Subject Selection Website
Please visit our subject selection website that has detailed information for staff, students and parents/carers on our subjects.
The 2025 Book List is now available. Our supplier is Campion. Please follow this link and create a login to start ordering.
Help and Support for ordering can be found here: https://www.campion.com.au/support-help/support-for-parents/
What do we study at TC?
The answer to this varies from person to person. We have a saying that everything is negotiable, but not all things are permissible.
To view our whole school curriculum documentation please click here.
Entry
When a younger students starts at TC, they generally go into an Entry Class comprising around 25 students for their first 12 months. They will spend two thirds of their time together as a learning community working on an integrated curriculum that focuses on practicing and development of genuine independent learning skills, problem solving, active collaboration, leadership, teamwork and presentation skills. We of course continue to meet the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum Framework required by the VRQA. Individuals also choose two subjects from more than 150 electives. Working as part of a smaller entry group is a great opportunity to make friends amongst a smaller group, get to know their way around the school, build their Individualised Learning Plan (ILP) and develop their independent learning skills before moving into the Flexible Learning Environment or FLE as we call it.
Flexible Learning Environment (FLE)
Students in the FLE all have a detailed ILP that sets out a student's intended goals for the next five years. Naturally young people will change their passions and interests over time, and students can modify their ILP at any stage. Students generally select six subjects per semester from the elective grid. They can also choose to combine, music practice, part-time work at the school, time to run their own business or to work on a Personalised Learning Project called the PLP. All ILPs and any significant changes must be approved by parents and a principal to ensure that it represents a realistic and workable plan for the future.
Because we do not have year levels, most classes will contain students who are different ages, but all students have chosen to be there because they want to participate in that subject, so the classroom atmosphere is usually quite focused.
Students are able to undertake VCE studies at any age, provided they have a realistic chance of successful completion and their participation in the class is unlikely to negatively impact on other students. The majority of students at TC will be working towards a VCE qualification, but some will also be working towards a VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) qualification or an Alternative University Entrance Pathway which is far more flexible and largely project based.
Graduates
Students in their final year at TC are referred to as Graduates and take part in a number of focused programs in addition to the normal subject load to assist them in preparing for life after school.
You get far more control over what you are learning. If you pick a subject and it's not working out for you, you have the opportunity to change it. This really encourages you to take on some tough challenges, because you know if it does become too hard you can change your program and perhaps try again next year. Around 20% of students who would be in year eight in a normal system attempt a VCE subject and 75% of students who would be in year nine are currently studying a VCE subject. Some year seven students even study VCE maths because that is the level that they are working at.
EMS - Expanded Measures of Success
The Expanded Measures of Success (EMS) are TC's way of developing competencies across the curriculum that will prepare students for life beyond their schooling.
At TC we recognise that students bring a 'tool kit' of social and emotional strengths, alongside passions and interests separate to their academic abilities and knowledge. We actively identify areas of the EMS that build on these existing skills and can be developed in our learning, and explicitly teach and assess them across all classes. As a school, we are also encouraging students to focus on developing their EMS skills in things they do outside of classes such as scouts, lunchtime clubs, camps, in their places of work, and other areas of their lives.
Students are encouraged to reflect on their own personal growth across these areas and set goals for future personal development. As a result of this process students will be able to meet challenges with confidence and resilience, and to seize opportunities in their learning and throughout life.
For simplicity, each of the five EMS skills have been split into three subcategories of skills that are explicitly taught and assessed in classroom.
In 2024 every learning task includes at least one area of the EMS as part of the assessment criteria and this is explicitly taught and developed in class. It is also included in the learning task rubric. In addition, on at least one task students are required to complete a reflection, which is a component of the Independence EMS, about their engagement, performance and personal growth in the task.
This year we are trialing a new feature of Compass to assess the Independence and Working With Others areas of the EMS in our Entry PBL programs. The student data can be accessed using the Analytics tab -> Continuum -> EMS on their Compass homepage.
There are five areas of the EMS: Working With Others, Independence, Active Citizenship, Technology and Creative Thinking.
Working With Others
Working with others is the ability to cooperate as part of a team towards a common goal. It is productive, encouraging, respectful and inclusive. People demonstrate working with others when they understand their role in a team and are able to effectively listen, share, critique, support, provide and act on feedback.
• Participating (me as a group member)
• Leading others (me as a group leader)
• Supporting others (me as a group facilitator)
Independence
Independence is the ability for students to set their own goals and pursue their projects. Independence comes from completing repeated actions, to build positive working habits. An independent learner understands their roles and responsibilities. In doing so, the student completes their work in a timely way.
People demonstrate their ability to be independent when they set personal goals, have sustained motivation, adapt to challenges and incorporate feedback to improve their skills.
• Self-managing
• Goal setting
• Reflecting
Active Citizenship
Active citizenship enables us to connect and empathise with different perspectives and experiences, and consider our role in society. This includes ethical problem-solving, engaging with social and cultural issues, and working towards a sustainable future.
People demonstrate active citizenship when they show understanding of local and global challenges and experiences, advocate for others, and participate in making the world a better place.
• Understanding of different perspectives or issues
• Advocating
• Participating in helping people or causes
Technology
Technology assists us to be creative, communicate with others, source and organise knowledge in subject areas, professions, and passions. The use of technology is meaningful and relevant to the task and assist the user to be successful.
People demonstrate their ability to use technology when they can effectively apply a range of digital and manual methods to create products, innovate ideas as well as communicate, find and organise information.
• Creating using technology (digital and manual)
• Communicating using technology
• Organising using technology
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking requires critical analysis and reasoning to form independent judgements.
It includes considering multiple perspectives with an open mind.
People demonstrate creative thinking when they can identify challenges, issues or opportunities and apply a step-by-step process to add value towards a solution.
• Analysing problems (critical thinking)
• Finding solutions (creative thinking)
• Implementing solutions