Standard 1.1
Graduate level: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
It is essential that all educators know and understand how their students work and their individual learning styles. Through a variety of strategies educators like conversations and observations educators can identify these learning styles and how best to cater for them.
Physical, social and intellectual development influences every students’ ability and desire to engage with different types of information and activities. During my professional experience 2 placement based on my observations of each child’s behavior and interests I planned an experience that would build on developing the social and intellectual aspects of children. I did this by providing clay with a simple provocation, this allowed the children’s imagination to be sparked then allowed them to be creative and curious learners. Each child’s creation was unique and represented their own personal characteristics through their art work.
Evidence:
- Kindy lesson plan
Standard 1.2
Graduate level: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
It is important to have an understanding of how students learn so you can cater for their individual learning needs. Understanding how children learn gives us the prior knowledge that we need to plan and implement curriculum that is relevant and beneficial for that student.
On Professional experience 2 I had to implement an emergent curriculum with a group of selected children. Before I could undertake the planning process I had to first understand how children learn and what they already knew. I did this by observing the children during their play, I recorded what I saw and heard using an observational proforma. Once my observation was recorded I then analyzed and interpreted the information linking it with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
Evidence – The observational record, completed during Professional experience 2 (Kindergarten) demonstrates my ability to gather information and research into how students learn and analyze the information that can be then used for my own planning.
Standard 1.3
Graduate level: Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
As educators we need to ensure that we are planning and implementing teaching strategies that are sensitive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
As a part of my Humanities and Social Sciences subject I was required to create a lesson plan for a group of foundation students based on teaching them how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions have been passed down through photographs, artifacts, books, oral histories, digital media and museums. In the planning stage of this lesson I had to ensure that the content was accurate and respectful to the diverse range of students that would be in my class if I was to implement this lesson plan on placement. My lesson is based on an excursion the students attend at the Botanical Gardens which is led by an Indigenous Australian. After completing this unit I have become increasingly aware of how to plan a lesson and unit of work that follows on from an excursion that does not discriminate and includes people from diverse backgrounds.
Evidence:
– This lesson plan, completed in Humanities and Social Sciences demonstrates my understanding on how to plan a unit of work that takes into consideration the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children within my classroom.
Standard 1.4
Graduate level: Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Understanding all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture will build a sense of respect and importance. Educating yourself on the importance of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background of the students within your class will allow you to create a curriculum and use teaching strategies that are culturally sensitive and inclusive.
During Professional Experience 3 I sat down and had a professional conversation with the school's Aboriginal Community Education Officer (ACEO) along with a year 4/5 teacher. We spoke about Aboriginal and Torres's Strait Islander students and how best to support them within the school community.
Evidence: Conversation notes
Standard 1.5
Graduate level: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
My understanding of this focus area is the importance of a curriculum that is personalized and not standardized. Understanding and being able to differentiate the needs of each student is important when catering for a class of students who range in abilities. Not all students are at the same level in their learning and teaching needs to be differentiated for each student.
In Math Education one I had the opportunity to create an essay that researched the benefits of a emergent curriculum and how it benefited students that ranged in ability. The essay discusses what teaching strategies I would use when determining the background knowledge of the students in my class. I would then use this information to plan a curriculum based on the abilities of my students.
In Professional Experience 3 I implemented a range of math learning activities. As a class we were looking at the 'part-part-whole' method, during a formative assessment I created a worksheet that the students were required to fill in. To cater for students from a range of abilities I made a sheet that had lower numbers for the students who struggled and a sheet with higher numbers for the students who needed a challenge.
Evidence:
- This essay, completed in Math Education one demonstrates my ability to use a range of teaching strategies that would help me gather data that would then inform the specific planning based on the learning needs of students within my classroom.
- Math sheets with low and high numbers for students with varying abilities
Standard 1.6
Graduate level: Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability.
Teachers need to use a wide variety of teaching strategies that support the full participation of students with any kind of disability. All students no matter their capability must be supported and included in all aspects of the curriculum using tools and teaching strategies available to them.
Whilst I was on my 3rd year placement I had the opportunity to work with a child who had ASD (Reception). This particular child would get very anxious with the 'unknown' and was unable to sit for long periods of time. During my placement the child already had 'putty' that they could manipulate whilst lessons where being taught. I was able to extend on this by creating a daily timetable and a 'worry' scale. The daily timetable was used as a visual so the child could see what was planned and so that fear of the 'unknown' was taken away. The 'worry' scale was also created as a visual so the child could communicate how anxious or uncomfortable they where feeling in that very moment.
Evidence:
- Picture of objects for ASD student