‘Stretch’ as a learning principle – continuing our Year 12 2025 profiles
The title of this article is recycled: I used it last year, at about the same point in Term 1. I think recycling is an excellent practice – especially when it can deliver exactly what you need! Today I am repurposing some of what I wrote last year as introduction to Ethan Condren, one of our Year 12 2025 graduates who came to value the way ‘Trinity pushes you to challenge yourself.’ I find Ethan’s wisdom apt for the point in the new academic year when the gloss may have worn off new classes, teachers, uniforms, devices, co-curricualrs … and the challenges have clearly made themselves visible. So, let’s revisit one of the School’s mantras – that challenge is good for us when it is paired with support – and then hear about that philosophy from Ethan …
At Trinity, one of our core beliefs is that there is usually more within us than we realise, and that every boy can achieve growth in the areas he determines. We also believe that when challenges stretch us, we have opportunity to realise that extra potential. Just as the by-products of stretch in the context of physical exercise are improved strength, conditioning, capacity and confidence, so the outcomes of stretch in learning are expansion in our repertoire of strategies for negotiating challenge, our mastery of new skills and our belief that we have what it takes to succeed academically.
Early last century, Russian theorist Lev Vygotsky proposed the ‘zone of proximal development’ as a key construct in learning and development. Put simply, it’s the gap between a child’s current level of mastery and the level they are capable of reaching with tools and support provided by others with more knowledge and expertise. It’s this ‘gap zone’ that is the fertile place for learning – but it requires a child to stretch themselves to master the gap – and it requires a teacher to step in with tools and support when needed, but not before. Vygotsky believed that children grow into the intellectual life around them, and it is the role of parents and schools to provide not only a rich intellectual environment, but the experiences of stretch and the support to manage them.
Early this century, learning psychologist Carol Dweck coined the term ‘growth mindset’ to describe the attitudinal version of Vygotsky’s ZPD: the disposition to embrace challenge as exciting rather than threatening, as an opportunity to grow, rather than a task to fail.
At Trinty, these ideas are central to our learning approach: children must learn to stretch within low stakes environments that sometimes include failing; children must learn to manage feelings of uncertainty within the zone of proximal development because this is in fact the most fruitful learning space; children must learn to embrace challenge rather than retreating to the comfort of what is already mastered.
Our profiled alumnus this week is Ethan Condren. Ethan’s reflections on learning in the zone of proximal development are insightful. He sought multiple opportunities that undoubtedly stretched him, sometimes in ways that took deliberate commitment to master. Ethan is a high achieving student in the class of ’25, but as he reflects on his journey through Trinity, it is the breadth of experiences and the opportunity for stretch that is really showcased. You can read his profile here.
For a detailed overview of the Class of 2025’s IB and HSC results, please visit the Results Overview page.
