Just as teachers benefit from an understanding of the Learning Sciences in their lesson planning and preparation, so to do students when they are studying for major summative assessments.
A survey of TGS students in Years 9 to 12 found that 70% of our boys felt that they knew how to study, with the biggest impediments to study being lack of motivation and too many distractions. The most highly preferred study technique was found to be rewriting notes. Cramming, rereading the text and rewriting notes have been demonstrated to have low utility when it comes to learning and students who repeatedly use these three techniques will find their confidence in their capacity to study and learn decrease over time. So, despite students reporting that they knew how to study, 70% of the surveyed students were reliant on low utility methods.
Toowoomba Grammar School has partnered with A Learner’s Toolkit, an evidence-based program designed to use the principles of the learning sciences to teach students how to use their study time to greatest effect. By providing them with a suite of study skills and an understanding of why they work, students are empowered to take better control of their learning. By having a greater range of high efficacy skills and study behaviours the learning return for study time invested by the students can increase significantly.
The program has been initially introduced into the Years 9 and 10 Well Being and Character Development (WCD) Program. It will be extended into Years 7 and 8 in 2024, when WCD is introduced to those year levels. Students in Years 11 and 12 are introduced to the concepts through their QCE Skills lessons.
The study skills are taught with a focus on a curriculum area; the evidence suggests that students will embed the strategies and have true changes in the learning behaviours when they are presented in context. The embedding of these skills is further supported by all teachers understanding the learning sciences and the ability to reinforce the skills through their curriculum.
There are six study strategies within A Learner’s Toolkit:
Read it involves purposeful, active reading to construct meaning and make connections. Simple strategies such as using Cornell Notes ensure that students are thoughtful about the information they consume and make meaningful notes and summaries.
Retrieve it shows retrieval is the top cognitive strategy to fight forgetting. Retrieval practice involves the deliberate recall of information from the long-term memory. Strategies for retrieval practice include a quick review (work from yesterday, last week, last month) and practice tests.
Space it focuses on spaced practice and is aligned with retrieval practice. By spacing out the retrieval, students are not tempted to cram and will benefit in their capacity to retrieve the information over time. Ideally in an 8–10 week term, students should be retrieving every 8-10 days.
Jumble it is also known as interleaving. By changing the study order, students can make greater connections, such as similarities and differences and can help scaffold problem solving. Strategies include the use of flash cards or online quizzes.
Visualise it uses the principle of dual coding; the fact that the brain processes textual and visual information through different pathways, so by tapping into this skill, students can get twice the potential learning for their effort. Strategies include graphic organisers, mind maps and creating sketches.
Connect it is a simple way of describing elaborative interrogation – explaining the concepts in detail and making connections. This helps students build schemas in their mind which deepens their understanding and their capacity to apply their knowledge. Strategies include deliberately seeking the connections; determining how the different ideas work together. Another great way to deepen the understanding and identify connections is to work through a questioning framework, What, How Why.
- by Dr Alison Young, Director of Studies
Latest Blog
Life After School
As children grow and develop, they participate in a range of new experiences, with the “journey” from birth to adulthood being shaped by several awaited and expected transitions. These transitions occur across a range of context and help us to evolve in new environments. It is important to note that transition is associated with a change, which is something that happens for all of us. The concept of transition involves how we process, manage, and respond to the change. As adults, we work hard…
TGS Artist in Residence - Ben Tupas
I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years. After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice. With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable…
The Transition to Secondary School
Research shows us that the move from a primary school to a secondary school is one of the most significant life changes that our young men will face. You can help make the transition to Senior School smoother by ensuring that the boys attend the orientation days, practice packing their bags and getting their sports, music, and activities equipment ready. When asked about tips for the boys coming into Year 7, current Year 7 dayboy, Ollie Wells suggests boys should “Be organised. Pack the night…
Nothing is Impossible
Toowoomba Grammar School's Year 7C English has been studying 'Cool Runnings' to learn about how stories or movies based on real life aren't always completely true. Extremely fascinated by the topic, young student Harry Ryan took it upon himself to message (via LinkedIn) the bobsled driver, Mr Dudley Stokes - he responded! After a little communication between the two, Harry asked Mr Stokes if he could FaceTime him during an English lesson, to 'meet' his teacher Mr Paul Irwin and classmates…
Simple Acts of Kindness
Giving back to the community is an important value that Toowoomba Grammar School endeavours to instill in our boys. Year 12 student, Tumoana Strugnell is a shining example of how it costs nothing but our time to help others, especially as we move into the Festive season and the challenges of life seem heightened. I first became involved in community service when I was in Year 6, through my local primary school’s involvement on ANZAC Day and my parent’s involvement in local community events. I’m…
A Holistic Approach to our Boarders' Activities Program
A true education is about much more than just lessons in a classroom. It’s about providing experiences that challenge a child, physically and mentally. It’s about providing opportunities that build independence, resilience and that help develop their good character. Toowoomba Grammar School is proud to offer a broad and liberal education that stretches way beyond the walls of a classroom and equips our boys with the skills to flourish as an individual. We offer a diverse and engaging…
A Beginner's Guide to Manga
If your son has brought home a book with big eyed characters, and he seems to be reading backwards, chances are, he's discovered Manga. The Dent library has a Manga collection that would be the envy of many schools, with over 100 unique titles. It Is easily the most visited section in the library, over half of the top 100 titles borrowed this year are Manga! But what is Manga? Manga is an umbrella term for a variety of print comics and graphic novels originating from Japan. Unlike western…
A Safe, Welcoming and Joyous Community
Tell us about yourself My background, at least that associated with boarding and teaching, is long and varied with a number of different aspects leading to this chosen career path. For the most part, I was schooled in Canberra but had extended periods in Lesotho, Norfolk Island, and Samoa as a result of my father’s work in foreign aid. My schooling was quite disruptive, and I wasn’t a model student! I was always passionate about English; often distracting myself (amongst other things) immersed…
Facilitating Respect
Recently the 2022 TGS Prefect group spoke at the Headmaster’s Assembly about respecting individuality. But what does this mean? The foundations for a successful relationship with peers, family, co-workers, and others is framed and supported by a two-way street of respect. However, for this two-way street to be functional it is important to know that respect cannot be demanded, it can only be earned. Toowoomba Grammar School is no different and respect is nurtured in various forms such as in the…