The evidence provided are images and screenshots of some lesson plans that outline resources I utilised throughout my placement. The first week of placement was an overwhelming experience because I realised that so many things need to be considered when planning for teaching. I felt worried about not having resources or that I will not find good places to source such, or that they were irrelevant to my class. However, after constant observation and collaboration with my supervising teacher, I started to learn and develop ways to come up with resources and be more creative about delivering content to students. According to Hattie, becoming an expert teacher means creating optimal classroom atmosphere (2012, p. 26), and part of the students’ learning environment were the resources I used for teaching. However, I realised that apart from having good resources, it was important to ensure that the resources were tailored and carefully selected as appropriate (Department of Education and Children’s Services 2010, p. 25).

Throughout placement, I used resources such as books, videos, laminated cards, white board and marker, images, PowerPoint presentations and various physical objects and materials such as blocks, cornflour, food colouring, etc. (for Science and Maths lessons). I noticed how using multimodal forms of teaching kept the students engaged and happy, particularly in Science where we always had to ‘feel’ objects and ‘make’ something. Multimodal forms of teaching allow students to make meaning in ways other than written text – through oral, visual, audio, gestural and tactile means (Ewing et al. 2019, p. 175). By utilising various resources, I have supported my students’ multiliteracy skills, and these skills are important for them to make meaning in various cultural and social contexts other than in the classroom (Ewing et al. 2019, p. 175).

References:

Department of Education and Children’s Services 2010, SA TfEL: South Australian Teaching for Effective Learning Framework guide, Government of South Australia, Department of Education and Children’s Services, South Australia.

Ewing, R, Kervin, L, Glass, C, Gobby, B, Le Cornu, R & Groundwater-Smith, S 2019, Teaching: Dilemmas, challenges and opportunities, 6th edn, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne, Australia.

Hattie, J 2012, Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning, Routledge Publishing, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon.