High School

Students enter high school in Year 8. The balance of intellectual/academic, artistic and practical subjects is maintained, but the orientation is now turned more to the outer world.

English and mathematics, while continuing to introduce the significant new themes through main lessons also focus on developing the requisite skills through three practice lessons each per week.

The Sciences - physics, chemistry and biology - all continue through to Year 12 with practical lessons happening for physics in Classes 9, 10 & 11, chemistry in 9 & 10 and biology in 11 & 12.

History recapitulates studies of ancient through to modern cultures, but now from the perspective of understanding the underlying influences that shaped the different cultures and the qualities and ideas the peoples developed and brought into the world, culminating in an overview of the world today in Class 12.

Geography spans the four elements in the lessons from Class 9 to Class 12, with geology and geomorphology the focus in Class 9, climatology/weather patterns in Class 10, cartography in Class 11 and astronomy in Class 12.

The Arts focus on the aesthetic element through a series of main lessons - Art history in Class 9, poetry and literature in Class 10, music history in Class 11 and history of architecture in Class 12.

Painting, drawing and music continue as subject lessons to Class 11, becoming electives in Class 12.

Eurythmy continues through to Class 12, as does physical education/sport.

Year 12 students in a eurythmy performance

Drama comes more into focus in the high school with the production of a full play in Class 10 and a final play in Class 12 that is rehearsed and performed within the last 3 weeks of the year. In each cases the whole class is involved in the production and performance. The experience of taking on a role and playing someone else’s part in life fulfills an important need in adolescence when young people are searching for their own identity.

German and Japanese continues through to Class 12, students choosing one or the other from Class 10 on.

Woodwork is taught through to Class 11 and metalwork to Class 10. Woodwork becomes an elective in Class 12.

Machine sewing is taught in Years 8 and 9.

Gardening continues through to Class 10.

Various practical subjects form part of the curriculum as lessons for a year or less in high school. These include typing skills, first aid and from time to time such craft activities as weaving, leatherwork and basketry.

Camps form an integral part of certain subjects such as geography, surveying and botany and combine with outdoor education activities such as cycling, sailing, canoeing and bushwalking.

Work experience is an important part of meeting the world. It is undertaken in 3 classes, for 2 weeks per year. In Class 9 students work in primary industry, usually on farms. In Class 10 they enter the world of secondary industry and in Class 11, the service industry - for example hospitals, or working with the homeless or disabled people.

Year 12 is a culmination of many subjects. As well each student undertakes a major project of their own choice and design which they work on independently, but with guidance from a supervisor, for the year. Results are published and presented to a large assembly at the end of the year. This is a major presentation lasting around 40 minutes in which the students must show their work, speak about the process and their results and answer questions. This project is in addition to the full range of subjects studied in the Year 12 curriculum.

Assessment

Throughout the high school most main lesson subjects have informal tests associated with them. The tests are used primarily to provide feedback to students on their understanding of aspects of the subjects, not particularly for grading purposes. This is in addition to the regular marking of work throughout the main lesson which culminates in a marking of the completed main lesson book which addresses not only the content but also such aspects as presentation, contribution to the work in class and ability to meet deadlines. From Class 8 on, students are expected to complete the requirements of each subject within a given time frame, and they are followed up if it is evident they are not accomplishing this.

In Class 11, grading is introduced for those who request it, to provide a measure of achievement in the light of the student’s ability.

In Class 12, objective assessment is available for those intending to continue on to tertiary studies.

Year 11 & 12 Program

In Years 11 & 12, students undertake a course of study, which rounds off and culminates the previous 10 years of school work in the Waldorf School.

In Year 11 this involves course work in the major core units:
Maths, History, English, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Social Studies.
as well as in the units:
Eurythmy, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Music, German or Japanese, Bookbinding, Technical Studies and Work Experience.

In Year 12 this involves course work in the Major core units:
Maths, History, English, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Exploring Spirituality and Special Project.
as well as the units:
Drama, Music, Eurythmy, Visual Arts, Foreign Language, Physical Education and additional electives where appropriate.

Assessment
In Years 11 & 12, both formative and summative assessments are used.
A formative assessment is given to students as a matter of course in the reports on their work in all subjects.

A summative assessment for tertiary admission is also recorded and is available to students on request. A summative assessment of all units is made in Year 12.

Overview of the Year 12 Cirriculum

All the subjects at the Mt. Barker Waldorf School are taught in the context of a curriculum which is integrated from class 1 through to class 12. Each subject is presented in a way which meets the developmental needs of the students as they grow. These developmental needs are recognised and integrated in the cognitive, emotional, and practical emphasis of our teaching.

This leads to an education which focuses on the subject content as leading to the development of an individual's full potential, not on the teaching of specific vocational skills. Needless to say, an integrated, mature young person with an overview of human learning and practical abilities will be well suited to finding a vocation which enthuses them and at which they are able to excel.

As a result of this, our Year 12 students study a comprehensive curriculum with a good balance of science, arts, and humanities, as well as developing a variety of practical skills. This comprehensive curriculum fulfils a process of development within each subject. The subject content allows for extensive discussion, exploration of ideas and their implications for modern society, and personal expression. It does not aim to prepare students for a major exam, although students are regularly examined, hand up written assignments, complete practical projects and produce substantial, high quality main lesson books. The main lesson books produced are volumes containing comprehensive documentation on each of the main subject themes. A total of twelve volumes on different ‘main lessons' are produced over the 4 terms of the year (these books need to be seen to be appreciated).

An important component of year 12 is the major project each student undertakes. Towards the end of year 11 each student has to decide on a project and a supervisor. The project may, and often does, need to be started during the summer holidays.

The project allows each student to work into an area of their choice in a very deep way, developing the skills appropriate to the project they have chosen. They are encouraged to encounter and seek help from professionals outside the school as much as possible.

The project allows us to develop a very realistic assessment of a student's abilities in expression, creativity, endurance and the practical skills involved in bringing their project to completion, writing about their methods and results, discussing what they have learned in perspective, and defending their thesis at an oral presentation to a public audience.

There should be no misunderstanding - the Year 12 year is demanding. It requires personal initiative, research skills and a high level of commitment, to be completed well.

Because the subjects at year 12 level are comprehensive, the time allocated to single subjects is less than at another school. This is particularly relevant to the Maths/Science area. Our students will have explored most areas of the curriculum encountered in any science curriculum. They will have worked with the content as phenomena in a very intense way, however, they will not have spent the same amount of time at more formal quantitative aspects of the subjects as their peers in another school might have done. Therefore, for some science degrees our students may need bridging courses.

Experience is showing that the students bring with them from our school an application to learning and the overview of learning that allows them to make up any such aspects that may not have been covered sufficiently in school.

The result of our program, we believe, is a graduate student with a unique relationship to learning; one, which we feel, will enable them to participate conscientiously and enthusiastically in any further study or vocation.