Hunter ThinkTank Workshop

Continuing our exciting initiative to promote critical thinking skills, Consensus Education recently hosted another full-day ThinkTank workshop for primary school students, this time in the Hunter region. Held at Belair Public School in Newcastle on 5 September, this dynamic event brought together 60 students from nine schools, including Heaton Public School, Hamilton Public School, Hillsborough Public School, Waratah West Public School, Booral Public School, Salt Ash Public School, and Boolaroo Public School, as well as Biraban Public School.

The workshop, which we are regularly updating and developing, provides students with a range of interactive activities that encouraged problem-solving, teamwork, and deeper thinking. Through a series of fun and challenging exercises, participants learned how to approach problems from different angles, ask insightful questions, and work collaboratively to develop solutions. ThinkTank isn’t just about enhancing academic performance; it’s about preparing the next generation to think critically, question assumptions, and become confident decision-makers.

We would like to think our sponsor, Mary MacKillip Today, who made the day possible. Targeting the Hunter for one of three ThinkTank workshops under the Mary MacKillop Today grant is a priority for Consensus because of the overlap of factors that make educational success challenging in the regions. Many school communities in this region have a high proportion of First Nations’ children, have families with a language background other than English, are part of in outer-urban or rural areas, and have many families with low socio-economic status. These students deserve access to exciting educational opportunities as much as their peers in other communities across New South Wales.