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
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
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.
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,…
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…
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.…
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…
More Than Just an Education and That Makes All the Difference
Toowoomba Grammar School excels in its extensive co-curricular programs, particularly in performing arts and sports. Our boys learn that success comes from hard work and dedication. This ethos is inspired by quotes like “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great,” “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and the words emblazoned on our P.B. Hauser Aquatic Centre wall “Success is the celebration of preparation.” These opportunities allow students to excel in programs…
Stewardship: Leading the Way in Safety, Sustainability and Security
However, the challenges facing the Director of Facilities, Mr Bengie Dickeson and the Director of Information Technology, Mr Ron Robinson certainly are. This month's weather has been nothing if not unpredictable and it's in those conditions that both these men's skills come to the fore. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its threat to our School campus and community - Mr Bengie Dickeson and Mr Ron Robinson played integral roles in keeping everyone and everything on our 150-year-old campus safe.…
Pursuing New Horizons in Horticulture
Jake Moon is a sixth-generation primary producer. He is dedicated to agriculture and is currently working at his family’s St George farming enterprise, tackling some of the sector’s biggest challenges. The 28-year-old says his family moved to the St George irrigation precinct in 1978, initially growing rockmelons and watermelons, hence the business name Moonrocks. Seasonal and market changes led them to switch crops frequently, growing grapes, broccoli and even wax flowers over the years.…
