1.2 Understand how students learn

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.

Evidence provided for standard 1.2

1. Journal articles
2. Differentiated Lesson Plan
3. Modified Lesson Plan
4. Practicum Report

Annotation of article. Full annotation found HERE

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Tomlinson, C. A. (2002). Invitations to learn. Educational Leadership, 60, 6-10.

Journal Articles are a great source of knowledge, new theories and opportunities to learn. However a once gloss over is not effective, this article has been annotated, highlighted and reread in order to encourage new knowledge of how students learn and what motivates them in the classroom.

DIFFERENTIATED LESSON PLAN

As part of the topic Differentiation for Diverse Learners (EDUC4720) we were tasked with creating a lesson plan for a student with special needs. As part of this task it was important to utilise research that supported the decisions made for the lesson plan. The research highlighted Lucas' need for programs like ClickerDocs but that the programs and apps should not differ too much from apps he knows as it takes focus off of the lesson content onto learning the technology rather than the content and reaching his learning goals.

Journal entry from Tuesday, Term 2, Week 6

Section of new lesson plan

MODIFIED LESSON PLANS

My knowledge of how my students learnt was not as strong as I initially thought. The original introduction lesson taught on volume turned out to be a small disaster; the students ended up being confused by the concepts and the methods that I utilised in teaching them. For the last 10 minutes of the day we sat down as group and discussed ways to improve the lesson. In response to their comments, suggestions and advice I redesigned a new lesson plan for a new introduction into volume. This lesson plan was well received and the students grasped the concepts that were placed in front of them. Without the knowledge and feedback of my students the unit would have been at a standstill and the students wouldn't have met their learning goals.

"Kirby met the needs of all students in the class by varying the learning styles that she used. Varying the ways groups were structured enabled her to ensure groups operated successfully. She moved between groups or individuals, ensuring maximum contact with all students occurred, monitoring their progress and providing support as required. She became aware that this was an effective behaviour management strategy. Effective differentiation of learning tasks allowed all students to further develop their skills. Her awareness of those requiring extra help and those who require extending was embedded into the lesson plans. She set up a help desk for students who wanted more support, allowing those more confident to continue their learning without being held up by others. She supported a child who was operating at a Year One level to access a suitable curriculum using programs on the iPad, such as Clicker Docs."

Mentor's Final Practicum Report

 PRACTICUM REPORT

On my practicum, I strove to build positive relationships with my students and set goals surrounding them. The first goal I set was to memorise all students names by the end of the first day and by the end of the week I wanted to know one personal thing about each of my students. Through getting to know my students quickly and formally I became more confident with my movements around the classroom and found I didn't spend too much time with some students rather than others. Through the shared time spent among the students I became more aware of what kinds of support were needed through out the classroom and implemented steps in my lesson plans to achieve them.

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.

Evidence provided for standard 2.6

1. Padlet
2. Studyladder
3. Improve
4. Scootle Pathways

Predicting the chance of rain

PADLET

Padlet is an online bulletin/poster board that users can add "post-it" notes to in response to a question. This ICT strategy expands students learning opportunities as they are not required to identify themselves when posting, resulting in students having a little less fear and self-consciousness when discussing topics that can be challenging or new. I have previously utilised Padlet when learning about weather including temperature predictions, temperature around the world, and activities you could participate in Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring.

Volume activities 

STUDYLADDER

StudyLadder is a website designed to support student learning through a variety of activities and games. This ICT tool allowed me to preset miniature classes and "pods" to differentiate student learning based on the readiness of the student. This tool became a positive for a student with an NEP who felt left out when he couldn't do what the other students were doing, even though he was doing different activities the website made him feel included within the classroom. This warmth from the student enabled him to become further engaged with his curriculum and grow more as a student.

IMPROVE

Improve is  website that compiles a multitude of tests. This in itself is not necessarily a tool for expanding growth, however when it was used for the week prior to NAPLAN consistently by all class members both year 6 and 7 the students became comfortable with test taking. This confidence that came with practising the tests resulted in the students trying different methods with their learning within the classroom as well. Similarly to StudyLadder, the tests were set by the teacher and the students were placed in "classes" to aid them. 

ACELY1646 Pathway

SCOOTLE PATHWAYS

Scootle Pathways extends and expands learning opportunities for students as it allows the learning design to be tailor made to suit a person's education and learning needs. The website enables you to search educational activities by the curriculum content descriptors in order to find suitable activities. This is particularly useful for students with NEPs as it allows them to work at activities at their own pace as they are all readily available to them.

3.4 Select and use resources

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

Evidence provided for standard 3.4

1. Visual Stories
2. Audiobooks
3. Minecraft EDU

VISUAL STORIES

This story was used as a hook at the beginning of a continuation lesson on summaries. Students were challenged to create a 3 word summary about the book they were reading at the time, in this lesson students watched this and did the same activity however in pairs.  The Red Tree engaged students due to the music and lack of narration. The students were challenged to watch more than just the words in order to understand the story engaging them wholly. The feedback received from students on this lesson was positive and they were all surprised about how they saw and felt different things than their classmates about the story.

AUDIOBOOKS

This audiobook was used as a tool for teaching a student with reading and writing difficulties. He was thoroughly engaged and actively participated in his learning, a consistent challenge every day... The student from this created his own oral story which he recorded and shared with he classmates. This form of engaging students with learning was also non- invasive to the classroom environment as with headphones he wasn't a disruption from those around him.

Minecraft EDU - Tutorial

MINECRAFT EDU

Minecraft: Education Edition is a modified edition of the traditional game that enables students to work together in the virtual world. This resource was introduced by the maths coordinator at my final practicum and classes were ran as a training course for both teachers and students to learn how to use the program. This resource provides an interactive world in which students can solve problems together a class. This readily engages students due to its popularity with them already with most students being proficient on how to use the program. Students were tasked with solving problems and completing items off of a checklist as a part of a area and perimeter maths lesson.

4.2 Manage classroom activities

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

Evidence provided for standard 4.2

1. Time Management Strategy
2. Daily Checklists
3. GANTT Charts

       

TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Time management is an important factor in having an organised classroom to be prepared for all situations. This is an area that at the beginning of the practicum required improvement, however I discovered that utilising the silent alarms on my Fitbit and having them set to go off 10 minutes before the lesson finished allowed the students adequate time to pack up, reflect on the lesson and be prepared for the next, whether it involved moving classrooms or staying in the same class. These alarms also granted a conscious preparatory time to ensure that the next lessons materials were ready and hadn't been misplaced, in order that the next lesson start promptly and prepared.

Daily Checklist Wednesday, Term 2 Week 6

Daily Checklist Monday, Term 2 Week 5

DAILY CHECKLISTS

The daily checklists ensured that lessons were prepared with the necessary content and resources allowing them to occur naturally and on time. Including tasks that weren't a part of my every day routine (e.g. order art or math supplies) was beneficial otherwise they may have been forgotten. The daily checklist also gave opportunity to organise resources into the days that they applied to and create an organised space to continue work in.

GANTT CHARTS

This GANTT chart was created in the final weeks of Term 1 as an endeavour to keep myself accountable to dates and timelines through a visual aid. The chart stayed mostly the same with a few additions and some slight date changes due to interruptions during lesson times. This was an effective tool in running organised classroom activities as it outlined the dates by which any modifications to lessons needed to be made and when to make the weekly and daily checklists to promote a prepared classroom. This also made me aware of any upcoming due dates for the course and enabled me to prepared and ready throughout the entirety of the practicum.

4.3 Manage challenging behaviour

Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.

Evidence provided for standard 4.3

1. Maths Norms
2. Seating Plan
3. School and Class Values
4. Modelling Behaviour

MATHS NORMS

The maths class norms were developed together with the students in order to create and understanding of suitable behaviour to be displayed throughout a maths lesson. The students worked together to define the norms, cull any unnecessary or double ups and were given the opportunity to defend a norm if they thought it was important. The maths norms were then created into a poster and hung on the classroom wall to be referenced to whenever the class was not adhering to them. The norms were not only used as a behaviour management strategy by myself but also as a way for the other students to remind each other of what was and wasn't okay behaviour in the maths class.

2016 Room 11 layout.

SEATING PLAN

The students' seating plan was negotiated with my mentor teacher, the principal, myself and the class due to this class', particularly bad behaviour. The students voiced that they would prefer to have their seats set by the teachers and that they would like different seating every day. The seating was drawn out at random before the students arrived and would only occasionally be manipulated due to behaviour plans for some students.  The black dots on the plan above indicate possible seats, however, with a class of 22 students and with at least one student away most days there are a few available seats for changes if it became necessary.  

SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM VALUES

The school values were a key aspect in maintaining order and managing behaviour in the classroom. These were a consistent value throughout the school and in every classroom. When breaking down behaviour issues within the classroom and discussing them with the students I aimed to have them connect the behavioural problem with the school values; so that they could see that taking someone's textas was more than just borrowing without asking, that it was a lack of respect for a classmate and not being a trustworthy person. Along with the school values we had our own classroom values designed by the principal due to behaviour issues inside and outside the classroom with my students; the main one of these was empathy. Students participated in role playing activities to understand empathy better and learn how to show empathy to others.

Journal entry from Tuesday, Term 2 Week 3

Journal entry from Thursday, Term 2 Week 3

MODELLING BEHAVIOUR

Students within the class that I taught often had difficulty responding appropriately to problems and people that upset them. In conjunction with the principal and my mentor teacher we introduced 'I' statements as a method for communicating effectively. The students struggled with this initially. 'I' statements were modelled for the students by myself, my mentor, our neighbouring teacher, her pre-service teacher and leadership staff in an effort to demonstrate the statements effectiveness. The students eventually began to reciprocate and respond appropriately to the statements reducing arguments and disruptions during class time. The journal entries above illustrate 'I' statements being modelled and the response of the students.

Content provided by Leah Siskin: Active Minds 

6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs

Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.

Evidence provided for 6.1

1. Practicum Reports
2. SMART Goal
3. Developing Rubrics For Assessment

Interim Mentor Assessment - Final Practicum

Interim Self Assessment - Final Practicum

PRACTICUM REPORTS

The highlighted elements of the interim practicum above display an area that is in need of development. Through the utilisation of self-assessment and mentor assessment tools of the AITSL teaching standards indicate areas that require further evolution to a teacher allowing them to grow and improve their skills and capabilities. Through reports like these steps can be taken to improve developmental needs including action plans, professional development, advice seeking, mentoring projects and SMART goals.

SMART GOALS

The SMART goal illustrated above is a fantastic tool for aiding a person in achieving their goals due to its detailed analysis of often simplified goals.The goal displayed above occurred as a result of the practicum reports. The highlighted passages above contain significant words and phrases in order to help obtain the goal with more consistent results. This goal was displayed in two places, my desk where I work at home and with the students own SMART goals that were displayed in the classroom. This served two purposes; as a constant visual reminder wherever I was working and as a method of conveying that we are constantly seeking ways to improve ourselves even as adults and teachers.

DEVELOPING RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENTS

As a step towards achieving the SMART goal outlined previously a lesson plan was developed in which a rubric is to be designed with the students whilst being scaffolded by the teacher. Designing a rubric this way ensures that the students understand what is required by them in order to successfully complete the task. Developing a rubric in this manner also holds myself accountable to the rubric and the assessment requirements as an incentive for improving myself.

7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers.

Evidence provided for standard 7.3

1. Introduction to Parents/Carers
2. Incidental Parent Contact
3. Blogs for Communication

INTRODUCTION TO PARENTS/CARERS

To start off the year I wrote an introduction letter to the parents/carers of the students. This letter is a method of engaging parents/carers in their child's education and to also create a welcoming environment for them within the classroom. It is also used to promote a positive relationship between myself and the parents/carers of the class. 

Journal entry - Friday, Term 2 Week 2

Journal entry - Friday, Term 2 Week 4 

Journal entry - Saturday, Term 2 Week 7

INCIDENTAL PARENT CONTACT

The parents of the class on my final practicum were not heavily involved within the classroom. However, opportunities presented themselves to become acquainted with parents throughout the practicum. As is evident through the journal entries present, a parent of a student who struggled with their behaviour collected their child from the classroom once or twice a week and always enquired about their behaviour. I often interacted with this parent and gave feedback on their child's behaviour. The final entry is a reflection from an excursion of three 6/7 classes to Adelaide for HASS. On this excursion, I continued to foster positive relationships with other students parents and work with them in group work with the students due to none of the parents of my class attending.

Classroom Blog

BLOGS FOR COMMUNICATION

In the topic Numeracy and ICT Across the Curriculum (EDUC3625) we were tasked with creating a blog about cyber safety for parents/carers. This blog was utilised as a tool in order to engage parents/carers with the students current learning and to connect with parents/carers about methods and tactics they can employ in their own homes in order to keep their children safe on the internet. This assignment highlighted the value of blogs for communication as you can keep parents updated throughout the school day, remind and highlight important notices, as well as give links to sources and resources. This is also a valuable tool in student-parent communication as they can post themselves about their learning. I plan on continuing to utilise this blog in the future in my own classrooms.

This blog also supports AITSL standar 4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically.