Years 9 and 10
The Victorian Essential Learning Standards include standards at six levels. The level broadly associated with schooling at Years 9 and 10 is Level 6.
Developing pathways
Levels
By the time students reach Year 9 they are well into adolescence and beginning to see their future as adults. These years are developmentally distinct from Years 7 to 8 in the sense that, when beginning secondary school, children are predominantly in a stage of developmental transition from childhood to adolescence. In Years 9 to 10, however, not only are most students well into adolescence, they are beginning to think of themselves as adults, looking towards their future roles in life. They are experiencing profound physical, social, emotional and intellectual development changes as they move to greater levels of challenge and independence.
Parents and teachers have often become less important models, especially with regard to issues that are of immediate concern. In contrast, peers have become more important as models.
Added responsibility and expectation can be a time of adventure, learning and growth. It can also be a time of fear, loss of confidence and insecurity. It has been noted that the rites of passage from childhood to adulthood are becoming more poorly defined, as adolescents mature physically at younger ages and enter the adult world of work and family at older ages; this has led to less clear roles for both parents and adolescents.
The post-compulsory years of schooling are a key developmental point to improve coping skills. The greatest shift in coping occurs between 14 and 16 years which make it the optimum time for adolescents to contemplate their coping behaviour.
Students in this stage often pass the compulsory age of attendance at school. They have a growing interest in the future and, in particular, the pathways they intend to pursue, so they increasingly are aware of the world outside the school. For some this means preparation for work or work-specific training, and for others it means preparation for post-compulsory schooling on the way to a career. In this sense, adolescents are more likely to judge learning activities and experiences in terms of where they will lead, and respond positively to a curriculum that links with, and has meaning for their lives outside as well as in the school.
School is more likely to become a means to an end. Many activities and experiences at school may not trigger curiosity, activate information seeking or develop competence. However, in relation to a broader perspective of the self, it is important to do well in the pursuit of lifestyle choices and/or career goals. This is the last moment in their schooling when we can guarantee students access to the knowledge and skills which all young Australians need as they take their first steps into adult life.
Competent learners begin to use more sophisticated cognitive strategies than in earlier years. For instance, they are aware of, and capable of, reflecting on the differences between mathematic, scientific, literary, historical and artistic methods. They are flexible learners who apply a number of approaches to understanding information in different methods. They value opportunities to explore new ideas in depth, commonly in cooperation with their peers, in an environment where they are encouraged to take intellectual risks.
At this stage, learning is enhanced by opportunities for students to participate in projects they believe to be relevant and important to their lifestyle or career goals that occur over extended periods and are learner directed. These projects encourage deep thinking, a process that gives students an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills flexibly, and to develop a meaningful sense of their application and purpose. To think deeply, students need to relax and consider all of the relevant angles from which an idea might be considered. Students construct a thinking framework that follows a process from conception to application.
As well as developing skills for increasingly sophisticated and specialised learning, students require the skills to effectively participate in their communities and workplaces. Students will have commenced learning these skills previously but require a level of competence for them to participate in projects where they may initiate and apply skills. These skills include: basic fundamental skills (for example, literacy, numeracy, technology); people skills (for example, communication, team-work, customer service); thinking skills (for example, organising, problem-solving, creating, planning); personal attributes (for example, responsibility including for one's own health and physical wellbeing, flexibility, self-esteem); business skills (for example, innovation and enterprise); and community skills (for example, civics).
