Semester 1 2024

Environment and interactions In a House Group of 28 students, it is my experience that fostering a culture of belonging is only possible when students are actively interacting with their peers. When planning the roster for the fundraising day in Week 9, group discussion was instrumental in ensuring all students felt they were sufficiently involved in the Service activity. This collaborative endeavour was further promoted via the clustered seating layout of our House Group room. During the World Vision fundraiser planning, I noticed that the environmental layout was often a precursor to inspiring the work of the group (Harvard University, 2024). At the end of two House Group lessons in Week 7, the following roster was devised by Year 8 Gibson (refer to Figure 4).

Figure 4: World Vision roster for Year 8 Gibson 2024

Expectations and opportunities Throughout the term, I regularly revisited the expectation of individual involvement in the fundraiser through either poster creation, Easter egg purchasing or baking for the lunchtime stall. I believe the House Group gains a more in-depth appreciation of their contribution (in the form of time and resources) through a discussion of how the funds raised will benefit the World Vision child. In Year 8 Gibson, we worked through a PowerPoint together that showed the students how they were indirectly providing essential school supplies and learning equipment to their sponsored child. This year, Year 8 Gibson raised nearly $400 through their Term 1 fundraising events (refer to Figure 5). I feel confident that the format outlined here is an effective way to give all students in a Year 8 House Group an opportunity to think deeply about, and be involved in, the process of sponsoring a World Vision child.

Figure 5: Some Year 8 Gibson students fundraising for World Vision at the Week 9, Term 1 bake stall.

REFERENCES: Harvard University. (2024). 8 forces that shape group culture. https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/ cot_8ForcesThatShapeGroupCulture.pdf

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SCHOOL-WIDE PEDAGOGY NEWSLETTER SEMESTER 1 2024