ruMAD? at Gagebrook Campus
Jordan River Learning Federation

Gagebrook in The Age: "In many ways Gagebrook has been a model of how we would like ruMAD? to run," says TCGL Coordinator Helen Hortle in a story about our partnership in The Age Education Resource Centre.


About the ruMAD? Program at Gagebrook

A special ruMAD? partnership is making a difference at the Gagebrook Primary Campus of Jordan River Learning Federation.

Since the beginning of 2008, the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning and the school have worked to implement ruMAD? throughout the school. This is supported by a Gagebrook teacher who has relief one day every week to act as ruMAD? Coordinator, focussing on the program and assisting other teachers. A trial of this arrangement was made possible by a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund in 2008. In 2009, the successful arrangement was funded by a partnership between the school, the Department of Education, Brighton Council and a private philanthropist. The impact of the Gagebrook-TCGL partnership was recognised later that year with a national $50,000 Schools First Impact Award to fund its continuation throughout 2010 and 2011!

Gagebrook Primary is located in a high-needs area, and in 2005 the school embarked on a program of ‘self help’, starting with the enGage Program. The ruMAD? Program is now also part of the change. The success which Gagebrook students and staff have had with ruMAD? provides a model for the wider Learning Federation and there are now plans to extend the program to all grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 classes.


Gagebrook wins Human Rights Award

Photo: Gagebrook Primary teacher, Petrina Randazzo, and  students with their Human Rights School Award as TCGL Coordinator, Helen Hortle, and  Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Robin Banks, congratulate them.

On 2nd December, at the Launch Ceremony of Human Rights Week 2011, Gagebrook Primary was recognised with the Tasmanian Human Rights School Award for their use of the ruMAD? Program to make a difference to the rights of others over many years. The Ceremony at Parliament House was a very special occasion with two Gagebrook students attending to receive the award along with ruMAD? Coordinator Petrina Randazzo, even though it was a student-free day at school!

Gagebrook's nomination featured many of the students' human rights-focussed MAD projects from 2007 through to 2011: an art auction to support disadvantaged Cambodian communities, and a petition against landmines (2007); the sharing of students' time and talents with sick children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, and recognising their dignity and worth (2009); a Free Rice Day, fundraising for water and sanitation projects, and a roadshow to raise awareness of local homelessness (2010); and most recently, the creation of Gagebrook's first community toy library, and MAD Action Days to connect families and support the Alannah and Madeline Foundation (2011).


How Gagebrook went completely MAD...

Gagebrook Primary first became involved with ruMAD? in 2006. Principal, John O’Rourke, and teacher Steve Robinson were instrumental in bringing ruMAD? to Gagebrook Primary School. Initially, Steve’s grade 3 students took on a small change-making activity – beautifying the local sports ground by painting sheds and planting trees donated by the local council.

In 2007, the whole grade 3/4 team (4 classes) undertook to make a difference. This time the students looked further afield to understand and help children in Cambodia affected by landmines. An inquiry approach was used and work integrated across the curriculum – interviewing people, creating artworks, writing letters, circulating a petition, recording a song, organising an art auction, attending a conference and speaking publicly.

Photo: Gagebrook Primary stall at the 2009 Youth Action Conference.

In 2008, the whole school became involved with the ruMAD? Program. As a result of a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund, Steve was given one day relief per week to focus on the program and assist other teachers in its implementation across all grades. The main focus was on increasing student engagement through positive social action. Students were encouraged to take more responsibility for their learning and thus come to deeper understandings of the community issues they tackled. The process enabled students to develop leadership, life and critical thinking skills. They became active change agents in their own community. Read more about Gagebrook's experience of ruMAD? in 2008 here!

Also in 2008, recognising his work on ruMAD? up until this point, Steve won a National Excellence in Teaching Award (ASG Inspirational Teacher State Award)!

In 2009, Gagebrook students chose to make a difference for people who are less fortunate, and for animals – both native and pets. (Read more about Gagebrook students' 2009 MAD activities here!) While students focussed their passionate attention on these topics, teachers concentrated on using MAD activities to improve learning outcomes across the curriculum, with a specific focus on literacy (read more about this below).

    

   

The school also produced PowerPoint Shows detailing how the ruMAD? Program was implemented in each grade group in 2009 - see examples in photos above.  View or download these PowerPoint Shows here:

Implementation of ruMAD? in grades Prep - 2 (PowerPoint Show)
Implementation of ruMAD? in grades 2 - 4 (PowerPoint Show)
Implementation of ruMAD? in grades 4 - 6 (PowerPoint Show)

In 2010, teacher Petrina Randazzo took on the role of ruMAD? Coordinator. Having won the Schools First Impact Award together with TCGL, the students began the year by hosting an ruMAD? Schools First Open Day showcasing past ruMAD? projects and launching their ideas for 2010 projects. Students chose to make a difference on issues of pet safety, local and global poverty, and homelessness, working on projects throughout the rest of the school year. Students partnered across year levels, with other schools, and with many other local organisations making a difference on these issues.

View or download Petrina's PowerPoint Shows of the 2010 projects here:

Implementation of ruMAD? in grades Prep - 2 (PowerPoint Show)
Implementation of ruMAD? in grades 1 - 4 (PowerPoint Show)
Implementation of ruMAD? in grades 5 - 6 (PowerPoint Show)

Read more about the inspiring 2010 MAD activities of the Gagebrook students here!

The Schools First Impact Award continued to support Gagebrook's implementation of ruMAD? throughout 2011 and has enabled many more inspiring student projects: keeping Gagebrook beautiful and caring for animals; building better family relationships; and creating the community's first ever toy library! (Read more about the Gagebrook students' 2011 MAD activities here!)

The year ended brilliantly with Gagebrook being awarded the Tasmanian Human Rights School Award in recognition of their  ongoing commitment to learning about, acting upon, and educating the community on, a broad range of human rights issues. A very well-deserved award!

Photo: Gagebrook Primary stall at the 2011 Fairer World Festival.


$50,000 helps Gagebrook to Make A Difference

The students of Gagebrook Primary have been ‘Making a Difference’ to issues that concern them for 5 years now. They have taken on everything from homelessness to bandicoot breeding to assisting children in Cambodia affected by landmines - all under the banner of the ruMAD? Program. Finding funding to support the program has been difficult, but thanks to winning a Schools First Impact Award, Gagebrook Primary has $50,000 to keep Making a Difference in their community and the world they live in.

Photo: Gagebrook Primary teacher, Steve Robinson, receives the Schools First Award cheque from National Australia Bank’s, Corey Bygraves.

The national Award, one of only two in Tasmania, was a joint application by the school and the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning. The Schools First funding has enabled Gagebrook students to continue running intensively supported MAD Projects through 2010 and 2011, with Gagebrook teacher Petrina Randazzo again coordinating ruMAD? for one day every week. Teachers at the school are highly supportive of the program as is the Brighton Council which has assisted in a variety of significant ways over the past 5 years.

On 12 March, 2010 Gagebrook Primary hosted an ruMAD? Schools First Open Day to celebrate their Schools First Award and showcase past and present ruMAD? projects. Several local politicians attended, including then Minister for Education and Premier of Tasmania, Mr David Bartlett, and Corey Bygraves, from the National Australia Bank, donated and cooked sausages for everyone! Mr Bartlett spoke about the school’s achievements with the ruMAD? program and the valuable learning gained from their MAD projects. The Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning were also able to celebrate an announcement of some funding for the Centre from Mr Bartlett.



How ruMAD? can be used to achieve literacy outcomes...

Extract from Literacy Learning Sequence compiled in 2009 by Gagebrook Primary teacher, Steve Robinson.

The following examples of literacy outcomes have been produced with the kind permission of Gagebrook Primary School, Unit E students (grade 2/3) and their teacher Mrs Didham. It is important to note that this is not a learning sequence that has been planned in advance and delivered by the teacher. The following aspects of literacy have been interwoven into the ruMAD? Program as the need arises. Whilst there were many more instances of literacy being used in the program, the following examples serve as good examples with photographic evidence. This is literacy for a real purpose which has been identified as being needed by the students and teacher.

In 2009, students from Units E and H democratically chose the topic; ‘We would like to help injured native animals that have been impacted upon by human beings,’ for their ruMAD? Program...  Download the full Learning Sequence
 

Photo: Design for pamphlet on caring for injured wildlife, an example of how literacy learning was incorporated into the grade 2/3 ruMAD? Program.
 

From the teachers...

"It's highly motivating for the students, and it benefits the community because it gets the parents seeing the school and students in a positive way."

"... it's a geographically isolated suburb... This is a way of taking them out to the big wide world, and gives us a framework to do that."

"ruMAD? is a chance for the students to decide what they'd like to look at and how they'd like to help the community."

"The kids definitely feel like they've done the whole project, and because they're doing it, they've got the ownership. It would've turned out differently if they hadn't."

"In making the toy library they've really had to think about students other than themselves - thinking who in the community can use it, and what toys are age appropriate."

"What's amazed me is the support we've had from the community - for donations for our raffle and so on - but it's because the letters were written by the kids."

"This was my first year of being a part of ruMAD? and I have found it to be a great way of helping students connect with the outside community. I have really enjoyed it and look forward to doing it again."

"Inspiring and worthwhile."

"It allows for flexibility in teaching methods to suit students' interests and needs."

"An opportunity to give students a voice and to take the stuffiness out of lessons."

"It provides a more hands on, physical way of learning. This practical learning is much more powerful than just 'book learning'."

"Students have been 'gob smacked' by what they have been finding out, it's taken their learning to a world scale and moved beyond the insular."

"A very enriching experience. The students have been engaged and eager to learn. It has helped me to use different strategies in the classroom."

"Writing to the Council and getting something to happen was a powerful experience for our students."

"Our students have learnt that they can influence the broader world, beyond their back doors."

"We have a community service ethos as an underlying foundation in our school so this has helped us to explore what this means in a practical way. It has meant more social contact for our students with other community members and provided a broad social context for their learning."

 

From the students...  

"Everyone was really excited [about creating the Toy Library]. They really wanted to do it."

"We did it because there were underprivileged kids."

We do ruMAD? to learn about life. The best!
 
"At our school I think ruMAD? is fantastic because it gives us a chance to think about others not just ourselves and to make a difference to the world."

"It's very fun and makes you feel good helping people."

"ruMAD? is a good way to learn something about something you like."

"It was pretty interesting, I was surprised that a homeless person was alright, I thought she would be wearing all old clothes and dirty."

"It's awesome and fun."

"We got to present our work [at the Youth Action Conference]."

"We learn heaps in one day."

"It's fun and you learn more stuff."