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Habits of Mind were identified and The unique sets of challenges faced by the cluster arise
from:
adopted by the cluster as a powerful ■ Diverse cultural origin of the populus
learning tool for the development ■ Movement of students between schools within the
of independent, self-directed and cluster
resilient learners.” Instead of the ■ Significant levels of low literacy
one you’ve used “low levels of adult ■ Low income, low aspiration households
literacy...
Cultural Inclusiveness
The ongoing challenge across the cluster is to maintain
Issues include limited English phoneme exposure and the development of an inclusive curriculum that
lack of role modelling for development of oral literacy. fosters cultural awareness and tolerance. Engagement
Primary school is where many students learn to speak opportunities and curriculum planning are sensitive to
English and hear Australian-English phonemes used for and inclusive of over 35 ethnic groups. The diverse
the first time. cultural mix throughout the cluster has resulted in
the need for programs that focus on identity, group
Conflicts in countries of origin have resulted in cohesion, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills
immigration of families with no or low-level adult development and conflict resolution.
literacy in both native language and English. School-
age refugees have disrupted learning or no formal The Habits of Mind were seen as a vehicle with the
schooling (never schooled and preliterate). In Victoria, potential to equip students from diverse cultural and
such students attend three months at a language centre low socioeconomic backgrounds for success. The
before enrolment at an age appropriate level within state strategies offer a range of dispositions toward success-
schools. making behaviours. The need for explicit teaching and
modelling of the behaviours has necessitated changes to
The net result of the above is a high percentage of pedagogy throughout the cluster.
students who are not at an age appropriate literacy level.
Testing in 2007 indicates that 63% of students entering Movement between schools
year seven have tested below age-appropriate literacy
levels. The Habits of Mind were seen as a common language
across schools. The Habits were initially trialled as a
Middle Years transition initiative aimed at improving
Socioeconomic student learning outcomes from years 5 to 8. The
Low levels of adult literacy result in low-skilled and often Habits also provided a common social and academic
low income employment. The catchment for the cluster experience for students moving between the primary
has traditionally high levels of welfare dependence and a schools within the cluster.
high incidence of single parent and blended households.
Art Costa’s Habits of Mind were identified and adopted
The size of the City of Brimbank’s labour force in 2001 by the cluster as a powerful learning tool for the
was 73,635; 25.6% of the working population were development of independent, self-directed and resilient
employed part time. The total resident labour force learners.
remained relatively stable between 1996 and 2001. The
reasons for the greater rate of unemployment in the City
of Brimbank include a comparatively larger share of the Literacy
population aged 18-24. Approximately 27% of the 950 students enrolled at
the Secondary College are ESL (English as a Second
Victoria’s State Schools are classified according to the Language) students. The ESL program addresses basic
proportion of families and individual students receiving English acquisition - oral skills, comprehension skills and
state Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMA) and vocabulary. Similar statistics can be found throughout
the proportion of the student body from non-English the primary schools in the cluster. The Habits of Mind
speaking backgrounds. Schools with the highest levels are used in conjunction with other programs to address
of EMA and a student population largely consisting of literacy issues.
non-English backgrounds are classified as band 9. The
schools within the Furlong Main cluster are classified as Furlong Main Cluster Implementation
band 9 and outer 9. Outer 9 is beyond the disadvantage
assessment criteria. Plan
The Furlong Main Cluster Structure:
The Furlong Main Cluster is an alliance of five schools To assure that our implementation goals could be met, a
which share a common demographic within the City of unique multi-school administrative structure was created
Brimbank. These schools are – Albion North Primary across the cluster.
School (PS), St Albans Secondary College (SC), St
Albans Heights PS, St Albans Sth PS and Jackson
Special School.
14 • Habits of Mind International Expo, Melbourne / Auckland October 2007