With many Melbourne Grammar School students likely to live and work in large cities across the world in the future, it is important that they become confident urban dwellers. A first step, for some, is to become comfortable moving around their local environs. For Wadhurst students, this occurs through the Experience Melbourne programme.
Experience Melbourne invites Year 7 students to navigate their way around Melbourne’s CBD visiting key landmarks of their choosing. Based on their research and findings, students work in small groups to create a Melbourne ‘tour guide’. The students must indicate how the various locations have changed over time and provide highlights of each landmark today.
For Marcus Allen, Sam Ward, Charlie Graham, and George Raymond, it was an “epic adventure”. The boys visited the MCG, the Shrine of Remembrance, Eureka Tower, Haigh’s Chocolates and St Paul’s Cathedral.
“Once we had chosen our points of interest, we had to do quite a bit of research about each landmark and also work out the most efficient path we should take to be able to spend the most time at each point,” explains Sam.
On the day, a different type of planning was needed. “Although it was fun to go into the city with your friends, we needed to focus on the assigned task at hand and not be distracted,” says Marcus. “We knew we needed to act responsibly as we didn’t have a teacher to guide us,” adds George.
The programme is delivered under the leadership of Ms Kim Goodwin Watson, History Coordinator at Wadhurst. “Research is the foundation of History and so we try to build this skill in students from the start,” she explains. “However, the experiential nature of this project means that personal development also occurs. Collaboration is necessary for students to do well in this activity, as are good time management skills. We also use the opportunity to focus on developing positive group dynamics.”
“Our team worked well together,” says Charlie. “We made good use of the skills and knowledge of the people in our team. We were open to everyone’s ideas, and good at cooperating with each other.”
“Even though we got lost at one stage, we worked as a team to get out of the situation,” explains George. “Everyone makes mistakes now and then so there was no point getting too upset with the person who misdirected us.”
“The greatest thing about the project was the sense of independence,” says Marcus. “We were well prepared, so I was confident on the day.” Sam concurs. “I really enjoyed being outside the School” he adds. “It was great to see all the work we had done come together.”
“Touring the city without an adult was a great experience,” Charlie sums up. “I’m keen to do that more now.”
