Preserving the Past

Schools involved	Primary	Central	Secondary
		Portland Central school: Years 5, 6 and 7

With an aging community population, students at Portland Central School identified the need to preserve an important part of the town's heritage. Students negotiated a brief to 'design and publish an historical biography of Portland'.

The biography about Portland's social, economic and cultural history includes information drawn from life experiences of older members of the community. During the documentation process strong links were forged with families, community members and community organisations.

Students were involved in every aspect of the process. This project was STUDENT CENTRED and teacher facilitated.

• Local business: During the project a partnership relationship was established with the Lands Information Office. Its officers helped with the gathering of content for publications and they provided advice on technical aspects of the publication process.
• Local community: The project required students to interact intensively with members of the Portland community who perceived great value in preserving a record of the past. The school's newsletter and web site were used to raise parent awareness of the project and to elicit parent support.
• Technology learning: The project assisted students to develop an increased capacity for students to manage tasks, organise time and set priorities. The project required students to function as independent self-directed learners.

Reflections on Enterprise Learning

"I worked with my family. We sat round and tried to remember what it used to be like. It was interesting."

"Recording our history was really important. It is good for the whole town."

"We learnt a lot about the town. It is a good place and there is plenty to do."