Learning is at our core and covers all subject disciplines, co-curricular pursuits, personal development and interest areas. Helping our Toowoomba Grammar School boys view learning as a disposition that goes well beyond the classroom context is incredibly important. Learning has a life-long value in all we do. We also acknowledge that learning can be challenging at times, and it can be uncomfortable, but also wonderfully inspiring and fulfilling.
Appreciating the full range of feelings and emotions associated with learning is helpful for everyone, but particularly students for developing a sense of their own journey when approaching new concepts or working through material they are still developing their skills and competencies in, whether it be through a music piece, maths concept, sentence structure in writing, bowling in cricket or writing code. At TGS Junior School we use the analogy of “the learning pit” which illustrates the feelings and emotions when beginning to learn a new concept through to mastery; visibly going down into a pit then up and out the other side to successfully achieving new knowledge, skills or understanding. Travelling through these feelings takes courage, particularly when the learning material becomes challenging.
The learning pit commences when learning is first engaged. This can be an exciting and interesting experience but we also recognise that, for some, it can be a time of nervousness. We begin to learn and inevitably experience new information which can challenge us, stretch us, be complicated or contradict what we thought we knew. The visible line of the learning pit at this point is tracking down and our feelings and emotions may feel like that too – frustrated, overwhelmed, confused. At this point we organise the information, make sense of what we are learning about and build confidence in constructing the understanding. Our learning pit line at this point begins to turn up. When we engage support, strategies and practice, the learning pit line moves further north, our confidence compounds and we see our progress develop until we feel a sense of achievement and accomplishment in our new knowledge or understanding. Visibly seeing the learning pit journey can be very helpful for a student to understand where they are on that timeline and have the confidence to continue through the challenging sections towards success.
There are many more tools that can assist us all through the learning process, including clearly defined objectives, modelled examples, scaffolded supports, criteria for success, frequent and timely feedback, data and self-review to name a few. These are all tools in our teacher's toolkit to help our students understand their own learning. The learning pit is a nice analogy though for understanding the feelings and emotions associated with the learning journey and assuring that we do come out the other side with support, guidance and self-confidence.
- Ken Raven, Head of TGS Junior School
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…
