Case Study: Riverina Anglican College Take Curriculum Learning to New Heights

Situation

On 13th December 2016, BridgeClimb welcomed Riverina Anglican College under the newly formatted Year 7 -8 Science School Excursion Climb. The college located in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, incorporated BridgeClimb as part of their biannual ‘Activities Week’ involving 22 students from their campus.
The students undertook a customised Science Excursion Climb centred on the topic areas of Forces, Contraction and Expansion, and Corrosion. All materials introduced throughout the experience have been developed according to the Physical and Chemical World sections of the curriculum (CW4).

Challenges and Outcomes

The challenge was to deliver a premium product relevant to both the Australian Board of Studies curriculum and BridgeClimb, whilst delivering a high level of customer service.

The science excursion model was crafted to include customised commentary led by our professional Climb Leaders, focusing on the key subject areas of the curriculum in reference to the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a case study.

The content was developed in collaboration with an external engineer as well as a secondary school teacher, who explored the Bridge’s design in reference to tension and compression, the elements that cause corrosion and the innovations that take place on the Bridge to control and limit corrosion, and finally the impact heat has on the Bridge in the context of contraction and expansion.

These findings were incorporated into a 10 minute clip on the key subject areas, which is shown to each Climb group in BridgeClimb’s private cinema, followed by a 2-3 hour Climb on the Bridge including customised commentary and facts. The Climb ends with a 30 minute debrief where students complete an activity sheet based on their learnings from the experience. Each Climb group get to take away additional activities to complete in the classroom for a holistic introduction on the key subject areas of the curriculum (CW4).

Objectives and results

The objective was to deliver a premium product with unfaltering customer service to a niche market whilst delivering a customised experience with mutual benefits to both BridgeClimb and Education as a whole.

This objective was met as Climber feedback from Riverina Anglican College expressed excitement to make this experience a permanent fixture in their itinerary.

“This was the first time that the BridgeClimb experience was an option during our biannual Activities Week and provided to be a great addition. Based on the positive feedback from both students and teachers, I hope to make this a permanent fixture in this event,” Maureen O’Connor, Science Coordinator, Riverina Anglican College.

Quick Facts

• 22 students experienced the Science School Excursion Climb on 13th December 2016


• A customised school excursion product was developed to touch on key subject areas of the Physical and Chemical World sections of the curriculum (CW4)