6.1 Use the National Professional Standards for Teachers and advice from colleagues to identify and plan professional learning needs
Evidence: 3D, 5C, 5H
Following discussions with the my mentor and the head of the ICT team at the school, I identified an ICT as an area which I wanted to develop to ensure more authentic integration in learning activities and thereby better prepare my students for B.Y.O.D in their next year, as well as the pervasive environment of ICT in which we live. As a result, during early career training days I was able to seek advice and resources from much more experienced peers, such as an extensive and comprehensive IWB kit, from the CEO Teaching and Learning Officer (see Professional Correspondences - IWB resources from ECT induction day), that show cased a range of strategies for redefining IWB based ICT use as well as provided a number of engaging classroom resources. In addition, I was able to identify a professional learning day that would further enable development with regards to the authenticity and engagement of my ICT integration. For instance, on the professional learning day I was able to seek advice regarding the types of activities I was hoping to implement for a planned Visual Literacy unit, and the ways in which they could be redefined as opposed to solely ‘augmented’ by ICT integration. Further, I was able to take a number of clear notes, pick up great iPad resources (and reflect on their use for future activities) as well as reflect deeply about my use of ICT.
Similarly, after receiving an email from Student B’s mother, I was able to identify auditory processing difficulties as an area that I needed to learn more about. After discussing the topic with the Learning Support Teacher on staff I was able to modify some of the adjustments I was already making to ensure I was addressing the auditory difficulties and also direct some home reading on the topic to further extend my ability to accommodate student B (see R. Q., & Cline, L. Auditory Processing Disorders and the auditory processing website, I found these resources particularly helpful in understanding the disorder as well as some possible effective adjustments).
Similarly, after receiving an email from Student B’s mother, I was able to identify auditory processing difficulties as an area that I needed to learn more about. After discussing the topic with the Learning Support Teacher on staff I was able to modify some of the adjustments I was already making to ensure I was addressing the auditory difficulties and also direct some home reading on the topic to further extend my ability to accommodate student B (see R. Q., & Cline, L. Auditory Processing Disorders and the auditory processing website, I found these resources particularly helpful in understanding the disorder as well as some possible effective adjustments).
6.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice, targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities
Evidence: 5E, 5G
This year I have attended a range of professional learning opportunities to update my knowledge and practice and help develop my practice as an early career teacher. Indeed, the early career teacher workshops in particular often resulted in take away messages I didn't expect to receive but that were ultimately very useful in ensuring my growth as a teacher. In addition to the messages I consciously took away from the workshops, I was able to realise the deeper knowledge and positive practice they developed through reflections on the day and the notes I had taken. | Remember - good teachers engage, great teachers learn and the best teachers reflect. |
Similarly, I attended numeracy and literacy workshops throughout the year that were extremely relevant to cross-curriculum priorities as well as my professional needs and the needs of the school. For instance, during the numeracy professional development I was able to improve my knowledge of numeracy strategies and update my pedagogy regarding effective group work techniques and open-ended strategies. Further, the notes and slides I took with me from the day were then able to be used to update my teaching programme as well as passed on to my grade teaching partners to inform their practice and support their implementation of the updated teaching programme.
6.3 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice
Evidence: 5B, 5F
Following my attendance at a professional learning on Engaging Students in Reading and Writing I was able to adjust my teaching plan to enable a greater engagement of my students in their learning of literacy throughout the year (see Reflections on Engaging Students in Reading and Writing). Subsequently, as a member of the ‘blue team’ on staff I was able to contribute to a staff meeting on updating our literacy practice. In this staff meeting I drew on my ICT knowledge to collate our team’s ideas and learning strategies to create a prezi on inspiring writing. During the presentation of this prezi, I was able to present strategies to my colleagues that had successfully engaged my students and provided choice and scaffolding, such as the use of story-dice and story-war cards (which provided students with pictures to be used as inspiration for an informative or imaginative text), lightning writing (which used verbal and written ‘word’ based stimuli for inspiration). Upon the completion of the staff meeting, staff members across grades K-6 approached me to discuss these strategies and the possibility of implementing them in their own classes.
Similarly, throughout my year at Holy Spirit Primary I have been attending Assessment For Learning workshops with the stage 2 staff at Holy Spirit Primary and the Gold Creek public school from our joint campus. Throughout these staff meetings I have contributed regularly to discussions regarding the use of various strategies in my class, as well as the implementing of new techniques and approaches to this. For instance, during third term our focus was heavily upon providing ‘What I am Looking For’ criterion to students along with ‘Success Criteria’, and as part of our meetings I reflected on the use of student co-constructed success criteria to address the difficulty some students may have with understanding the set criteria. This was as a result of reflection on lessons I had taught and ongoing discussions with my mentor. Having brought this up in discussion during the staff meeting we were also able to way to support and scaffold student creation of individual success criteria and how to train them in the process of doing this. Collaboration such as this is the primary reason I engage so actively in the discussions during these meetings, and also the driving force in seeking constructive feedback regarding my professional knowledge and practice. By engaging in conversations and reflections with peers I am able to access knowledge, strategies and perspectives I may have been unable to reach on my own. Indeed, I recognise the importance of ongoing collaboration and reflection and am constantly endeavouring to apply feedback; for example, reducing the number of criteria students have for success; to ensure I am continually growing and remaining engaged as a teacher.
6.4 Undertake professional learning programs designed to address identified student learning needs
Evidence: 3D, 5E
As outlined in 6.1, I identified an area in which I had insufficient knowledge and sought advice so as to ensure Student B’s learning needs were addressed. This involved a discussion with the Learning Support Teacher at my school as well as personal professional reading regarding strategies I could implement to address Auditor Processing Disorder. For instance, I was able to adjust the seating plan for Student B to account for advice regarding student placement not only towards the front of the classroom, but in a more structured setting. Similarly, I was able to address the possibility of visual clutter on student B’s desk and surrounding area as a potential environmental distraction that I could reduce.
In addition, the training days I attended as an Early Career Teacher were designed to support first year teachers in implementing inclusive teaching strategies and identifying student learning needs. For instance the induction day I attended provided ample support regarding engagement of students and their intrinsic motivation and upon reflection reinforced and supplemented the engagement strategies I was already using. Perhaps the most useful of the ECT learning programmes however was the positive psychology training provided on the 4th of September. This is due to the identified need for social skills and self-esteem interventions for my class and grade four cohort; thus, the emphasis on the importance of a positive mental health model as a means of teaching about and supporting student’s well-being was enlightening, and the strategies and resources provided were particularly advantageous.
In addition, the training days I attended as an Early Career Teacher were designed to support first year teachers in implementing inclusive teaching strategies and identifying student learning needs. For instance the induction day I attended provided ample support regarding engagement of students and their intrinsic motivation and upon reflection reinforced and supplemented the engagement strategies I was already using. Perhaps the most useful of the ECT learning programmes however was the positive psychology training provided on the 4th of September. This is due to the identified need for social skills and self-esteem interventions for my class and grade four cohort; thus, the emphasis on the importance of a positive mental health model as a means of teaching about and supporting student’s well-being was enlightening, and the strategies and resources provided were particularly advantageous.