By Ms Jeanette Clayton, Head of History, Philosophy and RaVE, and Mrs Louise Evans, Head of Studies of Society and Environment

Opportunities at Radford are not just plentiful – they are purposeful. Every experience is carefully designed to ignite passions, nurture talent and spark self-discovery. This week, Year 7 history and geography students stepped beyond the classroom to engage in hands-on learning experiences.

History students visited A Living Culture at the National Museum of Australia, a program linked to the Australian Curriculum. There, they handled and explored objects that deepened their understanding of how Indigenous cultures have evolved and adapted over the past 200 years. They also toured the First Nations gallery and completed a 'see, think, wonder' activity developed by Radford staff, using primary and secondary sources related to Australia's Deep Time history. Themes included the threatened bogong moth, megafauna, climate change, the Tasmanian tiger, Uluru and Wandjina spirits.

Meanwhile, geography students investigated the liveability of two Canberra suburbs: Whitlam and Lyneham. They assessed features such as tree cover, housing diversity, traffic management and walkability. Fieldwork is a vital element of the Year 7 geography curriculum, giving students the chance to practise skills such as creating annotated field sketches and collecting data.

Adding depth to the experience, residents of both suburbs volunteered their time to share personal perspectives on the benefits of living in their communities. Students were particularly surprised by the levels of biodiversity and the pace of population growth. Even those who live in Whitlam and Lyneham discovered something new about their own suburb.