TAS

Curriculum Outline

Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) covers a wide range of practical, exciting and fun courses that capture the imagination of students and opens up the possibilities of creativity, knowledge and making a better future. TAS aims to build useful skills and capability in students and teaches theory in a meaningful way that students can easily relate to.

Curriculum Options

Year 7/8:

TAS is mandatory from year 7 to 8 through the Technology (Mandatory) subject. Students complete six thirteen week units over the period rotating between different disciplines available to pursue further from years 9 to 12 as electives. The six units cover broadly the three Areas of Study including of Products, Information and Communication, and Build Environments. These areas of study revolve around projects and accompanying folios documenting the project's development. Projects on rotation include:

• Bottle Rockets (Engineering – Products)
• Device Stand (Timber – Products)
• Graphics and Designers (Information Technology – Information and Communication)
• Grow It (Agriculture – Products)
• Food From All Nations (Food Technology – Products)
• My Restaurant Rules (Graphics Technology – Built Environments)
• Ecolamp (Electronics – Products)
• Spice To See You (Metals – Products)

Year 9/10:

Electives available for selection at the end of Year 8 for Years 9 and 10 build on knowledge and experience gained in Technology (Mandatory). Current subjects on offer include:

• Food Technology (learning about food and how to prepare and cook it using our commercial kitchen)
• Agricultural Technology (learning about food and fibre production using the school farm)
• Information and Software Technology (learning about computers and how they work, and how to use a range of software packages, using our computer laboratories)
• Graphics Technologies (learning how to draw using traditional hand tools and CAD software and how to 3D print objects using our 3D printer)
• Industrial Technology – Engineering (learning about different engineering disciplines using our workshops)
• Industrial Technology – Electronics (learning how to make electronic circuits and how they work using our workshops)
• Industrial Technology – Timber (learning how to make products out of timber using our timber workshops)
• Industrial Technology – Metals (learning how to make products out of metal using our metal workshop)

Preliminary/HSC:

Electives available for selection at the end of Year 10 for the HSC build on knowledge and experience gained from years 7 to 10. Current subjects on offer include:

• Food Technology (learning about food and nutrition as well as the Australian Food Industry)
• Engineering Studies (learning about different engineering disciplines and how to apply engineering principles to solve problems)
• Industrial Technology – Timber (learning about woodworking processes with a major design project  completed in year 12 led, managed and financed by the student)
• Industrial Technology – Multimedia (learning how to make multimedia products using a range of different types of software packages including a major design project in year 12)
• Information Processes and Technology (learning how information is created, transferred and processed on computers)
• Software Design and Development (learning how software is created on computers to solve problems)

Assessment Schedule 

Technology (Mandatory)

Year 9 and 10

Assessment deadlines vary for each subject. See assessment booklet for your year group for each subject.

Year 11 and 12

Assessment deadlines vary for each subject. See assessment booklet for your year group for each subject.

Competitions 2016

Excursions

FIRST Robotics 

In Week 8, Mr Elsner and Mr Hartley took our team of 20 year 9 to 12 students to Sydney Olympic Park for three days of difficult robotic competition in the regional finals of the FIRST Robotics competition. The competition was the culmination of many extra hours of work over the term during recesses and lunchtimes. Our boys did really well getting as high as 12th in ranking but eventually finished a respectable 20th in the region against 48 other Government and non-Government schools. The Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, and Julie Bishop, our Foreign Minister, were so impressed with our boys that they had a press conference right in front of our boys pit stop on the final day of competition and many members of our team featured live on ABC News. I handed out special Head Teacher awards on assembly during week 11 to Lucas Rujicica and Thomas Verwey-Cuthbert for their significant contribution to the team's success nominated by Mr Hartley and Mr Elsner. A special thank you to Mr Hartley and Mr Elsner for all of their hard work organising our team. And thank you to our team for all of your hard work and dedication and I look forward to seeing BBHS go even better in 2017.

Royal Easter Show Excursion:

Thank you to Ms Kemp for running an exciting Food Technology excursion to the Royal Easter Show in Week 10 in conjunction with Ms Hussein in Science. The reports from the day that it was an enjoyable and educational event and we are looking to expand this excursion in 2017 to make it even bigger and better and get more lucky students to attend this signature annual Sydney event. 

Year 9 Electronics Excursion:

In week 11 I had the pleasure of taking 11 Year 9 Electronics students to the former Powerhouse Museum, now called MAAS: Museum of Applied Arts and Science. If you know me you'll know that I love electronics and there is no better place to get a hands-on feel for the science of electronics, the historical/social/environmental impacts of electronics and the the future potential and trends in electronics, than at MAAS. Some of the highlights from the day for me included being given seeing the new UTS School of Business building designed by architect Frank Gehry with its amazing curved brickwork, a piece of the moon in the space exhibit, the chocolate machine which gave away free pieces of chocolate, the Mars rover talk and the geostationary satellite talk, and the high quality Year 12 Major Projects on show at Shape 2015. And I have to mention how great it was to see Locomotive No.1 because I love trains. However, the students were fascinated by the mood rings which Jalp and Kithi bought from the shop. Later investigation by the students involving excess McDonalds ice seemed to suggest that the mood rings changed colour simply by changing their temperature. The students had a terrific day and I hope to see this year's year 8 picking electronics as an elective and you too could visit MAAS with me in 2017!

- Mr Liu