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

My understanding of this focus area is that it is essential for me as a future teacher to have knowledge of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and use these to identify my professional learning needs. This will help me to reflect on my practice, relate it to the APST focus areas and make changes to my practice.

This evidence piece was completed on my professional experience four. It is a reflection piece completed on my professional practice and it outlines that I needed to make changes in regards to the noise level and children working in partners. I linked this professional practice and learning to APST focus area 4.2 because I thought that it related to me managing the learning environment. After reflecting, I made changes and implemented these. The second reflection statement shows that the strategies put in place were successful and helped with effectively managing the learning environment (in relation to APST 4.2).

This evidence piece shows that I meet the graduate level for this focus area because it demonstrates that I have an understanding of the role of the APST and how professional learning relates to the standards and focus areas. It shows that I am continuously identifying my professional learning needs and changes I can make to my practice in line with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Graduate Level: Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.

This evidence piece includes four documents based on professional learning that I have undertaken and their relation to my professional development with a target towards system priorities. The first document includes my first aid certificate completed in 2018. The second document is a CPR refresher certificate completed in 2020 and the third is a professional development certificate completed in 2018 on STEM in early childhood. The fourth document is a certificate of the seven hour responding to abuse and neglect education and care foundation certificate completed in 2019. The certificates are relevant and appropriately sourced because they were completed through professional companies and these certificates are required to work as a teacher and in my current child care job.

The evidence piece shows that I meet the graduate level for this focus area because they demonstrate that I have completed professional learning to improve my practice. The evidence also shows that I am aware of the importance of participating regularly in professional learning so my knowledge and practice can be updated to meet my own professional needs and the system priorities. The system priorities include the legal obligation to protect children by completing the RAN and first aid certificates.

Graduate Level: Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.

My understanding of this focus area is that teachers need to seek constructive feedback on their teaching practice from supervisors and other teachers to assist with their practices. This includes asking leadership to observe lessons and then making changes in accordance to the feedback received. 

This evidence piece comes from my fourth year professional experience. The evidence piece includes an email which was sent from my mentor teacher providing positive and constructive feedback. My mentor teacher would send emails every day after I had taught with feedback so I could adapt and change my practice. I would change my planning, organisation, teaching strategies, classroom management and implementation of lessons after receiving feedback to improve my teaching practice. An example of the changes I made after receiving the feedback can be seen on the second page of the evidence document.

This evidence piece shows that I meet the graduate level for this focus area (6.3) because it demonstrates that I have been seeking constructive feedback from my mentor teaching and then taking it on board and making changes to improve my teaching practice.

Graduate Level: Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning. 

My understanding of this focus area is that it is essential for teachers to engage in self reflective practice. This helps to acknowledge areas for professional learning that can be improved and in turn this creates implications for student's learning. This is something that I will need to continually complete as a teacher because it is important to critically reflect my practice and identify areas that need to be improved.

This evidence piece comes from my reflection journal that was completed at the end of week two during my third year professional experience. This journal shows my reflection of what was challenging, beneficial and what was needed to be done for the following week to benefit my professional development, practice and the children's learning. The evidence also states the knowledge I gained after attending a professional development day with my supervising teacher. 

This evidence clearly demonstrates my teaching at a graduate level for this standard because it states my strengths and challenges that were faced throughout the week and areas that needed to be improved to help my practice and which impact children's learning. It demonstrates my willingness to improve student learning through showing a keen interest in developing my own professional knowledge to benefit children's learning.