There are clutch moments in life that just need to be taken. The Odyssey story is one such time.

Over the last four years, the world has undergone significant and fundamental change. Until the Learning from Home experience, many had not questioned the traditional setup of schooling that sits students down, keeps them quiet and asks them to perform in high-pressure situations. Learning was teacher-focused, very fast-paced and subjects were separated out unnecessarily. Returning from Learning from Home there was an opportunity, and more importantly, a consensus that our students deserve better.

Each January we would see new cohorts of students join us, and while they were enthusiastic and zealous, the century-old, industrial-age factory model of education was not serving them well, current research from the Grattan Institute shows that up to 40% of students across Australia are disengaged, and the way forward is to challenge students to participate and take risks*.

At the end of 2022, the Principal, Mr Steven Coote floated the idea of an innovative Year 7 program that places students at the centre of their learning and closely interrogated the educational status quo. Unlike the industrial, factory-style model, the new paradigm would build fresh cultures, apply an innovative staffing model, embrace alternate evaluation systems and explore delivery models.

Working with Heads of Department, Heads of House, the Registrar, Library staff and Junior and Senior School teachers, the idea of the Odyssey program was born. It would be a purpose-built, student-centred approach to learning that saw students as powerful and capable. It would use a mix of instructional coaching, project-based learning, direct instruction and peer feedback to provide an education that is unique to Blue Mountains Grammar School. Odyssey would strip back some of the complicating factors and through a new timetabling model buy back time for new learning opportunities.

Around February 2023, a Development Team of 28 staff listed frustrations with the current model of education with possible solutions. Recurring themes were the pressure of time, high-stakes testing, a narrowing of curriculum, decreased student agency, engagement issues, lack of self-regulation, inflexible success criteria and lack of social enterprise.  Some of these were problems to solve and some of these were tensions to manage; while we could not change what was in the curriculum, we were able to dissect and alter the way we delivered it.

Following this, teachers were invited to apply to be on the Odyssey Teaching Team, which would be responsible for the design of learning. It was important to select a strong cross-section of the school, representing the different faculties and possessing the different qualities needed for effective teamwork. Using Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius model the Executive team reflected on applicants and their mix of ‘gifts’. Lencioni’s model calls for a mix of wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement and tenacity; to balance a team all of these gifts must be present.

We were thrilled to have Jacqueline Grassmayr, Danie Evans, Brad Hoffmann and Sandie Naumann named as the Odyssey Teaching Team. This team worked very closely with the Director of Pedagogy and Innovation, Chris Sanders.

In August, the Teaching Team was warmly welcomed by Dr Hugh Chilton and the ScotsX team at the Scots College, Bellevue Hill. They describe ScotsX as “a parallel ‘school-within-a school.’ [An] active learning experience, redesigning learning together with a team of expert adults, without the fixed mindset of ‘what school should be’. The wisdom Dr Chilton and his team shared, as well as opportunities to see ScotsX in action was a pivotal moment for Odyssey.

The Spring break saw some members of the Odyssey team travel to Barcelona, London, Dorchester, Wales, Oxford and Kent to see some schools that are internationally recognised for their innovation. These schools, while all very different in context had a mindset of innovation, breaking established moulds and challenging the status quo. The Odyssey team took many ideas away from this trip including how to harness evolving talent, tools and technology.

Since then the team has been busy building programs, resources and the quality assurance aspects of the project. We have worked with Heads of Department to find the balance between the different Odyssey channels and are in the final stage of project development. Plans are moving into action as we repurpose learning spaces to reflect this more active and dynamic style of learning.