Learning at Mount St Benedict College is inspired and informed by our Benedictine, Good Samaritan heritage. Mount St Benedict College educates young women in a Catholic community where students are encouraged to contribute with gifts given to them to make a difference in the world. Learning at Mount St Benedict College is directed towards the communal seeking of God through the Catholic (Christian) tradition. It is about enabling people to grow, as human beings and as disciples of Christ. It draws on the particular wisdom of the Benedictine, Good Samaritan tradition which calls us to ‘listen with the ear of the heart’ and be a neighbour to others, especially those in need. It is our intent to equip our students for this world: to instil in them the understandings they need to build the knowledge and skills they will require to lead rewarding lives and make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others.

Graduate Attributes

We have high expectations that graduates of Mount St Benedict College will:

• Be confident lifelong learners, pursuing excellence and the search for truth, with the capacity for reflection, attentive listening, collaboration, critical and deep thinking.
• Be active and informed citizens who utilise their learning in order to foster curiosity and gain a deep understanding of the world around them.
• Recognise God in their lives and have a faith and spirituality which reflect the Benedictine tradition and values, and live their lives with a moral and ethical integrity.
• Be creative, courageous, articulate women who are self-aware, recognising their strengths and talents and using them in the service of local and global communities who face adversity.
• Build positive, honest, respectful relationships, and be compassionate and kind in their dealings with others, showing agility and resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness.
• Have an attitude of optimism and gratitude, be innovative in their thinking, ready to face problems and solve them using the tools available to transform the world as they move beyond Mount St Benedict College.

To assist our graduates in realising these hopes and expectations, Mount St Benedict College offers a broad, flexible and innovative curriculum. The curriculum addresses the spiritual, academic and wellbeing needs of students through a range of authentic learning opportunities. It is underpinned by general principles which apply in every learning context provided to our students.

The learner is at the centre.

• Learner agency is central to effective learning.
• Learning is personal, connected, integrated and co-created.
• Learning is an active endeavour and requires effort.
• Learners should monitor, evaluate and optimise the development of understanding.
• Learners should be able to self-regulate and work towards independence.

Learning is a fundamentally social endeavour.

• Collaboration enhances learning.
• We challenge our thinking by seeking to engage with and understand others’ thinking.

Learning should be challenging and yield individual growth.

• Every learner is different, our approach considers prior knowledge, ability, interest, motivation, self-efficacy, beliefs and emotion, cultural and social backgrounds.
• Learning opportunities need to be flexible to meet every student at her point of need.
• A respectful curriculum provides challenge and growth for every learner.

Learning must be purposeful, authentic and meaningful.

• Learning is personally liberating and directed towards the common good.
• Learners understand the why in their learning.
• Authentic contexts provide meaning for students.
• Learners should be able to apply their learning in a range of contexts.

Learning should be conscious and reflective.

• Emotion, motivation and cognition are inextricably intertwined.
• Understanding oneself as a learner builds learning capacity.

The Learning Framework is the lens through which our College community will view and engage with learning into the future.
The Learning Framework Tree is symbolic of our learner.

The Learning Framework Tree and What it Represents:

The Leaves: The outcomes of the learning i.e. the College Graduate Attributes.

The Branches: How learning happens at the College. These may change over time for the health and longevity of the learner
e.g. formative assessment.

The Trunk: The Learner.

The Roots: The learner’s foundations, what gives her life.

The Ground: What the student is grounded in. These do not change.

The College Learning Framework supports a rich and diverse range of inspiring learning experiences which will nurture and equip our young women to transform the future. Please click here to learn more about Mount St Benedict College's Learning Framework.