The Renaissance Woman
A ‘Renaissance woman’ is immersed in an holistic education that spans academic learning across a diverse curriculum, including STEM, ethics, philosophy, culture and humanities, creative and imaginative expression and physical development.
This woman cultivates emotional intelligence; explores a deeper understanding of her identity; finds purpose through connection to community and gains confidence in the exercising of leadership.
Our aim is to help our girls graduate Wenona as Renaissance women; creative, resilient, articulate, well-educated, filled with a sense of humour and a capacity for adventure. We achieve this in two ways. The first is by implicitly modelling these qualities throughout our School, weaving them into our curriculum, our teaching style and our expectations of our students. The second is explicit, through the Renaissance Studies courses our students undertake. Modelled on the Socratic method of teaching, a form of cooperative dialogue and debate that encourages critical thinking, there are no ‘right answers’ in the course. The point is to consider, contemplate and question.
Renaissance Studies began with Year 12 students in 2013 and has since been extended to Years 5, 7, 10 and 11. It is our intention that every student from Kindergarten to Year 12 will benefit from this unique, life-enhancing course in the near future. Each year group has a stage-appropriate focus. They are:
- Year 5: Ethical questioning arising from moral dilemmas
- Year 7: Adolescent psychology and social engagement
- Year 10: Sociology with a focus on gender and the place of women in society
- Year 11: Politics and religion with a focus on contemporary global issues
- Year 12: Life-matters; topics and information to prepare girls for life beyond school
Wenona's Renaissance Framework
