“They also develop academic resilience as they observe that their applied efforts make a difference to their results over time.”
How does the Junior School cater for curious and eager young minds?
Children are naturally curious about their world and always eager to explore. Harnessing that energy and enthusiasm is key for us in the Junior School. We want our boys to expand their knowledge base and approach learning with a passion that will set them up for the Senior School and beyond.
First, let’s clarify some terms: extension and enrichment.
Extension is curriculum-focused; it’s where a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills are advanced. Students feel a sense of “stretch” and are encouraged to challenge themselves.
Enrichment is where a student expands their interest areas, their breadth of understanding and their ability to apply skills and knowledge more broadly.
Extension advances, enrichment broadens.
In the Junior School, students’ capacities are extended through quality classroom teaching practice of the curriculum each day. Extension is led by an expert classroom teacher who uses their deep knowledge of the subject and understanding of their students’ needs to guide more advanced and complex learning experiences. The core purpose of extension is to deepen students’ understanding by engaging them with higher-order thinking tasks and sophisticated applications of the curriculum. These activities challenge students within the framework of the curriculum, ensuring that their learning is rigorous, relevant and appropriately challenging.
Students are extended in the Junior School through the Promoting Literacy Development (PLD) program for spelling and reading, the Talk For Writing program specifically targeting writing structures and language conventions, and the Explicit Maths program for mathematical concepts and fluency. Teachers use these programs to meet students at their level of need, then advance their knowledge and skills further so each student feels that sense of “stretch” in their learning. The Diverse Learning Team supports class teachers to deliver targeted programs for boys across the cohort and track their assessment data over time to review the effectiveness of the programs. The results are impressive; when boys see the progress that they are making, their confidence grows.
Enrichment goes beyond the formal curriculum. Its goal is to provide students with additional opportunities for intellectual, cultural, physical and personal development. Enrichment activities often take the form of co-curricular programs, after-school activities, competitions or educational excursions. These experiences broaden students’ horizons, cultivate a love of learning and allow them to pursue their interests in more diverse and creative ways.
“In the Junior School, the range of enrichment opportunities is extensive.”
All students access the sport, music and performing arts co-curricular programs, which in themselves are hugely diverse across the year. Academic groups and competitions like chess, debating, Readers Cup, Maths Olympiad, ICAS and the DaVinci Decathlon all foster higher-order thinking and teamwork to represent the School through academic pursuits. After school activities like robotics, entrepreneurship, TGX, MasterChef, Lego engineering, art and woodwork, literacy and numeracy enrichment encourage boys to explore a new interest or go deeper into an area of passion.
With the opening of the Design, Engineering and Technology Centre, the Junior School has a dedicated Makerspace facility for classes to build, create and explore learning opportunities. Students utilise the digital and design technology curriculum integrated with humanities and science subject areas to apply their learning to real-world scenarios. The boys enjoy bringing their learning to life with relevant activities that teach them how to use design-thinking frameworks. Together, they step through a process of:
- Discovering — new learnings
- Defining — a particular topic or problem
- Developing — creating, composing and building
- Delivering — presenting or sharing their learning
Extension and enrichment are complementary, promoting student learning as enjoyable and challenging pursuits to be valued. Both serve a distinct purpose, but combined, their effect creates a learning environment where all students are both encouraged and inspired to reach their full potential. By engaging students with both depth and breadth of learning experience inside and outside of the classroom, we cultivate learners who are not only knowledgeable but also innovative, resilient and well-rounded individuals.
Want to know more?
The best way to understand the value of a TGS education is to see the School in action via a Personalised Tour.
Book Your TourLatest Blog
It Takes a Village...
The Toowoomba Grammar School Boarding community plays a pivotal role in shaping the young minds of our boarders and instilling values whilst creating a sense of mateship that can last a lifetime. The nurturing and supportive network of staff not only ensure a safe and structured environment but also cultivates a sense of belonging and camaraderie among the boys. ‘The staff supply the fuel to the ship but ultimately it is the boys who steer it and decide upon its final destination’. Our TGS…
Unlocking Literacy - The Big Six Elements for Your Child’s Reading Success
Literacy skills are a core component of each day for our students, and parents often ask how they can support this from home. I am delighted to share with our parent community the essential components that underpin successful reading development. These elements, known as the Big Six, provide a solid foundation for your son’s literacy journey. These critical building blocks include: Oral Language: Communication skills are the bedrock of reading. Encourage rich conversations with your child.…
The Journey of a Boarding Mother
When you look up mother in the dictionary it reads: female parent of a child. When you look up boarder, it simply reads: a child who lives away from home. So, put “boarder mother” together and we have: the female parent of a child who lives away from home – if only it were that simple. My definition of boarding mother is: a strong, dedicated unbelievably great female parent of a child who has the wisdom to put her son’s educational needs, wellbeing and lifelong endeavours before her own. A…
The Importance of Differentiation
As parents, we all want our children to have the best possible education, and one of the most effective ways for teachers to provide this is through differentiation. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet the unique needs and interests of each student, and it can take many forms. First, let's define differentiation. Differentiation is a teaching approach that recognises that students have different strengths, interests, and learning styles. By adjusting instruction to meet these…
Addressing Anger in Teenage Boys
As a community dedicated to the growth and well-being of our teenage boys, it is essential to address the complexities of emotions we experience during adolescence. Among these emotions, anger stands out as a powerful and intense feeling that can influence their behaviour, relationships and overall wellbeing. Untreated anger can lead to a myriad of problems and challenges for our young boys. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the dangers of untreated anger, ways to support healthy…
Study Skills Program
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…
Developing Teachers Worldwide
I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2023 International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference at Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand, in my capacity as a Team Leader in the IBSC Action Research Program. Action research is a systematic inquiry conducted by teachers in their own classroom to better understand the impact that an aspect of their practice is having on their students. Each year, 40 teachers from IBSC member schools from around the world are accepted…
Developing a Sense of Belonging for our TGS Boarders
How do we adequately develop a teenager’s 'sense of belonging' in boarding? Head of Boyce House, Boarding, Mr Michael Hall has investigated how 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' applies to boarding. It is a psychological theory that suggests human beings have a set of fundamental needs that must be fulfilled in a hierarchical order. The theory proposes that individuals must first satisfy their physiological needs before moving on to higher-level needs, such as the 'belongingness' that is so…
Kia Moemoeā – Dream Beyond Limits
A 12-year study has found that boys consistently perform better in an all boys’ school compared to boys in co-educational schools. This was one of several interesting topics presented at the recent International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Conference in Auckland, New Zealand which I attended alongside three of my Toowoomba Grammar School colleagues – Mr Luke Rawle, Mr Dave Klan and Mrs Jessica Galbraith. We joined 600 leading educators from 15 countries around the world for the four-day…
