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Article 1. Lesson Plan for Year 7 Literacy Connect

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Article 1. Lesson Plan for Year 7 Literacy Connect

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Evidence of the following standards:
1.1 - Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students.
1.3 - Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
2.5 - Literacy and numeracy strategies.
3.1 - Establish challenging learning goals.
3.3 - Use teaching strategies.

Explanation:
The following lesson plan outlines a task using one of the 12 essential reading strategies that students must master for the CARS & STARS program that my school follows. The lesson is aimed at students with learning gaps and deficiencies, and is based around the literary strategies advised for these types of students. Some students in this class have these gaps because of their multi-cultural background, i.e. one of my students does not speak English at home and so she has lost this additional practice time.

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Evidence of the following standards:
2.1 - Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
2.2 - Content selection and organisation.
2.3 - Curriculum, assessment and reporting.
3.2 - Plan, structure and sequence learning programs.

Explanation:
The following document is a timetable I have created that outlines what periods will be focussing on which learning outcomes according to the curriculum. I have devised this around a teaching continuum that my mentor and I decided on for the six weeks I was on placement.

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Planning curriculum is used to 'strengthen the professional role teachers play' in devising the structure of learning (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988). When I met my mentor teacher, we spent an afternoon devising a plan for the six weeks I was on placement. This plan covered all of our classes and decided on the dates for assessment, including dates for special events and absences. By using this, we were able to decide what items needed to be covered in each class. As a result I was able to see how much effort was put into planning a unit of learning. In the future I will put more focus on the development of these kinds of articles as it became irreplaceably effective for use in my term. Currently, I see this kind of planning as one of my weaknesses. I find it extremely difficult to view the unit holistically, while still being able to recognise all of the pieces within the unit. As I progress through my degree, this will be a focus of mine: to be able to construct a map for the teaching of curriculum across a unit.

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Evidence of the following standards:
2.5 - Literacy and numeracy strategies.
2.6 - Information and Communication Technology.
3.3 - Use teaching strategies.
3.4 - Select and use resources.
4.5 - Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically.

Explanation:
The following website is used for students with learning deficiencies, to tackle strategies that will increase their reading abilities. I have provided a screenshot of the website as the site itself requires either a student or teacher login. The screenshot provided shows the beginning of one of the online lessons for students, which includes some short answer, true or false, and multiple choice questions associated with passages that the students will read.

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As a student teacher, I was very nervous about whether ICT could be effectively incorporated into the classroom without distractions. However, as explained by Adams & Brindley, technology in the classroom can be 'useful in achieving the most valued aspects of English' (2007, pg53). I began to understand this when using these online lessons for my students with reading deficiencies. These students are usually distracted and unmotivated, however the idea of working on a computer appealed to them heavily. Using the technology allows them to receive instant feedback when I might not be available to give it to them, and also provides a space for collaboration (one of the essential 4 C's of teaching and learning). The use of this technology also 'demands new and uncharted skills and routines' due to the ability for students to become so easily off task on the internet (Adams & Brindley, 2007, pg56). However, as a student teacher I can now see how useful technology can be in the classroom. I believe the strengths of this online learning portal outweigh the weaknesses, and so when become a graduate teacher I will definitely try to incorporate resources such as this in my teaching.

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Article 4. Video: Setting Expectations for Year 9's

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Article 4. Video: Setting Expectations for Year 9's

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3.3 - Use teaching strategies.
3.5 - Use effective classroom communication.
4.2 - Manage classroom activities.

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Evidence of the following standards:
5.4 - Interpret student data.

Explanation:
This document includes the 12 strategies that Literacy Connect students must master in order to be at Year 7 level with their peers (According to the CARS & STARS Program that my school uses). The green denotes strategies which do not require much improvement, the yellow are strategies which do need improvement, and the red are strategies which require immediate help. I used data provided by my mentor teacher to create this spreadsheet.

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The data above shows areas with a definite need for improvement for my Literacy Connect Students. The Literacy Connect program was established by Hawker Brownlow Education as a result of studies into the needs of students with reading difficulties (Educational Research Institute of America, 2011). The data collected showed that students who used the CARS and STARS reading program created by Hawker Brownlow Education 'made significant gains' in reading ability (Educational Research Institute of America, 2011). This shows that the data I have then collated from my own students can be improved if I target the areas in red. For my teaching practice, this shows me that I must collect pre-test data to show me the areas in which my students are struggling. Once I have this I will then be able to better understand my students and how they learn. In moving forward as a teacher, I think it is important to see how useful diagnostic testing and data is for understanding what my classes need from me as a teacher.

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Article 6. Year 11 SAC Rubrics with Feedback

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Article 6. Year 11 SAC Rubrics with Feedback

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Evidence of the following standards:
5.1 - Assess student learning.
5.2 - Provide feedback to students on their learning.
5.5 - Report on student achievement.

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Article 7. Observation: Participation in Parent Teacher Interviews

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Article 7. Observation: Participation in Parent Teacher Interviews

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Evidence of the following standards:
7.3 - Engage with the parents/carers.

Explanation:
The following is an observation of the Parent Teacher Interviews conducted at my placement school.

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Before this placement I was concerned that I would not be able to interact with the parents/carers of my students. However, I was excited to participate in parent teacher interviews as this was an opportunity to cement the parents' understanding that they are just as important as a teacher when it comes to their child's learning. 'Both parents and teachers play an important role in children's learning, development and wellbeing', so this was an opportunity to draw the parents further into the equation (ACT, n.d). On my next parent teacher interviews I would like to become even more involved. This time I was able to meet parents and have a small amount of input, however I can see how important the parent teacher relationship is, so in the future I would try to engage them further. After observing these interviews I was able to have a better understanding of the necessity for parent-teacher interaction.

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Article 8. School Resource: The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

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Article 8. School Resource: The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

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Evidence of the following standards:
1.2 - Understand how students learn.
6.1 - Identify and plan professional learning needs.
6.3 - Engage with colleagues and improve practice.

Explanation:
The following powerpoint was presented at a Professional Development (PD) Meeting I attended, where the PD leader encouraged all students to adopt this method for their lesson plans. All teachers are expected tp have used this to improve their practice with this method.

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Before beginning my placement, I had a misguided belief that most of my learning as a teacher would happen during my university years, however, since spending time with my mentor teacher who is the Head of Professional Development at my school, I can see that majority of my learning will come after university. I can now see that the skills I am currently learning in university are the foundational skills which I will continue to adapt and grow as I teach. Professional development is a 'crucial component in ... educational improvement', (Guskey & Huberman, 1995) and after participating in the presentation of the above document, I can see why. As a student teacher I was able to see how graduate teachers must incorporate the advised developments in their teaching in order to have the best learning outcome for the students. In the future I will aim to participate in as many professional development opportunities as possible, to achieve the required level of 'educational improvement' (Guskey & Huberman, 1995).

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Evidence of the following standards:
4.4 - Maintain Student Safety

Explanation:
The following document outlines the rules expected to be followed by all teachers and students, to ensure the safety of students in regard to bullying.

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All schools have an anti-bullying policy, however, most policies can be difficult to enforce. When I began at my placement school, I was aware of the bad reputation that the school had in terms of bullying and negative behaviour, however, once I began I was able to see that this was not always true. Most of my students behaved and I was fortunate not to have to deal with many incidents. Bullying can 'blight the life of many pupils who experience it', (Sharp & Smith, 2002) and it is becoming increasingly easy to become a victim of school bullying with the addition of laptops in schools. The bullying policy above, which is implemented at my school, requires students to sign an Internet User Agreement, in order to combat potential cyber-bullying. By doing this I believe the school is taking a stand against bullying and is encouraging a safer environment for students. As a teacher I think this is an important policy, and it demonstrates to me how I should react to potential issues. For example, the Internet User Agreement has shown me that schools have evolved to protect their students even outside of the home, which as a teacher I will aim to do also. Once I graduate I will always want to protect my students, even when they leave the school grounds, and this is an effective example of how to do so

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Article 10. Observation: Lesson with Year 9's

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Article 10. Observation: Lesson with Year 9's

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Evidence of the following standards:
4.3 - Manage challenging behaviour.

Explanation:
The following is an observation I made when teaching my Year 9 English class.

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This type of challenging behaviour is not the type of behaviour I expected to deal with in secondary schooling, however as a teacher all behaviours are possible, and I will need to be able to manage them. Bill Rogers, a Doctor of Education and Psychology explains that when discussing a behaviour with a student and the consequences, the teacher should discuss in relation to ‘different places and contexts’, such as how that behaviour would be interpreted and punished in a business context (2015, pg51).  My mentor used this when discussing the behaviour with the student, as she explained that if he behaved that way at his part-time job he would be given a warning or worse. All ‘inappropriate, irresponsible and wrong behaviour’ requires consequences in order to show students that what they have done is unacceptable (Rogers, 2015, pg45), so my mentor and I concluded that a detention would be adequate as it would use negative reinforcement by taking away the student’s free time.

In the initial discussion of the behaviour, I chose to remain relaxed and avoid ‘unnecessary confrontation’, so as not to begin a ‘struggle for power’ with the student (Rogers, 2002, pg9). I believe that if I was to experience this behaviour again I would react similarly, perhaps with more confidence and explain that the behaviour is also inappropriate, as it does not comply with the “rules and regulations of the school’ as he has exhibited ‘wrong behaviour’ (Rogers, 2002, pg8).

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ACT. n.d. Progressing Parental Engagement School Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/807431/150897-Building-a-Strong-Culture-of-Parent-School-Engagement_2.pdf

Adams, Anthony & Brindley, Sue. 2007. Teaching Secondary English with ITC. McGraw-Hill Education.

Connelly, Michael F. & Clandinin, Jean D. 1988. Teachers as Curriculum Planners: Narratives of Experience. Teachers College Press. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED295928

Educational Research Institute of America. 2011. A Study of the Instructional Effectiveness of the CARS & STARS 2010. Report Number 401. Hawker Brownlow Education. Retrieved from http://files.hbe.com.au/downloads/A%20Study%20for%20the%20Instructional%20Effectiveness%20of%20CARS%20and%20STARS.pdf

Guskey, Thomas & Huberman, Michael. 1995. Professional Development in Education: New Paradigms and Practice. Teachers College Press. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED394215

Rogers, Bill. 2002. Teaching Leadership and Behaviour Management. SAGE Publishing.
Rogers, Bill. 2015. Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide to Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support. SAGE Publishing.

Sharp, Sonia & Smith, Peter. 2002. School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. Routledge.