Year 9 Students Embrace Challenge-Based Learning

Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) is the Year 9 elective that is a part of the progressive Design Thinking program in the Middle School at Northside. CBL allows our students to tackle several design challenges early on in the course and then empowers them to embrace their own design project pertaining to their own interests and passions. They are required to keep a journal for accountability and to follow a sequence of steps connected to the design thinking cycle. The projects are varied, creative and inspirational.

At the end of Term 2, the students' work was showcased. Visitors came to look at, play with, read, sample, and learn about the students' projects.

Year 9 Students Reflect

Here's what a few students had to say about their CBL experience:

“Being able to choose your own ideas and work on them in a way that is clearly ‘me’ was really special. No ‘fill in the blanks’ to someone else's dream, but push on to achieve something that I can see myself doing and enjoying.” - Annika U

“Just having the opportunity to share my art with people was so cool. I got to explain how I did things and people were interested. I’ve never experienced that before and it was honestly so awesome.” - Isabelle S

“I will never forget how much fun we had in CBL. It was truly a journey to cherish. Also the design thinking cycle is something that will stay in my mind and I find myself reflecting on it.” – Tiffany F

“I have learnt that I can really do whatever I want, and still be able to turn it into something that will help today’s society. Even something as unique as a pun book can help out a lot… I found that CBL was a real eye opener. It revealed to me how much I really can do when I leave school. It taught me new ways to break down problems, how to solve them, how to find other ways of finding solutions.” – Hunter S

Year 8 Design Dilemma Makes Students Sleuths

In the last week of Term 2, the Year 8s participated in a one-day mystery investigation simulation referred to as a Design Dilemma, which is the Year 8 component of our Middle School Design Thinking program. The ‘Who Done It?’ mystery has a cross-curricular approach and a problem solving focus. Students had fun delving into thinking skills and found it a great way to finish up the semester.

Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a Northside Christian College distinctive in Middle School. Implemented across the three years of Middle School, students engage in a cross-curricular program that is an intentional and creative approach to embedding thinking skills into our program. Year 7 students dive into Think Tank, where they experience the importance of trial and error on the road to eventual success. Year 8 students complete Design Dilemma, working together as they solve a challenge. Year 9 students have the option to complete an elective called Challenge-based Learning, a semester-long, student-initiated project that fosters autonomy and ownership.