Professional Practice
Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
​
3.3 Use teaching strategies
"[Stephanie] developed an environment where children respected each other, and were engaged and challenged during their learning."
- Anne Allchin (Mentor teacher), 2014
"Steph varies her work program to
suit needs, abilities and goals. She structured her sessions effectively to suit learning styles... the children responded well to her teaching and
she recognised and responded to individuals."
- Anne Allchin (Mentor teacher), 2014
Standard 4 - Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
​
4.1 Support student participation
Throughout my placement at Kunyung Primary School, I have always attempted to create a classroom environment in which all students are both willing and able to participate in all tasks. To cater for different ability levels, I have often employed open-ended activities in whole-class situations such that students can offer ideas and answers according to their individual level of understanding. The Harvard Visible Thinking Routines are also a common feature in my classroom. Tasks such as "Think, Puzzle, Explore" and Concensus Boards offer students the chance to each put forward their own thoughts on a topic in a risk-free way, promoting inclusion and ownership of ideas while also contributing to a larger group understanding.
Moreover, my teaching often employs a democratic approach to tasks which seeks to value the opinions and contributions of all students. For example, in developing the class "essential agreement", or code of conduct, all students were invited to brainstorm behaviours which would create a supportive and happy atmosphere. The 'three ticks' method was then used to vote on which behaviours the students believed were the most important and that they believed all students should accept. Class research questions for inquiry topics and other group decisions have also been made in the same way throughout the year, as it engaged the students in the decision-making process as well as offering responsibility and choice.
"Stephanie has been most diligent
in collecting the students work, correcting it and returning the work for the students' feedback."
- Frances De Valle (Mentor teacher), 2013
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
​
5.1 Assess student learning
5.4 Interpret student data
Over the duration of my course and teaching placements, I have developed a keen eye for observation and analysis of individual student learning. I always endeavour to engage with as many students as possible during class time, to monitor progress and collect both formal (i.e. written) and informal observations to guide future planning and scaffolded tasks.
In terms of more formalised assessment, I have also implemented formative and summative testing, peer assessment and self-evaluative tasks to guage student learning. At Kunyung Primary School, I facilitated On Demand testing sessions and tasks designated by the year level planning team, as well as designing my own assessments. For example, in order to begin a measurement unit on angles, I first created my own formative pre-test linked to AusVELS outcomes, in order to establish the students' current level of knowledge about the topic. The data gained from this assessment was then collated and used to determine the starting point and sequence for the unit of work, as well as to design differentiated tasks for small levelled groups and to monitor progress against the unit outcomes.
The pre-test and an example of the subsequent data spreadsheet can be found below:
For documentation of formal observations, analysis and subsequent informed planning from my placement at Baxter Primary School, see the following links:
As stated in my teaching philosophy, I understand that all children are unique in their strengths, abilities, interests, development and backgrounds, and consequently will all learn in different ways. While I recognise that it is often impossible to appeal to and engage every child in every activity, I always aim to use a range of teaching strategies in order to provide different tasks and experiences which cater for a wide variety of learning styles.
Within each teaching focus I try to include opportunities for:
Visual stimulus
Whole class discussion and participation
Peer collaboration
(pairs or small group work for learning with and from each other)
Individual work
Physical experience
(including concrete examples, games, experiments and manipulatives)
Application and expression of understanding
(e.g. through writing, drawing or other means)
This approach is evidenced by the series of mini-lessons on "word solving" which I designed and implemented in order to facilitate learning of text-processing strategies. Throughout this learning sequence I made a conscious effort to teach the content verbally ("think, pair, share" with peers and whole-class discussion), visually (modelling and the use of colours/shapes to break words into sound segments) and physically (clapping out syllables, using manipulatives). Students worked collaboratively as a whole class, in pairs and one-on-one with myself at different stages. At the end of the sequence I also provided charts for students to implement word solving strategies in their reading activities, initiating individual application of learning and reinforcing understanding through written practice. For the students' whose understanding was still consolidating and required extra support, I designed additional opportunities for physically experiencing the break-down and make-up of words from syllables/morphemes through my "word puzzle challenge", rearranging sound card manipulatives to create as many different words as possible.
As well as varying the classroom dynamics to suit different tasks (whole class, group work, pairs, independent, etc.), the idea of learning through physical experience is one of my most prominent teaching strategies. Other examples I have implemented include:
Mapping - demonstrating to children the complexity of scale and the difference between ground vs. birds-eye view by walking the class through the school and having them map the buildings as they go.
Fractions - building up and breaking down shapes and collections into fractions through hands-on games and the 'fairy bread quarters' activity (pictured left).
Solids and liquids - creating non-Newtonian fluids such as slime and oobleck to handle and classify according to their behaviours (pictured left).
Angles and degrees - demonstrating angles as a 'measure of turn' by having students mime skateboarding tricks, e.g. 180s, 360s
Designing science experiments - working with students to model the process of controlling variables and collecting data relating to the motion of objects rolling down a hill (below).
