Integrated Learning
In Integrated Learning students are given opportunities to
The Integrated Curriculum is a keystone of Learning at Loreto. It provides a space where students can learn and practise lifelong learning skills, experience independent and collaborative learning, undertake holistic tasks and come to an understanding of themselves and the world in which they live.
In Integrated Learning students are given opportunities to
- develop a range of literacies
- grow in emotional and social competence
- become spiritually aware
- reflect on how they learn
- think critically and laterally
within a framework of interdisciplinary and cross-disiplinary studies.
It is recognised that learning is often not confined to an isolated subject or discipline and many students learn more effectively when links emerge and skills are transferred from one area to another. In a particular integrated unit, students of Stage 4 may encounter concepts and ideas drawn from a variety of subjects and they may be required to draw upon emerging social/emotional skills to negotiate with other learners in a group. In Stage 5 students follow a Board of Studies Endorsed course from the area of HSIE with a particular emphasis on social justice.
The Holistic Curriculum is underpinned by an overarching concept and focus area which shapes the drive of student learning. The Integrated curriculum is designed around these concepts and focus areas, taking both as a starting point for the 'overarching concept' or essential learning that underpins the learning experiences.
The Integrated Curriculum is designed around these concepts starting with a ‘big question’ or essential learning which underpins the learning experiences and assessment.
| Stage | Overarching Concept | Year |
| 4 | Developing Self | 7 |
| Connectedness | 8 | |
| 5 | Outreach | 9 |
| Creating a Vision | 10 | |
| 6 | Creating a Future | 11 |
Integrated Learning is developed and delivered by a team of teachers drawn from a variety of disciplines.
STAGE 4
The Integrated Curriculum in Stage 4 involves three key elements, each related to the Overarching Concept which drives and organises the curriculum:
A Focus on School Events, the Liturgical Year and the Loreto Value of the Year.
This focus will involve students in regular structured discussions where recent and upcoming events in the school and liturgical year are considered. This occurs in a variety of ways; in the classroom, Tutor Group time, student-led activities, communion services and Integrated Learning Time.
Integrated Learning Tasks
The Integrated Learning Tasks are holistic in nature, require students to develop independent learning skills, involve a variety of disciplines and enable negotiation and differentiation. The Integrated Learning Tasks are developed by Year Teams and are often open-ended in nature, allowing students to explore areas of interest identified in the course of their investigations.
Community Problem Solving
Students will work in groups to define and develop solutions to community problems, based on the Future Problem Solving ‘Community Problem Solving’ approach. Through the Community Problem Solving element of integrated curriculum, students will be explicitly taught problem solving skills and other skills related to the creation of knowledge.
STAGE 5
Focus on School Events, the Liturgical Year and the Loreto Value of the Year.
This focus will involve students in regular structured discussions where recent and upcoming events in the school and liturgical year are considered. This occurs in a variety of ways; in the classroom, Tutor Group time, student-led activities, communion services, formal ‘conversations’ with Tutors and Integrated Learning time.
Holistic Tasks
The Holistic Task differs from other Integrated Learning (IL) experiences in its negotiated nature. In the Holistic Task, students are encouraged to negotiate the content of their learning according to their interests, abilities and prior knowledge, the process of their learning and the product which they will submit, all within parameters set by the IL teacher. Outcomes and assessment rubrics for holistic tasks are issued at the outset, with clear guidelines and support for students on how to achieve the set outcomes.
Holistic Tasks:
- are related to the overarching concept and the focus area of the year.
- grow out of the units of work which comprise the integrated curriculum.
- provide opportunities for students to practise and demonstrate their learning in each of the lifelong learning domains.
- provide a vehicle for students to demonstrate their learning across each of the FACE dimensions.
- incorporate all four FACE elements with an emphasis on Social Justice.
Immersion Experiences
Through the Outreach experience in Far North Queensland, interactions with mentors and community service, students grow in awareness of the nature of their world and their ability to influence and become involved in the decision making process as a means of addressing structural inequities.
