Seymour College, a leading independent day and boarding school for girls in Adelaide, has partnered with the University of Melbourne to revolutionise how schools assess and teach essential life skills.
A new approach to education
Seymour is one of only a handful of South Australian schools participating in the Melbourne Assessment Community (MAC).
This initiative aims to empower teachers to track, develop, and teach skills like community engagement, communication, collaboration, and ethical decision-making. These skills are crucial for students to thrive in the modern world.
The partnership with the University of Melbourne is a significant step forward, in enabling Seymour (and other schools more broadly) to enhance its curriculum and teaching methods as well as provide the framework to assess core capabilities.
Complementing traditional academic assessments, this work aims to create a metrics-based tool to assess and provide feedback on students’ life skills.
Innovation in action
Seymour College has long valued capabilities-based education. The young women of Seymour are knowledgeable, but more importantly they are strong, confident and empowered to act.
Since 2018, their Learning Framework has shaped the curriculum and learning of all students. Its five domains are not abstract ideals, but practical learning behaviours embedded into every lesson, every day.
Work in the capabilities space has accelerated through Seymour’s partnership with Melbourne University’s Melbourne Assessment Community.
In collaborative communities of practice, Seymour staff are exploring how to nurture and measure student capabilities across all areas of the College.
New SACE subjects in Years 10 and 11, EIF and AIF, along with Seymour’s bespoke Year 7 Learning Lab program are breaking new ground by prioritising the process of learning over the final product and empowering students to take ownership of their learning through developing metacognitive awareness and self-regulation strategies.
Meanwhile, a new Industry Connect Project is encouraging students to tackle complex, real-world challenges under the guidance of industry mentors. The real-world context is critical to this.
Looking ahead
The future of education is evolving, and Seymour College is at the forefront of this change. Ultimately moving beyond the traditional ATAR system, Seymour is acknowledging not only the academic success of students but also ensuring they are well-rounded individuals ready and confident to take on the challenges of the future.
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