ReImagining Wilderness School
Part of our awareness as global citizens is knowing how different media shape our opinions and outlooks
on the issues that affect us all. This was the focus of Ann Rooney’s work with her students at Wilderness School.
Here’s the story of how they allowed us to be part of their journey.
Today’s students are more connected to the world than any generation before them. They care about social issues, world crises, and the health of the entire planet. The bright young students of Wilderness School, a Christian all-girls school in Adelaide, are no exception. All of them know we are global citizens who share an awareness of the world through media.
They got a chance to demonstrate this awareness on a project led by their teacher Ann Rooney. Part of their awareness as global citizens meant knowing how different media are used to persuade us into forming opinions and outlooks on the issues that affect us all. This was the focus of Ann’s use of Information Fluency in this valuable lesson.
“The Year 8 girls wanted to look at an issue they were passionate about, and what they wanted to shine a light on. Using Information
Fluency, we needed to look at three different types of information,” Ann recalls. They used critical thinking and Information Fluency skills to find the answers they needed.
“I have used the Solution Fluency Activity Planner to develop Year 8 English units,” Ann says. “My teaching has changed from a traditional approach, as the teacher being the source of all learning, to a more challenged-based approach using real-world problems to engage and excite students.”
The Global Digital Citizen Foundation is passionate about changing education and building skills that students need, such as global citizenship and awareness of how media forms opinions. This approach is making education more relevant to the real world.