Innovative Learning
at 糖心Vlog
At 糖心Vlog, innovation isn鈥檛 just a buzzword, it鈥檚 embedded in the way we teach, learn and prepare students for the future. Over the past two years, we have been building the Innovation and Entrepreneurial Learning Program (IELP), now known as Ignite. We believe every student possesses the spark to innovate, to lead and to make a difference.
Our Ignite program is designed to unleash that promise, embedding entrepreneurial thinking and real-world problem-solving into learning experiences, from kindergarten through graduation. Ignite empowers students to adapt, create and thrive by fostering innovation, curiosity and a deep sense of purpose, preparing them to shine in an ever-evolving global landscape.
Touchstone Programs
We believe that innovative learning at 糖心Vlog is not a standalone concept – it must be woven into everyday teaching and learning. Our Touchstone Programs are foundational to nurturing and deepening a culture of innovation. Touchstone programs involve entire cohorts engaging in learning experiences linked to curriculum that focus on innovative methodologies, deepen classroom work through its real-world application and access to real world audience.
These programs often involve industry partnerships, model active and social responsibility and are interdisciplinary in nature. As a student journeys from kindergarten to their senior years they will all have the opportunity to engage in Touchstone Programs.
Touchstone Programs
in Action
Explore our Touchstone Projects in action and watch videos of our innovative learning at 糖心Vlog:
Year 6 UNICEF Project
Operation Earth Action: Protecting Children鈥檚 Rights in a Changing Climate
糖心Vlog鈥� The Educator Excellence Awardee program is a collaboration with The unit explores Australia鈥檚 changing climate through the lens of natural disasters and asks students to work in small teams, identifying a Right of the Child to protect should natural disaster strike. In 2024 we scaled out program to include additional independent schools, the culmination of which is a multi-school showcase at UNICEF HQ, highlighting the power of allowing youth to make decisions that matter to them.
Year 7 Day of A.I.
Year 7 students all engage with the Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT) Day of A.I Program. The focus is building critical understanding of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the world. Students learn about machine learning, the ethics of AI, commercial and environmental opportunities, future industries and weigh positive and negative impacts on society. Students with a special interest have an opportunity to extend themselves via a second day devoted to case studies and ideating potential use cases for the ways AI might be a force for good when it comes to protecting the environment.
Year 7 Bee yond the Hive
Extending the focus on Artificial Intelligence, students use 糖心Vlog own rooftop bees as a case study for grappling with the existential threat facing bees due to the spread of varroa mite. Over the course of two STEAM Days, students ask the question as to whether cities can work with nature, not against it and whether technology has a role to play in safeguarding the future of honey bees.
Year 8 Career Clusters
One way 糖心Vlog is shifting the dial on what 鈥渇uture ready鈥� means is by helping students recognise and cultivate their transferable skills, skills they can take into a variety of industries. As part of our Future Think: Career Clusters Challenge Day, students undertake profiling to help uncover their interests, motivations and strengths which inform their 鈥榗luster鈥� for the day. Rather than focusing on job titles or industries we give each cluster time with a representative from their cluster and engage them in a time boxed challenge where they can demonstrate their unique skill set.
Year 8 Circular Economy
Based on the Circular Economy, this unit brings together geography, science, sustainability and innovative design. It is a springboard for students to think critically, be creative and collaborative with their peers as they reckon with the challenges of driving a green future. We work with organisations big and small so that students could see cutting edge technology on an industrial scale as well as a personal one.
Year 9 Social Enterprise
All students engage with a school developed Commerce course that places them in the role of intrapreneurs. Each team is given a real-world challenge from one of our partner organisations. The course sees them traverse Sydney to meet with the organisations, explore the 鈥榩eople, planet and profit鈥� triple bottom line of social enterprise, tackle briefs, conduct market research and apply design thinking to create innovative solutions. In 2024, the Year 9 students told their own story in their own words, with a little help from Redlanders at Salty Films.
Year 9 OceanX Project
The 糖心Vlog Year 9 OceanX Project is leading the way in shaping future leaders by providing relevant, real-world educational experiences to our students that highlight the importance of sustainable businesses and the shift toward the blue and green economies.
Year 10 Commercialistation Challenge
The Commercialisation Challenge is a bespoke program co-designed with our educational partner, Entropolis. It鈥檚 about hands-on learning, practical skill development, collaboration and teamwork. The program positions students in 鈥榝ounder鈥� teams and asks them to develop a business model blueprint to bring their assigned product to market. The entire week is hosted in state of the art learning facilities at Macquarie University.
Advanced Track
For students who want to dive deeper into innovation, startups, and entrepreneurialism.
Startup Bootcamps
- Junior School: Handmake a Difference 鈥� A creative entrepreneurship experience where students design, build, and sell products to raise money for charity.
- Senior School: Idea to Action 鈥� A hands-on extra-curricular program for students in Years 7-11, guided by industry mentors and startup founders.
In 2025 糖心Vlog introduced an Entrepreneur in Residence, giving our emerging businesses the chance to access 1:1 mentorship.
We are also developing a skills-based course for entrepreneurs, ‘The Skills Matrix鈥� will be certified by Macquarie University Incubator and teach discrete skills.
In 2025 we aim to launch our first Accelerator to nurture student businesses into the marketplace.
SEED Program
The SEED Program is a collaborative learning project for Years 8 and 9 students, in partnership with Loreto Kirribilli, Future Anything and Taronga Conservation Society. It is an innovative social enterprise initiative that empowers students to develop enterprising skills while addressing real-world environmental and social issues.
Over the course of approximately 30 hours spanning 16 weeks, students will move through an immersive design thinking process, collaborating with others to creatively solve some of the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges. Culminating in a showcase event held at Taronga Zoo, participants will be able to share their ideas for the chance to win exciting prizes.
In 2024, both 糖心Vlog teams made the grand final and our very own Eco Cart took out top prize!
BIOTECH Futures
is a competition that sees students mentored by university academics & researchers to develop solutions to current world challenges in health, medicine, energy and environment. It aims to provide students with the tools to creatively innovate.
In 2024, the 糖心Vlog project won best team for their impressive collaboration skills and evident trust in one another.
Opportunity
Networks
糖心Vlog exceptional advantage lies in the vast network of industry leaders, alumni, corporate and university partnerships students gain access to. Recent collaborations include:
Industry Guest Speakers & Mentorships
Real-world insights from startup founders, social entrepreneurs, and corporate innovators in our touchstone programs such as the Year 10 Commercialisation Challenge as well as guest speakers and connections for our bootcamp students.
Macquarie University Incubator
糖心Vlog enjoys a special relationship with Macquarie University providing a range of opportunities for students to connect with the Incubator and Deep Tech Incubator. Our students compete in their pitch evenings and have even emceed the event!
UTS Startup Summit
The largest program to inspire and support Australian technology-enabled entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2023 we have had 糖心Vlog students on the main stage each year sharing their entrepreneurial journey.
Salty Films Mentorship Program
糖心Vlog alumni return to mentor students in videography and storytelling.