EVERY CHILD LEARNS EVERY DAY

PRUEANN BROWNING

Springfield Head of Primary Years

progress, growing in confidence throughout the year. Witnessing the student’s incredible growth was a proud and positive moment, reinforcing her love for teaching.

One of Stephanie’s favourite aspects of teaching is the joy of coming to school each day, knowing that no two days are the same. The excitement and challenges that each day brings, coupled with the smiles and enthusiasm of her students, make her job incredibly fulfilling. Stephanie believes that being a teacher is not just a profession but a calling to make a difference in the lives of young people.

Stephanie always hoped to return to St Peters Springfield. She thrived during her time as a student and was eager to bring her passion and dedication back to the College that played a crucial role in her development.

As a student, Stephanie was actively involved in various co-curricular activities, particularly Basketball and Swimming. She fondly remembers Mr Jeremy Lohe accompanying her and her friends to the Indooroopilly campus for sports training. Stephanie loved learning and always had strong relationships with her peers and teachers, she even attended Miss Victor’s (now Mrs Houston, Principal) Wedding!

Stephanie’s journey from a founding student to a passionate educator exemplifies the impact a supportive educational environment can have. Her story serves as an inspiration for current students, highlighting the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead.

In our pursuit to provide a well-rounded education, we believe that learning growth holds far greater value than letters or numbers on a report card. Learning growth encompasses our students' continuous progress and development, both academically and personally, throughout their journey in Primary Years.

So, what exactly is learning growth? It is the process through which children acquire new knowledge, skills and abilities across multiple disciplines. It involves the gradual improvement of their academic performance, critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities and emotional intelligence. In essence, learning growth encapsulates the holistic development of each child.

Encouraging a Growth Mindset: By emphasising learning growth, we foster a growth mindset in our students. They learn to view challenges and mistakes as valuable learning experiences. Students are being explicitly taught ways that they can be more aware of their feelings and how they express them. Even more importantly, they’re being taught how to self-regulate when they experience big feelings through our Zones of Regulations in the Early Years. The intention was to bring awareness to metacognition and empower them to become more aware of their thinking.

Holistic Development: Academic grades provide a limited snapshot of a student's abilities. By focusing on learning growth, we acknowledge the multifaceted nature of education. It allows us to nurture their overall development, ensuring they become well-rounded individuals capable of thriving in all areas of life. School is one of the best places for students to be exposed to situations for growth as it is close to mimicking the ‘real world’ where they are interacting with and working with a variety of other people.

Individualised Learning: Every child is unique with their own strengths, weaknesses, learning styles and personal passions/ interests. By prioritising learning growth, the focus shifts to individual progress rather than comparing students to one another. This approach enables us to tailor our teaching methods, provide personalised feedback and ensure each child reaches their full potential. When teachers give students feedback, it’s based on their work, goals and progress. We’re encouraging our students not to compare themselves to others and instead to put the energy into their own areas for growth and development.

Long-Term Success: Learning is a lifelong journey and end-of-term grades only provide temporary benchmarks. By emphasising growth, we instil in our students the value of continuous learning and improvement. Our students, over time, learn to set realistic goals, develop effective study habits and appreciate the process of learning rather than purely focusing on the end product.

Positive Self-Perception: By teaching our students to emphasise learning growth, we are aiming to help students develop a positive self-perception. Instead of defining their worth based on grades/results, they recognise their growth, celebrate those achievements and therefore positively contribute to building self-confidence. This confidence extends beyond the classroom, empowering them to face challenges with resilience and belief in their abilities.

At St Peters Springfield, we believe that fostering a love for learning, nurturing holistic development and empowering students to become skilful, self motivated individuals are essential goals. We want our students’ education to go beyond grades instilling in them their ability to help make a positive difference in our world. That is our St Peters ‘Why’.