SCENES FROM THE JUNIOR SCHOOL ’ S
PEER SUPPORT
PROGRAM , WHICH ENGAGES SMALL GROUPS OF BOYS
FROM WITHIN THE HOUSE
SYSTEM TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY
Renowned educational psychologist and co-founder of the ‘ Relational Learning for Boys ’ framework , Dr Michael Reichert , is a strong proponent of ‘ relational learning ’. Relational learning has been at the heart of great practice at Scotch for some time , thanks to some exclusive input from Dr Reichert .
While relational learning is multifaceted and complex , there is one key notion that sits above all . The relationships boys have with their teachers ( be it class teachers or those senior within their community ) have a significant impact on their learning . Boys tend to value the relationship with the person more than the content that is being shared with them .
Within the Junior School there are many day-today opportunities for boys to maintain , reinforce and develop positive relationships . Recently our Year 3 boys welcomed the new cohort of students who will join them in Year 4 . The Year 3 teaching team engaged in explicit instruction to help our Year 3s develop techniques and approaches to initiate engagement with new people , and develop structures to assist the creation of a warm welcome . It has to be said that our Year 3 boys did a wonderful job of welcoming the new boys to the Scotch Family .
The Junior School team works hard on the development of relationships . However , this year there have been increased efforts to reap the rewards of the outcomes of this effort , and there is a renewed focus on helping the boys understand that once good relationships are developed , action can occur to help others .
Having read the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today ? by Carol McCloud , the boys discussed means by which they could ‘ fill the buckets ’ of others to help make them happy . This sparked a number of opportunities across the Junior School for the boys to leverage positive relational learning and convert it to relational action ( doing ).
Our Peer Support Program engages small groups of boys from within the House system to work collaboratively . The special thing about these groups is that they consist of one or two boys from each year level – a vertical group . Each group is led by a Year 6 boy and is given tasks to complete over the year .
In Term 3 the Peer Support groups embarked on a philanthropic endeavour to build relationships within our wider Melbourne community . The teams engaged with the charity ‘ Big Group Hug ’, and collectively created a campaign to collect coats to give and distribute to children around Melbourne .
It was a delight to see every boy in the Junior School contribute to an impressive outcome that helped connect them to children from a very different place in our city . The relationships that had developed within each Peer Support group helped to ensure each boy was engaged , enabling each Scotch family to become a part of the action .
This term the Peer Support groups are looking ahead at another opportunity to widen our influence and consider support at a national level . There are plans afoot to work with Indigenous communities that have strong ties to Scotch , and for the boys to determine how they can build connection and work to support the communities . Watch this space !
A little closer to home has been the work completed in partnership with Methodist Ladies ’ College . Junior School teachers from both schools have connected with one another to develop meaningful learning opportunities for the boys and girls to enjoy together . Over the year there have been several occasions at which boys and girls from the same year level have collaborated to meet certain challenges and communicated to help build new relationships .
Last term , MLC kindly invited our Year 5 boys to their campus for a morning of physical activity , games and team-building exercises . Scotch reciprocated by organising for the Year 6 girls to visit our Healesville campus with the Year 6 boys to engage in Outward Bound style challenges .
At the heart of this interaction is the respectful relationship curriculum which helps guide teachers as they plan each opportunity . The key learning opportunity is for the boys and girls to develop skills in relationship development that lead to positive action . As we continue to embark on means by which Scotch College Junior School boys can have positive impact outside of the gates of the school , we must remember the power of relational learning and the foundation it helps to provide for each boy .
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 23