Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning 

The Learning Pit

In the last few weeks, I have noticed students starting to wrestle with the challenge of learning.  The transition of Year 7, the excitement of exploring the breadth of learning in Years 8 and 9 and the depth and focus required in Years 10-12 and VCE.

Feeling a little uneasy or challenged about your learning is not a bad thing. It is often an indication that you are thinking about the task and attempting to solve a problem or idea.

This Learning Pit, by James Nottingham conveys the struggle of learning, the process that we all go through to find success. I think this illustration is a helpful one for students, parents, and teachers to understand that to learn we must do hard things. Our students are developing a strong sense of self-efficacy when they engage in challenging tasks and interact with others, boosting determination, curiosity and ultimately creating critical, caring and collaborative thinkers.

Our role is to listen and support our young people when they struggle, to provide them strategies to engage, ask questions and persist. Most importantly, I would urge our students not to give up. Our learning programs and subjects for 2023 are now finalised and subject changes have closed. Everyone finds themselves in the learning pit at some stage. If your child is feeling like they are in the pit then reassure them, “You will find a way out and you will succeed”.

Susan Bradbeer

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning