Junior School

Learners TODAY’S The children of today are learning so much more, and at a higher level than generations past. Whilst critics may cite spelling mistakes, poor handwriting and incorrect change given by a teenager at the local shop as examples of a failing school system, I contend that today’s learners are far better thinkers and seekers of information than any generation before them. As both a student and an educator, I feel I am in a good position to critically compare today’s learners to that of my time, roughly 50 years ago – a time people often reflect back to as the benchmark of a ‘good education’. School in my primary years focussed on Maths, English, Social Studies, some Science, Music and Physical Education. The focus was rote learning of content. Yes, we knew our times tables because we spent a huge amount of time chanting them each day, and we were good at spelling, grammar and punctuation because again, so much time was spent teaching them. My education was based on knowing things for immediate recall, writing and spelling well and ‘doing’ Maths. Very little was based on understanding. In fact, asking why or how was pretty much discouraged. I can remember asking a question and being told, “Don’t ask questions, it works – just do it!” In contrast, today’s Barbreck Year 6 students study English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, Art, Music, Physical Education, Health, Wellbeing, French, STEM, Band and leadership skills as part of our Ambassador

Leadership Program. They are also active in an array of Co-curricular activities and are proficient at using technology. Today’s curriculum is not based on learning a series of facts, but understanding concepts and applying complex reasoning skills, such as comparing, analysing, interpreting, classifying, deducting, and making generalisations. Not only do students have to apply these skills, they also have to explain and provide justifications for their answers. At Barbreck we focus on Thinking Routines which further support our students’ abilities to think deeply and critically. Our girls develop their discernment of knowledge – learning how to refine their searches, narrow their field of focus and select the best sources for credible information amongst the staggering offerings available on search engines. Our students are taught concepts once reserved for high school – determining an author’s intent when writing a text, exploring points of view, justifying answers, coding, robotics and environmental conservation. The minds of today’s learners have been unlocked from the curriculums of the past – no longer required to be a filing cabinet of stored information, young minds are now moulded to think critically, to solve problems, to explore ideas, to create and to make informed decisions.

Today’s learners are learning how to learn for their futures, not to recite on demand.

Ms Karen McArdle Head of Junior School

STEM

IN BARBRECK

In Australian schools, STEM has been a bit of a buzz word for some years now, however it is a fundamental part of the Barbreck Classroom.

STEM includes the learning areas of Science, Design and Technologies, Digital Technologies, as well as Mathematics and cross-curricular capabilities such as ethical, critical, and creative thinking. The Australian Government’s Advancing Women in STEM Strategy (2019) discusses, “girls’ perceptions of, and engagement in STEM, are strongly influenced by both parents and teachers.” Therefore, our curriculum has a strong “emphasis on developing STEM skills in the early years so that children feel positive and enthusiastic about STEM, leading to increased interest and achievement later in life.”

Barbreck

But what does STEM look like in a Barbreck classroom? What do all these fancy (but important) words mean for our girls? Broadly, it means they can engage with a relevant, exciting, and hands-on Science program. Day to day in Barbreck this means: Girls in Prep are learning about the role of shelter in survival, investigating the shapes and materials used in shelters, and then building their own. Girls in Year 1 are learning about the features of living creatures, creating algorithms for building a worm house and then building one. Girls in Year 2 are learning about mixtures and how to separate them. Recreating an oil spill and devising a method to remove the oil from the water and affected bird feathers.

Girls in Year 3 are learning how heat energy is produced and how it moves. They are also designing and making something to put on a water bottle to keep the contents super cool, using recycled or repurposed materials. Girls in Year 4 are learning how landscapes change over time. They are creating a landform scene and filming a video showing how the landforms weather away and erode with water.

Girls in Year 5 are extending their inquiry skills in both Science and Engineering, designing food packaging and designing experiments looking at the development of mould in sandwiches. Ms Vanessa Jackson-McRae, Head of Science in St Catherine’s Senior School, teaches STEM to our Year 6 students in the Ruth Langley Research and Learning Science Labs in the Senior School, providing a wonderful extension of their STEM skills as they transition into their senior learning. I feel so honoured to be working at a school that is helping to build a workforce of women who will be “empowered to make scientifically informed decisions and take advantage of the opportunities of the jobs of the future.”

Ms Tori Shaw Barbreck STEM Specialist

Dog Days

Every fortnight Barbreck students and staff alike wait with joyous anticipation for the Junior School’s most adored staff member – Bella the therapy dog. Bella, along with her owner, St Catherine’s Junior School Psychologist, Ms Lena Wintermantel, provide wellbeing care to Barbreck and ELC students. Lena shares the benefits Bella is providing to our students below:

Therapy dogs are specifically trained to be reliably nonaggressive, calm, and obedient. They are used to provide support and comfort to individuals by helping to reduce stress, improve engagement and enhance social interactions and relationships. Commencing in Term 4, 2021, Bella works alongside me once a fortnight during individual and group sessions with students. Having Bella in the room reduces the anxiety students may be feeling and encourages them to more freely engage in the sessions. Often students feel calmer while interacting with Bella and it helps to build rapport and start conversations. Within sessions, Bella is used to provide behavioural cues and feelings for the students to focus on, encouraging them to connect these to themselves, and recognise how their behaviour may be impacting on those around them, and how to notice the cues of others. These sessions include emotional regulation, managing anxious feelings, improving social skills and enhancing self-esteem. There is mounting research supporting the benefits of therapy dogs working with children and adolescents with mental health concerns and in enhancing positive feelings during stressful or anxious situations. Research has shown the effectiveness of therapy dogs to decrease anxiety, improve social skills, promote attention, concentration and motivation towards learning and encourage school engagement. Therapy dogs also act as social facilitators for children – enhancing peer relationships, as well as building trust in the studentteacher relationship. A trained therapy dog in a school environment promotes a sense of belonging and can increase positive attitudes and attendance at school.

Ms Lena Wintermantel Junior School Psychologist

WHAT IS A THERAPY DOG?

Therapy dogs are specifically trained to provide support and comfort to individuals. Therapy dogs complete training to ensure they are reliably nonaggressive, calm, and obedient. Their role is to respond to people and the environment, under the guidance of their owner. Assistance dogs, on the other hand, are trained to meet the specific needs of an individual with a disability, such as visual or hearing difficulties, seizure disorders, mobility challenges or diabetes.

THERAPY DOGS IN SCHOOLS

Mental Health Benefits

Research supports the benefits therapy dogs have with children and adolescents with mental health concerns and in enhancing positive emotions during stressful situations. Social Skills

Studies have found interactions with a therapy dog can have a positive impact on social behaviours and communication. Dogs have been found to act as social facilitators by enhancing the relationship between the student, peer and teacher, and improving social cohesion in the classroom. Self-regulation and Behaviour

Interactions with therapy dogs also have the potential to promote attention, concentration and motivation in learning, as well contributing to students’ overall ability to control their emotions and behaviours. Students can use the therapy dog for support to help calm their minds and bodies and decrease aggressive behaviours and hyperactivity. Student Attendance and Engagement in Learning Tasks

A trained dog in a school environment also promotes a sense of belonging in the school and contributes to a positive school culture, as well as an improvement in attitude towards school and their learning. An increase in overall attendance has also been found when the children knew a therapy dog would be present.