Learning at Danebank
Developing the dispositions to learn well within an enriched culture for learning
This year we continue to embed, in Junior and Senior Schools, our bespoke Approach to Learning.
Our approach to learning is marked by our goal to develop each girl as a confident and capable learner:
“ready, willing and able to choose, design, research, pursue and troubleshoot, and to evaluate learning for herself, alone and with others, in school and out, for grades and for her life” (Guy Claxton).
Developed through a collaborative process with our whole community, the Danebank Approach to Learning is a merging of best-practice research in learning sciences, wellbeing and character development. The approach is not “learning plus wellbeing” (or vice versa), rather it is a holistic framework. It is context specific and responsive to our school culture and values.
Through research and our knowledge of the science of learning and wellbeing, we know that our approach to learning is proven to improve student learning at school: it enhances academic performance and growth.
There are two aspects to our approach to learning:
- We cultivate a vibrant, curious and safe learning culture across our school that promotes good learning, and
- Alongside the mastery of content and pursuit of deep understanding, we explicitly teach dispositions or habits of mind required for confident, capable and powerful learning.
Learning dispositions can be described as enduring habits of mind and actions that affect how students approach learning: it is about knowing what learning habit or action to use, when to use it, and then using it appropriately to enable good learning.
Our culture of learning enables our students to develop these dispositions through enculturation. Our learning environments inspire and encourage their development by providing explanations and models of the dispositions, and examples of these being put into practice to support better learning. Our students learn in an environment that promotes curiosity, open-mindedness, questioning, risk taking, mistakes to learn from, and growth.
Here are three of the many ways our staff are teaching our students about these things.
A. Magnets
One way our teachers encourage these discussions is through the use of magnets with the name of the dispositions as teaching tools to highlight the disposition, how it is relevant to the learning happening at the time, and how it might be utilised effectively during lessons.
B. Curiosity and Wonder in Junior School
Many of our Junior School students are learning about the disposition of Curiosity and Wonder. Year 4 has been turning their wonderings into good questions. For example, when learning about the Daintree Rainforest, students independently wrote down "I Wonder" questions. They then collaborated in small teams to share their thoughts.
C. Years 7 and 11 designs a Discovery Diary
Year 7 has begun a Discovery Diary. The Discovery Diary is designed to help each girl grow as a learner and to empower her as a student at Danebank.
Year 11 mentors, along with the Connect teachers, are supporting the girls in this project. Year 11 students have created videos for our younger students, describing what the dispositions are and what they mean.
How you can support your daughter’s learning
I encourage you as parents to talk with your daughters about how she uses various dispositions for learning and how she can apply that in other areas of her life.
Here are some of the questions students (and parents) can ask when considering the dispositions required for more effective learning.
- Planning: do I plan and work out my learning in advance?
- Distilling: am I able to pick out and use important information?
- Questioning: am I asking questions and exploring possibilities?
The prompts may be helpful to you and support some valuable conversation with your daughters. A PDF of sample questions for each disposition is included here for your reference. It can be downloaded from here.
You may like to put these up on your fridge and refer to them as you support your daughters to learn.
This conversation is important because students who think and talk about learning and about themselves as learners:
- Show gains in their test scores
- Become more engaged in learning and
- Learn more effectively
Explicit Teaching of Study Skills in Senior School
Under the guidance of our Assistant Head of Learning, Mr Luke Coulton, we have designed termly, three-week study skills programs to be held during our Connect lessons.
It can be difficult when our girls are worried about school learning, so giving them the tangible skills to feel in control of their learning is very important. The focus of these sessions is therefore to create practical change in how students study and set themselves up for sustained success.
The main focus this term is on being an organised learner. Topics are:
- Year 7: Using folders for organisation, developing a study plan and starting assignments
- Year 8: Using folders for organisation, time management and developing good learning habits
- Year 9: Filing your notes, using Google Drive for success and prioritising
- Year 10: Getting organised at home, subject-specific steps for success and making notes
- Year 11: Setting up an organisation system that works, how to summarise and subject-specific study techniques
- Year 12: How to develop and maintain focus, stress and mindset, and how to use Spaced Practice in your study.
In Term 2 we will begin to unpack the following:
- Year 7: Setting up your home study space, doing home learning well and forming habits that help our learning
- Year 8: Active, not passive, study techniques and managing assignments and workload
- Year 9: Spaced Practice, Retrieval Practice and Interleaving (three research-based study techniques)
- Year 10: Making notes using the Cornell method and Sketchnoting
- Year 11: Forming study groups, making notes using the Outline and Mapping methods
- Year 12: Retrieval Practice, Interleaving and pacing yourself.
Please be encouraged to speak with your daughters about this and support them to apply these habits to their learning.
Junior School Reading Program
A new reading program has been instituted for students in Kindergarten and Year 1, developed by the new Head of Learning Enrichment (P-6), Mrs Jaimey Thomas.
With the OECD declaring that “a love of reading is the biggest indicator of future academic success”, the research-based approach gives each student the opportunity to read to an adult at least three times a week. Over time we hope to roll this program out across the school.
Mrs Thomas was involved in devising a similar program when she taught in London. Students are divided into groups of only six, reading to a trained adult, to develop reading skills such as vocabulary recognition and fluency, expression and a deeper level of comprehension.
The sessions follow the same structure each week, with the first focusing on decoding, the second on prosody (reading with expression and meaning) and the third on comprehension. Students read the same book at these sessions to develop fluency. This supports the students in becoming confident readers, as the more children see words, the more they begin to read them automatically without having to sound them out.
Parents have also been given instruction on how to continue this program at home. So our teachers are working in closer partnership with parents to help our young girls to consolidate strong reading skills in these very early years of school.
Update Stage 2 Build
Our builders, Rohrig, have been working tirelessly (including on weekends) on our Stage 2 building and are hoping to obtain the Occupation Certificate at the end of the term.
Internal fit-out is progressing well with joinery, floor surfaces and painting being completed.
The external stairs along Park Road are being installed this week and we continue to be hopeful to begin a staged move into the building over the upcoming holidays, ready for Term 2.
This will be dependent on obtaining the Occupation Certificate at the end of Term 1.
Autumn Fair
Recently, we hosted the Parents and Friends for a luncheon and special tour of the Stage 2 building as they continue their organisation of our Autumn Fair. Our community and staff area will provide excellent facilities for our Fair, along with the new canteen and cafeteria-style outdoor settings. We hope the facilities will be ready for the Fair.
Please do reach out to Mrs Nadine Lee, P&F President, to volunteer for the Autumn Fair. I understand the team is looking for convenors or volunteers in a number of areas, although they are especially looking for the key roles of a Canteen and a BBQ stall convenor.
Canteen
We are excited about the opening of our new canteen when Stage 2 build is ready. The canteen is double the original size and has an internal walk-through area for students and staff to select from a variety of food options on the day. There is an outdoor seating area which our girls from Pre-K to Year 12 will enjoy.
Once open, the new canteen will extend its offerings to include breakfast, along with recess and lunch for Junior and Senior School girls. We are hopeful that the breakfast option will support our girls and families at early morning training and co-curricular activities.
A new, expanded menu is being planned, including daily specials to be made fresh on the day, such as poke bowls, butter chicken, salads, spaghetti bolognese and sushi.
As is currently the case, all Junior School students’ orders must be done before 7.30am on the day. Orders can be done up to four weeks in advance.
In response to feedback from our girls and community, we will be activating Munch Monitor cards for the girls to use on the day as a cashless option.
Since the school is not accepting cash payments on campus anymore, all students who want to buy directly from the canteen, will need a Munch Monitor account. This is so that the student’s Library card can be activated as a Munch Monitor swipe-card with expenses charged against the family’s Munch Monitor account. Please ensure your daughter's Munch Monitor profile has been updated and permission given to allow walk-up purchases (Years 7-12). Update information can be accessed here.
A new coffee machine is being installed and girls will be able to order hot chocolates. We are considering allowing coffee purchases for girls in Years 11 and 12 and would welcome your feedback on this option.
There is some discussion about whether to allow students whose parents have entrusted them with bank cards, to be able to use this at the canteen for daily purchases. I would welcome your thoughts and feedback on this option. Please complete the form here to provide your input and feedback on bank cards, the option of coffee purchases and any further thoughts.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Kathy Murray and her incredible team who have operated our canteen in temporary facilities since the beginning of our new build. Despite the difficulties this has brought them, they have provided exceptional service to our girls and staff, always with a smile and we are grateful.
Air Conditioners
When I arrived at Danebank I asked our community for feedback on things we could improve for our girls and their learning. One recurring request was for all remaining classrooms in the Senior School to be fitted with air conditioners. At the time, Danebank did not have enough power supply to install these units.
I am delighted to share that, with the substation having been installed as part of the Stage 2 build, we can now install the much anticipated and desired air-conditioners. Planning is underway, with work to begin in the final two weeks of this term so that the units are ready for the beginning of Term 2.
Uniform Committee
We are hoping to create a Uniform Committee consisting of members of our community (parents, students, staff) to explore our current uniform and consider whether there are any pieces we need to update or introduce. The idea is to refine rather than overhaul. If you are interested in being part of this committee, please register your expression of interest here.
Buses
Over the years Danebank has offered a personalised bus service for our students. This began decades ago as a door-to-door service and was utilised by mostly our Junior School girls.
Our bus drivers are important and valued members of our staff. They are dedicated and professional, providing safe care of our students as they travel to and from school.
In recent years, traffic conditions have changed with more traffic on the road. Our community has grown also and we find ourselves operating in a climate with a statewide driver shortage.
All this means that our door-to-door service is more difficult to maintain.
With a view to continuing to provide exceptional and safe service to our families, and in light of our current challenges, we are considering our bus service options and are calling for your input and feedback on this matter.
Please provide your feedback here so we are able to incorporate your thoughts in our decisions for our bus services. Open to all families in Junior and Senior School, I want to encourage you to participate, as we are considering all options available to us, including extending to include Senior School students. The survey should not take more than a few minutes.
Danebank App
While news may have been quiet on this front, we have been working hard over the past year to update and improve Danebank’s App. The aim is for families to access Edumate and important information, and to engage in communication with the school via the App on your mobile phone.
Several big improvements, including the ability for parents to provide excursion permissions, are being made to the App. These will launch soon. In anticipation of this, and to familiarise yourself with what will become a vital school communication tool, I encourage you to download the Danebank App from your phone’s App Store.
This document introduces the current version of the App as a way to start exploring this tool.
