus. One of the students, Jessica Paterson, reflected on the experiential learning that has occurred as part of the real and virtual excursions during the year:

It was a great experience to have the opportunity to learn more about Dexus and their new Melbourne Connect building. Warren Powers’ presentation was especially interesting as he detailed the sustainability and features of the new building and the idea of a ‘super floor’ was definitely a fascinating concept to learn about.

I found myself wondering what makes Melbourne Connect stand out from other buildings that are now also focusing on sustainability and a more modern approach. When I had the opportunity, I asked Warren about it and his response included the Campus’ features and the MEC program, which was another program that I hadn’t heard about previously. I was really happy to have the chance to ask some questions of my own and the answers were very helpful. Overall, it was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

learn more about Dexus and their new Melbourne Connect building. Warren Powers’ presentation was especially interesting as he detailed the sustainability and features of the new building and the idea of a ‘super floor’

Humanities provides settings for many different processes and motivations for student learning. When students have reached Year 12, there is a future focus on achievement in subjects in order to reach courses and careers after their time at St Catherine’s. For younger students there are still many more learning experiences that can opens their eyes to new futures and opportunities.