Year 7 students, Myla and Liv, identified a gap in the teen market - stylish, ‘slow fashion’, age-appropriate swimwear – and so Cinnamon Cove was born. Since then, they’ve sold approximately 200 swimsuits and are in the process of producing their next release. But how did two friends from different Newcastle schools launch their very own swimwear brand at the age of 12?

We will be fortunate enough to hear their story when we host Myla and Liv for the second time on Friday 12 August for our Deepening the Learning in Technology Mandatory course. The course is specifically designed for teachers and leaders of Technology Mandatory 7-10, Design Technology, and leaders of curriculum.

The aim of this course for teachers is to design authentic, student-centred learning for the Technology Mandatory syllabus that values critical thinking and creativity. Deep Learning is an approach that integrates subject knowledge and skills with cross-disciplinary capabilities enabling students to transfer these to other learning and life experiences. 

Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, Michael Fullan has found Deep Learning fosters a new kind of learning that better prepares young people for life and work in today’s world.*

Participants on the day will be placed firmly in their students’ shoes through a flipped classroom experience. A ‘learning walk’ will showcase the design process from the ‘must haves’ of developing their brand style guide, to choosing Carvico, a fabric made from recycled fishing nets.

During their first session in Term 2, Myla reflected, “While this wasn’t a school-based task, our teachers have fostered these skills in us so that we can use them and take action in the world.”

“Every design we can, we put it on paper, even if we think it won’t work,” said Liv. This is a great example of how students can go deeper into their learning journey.**

Participants in Myla and Liv’s first visit to AISNSW experienced a ‘Shark Tank’ exercise that involved pitching unit teaching concepts. It can be intimidating doing a pitch in front of your peers as a teacher, let alone to Year 7 students who are looking for your entrepreneurial skills and creativity.

It is through deep learning tasks that students in the new pedagogies gain experience in developing their aspirations, in taking the initiative to learn, in learning to persevere through tough challenges, and in doing real knowledge work.*

Teacher, and participant of the course, Rachel C. from Hills Grammar said, “I really enjoyed the flipped learning experience. It’s really valuable because ultimately, they’re the people we’re designing our units for, so it’s good to have their feedback.

“It’s always good to see kids be their true selves and have that authentic experience that they’ve [Myla and Liv] had. I think it also just gives teachers that boost that what we’re doing is important and it is valued. They were phenomenal.”

Registrations are now open for Deepening the Learning in Technology Mandatory on Friday, 12 August.


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