At Cornish College the learning our students engage in is not limited by curriculum and subject boundaries. Whilst our 100 acre setting of natural parkland is a great place for exploration, our classroom spaces provide equally stimulating opportunities for exploration by young minds.

At Cornish College, we recognise the insatiable curiosity that students have when we engage their hearts and minds and nurture their well-being.

Knowing what students are truly capable of compels us to make changes in education that will help our students to be the navigators of their own learning and their own futures. At Cornish College, we have developed a unique student-directed curriculum opportunity, where students have the time and space to demonstrate their impressive capacity for setting their own learning pathways, identifying problems and seeking out solutions that contribute to a sustainable future.

In 2021, a group of trail-blazing students have accepted the challenge to be part of our inaugural Design Futures class. These students from across Years 9-12 participate in workshops where they develop understandings in Systems Thinking, Design Thinking, Communications and Sustainable Thinking Dispositions. They apply these understandings to the learning in areas they are passionate and curious about – areas of interest and aspiration that go well beyond the scope of what a traditional curriculum would provide.

Design Futures empowers students to engage in a new level of self-directed learning that demonstrates integrity, initiative, persistence and resilience. In our fast-changing world, where young people will need to contribute to the design of their own futures, it makes sense that they contribute to the design of their education.

Design Futures is giving students the tools to thrive in learning and in life. That is how Cornish College is making a difference today for a sustainable and thriving tomorrow.

Photo: Principal Nicola Forrest with Jess, who is studying health and well-being for elite young athletes, Isabelle (the role of ethics in business enterprise), Reagan (men’s mental health), Rose (the benefits of play in education), and Luca (music production and engineering).

As featured in the July edition of the Mornington Peninsula Magazine