A core pillar of the Toowoomba Grammar School Strategic Plan is to provide an inspiring and broad curriculum for all boys, adopting technology and innovative pedagogy to transform learning outcomes. Over the last couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted teachers to explore new frontiers of pedagogy, adapting to the difficult circumstances by launching interactive software, digitising trusty, tried and true resources, recording our lessons, flipping our classrooms, and cultivating an online presence that was, for most of us, a world away from what our initial teacher training had prepared us for. Teams™ meetings were set up. Channels were created. And we did our level best to project the passion that we hold for our subject matter and our students into our laptops, through the ether, and into our virtual classrooms… assuming of course that we hadn’t accidentally muted ourselves at the start of our lessons.

This strange new world of online and hybrid learning would not have been possible without innovations in digital technology, a key component of our Strategic Plan. Yet in the many conversations I have had with my colleagues, a single perspective has clearly emerged… our experiences in the virtual space have led to an even greater appreciation for the physical space. The students and teachers spend so much time in the classroom that it’s very easy to overlook the effect of the physical environment on the learning process, but when a makeover opportunity arises, it’s amazing to witness the transformation that can occur.

Constructed in 1981, the Barbour classroom block (named after G. P. Barbour, Headmaster 1910-1935) is the hub for Mathematics and Languages classes at Toowoomba Grammar School. When they were first built, the austere classrooms featured exposed brick walls and, reflective of a bygone era of pedagogy, a raised timber platform, directing attention to the Master at the front of the room. Over the years, various modernisations were implemented; the stages were removed, creating a more open space, and carpet was affixed to the interior walls, improving the acoustics but doing little to address the lack of natural light. Classrooms were completely separated from each other, and the common spaces in the building were there only to allow the flow of people between rooms.

At the end of 2021, the School embarked on an initiative to modernise and transform the learning spaces in Barbour block. Informed by the experience of the Roberts block refurbishment several years earlier, the architects and design team planned out an educational environment that was formal enough to facilitate a direct instruction approach, yet flexible enough to encourage genuine collaboration within and between classrooms. The most obvious result of this refurbishment was the opening up of the entire building, both literally (through additional entry points in the downstairs classrooms) and figuratively (through the replacement of interior brick walls with glass and the clever harnessing of natural light in the upstairs foyer).

More subtle perhaps were the changes to the classrooms themselves. Thomas, Pavlechko and Cassady (2019) define an ‘Interactive Learning Space’ (ILS) as a “specialised environment designed to encourage the implementation of instructional practices consistent with constructivist and connectivist philosophies” (p. 119). Although the large whiteboards and interactive flat panel monitors make the Barbour classrooms ideal for expository teaching, visit the rooms and you are likely to see features of an ILS at work – small groups of students gathered around the many whiteboards, formulating a mathematical solution together, or moving around the classroom to attempt a series of challenge questions. Furniture can be easily reconfigured, and even the desk surfaces double up as whiteboards. Breakout rooms provide additional opportunities for group work, and perhaps my favourite addition to the architecture is the booth layout in the upstairs foyer, allowing for extension or remedial instruction and student collaboration, even from a number of different classes simultaneously.

The provision of interactive flat panel monitors at the front of the rooms has offered a significant upgrade over the old-style projectors. Not only do these monitors integrate seamlessly with OneNote, but they also present exciting opportunities for students and teachers to explore mathematical concepts interactively. In a 2021 meta-analysis, Juandi and colleagues found that the classroom use of dynamic geometry software such as Geogebra has a high positive effect on students’ mathematical abilities. When you combine the interactivity of the classroom monitors and student laptops, mathematics can really come to life.

There’s no doubt that the Barbour block refurbishment, with its flexible and open learning spaces, allows for the provision of a knowledge-rich curriculum with a focus on core discipline skills and understandings, a key element of the Strategic Plan. More than anything else, however, it has made our classrooms an even more comfortable and pleasant environment in which to work and learn.

References

Juandi, D., Kusumah, Y. S., Tamur, M., Perbowo, K. S., Siagian, M. D., Sulastri, R., & Negara, H. R. P. (2021). The Effectiveness of Dynamic Geometry Software Applications in Learning Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis Study. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 15(02), 18–37.

Thomas, C., Pavlechko, G., and Cassady, J. (2019). An examination of the mediating role of learning space design on the relation between instructor effectiveness and student engagement. Learning Environments Research, 22: 117-131.

Toowoomba Grammar School. (2022). Strategic Plan 2022-2026. Retrieved from https://www.twgs.qld.edu.au/we...


Latest Blog

Sports & Activities
/
Thursday, 05 June 2025

Pioneering Excellence: Launching TGS's Athletic Development Program

Our Athletic Development Program represents a paradigm shift in how schools nurture sporting talent—combining cutting-edge technology, evidence-based practices and a whole-person philosophy that prepares young men for success beyond the scoreboard.

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Thursday, 29 May 2025

Reflecting on the Past, Walking Forward Together

This week is an important time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to reflect on how we can each contribute to achieving reconciliation. The theme for NRW 2025, 'Bridging Now to Next,' calls on us to honour the past, acknowledge the present and actively build a better future. It reminds us that reconciliation is not a destination, it is a journey guided by reflection, respect and a shared commitment to walking together. As we look back on the…

Read More
Blog Thursday, 22 May 2025

A Bright Start to our Rising and Leading Series

More than 150 members of the Toowoomba and Darling Downs community joined us to hear from leading demographer and data commentator Simon Kuestenmacher, whose presentation sparked fresh thinking about the decade ahead.

Read More
Grammar 150
/
Thursday, 15 May 2025

Women of Grammar Luncheon

A Tribute to the Heart of the School Originally scheduled for International Women's Day but rescheduled (thanks, Cyclone Alfred!) to the eve of Mother's Day, the timing felt serendipitous. It was a day to honour the women—past and present—whose quiet strength, tireless support and enduring love have shaped the School's legacy and the lives of its boys for 150 years. The marquee was beautifully appointed for a day of merriment

Read More
Old Boys
/
Thursday, 08 May 2025

Lachlan Stuart's Marathon Feat

Mr Stuart will return to TGS again for the event held on Wednesday, 28 May to support the Year 12's significant fundraising G150 Gift Run event. The boys are running 1500km in a relay format to honour a 1968 TGS Interact Club fundraising project that will help upgrade the original School gates on Herries Street, along with raising funds for the Nerve Connection Foundation.

Read More
Old Boys
/
Thursday, 01 May 2025

Remembering Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900)

This was the headline that screamed out on the pages of the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser on Thursday, 15 August 1901. With ANZAC Day just last Friday, this week we continue to honour many of our Old Boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice including Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900) and our first former student lost in the Boer War. The story began with: “News was received on Tuesday afternoon that in an engagement at Kopjesfontein, on the 6th instant,…

Read More
Community Engagement
/
Thursday, 24 Apr 2025

Honouring Tradition: Toowoomba Grammar School and ANZAC Day

This year marks 98 years since TGS and the 13 Army Cadet Unit (Toowoomba Collective Unit) first participated in ANZAC Services in Toowoomba. The School's commitment to these services is a testament to its deep-rooted military traditions and the enduring spirit of remembrance. Mounties out the front of School House in 1908. A Legacy of Service Toowoomba Grammar School's military traditions date back to its early days. The School's Cadet Unit, formed in 1892, has been a cornerstone of its…

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Thursday, 03 Apr 2025

Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week - Developing Good Character Beyond the Classroom

We offer a range of enrichment activities for our boys, but the last week of Term 1 is a very special opportunity for all of our Senior School students. It's Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week, which provides age-appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-supervised environment. Activities on the various camps may include ropes courses, rock climbing, bodyboarding, surfing, mountain biking and canoeing. The aim is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the environment.…

Read More
People
/
Thursday, 27 Mar 2025

Stories behind key TGS staff helping shape our students

It was my great privilege to join TGS as Head of House - Boyce Boarding in 2024. The opportunity to lead these young men of character on their TGS journey carries great weight but is also enormously exciting. Embarking upon this project alongside my wife Meg as Boyce Boarding House Manager strengthens the team further. I am hopeful that we will demonstrate to the boys how positive relationships can foster a warm and supportive environment. I know that many of our boys are familiar with strong…

Read More