Learning Ground in School - LGiS

Prospective users

Aims & approach

Learning Ground in School (LGiS) sets the student up for success to engage in learning, literacy, and numeracy, by building a strong foundation for belief in themselves and their capacity to learn.

LGiS embraces diversity and creates a safe and non-judgemental environment for exploration and learning of personal, environmental, societal, and hereditary influences on student lives. It assists schools to support students in Years 8 and 9 at risk of disengagement from learning through creating a sense of belonging.

The program is facilitated by teachers and support officers and can be delivered to students (in groups of 21) as a weekly 30-week program in one year or 15 consecutive weeks a year over two years. The program is currently available to schools in the Western and Southwestern Sydney region NSW.

Implementation support

• Access to professional facilitator, instructor or mentor
• Implementation training webinars or modules
• Ongoing helpdesk, email or phone support

Evidence

Learning Ground's programs are underpinned by humanistic philosophy and phenomenology, prioritising listening to how individuals perceive events in order to provide non-judgemental support for their development (Cornelius-White, 2007). In emphasising a self-in-community approach to education, Learning Ground also aligns with an ecological systems model of youth development (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006). There is a focus on the social and emotional learning of participants (AIHW, 2021), which is seen to be important for success in school, work and life.

LGiS also incorporates emotion coaching, which is linked to a variety of positive outcomes for children, including more effective emotion regulation, better social skills, and improved emotional knowledge, which in turn lead to better social and academic engagement. The programs foster social cohesion in both adolescents and their parents/carers, which has been shown to positively impact mental health (William et al. 2020), adolescent behaviour (Kalolo et al., 2019) and school environment (van den Bos et al., 2018).

Evaluations conducted by the Department of Education and Western Sydney University demonstrated the effectiveness of LGiS in promoting behavioural change. The impact of the program is further supported by positive feedback provided in testimonials from participating teachers and school leaders. References include:

• Parada R. H., Dobia B., Walker, M., and Regaldo, J., (2021) Learning Ground in School (LGiS): Interim Report of the 2020 Implementation. Penrith: NSW. Western Sydney University.
• Parada R. H., Dobia B., Eastman, K.,O'Rouke, V, and Regaldo, J., (2023) Learning Ground in School (LGiS): Final Report of the 2020-2022 Implementation. Penrith: NSW. Western Sydney University.