Dare to be Different (DVD & Digital Study Guide)

Dare to be Different follows the stories of three special needs children at Port Phillip Specialist School - a transformative learning environment where challenges are met with the everyday resilience of curious minds supported through arts-based learning.

We meet Alice, a gutsy redhead with cerebral palsy who has a habit of falling over; Ben, taught in isolation at his last school for the other children’s protection; and non-verbal, wheelchair-bound Amelia, the most sociable student in her class.

We follow the three children and their personal challenges in preparation for their annual performance, Class Act! This whole school performance showcases the subtle yet profound personal developments facilitated by an education model that transforms the lives of its special needs students and their families.

Running time: 59 minutes (Blu-Ray format)

About Port Phillip Specialist School

Port Phillip Specialist School caters for a range of children with special needs from 2.8 to 18 years of age.

The school has developed a Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum (VPAC), an innovative response to supporting special needs students. This is a child-centred approach where teachers and therapists use the power of concrete experiences delivered through dance, drama, music and visual arts as a way to immerse students in a deeply engaging learning environment. This approach enables the school to more readily achieve literacy, numeracy and living skills goals.

The individual needs of students have informed the construction and development of VPAC and this curriculum model is highly congruent with the spirit of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards.