Articles

What is the Australian Victorian Curriculum (VC) and is it for your child?

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jan 05, 2017

The opening of the Peninsula International School Australia (PISA) in January 2018 will see the introduction of a one of a kind, new curriculum in Malaysia. The Victorian Curriculum (VC) taught in The Peninsula School (TPS), Victoria has proven to deliver a first rate education to all students, with success in all areas celebrated. TPS provides academic support, course structure and support materials, along with training and mentoring programs for teachers while PISA adheres to the highest standards of education associated with TPS's long tradition of academic excellence.At TPS, it is the school's aim that all students will be provided with opportunities to reach their potential and as such they celebrate personal bests and personal performance, rather than performance measures.PISA CEO Lee Kok Cheng says demand for quality education, particularly international schools, is expected to rise in the future as more parents opt to send their children to learn in a more globalised setting.Among the PISA board of governors are, Tan Sri Clement Hii, who is also group managing director of SEGi University and Colleges and Emeritus Prof Dr Muhammad Awang, who served as deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia and vice-chancellor of SEGi University.Another member, Tan Sri Dr T Marimuthu was dean of Universiti Malaya’s Education Faculty before he became a deputy minister.PISA is set to open in Malaysia in January 2018, offering education for students from Year 1 (Age 7) to Year 12 (Age 18).PISA culminates in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), a university entrance qualification recognised by leading tertiary institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Junior Years (Year 1-5)

The school's Accelerated Reading Program supports students’ interpretive reading skills, while fostering enjoyment in the reading process. More than three thousand titles are available to students in the programme.Other activities, including Problem of the Month, Maths Competitions, Maths Olympiad, Maths Problem Solving Day and Chess Club, have complemented the real life, hands on and formal aspects of classroom study.In Inquiry Studies, the approach presents students with foundation learning in a planned topic and then allows them to explore this knowledge further in ways that interest them.Teachers plan these units of Inquiry using tools such as Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy, developing assessment tasks and extension activities and questions. Inquiry Studies uses this exploratory approach to curriculum areas that include Science, Technology, Information Technology, Health and Personal Development. 

Middle and Senior Years (Year 6-12)

Year 6 students focus on a diverse and connected world which takes a global view of geography and focuses particularly on the concepts of place and interconnections. Students learn about the diversity of people and culture around the world.The Year 6 Commerce curriculum gives students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of economics and business concepts.During Year 7 and 8, all students study a core curriculum of English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities (History and Geography), a language, Health and Physical Education, Music, Drama, Art and a few other electives.There are a number of interdisciplinary projects presented to the students during the Middle Years.During the senior years, students are actively preparing for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). Much of the pastoral program is devoted to developing the skills and attitudes required to be a successful VCE student as well as the knowledge required to make informed subject selections for the examinations.At The Peninsula School, students are encouraged to always strive to achieve their personal best and to learn for life, not just for an exam. Some people argue that as the predominant form of assessment in the VCE is the examination, then schools should therefore concentrate solely on preparing students for exams with rote learning techniques and prescribed answers. For students who are encouraged to use high order thinking skills and who can critically analyze the subject matter before them, an exam should be a less demanding form of assessment in which they excel.The school's excellent VCE results certainly suggest that at The Peninsula School, a focus on learning for life has this effect. When predicted student results are compared with achieved results in each study, Peninsula students, on average, gain one to four points above their expected study score; achievement that comes back to the classroom environment, the ability of the teaching staff and the culture of the school. These achievements then allow many of our students to gain entry to their preferred tertiary pathway. See also: New International Option for International School Students