Student Exhibitions

One of the most important aspects of the Big Picture Education (BPE) design is the exhibition. At Cooks Hill Campus Exhibitions of Learning are the most formal and significant assessment students undertake. They are a central feature of the Big Picture Learning design and provide students with the opportunity to publicly demonstrate the depth, rigour and growth of their learning.

Exhibitions occur each term, allowing students to share the progress of their Personal Interest Projects, reflect on their learning journey and present evidence of their academic development.

These presentations bring together the key elements of learning at CHC, including project work, learning portfolios and experiences gained through Learning Through Internship (LTI) and community connections.

An exhibition is a 45-minute presentation, followed by approximately 15 minutes of feedback from Advisors, parents and peers.

This structured feedback process encourages reflection and helps students refine their thinking, strengthen their projects and set goals for future learning.

During their exhibition, students present artefacts from their learning portfolio, explaining how they have investigated their essential question, developed new skills and applied their knowledge.

Students discuss both their successes and the challenges they encountered, demonstrating how they have grown as learners over time.

Exhibitions also allow students to demonstrate academic rigour through the Big Picture Learning Goals: Communication, Empirical Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Reasoning, Knowing How to Learn, and Personal Qualities. By reflecting on their work through these lenses, students show how their projects have developed critical thinking, research skills and personal responsibility for learning.

There are also important milestone exhibitions during a student’s time at CHC. At the end of Year 10, students present a Gateway major exhibition that reflects on their growth as learners and demonstrates their readiness for Senior Study at CHC prepares them for the senior years.

In Year 12, students present a culminating exhibition alongside their graduating portfolio, showcasing their strongest work, their pathway investigations and their plans for life beyond school.

Exhibitions are celebratory, reflective and rigorous. They provide students with the opportunity to share their learning with family, advisors, peers and community members, while developing the confidence, communication skills and self-awareness needed for their future pathways.