Learning Areas > Art, Design and Technologies
Head of Learning Area - Art, Design and Technologies: Mr Simon Carver
P: +61 3 9816 1569 E: simon.carver@carey.com.au
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About the Learning Area
Senior School Curriculum Overview
The Senior Years at Carey represent the Consolidation Stage of the Carey Learning Cycle, where students deepen their disciplinary expertise, refine their creative and critical thinking skills, and prepare for success beyond school. This stage is characterised by purposeful learning pathways that support students' aspirations for tertiary study, industry engagement, and active participation in an increasingly complex and creative world.
Grounded in curriculum depth, authentic learning experiences, and future-focused capabilities, the Art, Design and Technologies learning area empowers students to become innovative thinkers, skilled makers, effective communicators, and confident problem-solvers. Through inquiry, design thinking, experimentation, and reflective practice, students develop the technical, creative, and analytical skills required for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century. Global and National perspectives and Pathways are explored through the International and National study tours that rotate between Interstate experiences and in 2027 – Our first European study tour to London and Paris. Past tours have taken students to New York City.
Carey offers students the flexibility to pursue their interests through both VCE and International Baccalaureate (IB) pathways, enabling personalised programs of study that align with individual strengths, passions, and future ambitions.
Learning Area Vision
The Art, Design and Technologies learning area fosters creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, visual literacy, and human-centred design. Students engage with contemporary issues, emerging technologies, and authentic design challenges while developing the capacity to think critically, communicate ideas effectively, and create meaningful solutions.
Across all disciplines, students are encouraged to:
- Develop creative confidence and independent thinking.
- Apply design processes and creative methodologies.
- Build advanced technical and practical skills.
- Explore the relationship between culture, technology, sustainability, and society.
- Communicate ideas through visual, material, and digital forms.
- Reflect, evaluate, and refine their work through iterative practice.
- Prepare for further study, professional practice, and lifelong learning.
Pathways and Subject Offerings
Year 10
Year 10 provides an important foundation year where students consolidate core skills, explore potential pathways, and engage with increasingly sophisticated creative and design practices.
Students may select year-long subjects in:
- Art
- Visual Communication and Design
- Media
- Design Technologies – Resistant Materials
- Design Technologies – Textiles
- Design Technologies – Design Fabrication
These subjects provide rich opportunities for students to investigate creative processes, develop practical skills, and begin building specialised knowledge that supports future VCE and IB studies.
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Students pursuing the VCE pathway may continue their studies through a range of specialist subjects:
- VCE Art Creative Practice
- VCE Visual Communication Design
- VCE Media
- VCE Product Design and Technologies – Resistant Materials
- VCE Product Design and Technologies – Textiles
These studies enable students to engage deeply with creative inquiry, design development, production processes, and critical analysis while building portfolios, practical outcomes, and transferable skills relevant to tertiary pathways and industry contexts. A developing alignment with STEM focused learning design is a core experiential focus in our Technologies subjects.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme
Students undertaking the IB Diploma Programme may select:
- IB Visual Arts (Group 6)
- IB Design Technology (Group 4)
The IB pathway encourages global perspectives, interdisciplinary thinking, and independent investigation. Students develop highly sophisticated creative and design capabilities through sustained inquiry, research, experimentation, and reflection, preparing them for international tertiary opportunities and future careers in creative and design-related fields.
Preparing Students for the Future
Through the Art, Design and Technologies learning area, students graduate from Carey with the capacity to think imaginatively, act purposefully, and contribute meaningfully to a rapidly evolving world. Whether pursuing careers in the creative industries, design professions, engineering, architecture, media, manufacturing, education, or emerging technological fields, students develop the adaptability, resilience, and innovation mindset required for success in tertiary study, industry, and beyond.
The Senior Years celebrate the transition from learner to creator, designer, innovator, and independent thinker, ensuring every student is equipped to confidently navigate the opportunities of the future.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions and Senior schools Artist and Designer in Residence programs
Students participate in regular group and subject exhibitions throughout the year and have the opportunity to attend interstate and overseas study tours focussed on enhancing opportunities to engage with national and international Art, Design and technologies organisations and industries.
Our annual end of year Art, Design and Technologies exhibition celebrates and showcases student work from across the entire Learning Area.
Artist and Designer in Residence programs immerse our students in the contemporary practice of local and interstate artists and designers. This opportunity creates real life experiences through the collaboration of the artist, teacher and our students and is a core component of our teaching program in the art and design learning area.
Information Technology
The specifications on the current MacBook Pro can be found here:
https://www.careylink.com.au/sites/ict/dlp/dlp2023/Pages/macbookpro2022.aspx
Year 10 students can select this device. Next year’s model may be different depending on changes Apple make throughout the year (speed increases, model changes, etc).
