current unit of work the students are working through. At what stage are they at currently? And Are there any learning and teaching components that must be covered for future assessment with my mentor teachers to discuss the current unit of work for each of their classes, and at what stages the classes are at. mentor teachers to the 3 weeks of placement to establish the units of work for each year level. provided me with a list of the units and topics of each of their year levels. With this information, I was able to familiarize myself with the subjects and make some notes about what lessons and exercises I may implement when I commenced my teaching. 2) Observe and take notes on lesson explanations, scaffolding and additional support. On the first day of placement, I dedicated most of my time to observing lessons and taking notes of the various knowledge’s in the classroom (that of the teacher and the students). In my observation lessons, I took note of the different ways that teachers explain tasks. The additional information they distribute (work sheets/criteria sheets) to ensure that students are completely aware of what they are required to do. In a year 10 Italian class, my mentor teacher was explaining an oral conversation task that they students were to work on and complete by a certain date. The teacher began by explaining the topic of the conversation and the possible content that could be included into the oral. After verbally explaining the assessment, she then provided the students with an assessment rubric outlining the mark allocation for each aspect of the oral. 3) Discuss the ZDP of students in various classes with mentor teachers. teaching a year 10 Italian class, I sat down with my mentor teacher and discussed the notes she had made from the lesson. It was in this discussion that she pointed out the zone of I found this discussion extremely beneficial for my own understanding of the students. I can use this new knowledge when teaching other lessons and will work towards providing them with work they can complete In the discussion with my mentor, one she made was of the ZPD of one of the students. With this particular student, my mentor informed me that she is a very competent, unassisted
Professional Challenge 1: What do I understand about how students learn and how to teach them effectively? Word/Phrase (Response to Professional Challenge) Descriptor (Explanation of word or phrase) Practice (Describe how you HAVE put word or phrase into action) Proof of Practice (Evidence to support practice claim) Behaviourism Behaviourism, in terms of learning, considers that it is through modifying behaviour and ensuring learners’ preparedness for learning that the best outcomes will be achieved. (Woollard 2010) I have attempted to incorporate behaviourism into my lesson plan by strategically paring or grouping students on the of who works well with whom. By ensuring that students are working collaboratively with someone who will not distract them in their work, I as the teacher am ensuring that I can get the most attention and participation out of my students. Formative Assessment Obtaining information about student’s progression and progression and the quality of how lessons are being taught. (Marsh 2008) Formative assessment was developed through the responses I received from students. If I am given correct responses to questions I have asked, then I know that the students are understanding and progressively acquiring knowledge of the subject. I also conduct a very minor form of formative assessment by asking students if they are following on with directions and information. By asking the students to repeat recently acquired knowledge, then I can be sure that they are understanding the lesson content and instructions. In a year 9 Italian to establish the students’ prior knowledge on the topic of ‘food’, I asked the students to contribute vocabulary to a class brainstorm. Although input was basic, I became aware that the students needed to begin the subject from scratch and hence, plan my lessons around the students having no prior knowledge. In a year 10 Italian I was able to pinpoint which students fully understood my explanations, by asking for repetition of my command or a translation of my command. Summative Assessment A collection of data that tells us what students know and do not know, and what they are capable of doing. Summative assessment usually occurs at two stages in the school year, mid-year and I have not currently undertaken any summative assessment, but am in the process of preparing a task which will be summatively assessed.
support system are just some of the factors that students bring to school with them in almost stunning variety. (Tomlinson & McTighe 2006) post teaching the students of the Italian traditions, I then asked the students if they has any personal stories of immigration and whether they knew of any traditions their family had maintained and kept. VELS A on what Victorian students, from prep to year 10, need to learn at school (VCAA 2009). When creating lesson plans, I found it essential that I had a sound understanding of the relevant VELS level and standards for each class I was teaching. From VELS, I was able to gage the level of academia which I had tom implement into each lesson. As well as the required information to cover all areas specified by VELS. National Curriculum The Australian Curriculum will "equip all young Australians with the essential skills, knowledge and capabilities to thrive and compete in a globalised world and information rich workplaces of the current century." The Australian Curriculum will be accessible to all young Australians, regardless of their social or economic background or the school they attend. (ACARA 2011) The structure of the National Curriculum was implemented into the Humanities department to the disruption next year when all elements of the National Curriculum are being implemented. It was decided to be implemented early as the humanities subjects make up a large part of the curriculum. Aspects of this Professional Challenge that I need to know more about and/or need to implement National Curriculum The Australian Curriculum will "equip all young Australians with the essential skills, knowledge and capabilities to thrive and compete in a globalised world and information rich workplaces of the current century." The Australian Curriculum will be accessible to all young As the year proceeds and there is more talk and implementation of the National Curriculum, I expect to learn and development a better understanding of this new curriculum.
Funds of Knowledge What a person knows – this includes things outside the school environment. For example, a student might not be very familiar with science but is very knowledgeable about agricultural-related topics as he works on the farm; agricultural knowledge is part of this student’s funds of knowledge (Moll et al 1992). Students find it extremely rewarding to incorporate aspects of their lives, into their learning and curriculum content. In the subject of Italian, culture and immigration plays a prominent role. On one of my teaching rounds, I taught at a school which was very multi-cultural. So in teaching a lesson on immigration, I asked students to put up their hands if they themselves had a story about immigration which they could share with the class. With these stories of immigration, came recounts of family traditions, cultural values and personal experiences. Aspects of this Professional Challenge that I need to know more about and/or need to implement Duty of care ‘To avoid acts that would be likely to injure another person’ (Marsh 2008) Need to know more. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 4. Graduating teachers plan and assess for effective learning. The graduating teacher establishes clear and achievable learning goals for students and plans for a sequence of activities and materials to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students. The graduating teacher uses assessment strategies to evaluate the learning of the students and is able to analyse their progress and engagement in learning, and provide appropriate feedback. Within the context of a course of pre-service teacher education which provides at least 45 days of supervised professional practice, graduating teachers will … • use their professional knowledge to establish clear, challenging and achievable learning goals for students as individuals and groups. • design lesson and unit which integrate a range of activities, resources, and materials to support learning, including the use of ICT and other learning technologies. • evaluate student responses and work samples, using a variety of strategies and tools to make appropriate assessments of learning and plans for future teaching and learning activities. • plan learning sequences and units which are consistent with curriculum statements and frameworks and assessment structures commonly used in schools. • monitor and record student learning, providing appropriate feedback to students on their progress and how to improve, and for reporting to parents.
Demonstration of standard may include: Learning activities that are planned and structured to provide for meaningful learning. Activities that are related to learning goals. Activities and resources that are appropriate for the engagement and developmental stages of students within the group. Assessment strategies that are relevant to the level of individual student understanding and skill development. Assessment activities selected that allow for evaluation of student learning and provide meaningful feedback to students. Related Key Selection Criteria: Demonstrated knowledge of initiatives in student learning including the Standards, the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 and Assessment and Reporting Advice and the ability to design curriculum programs consistent with their intent. Capacity to monitor and assess student learning data and to use this data to inform teaching for improved students learning. Professional Challenge 4: How do I thoroughly plan and assess for effective teaching Word/Phrase (Response to Professional Challenge) Descriptor (Explanation of word or phrase) Practice (Describe how you HAVE put word or phrase into action) Proof of Practice (Evidence to support practice claim) Student Reflection Student reflection provides a direct opinion from the ‘consumer’. Teachers are first and foremost, providers of information for students. By receiving feedback from the students, teachers are able to adjust and enhance their teaching styles to best suit the students. At the completion of a lesson, I the students to discuss the lesson. I asked the students, which aspects of the lesson they enjoyed, found informative and interesting, and the aspect that they did not find appealing. By acquiring this understanding, as a teacher, I am able to incorporate more interesting and informative activities to ensure student learning. Development of lesson plans Lesson plans are never set in stone, but can be adjusted and adapted to conform to the requirements of the lesson. They work as effective outline or plan of At the beginning of each lesson, I provided my mentor teacher with a copy of the lesson plan. As the lesson progressed, my mentor teacher would make notes on the plan,
what one intends to complete within the lesson. Development can be implemented through means of ‘tried and tested’ teaching. Plan an activity; does it work, should I use it again? Regularly in teaching, activities can be reused and recycled. So by making note of any changes and adjustments, one can progressively better the original activity. which we discussed at the end of the lesson. This was extremely beneficial if the same lesson plan was to be used with another class. The new modifications often made for a smoother running second lesson. Development of a unit Goal based learning. Establishment of required course content and the means by which it can be communicated. Sequencing lessons and activities to achieve a desired result. The development of a unit can be a working progress. By incorporating tasks which require multiple intelligences, I, as the teacher, can observe and assess the adequate time durations required. This knowledge can assist in future unit development. Diagnostic assessment “What did we do last lesson?” is an effective question to ask at the beginning of each new lesson. This question not only allows students to link lessons, but also gives them a sense of continuity and flow. It is important for students to see consistency and progress throughout a unit for their own personal learning. At the beginning on each Italian lesson, with advice from my mentor teacher, I ask the students to provide me with a variety of sentences using the grammar rules learnt in the previous lesson. This refreshes the students’ memories and is also an effective way of building and elaborating on the previous topic, rather than starting randomly in the lesson. This activity also gives me an idea of which students fully understood the previous lesson, and which students are not confident with the topic. It also provides me with an indication of whether I will need to go over any past notes. Aspects of this Professional Challenge that I need to know more about and/or need to implement Funds of knowledge
Related Key Selection Criteria: Demonstrated high written and verbal communication skills and high level interpersonal skills including a capacity to develop constructive relationships with students, parents and other staff. Professional Challenge 6: What range of teaching practices and resources do I use to promote effective learning and how do I use them? Word/Phrase (Response to Professional Challenge) Descriptor (Explanation of word or phrase) Practice (Describe how you HAVE put word or phrase into action) Proof of Practice (Evidence to support practice claim) ICT and Interactive Whiteboards They make it easy for teachers to enhance presentation content by easily integrating a wide range of material into a lesson, such as a picture from the internet, a from a spreadsheet or text from a Microsoft Word file, in addition to student and teacher annotations on these objects. (Resourcing the Curriculum, department of Education 2012) I incorporated ICT into the lessons in a variety of ways. I used the ICT of point presentations to depict imagery in a ‘lecture’ style approach to a lesson. One in particular, the power point slides depicted Italian scenes and environments, which I described to the students, allowing them to make their own notes. The other I ran as a historical lecture. This presentation incorporated imagery, songs, film clips and text. The multi-faceted approach to ICT learning maintained student interest by tapping into students various preferred learning styles. Student teaching Student teaching, in of having students teach specific topics or is an effective way of developing responsibility amongst the students. This task is effective form of summative assessment and can also be used as formative assessment. After having taught a unit of work, I asked the students to break up into small groups of 3 to 4 students. Each group selected a sub-topic from the unit and were required to research (using ICT) further into that sub-topic and then teach it back to the class in greater detail. By asking the students to complete this task, I was able to get an understanding of which students felt more competent with the subject. Which students feel more confident with
Demonstrated commitment and capacity to actively contribute to a broad range of school activities and a capacity to reflect on, evaluate and improve professional knowledge and practice Professional Challenge 7: How do I use reflection and evaluation to improve my professional knowledge and practice? Word/Phrase (Response to Professional Challenge) Descriptor (Explanation of word or phrase) Practice (Describe how you HAVE put word or phrase into action) Proof of Practice (Evidence to support practice claim) Mentor Evaluation Feedback and mentor evaluation is a way to assess and develop your competency in the classroom. Someone in a professional position is able to acknowledge good work, but can also provide constructive criticism for activities or procedures that may not have been quite so successful. Their knowledge is also a wonderful resource for better your skills. At the beginning of each lesson, I provide my mentor teacher with a copy of my lesson plan. As I my mentor makes notes, suggestions and constructive criticism on aspects of the lesson on which I can improve. At the end of each lesson, I meet with my mentor to discuss their notes. After this discuss, I take on board their suggestions and try to implement them into my following classes. Adapting lesson Changing or altering an activity or lesson plan based on notes made by your supervising or mentor teacher. Throughout my placement, it has occurred that I am able to use the same lesson plan for more than one class. In this circumstance, I will complete the first lesson, and if my mentor has made any adjustments or suggestions to the lesson plan, I then alter the original and conduct the second lesson using my mentor’s suggestions. Observation learning Observing and taking note of effective and engaging teaching pedagogies and During my placement, I ensure that I observe a variety of lessons and subjects. Through my
useful in creating a more profound teaching style. Reflection Reviewing past experiences and advices and becoming aware of how they can be used in bettering your personal teaching style. On practicum Extra-curricular involvement Educational experiences which occur outside of the schooling system which contribute to the development of your teaching abilities. I regularly work as a tutor for Italian students. Teaching individual students teaches me methods of explanation which I can use with large class groups. I keep in contact with past mentor teachers, who have kept me up to date with the LOTE faculty and possible job offers that may be appearing. I strongly participate in the Dante Alighieri Society of Melbourne (An Italian learning society dedicated to providing Italian students with extra studying resources) This society is a prominent organisation which is involved with many Italian studying primary and secondary schools. Awareness of the current education system Keeping up to date with the current education system, nationally and globally, as well as any future plans for the education system. By keeping up to date with the National Curriculum, I maintain an awareness of the education system in I will be working. Aspects of this Professional Challenge that I need to know more about and/or need to implement