Big Picture Schools are defined by their commitment to educate One student at a time…in a community of learners. A BP school is based upon the premise that each child has unique interests, needs, and abilities that the educational program must take into account. The key to achievement in a Big Picture school lies in fostering students’ individual interests, encouraging their active participation in the learning process, and developing their ability to apply knowledge and skills to real life experience and challenges. Each Big Picture School is open to students from all levels of academic performance, abilities, interests, aspirations, and socio-economic backgrounds.

 

Inspired by the work being done by the not-for-profit organisation Big Picture Co (USA), a group of Australian educators, school leaders and business people established Big Picture Company (Australia) (BPCA) in 2005. It is based in Melbourne and is also a notfor- profit organisation.

 

Big Picture Company (USA) is dedicated to the fundamental redesign of public schooling in America. It was founded by educators Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor in 1995 and their aim was to catalyze vital changes in urban education by generating and sustaining innovative and personalized schooling. They began collaborating with national policymakers to design a student-centred high school and created the Big Picture Company (BPC) as the launching pad for what has now become a national education reform movement. The first Big Picture School, The Met Center, was launched in 1996 with 50 students in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Ten years down the track The Met is a group of 8 small Big Picture schools while there are nearly 50 Big Picture schools across the USA.

 

The success and proliferation of Big Picture schools is due to their ability to achieve exceptionally high student attendance rates (94% on average) and very low drop-out rates (2% on average). BPC (USA) delivers on its promise to provide students with the skills and assistance to gain acceptance to tertiary institutions; 99% of Big Picture graduates are accepted into college (the equivalent of a university or TAFE in Australia).

 

In Australia we are seeking to work with other interested parties to customise the American ideas, practices and principles for Australian students and their communities.

While there are differences between the Australian and American education systems, the design principles of BPC (USA) developed over the past twenty years have strong resonance with Australian education reforms. These reforms include:

BPCA is going to create a government Big Picture school by 2009. It is working with several schools across Australia that will become Big Picture Inspired schools over the next five years. This booklet provides a brief outline of the key design principles and structures of a Big Picture School.



What are the Big Picture School Core Educational Design Principles?

 

1. Small by Design

 

The school size is no more than 150 students, with a student-to-teacher ratio of no more than 17:1. If larger groups of students are needed to be educated on a school site then a small system of small schools is created rather than one large high school.

 

 

An advisory teacher meets daily with an advisory group of 12-17 students. This is the core learning community and the centre of accountability for students. Each advisory teacher stays with the same group of students for 2 – 5 years. This enables their advisory teacher to know them well and help them build a strong community while working on their learning goals. Advisory groups go on trips together, debate issues, do community service, critique each other’s work, plan school activities, and more.

 

 

These three key themes are brought together in Big Picture schools through the advisory group and the advisory teacher. The advisory teacher relentlessly pursues them all with each student and their class.

 

Advisory teachers negotiate student learning plans, convene meetings with students, parents, mentors, to develop the plans and discuss progress. They investigate learning opportunities at worksites, and imagine their connection to the student learning goals, broker and monitor internships in community. They coach students in learning domains that the advisory teacher does not know well (the advisory teacher who may have background expertise in Science learns to help students develop depth in other learning areas like English), help students develop depth in extended projects and exhibition development and are involved in one-to-one counseling of students. Advisory teachers are teachers too. They need to know how to assess the educational potential of a particular experience, how to convene and facilitate the class as a group, how to entice students individually, in groups or as a class to invest their time and engagement with an idea, text or task; how to encourage metacognition by students, how to link one experience to the next, week by week, month by month and how to connect their own efforts in this regard to the larger vision of the school and to the work of their colleagues. They need to know how to help students develop their literacy and numeracy capacities. They also need to know when to be tight and when to be loose – they need to know when to intervene and when to withhold and how to distinguish what should be corrected from what should be overlooked. They need to know when to exercise their legitimate authority as knowledgeable and caring adults even in the face of resistance.

 

Each student has a comprehensive, individualized learning plan (LP). These plans are crafted by students with the guidance of a range of support material and help of the advisor teacher, parents, and an internship mentor (see later point). The learning plan identifies learning goals linked to the Learning Goals (see below) and authentic project work. The learning plan is reviewed and updated quarterly. Student literacy and numeracy needs are attended to through this process. Learning Plan

 

 

This is a meeting of student, advisor, parent and mentor to discuss the individual student’s Learning Plan. Each stakeholder contributes to the student’s individual curriculum. As students progress through their years at a Big Picture school, they become more and more responsible for running these meetings and documenting the outcomes, which are incorporated into the updated Learning Plan.

Organisation, Self-Motivation and Time Management

 

These are probably three of the most important keys to success. At Big Picture schools, students must learn to organize themselves, motivate themselves and follow the project timelines they have created. Students use a planner to plan their day, their week, month, term and semester. This way their project work is mapped out.

 

 

We believe that students learn best when they are doing some thing that they are passionate about in the real world. Students are encouraged to explore their interests and follow them through their internships and projects.

 

 

The school enrols families. Families play an important role in students’ education. From helping students develop their Learning Plan to participating in events, parents are an integral part of the educational community. This process empowers parents to play an active role in their child’s education and in the school community. They participate in quarterly learning plan meetings, they are involved in student exhibitions of learning and are expected to attend an orientation for new families and a number of school functions throughout the school year.

 

 

Each student spends two days a week engaged in meaningful project work in an internship outside the school building, under the direction of a mentor. The internship enables students to pursue their interests and passions. Project work is designed to foster broad learning rather than merely developing specific vocational skills. The advisory teacher ensures that the internship work is integrated with the student’s learning goals and school-based study. Mentors volunteer to take on this role, are trained by the school, participate in the school life of the student where possible and work with students to create learning projects that support the learning at the workplace. In turn students can work on these projects and present their outcomes at school. Through LTIs students will learn maths, science, reading, writing and additional skills that they cannot learn in a classroom.

People, objects and place (POPs)

 

When students learn in an internship they are working with a mentor doing the real work of the workplace or community centre.). These mentors and their work colleagues use the language of the workplace and the students are exposed to the discipline, craft or site. The learning is done at the workplace, using the objects they actually use So for example if students arrange an internship with a marine biologist, they would get to work in a marine biology environment (eg the ocean), undertaking authentic marine biology work and become familiar with the jargon and terminology of marine biology. These three things – people, place and objects - are rarely available in the school setting. At a Big Picture school the student gets to experience and use them in situ.

 

 

In addition to any national and state-mandated assessments, schools rigorously evaluate student learning and development through a variety of performances, including a portfolio of work and quarterly exhibitions. Advisors provide written, in-depth assessments of each student’s progress.

 

 

Students present their work and learning at the end of each quarter. Students create visuals, an agenda, and note-cards to create a professional presentation. Each exhibition within a school year has requirements based on the student’s grade level and the status of the individual student’s project work. It is through this exhibition of work that students demonstrate accountability for all facets of the Learning Plan. The students, parents, mentor, advisor, peers, and others who attend give specific feedback on the learners, their processes and products.

 

 

Students are expected to work toward the goals they have set, and regularly reflect on their work and learning. Through this process of planning, doing and reflecting, students discover how to take responsibility for their own learning. Each student writes in a learning journal three times per week. The student records their thoughts, feelings, observations and plans around their education. This is a way for the student to reflect on life and learning as well as communicate with the advisor. Advisors regularly read and
respond to these journal entries.

Each student develops a portfolio. This is an accumulated documentation of their work. It may be organized in a portfolio box, a portfolio binder, and/or digitally. Students may use various methods of organizing their work based on different goals. The method is planned in conjunction with the advisor. Each quarter, students assess and reflect on their work, the goals that were established and accomplished, and plan the next stage of work. Each quarter, the advisor develops a written document for each student in his or her advisory group. This document assesses and reflects on the student’s work and makes recommendations for the following quarter. These written narratives are combined and provided to the parents. They are also maintained in the student’s records.

 

 

In-house school days include all-school gatherings that offer opportunities for students to showcase their work and for guests from the community to give performances and presentations. Whole community events for staff, students, families and mentors are scheduled throughout the year.

 

 

All students who enrol with their families and engage with school in this way are expected to graduate from school to further learning. All students are prepared for and connected to opportunities for learning at university and/or TAFE. Some students enroll in tertiary courses as part of their school. All students begin to research possible tertiary pathways from year 10 onwards.

 

 

Each year of school all students at a Big Picture school are expected to complete a stated number of tasks and achieve some specific goals. These gradually increase in significance and quantity until graduation. For example, students are required to read at least five books in year 10 and at least nine books in year 12. Students begin writing the first 25 pages of their autobiography in year 11 and submit it finished as 75-100 pages.

Get Involved

 

There are lots of great ways for you to get involved with The Big Picture Company Australia.

 

 

Your donation will support our continuing work to achieve our mission: catalysing vital changes in Australian education by generating and sustaining innovative, personalised schools that work in tandem with their greater community.

 

 

When you join the Big Picture network you gain many benefits from discounts on courses and materials to privileged access to some the world’s best education ideas. The Big Picture Company is a not for profit organisation so your membership fees go directly to support innovation and to stimulate the conversation about education. There are several different levels of membership. Decide which is best for you and join us.

 

 

We are always looking for new mentors and worksites for our Learning Through Internships programs. As a mentor you will have the opportunity to use your expertise and enthusiasm to teach and work with (and even learn from) a student who shares your interests.

 

For more information visite the Big Picture Website at www.bigpicture.org.au to find out more.