Domain 2: Professional Practice

Domain 2: Professional Practice

Belief Statement

It is my belief as a teacher, that enthusiastic student participation begins at the implementation of engaging learning that manages to both align to the curriculum but that also relates to authentic real world experiences (Brooks, Gan & Hattie, 2016).  It is my responsibility to challenge all learners of varying abilities (AITSL, 2017) by incorporating the fundamental aspect of differentiation in the classroom (Brevik, Gunnulfsen, & Renzulli, 2018).

It is clear that students who feel unsafe in the school environment do not engage with learning (Côté-Lussier & Fitzpatrick, 2016). As a teacher, I need to ensure that each student in the classroom feels, safe, secure and supported and that every students’ individuality is celebrated. When this is the classroom environment, students’ capacity for learning will be enhanced – they’ll feel responsible for their learning.

Assessment is a vital means of discovering learning gaps in students and teaching gaps for the teacher; therefore, it can be used to improve both student learning and refine teaching practice (Segers & Tillema, 2011). Thus I will incorporate numerous diagnostic, formative and summative assessment to guide and assess student learning taking care to facilitate engagement through High Impact Teaching Strategies such as student goal setting (“High impact teaching strategies (HITS)”, 2019).

Standard 3: Plan for and Implement Effective Teaching and Learning

 

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.

3.3 Use teaching strategies
Include a range of teaching strategies.

3.4 Select and use resources
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.

I demonstrated Standard 3: Plan For and Implement Effective Teaching and Learning whilst on placement at a large high school in a low socioeconomic area when I took on a Year 11 English Essentials class during a critical period, where they had started working on an assessment piece but did not understand how to accomplish the task. I structured a lesson (Example 3) that included a task exemplar and a range of teaching strategies (3.3) and resources (3.4) to establish challenging learning goals (3.1).

 

At the start of the lesson I explained what we were doing and referenced the learning goals and steps for success verbally and visually in the PowerPoint (Artefact 3a), which students noted down (3.1). The learning goal was challenging in this instance as the class consisted of students who struggled with English, were on individual curriculum plans or were non-compliant who specifically benefited from the challenging learning goals for greater motivation (Hattie, 2009). I noted prior to the lesson that the class were at a very low level, so I created a complete annotated assessment exemplar – PowerPoint and the annotated script which highlighted text structure, salient features and included a word bank; as developing an understanding of the required learning would engage them in their task (Artefact 3b) – particularly the use of ICT during my performance (3.4).

The teaching strategies that I employed included using annotated exemplars to scaffold learning so that the correct skills were being acquired whilst avoiding cognitive overload (3.3) (HITS, 2019). This was beneficial as I observed students who had done limited to no work prior to my lesson begin drafting their assessment. I incorporated differentiated teaching into the lesson through the annotated exemplar. I could have just created an example to give to the students, but instead I gained knowledge regarding how each student learns from my mentor prior to the lesson. I then added the word bank to help certain students who are EAL/D, the break down of sections and salient features into colours, the lines between each section so that students can work on one ‘chunk’ without cognitive overload and provided the actual performance for visual learners (3.3). This allowed every student in the class the opportunity to extend their own knowledge and skills regardless of their current performance (HITS, 2019).

The result of the work that I put into the lesson before and during was clear when students submitted work relating to their assessment for the first time. I knew that the teaching strategies, challenging learning goals and resources that I had employed were successful as they had not done so prior for my mentor and she responded positively to my lesson – including reference in my final report (Artefact 3c). The lesson made it clear that I need to and will continue to employ such strategies into my teaching and pedagogical practice.

 

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Standard 4: Create and Maintain Supportive and Safe Learning Environments

 

4.1 Support student participation
Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.

4.2 Manage classroom activities
Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions.

4.4 Maintain student safety
Describe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.

I demonstrated Standard 4: Create and Maintain Supportive and Safe Learning Environments whilst on practicum at a large high school in a low socioeconomic area, when teaching a Year 8 Japanese class with students displaying a range of behavioural issues and disengagement. I facilitated a lesson where we cooked nikujaga which facilitated student engagement (4.1) and I had to provide clear directions and be well organised (4.2) in the kitchen to maintain student safety (4.4) (Example 4).

This provided students with the experience to cook authentic Japanese food linked learning to a real life experience and facilitated engagement due to the fact that authenticity directly links to student engagement (Klipfe, 2014). At the beginning of the lesson I had to make sure that I went through all of the rules and expectations for not only general classroom behaviour but also kitchen expectations to support student wellbeing and safety (4.4.) (AITSL, 2017). I provided clear directions to all students verbally as well as writing each direction and step-by-step recipe on the board (4.2) for visual learners; also as a reminder to all students so that they could engage in the activity independently (4.1) including a laminated reminder for their cooking stations (Artefact 4a).

I directed the students into a seating plan at each station so that I was purposeful with which students interacted with one another – maintaining safety and limiting easily avoidable behavioural issues (Fields, 2013) (4.4); vital when using kitchen knives, peelers and frying pans (Artefact 4b). In these groups each student undertook a certain role – peeling the vegetables, cutting the vegetables, cooking the meat and the rice as belonging in a group is the central antecedent for school engagement (Palmgren, Pietarinen, Pyhältö & Soini, 2017). All but one group were able to negotiate these roles without teacher input and it was easy to see when students were not involved in the experience and off task so that I could correct behaviour and safety (4.1, 4.2, 4.4).

Through this experience I learnt that the students in this particular class were more engaged with the task when it was hands on with a purpose for them – in this situation they were cooking their own lunch which was why they had to engage with the work (4.1). The few off-task behaviours were mitigated, when reminded that participation in such behaviour would result in not being able to continue in the activity due to the proximity of knives around the area and so classroom management went successfully (4.4). This surprised me as I had struggled to engage this class throughout my practicum. However, during this lesson they were engaged and my rapport with them grew considerably as well as my confidence in handing challenging behaviour in unfamiliar environments as it was my first cooking class that I had run and a success (4.1, 4.2, 4.4) (Artefact 4c).

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Standard 5: Assess, Provide Feedback and Report on Student Learning

5.1 Assess student learning
Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.

5.4 Interpret student data
Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice.

I demonstrated Standard 5: Assess, Provide Feedback and Report on Student Learning through my completed GTPA assessment (Example 5). I created a unit of work for Year 11 Japanese students encompassing Japanese technology and travel with the summative task being a 100 character written script (Artefact 5a). I used student data to evaluate students’ learning and modify teaching (5.4) (AITSL, 2017), assess their learning using diagnostic, formative and summative strategies (5.2) and provided feedback on their summative assessment (5.2) (AITSL, 2017).

I began by collecting diagnostic data that illustrated students had a knowledge gap (5.1, 5.4) regarding ability to construct Japanese language using learnt grammar patterns and vocabulary – shown clearly by the three focus students chosen (Artefact 5b). I then constructed a unit (Artefact 5c) that focused on key learning areas such as construction of grammar, kanji and paragraphs independently of a textbook, so that I could construct a lesson sequence and unit plan that would allow students the ability to successfully complete the summative task (Airola, Dunn, Garrison & Lo, 2012). (Artefact 5a). Students’ progression was measured through a range of formative assessment; such as exit tickets, worksheets, ‘show me’ boards, Buddypoke app and more to check for understanding (Fisher & Frey, 2011) and readiness to move on to new content once any highlighted potential roadblocks found during formative assessment were addressed (5.1) (Moore & Stanley, 2009).

Upon completion of the summative task (Artefact 5d), I independently marked each students’ assessment against the rubric (5.2) (Artefact 5e) and then participated in a sit-down moderation session with my mentor that allowed me to justify the grade that I gave the student against their work and the rubric (5.2) (Artefact 5f). Two of the six grades were adjusted due to the fact that I did not indicate in the rubric that they would be marked down for using a textbook – only verbally. Even though I had graded work before, this was the first time I had graded assessment work and I gained vital knowledge surrounding the judgement of standards and the application of rubrics (5.2).

This experience clearly illustrated to me the importance of backwards mapping a unit from the summative task as well as the importance of assessment for learning – diagnostic and formative to check for understanding throughout the unit (5.1, 5.4). The marking and moderation of assessment allowed me to gain more experience and confidence in my own ability to assess student work against the rubric with consistency (5.2), and the overall process allowed me to see my teaching come to fruition, as the students successfully completed the task which demonstrates feedback was an influential factor (Korthagen, Meijer, Simons & Voerman 2014). This is clearly evident in my third focus student who went from being unable to complete differentiated work to being able to independently construct her own summative task (Artefact 5g).