Engage in professional learning

102097 Researching Teaching & Learning 2 - Assessment 3

Standards

Standard 6.2 - Engage in professional learning and improve practice
Standard 6.3 - Engage with colleagues and improve practice
Standard 6.4 - Apply professional learning and improve student learning

This assessment was focusd on establish challenging learning goals for students, as well as practice how to evaluate and improve teaching programs.

To maximise the effectiveness of learning, a video resource of sustainable packaging design is added to the lesson plan to introduce the syllabus concepts(P2.2). As a format of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), video resources are now widely used in schools in this “digital age”(Selwyn, 2012). Starko(2013) points out that communication in education is featured with technology and rapid-growing knowledge. To effectively deliver complex information, it is essential to embed ICT in teaching practice. Jimoyiannis et al. (2012) also proved that ICT would improve learning outcome by enhancing students’ engagement and group learning performance.

102095 Secondary Professional Practice 3 Mentor Report & Reflection

I found it quite useful when teachers have different teaching pedagogies work together. I was fortunate to participate in a few joint classes during my practicum and observed how collaboration between the teachers could benefit to the positive learning environment. Teachers with behavioural pedagogy are more needed to stop a riot when the students become overactive and interrupt the learning, as they establish clear rules in the classroom which indicate direct consequences and prevent the further escalation of the situation. Psychoeducational teachers, on the other hand, tend to be more inspirational and more comfortable to approach. By building rapport with their students, psychoeducational educators maximise the autonomy of students’ and thus enhance the engagement. This strategy can also be applied to the individual classes when the situation is out of control. In certain periods, especially in the last period on a Friday afternoon, students can quickly become off-task and behave inappropriately. In these scenarios, calling a teacher/deputy who is practising behavioural pedagogy for assistance may be a useful strategy for me as a beginner teacher.

Standards

Standard 6.1 - Identify and plan professional learning needs
Standard 6.4 - Apply professional learning and improve student learning

It is important for initial teachers to remember that the dynamic of the classroom and students changes constantly. A student who works excellently in his/her English class in Period 1 can be a trouble-maker in the following maths class. This could be caused by multiple factors, including the teaching styles of different teachers and the choice of the content. Also, inclusive pedagogy should be implied to students with special learning needs, especially when the learning support unit is absent in the classroom. Moreover, the collaboration between the teachers can effectively control the classroom climate while not breaking the consistency of individual teachers’ teaching philosophy.