Standard 2.1: Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
It is essential that teachers have a firm grasp of their subject areas. This is to ensure that student learning is scaffolded by a teacher who has a sound knowledge of the key concepts and ideas of their subject. |
ICT Elaboration: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of ways that the use of digital resources and tools can complement teaching strategies and promote deep learning of, and engagement with, the content of specific teaching areas.
ICT can be used in the classroom to demonstrate key themes and encourage deep understanding of a topic. For example, using YouTube to show clips relevant to the class is one method to promote deep learning. On YouTube you can find interviews and clips by individuals who are experts in a given field or perhaps have firsthand experience with the research topic. For example, in my History class, during a unit on the Holocaust I would use YouTube to show my students interviews and testimonies by Holocaust survivors. I believe that this adds to student understanding, and enriches their learning as it's not something that they can truely understand from textbooks or the class teacher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOe6CAbITtM). |
Evidence.
In my teaching practice I aim to use a wide range of teaching strategies to deliver content. During my time at Mount Barker Waldorf Steiner School I taught a Main Lesson on the Industrial Revolution. I used various strategies to convey content. Steiner education focuses on story telling, as such we focused on biographies of influential people during the period (like Robert Owen), and the stories of everyday people. We discussed how life changed for working class people when they migrated from the countryside to the industrial cities. Students engaged in a range of empathy tasks to better understand these changes in social structure, work and family life. They wrote journal articles from the perspective of a poor farmer who made the decision to move from the countryside to Manchester after the introduction of clover and turnips from Europe. Students had to consider what life was like in industrial cities and how that differed from life in the country. Later in the unit students were asked to change their perspectives. They had to write a letter of concern to the Prime Minister from the view point of a successful lawyer living in London. They were being prompted to write this letter after the 'Massacre of Peterloo' where many working class people were injured or killed. This particular event marked a turning point in English history, it was the first time that the ruling class gave consideration to the predicament of the working class. Below is an example of a Main Lesson book produced by one of my students. In it you can see the vast array of learning tasks used during the unit to help students learn course content. Please note this PDF does not show student feedback as that is written on the back of each page. |
Standard 2.2: Content selection and organisation.
Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
An organised class is important in aiding student learning through the smooth logical operation of classroom activities. An organised teacher has more time to focus on the students directly, this is especially important in a class with a wide range of abilities. Furthermore, good organisation is an essential part of behaviour management it reduces the chances for misbehaviour. |
ICT Elaboration: Demonstrate the ability to select and organise digital content in relation to relevant curriculum.
The best way to be organised is through the use of ICT. The most obvious tool for class organisation is to use a learning platform, organise all class content. Students will be able to find all the necessary assignments, and resources on the learning platform. This saves them time looking for lost handouts, and makes it easier to continue work at home. I will use Edmodo for both of my teaching areas: History and French. Specifically, for my History classes I will allocate a folder for each topic (eg. Russian History, the Second World War, and Australian History) on Edmodo; In each folder there will be links to relevant video clips, online search engines and other resources. I have modelled this idea on the resource guides compiled by the librarians at Adelaide Uni. Here’s the link to the Russian History resource guide for useful databases: http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/c.php?g=165037&p=1083332. Providing all of the supporting reference material in one easy space makes researching easier and efficient for students. Students can then focus their energy on understanding their topic and writing their assignments. |
Evidence.
I select my content according to the requirements outlined by ACARA. Before the beginning of every new topic I complete a new unit plan which covers the learning intentions and their links to the ACARA sub strands. In the example below you can see my unit plan for a year 10 French class which outlines the general tasks to be covered each week. |
year_10_unit_plan_seymour_college_eportfolio.docx | |
File Size: | 110 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Standard 2.3: Curriculum, assessment and reporting.
Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Teachers must design unit plans to meet curriculum requirements to ensure that students finish the course having learnt necessary learning objectives outlined by ACARA. Teachers must first refer to ACARA, SACE, IB etc. to check the curriculum requirements for every topic and year level. Once this information has been located the teacher needs to construct unit plans and lesson plans that meet the curriculum, and address the necessary assessment requirements. |
ICT Elaboration: Demonstrate the ability to use digital resources and tools when devising learning sequences and lesson plans designed to meet curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements.
Various ICT tools can be used to help with lesson and unit plans, such as Excel or Microsoft Word. In the early stages of lesson planning other aspects of ICT can be integrated into the overall plan. For example, to introduce a new topic to my history class I would first use Socrative to quiz the class for prior knowledge. After the initial (short) quiz I would use Power Point or Prezi to introduce the new topic to the class. From there I would direct students to Edmodo where they can find the unit outline and lesson breakdowns allowing students to see the learning path and expected assessment outcomes from the beginning As you can see the learning sequence is heavily supported by ICT, this is to encourage participation and ensure lessons mirror the curriculum requirements. |
Evidence.
Before each unit I refer to ACARA and SACE to establish the required learning outcomes. I use this information to construct a unit plan and then design the necessary assessment tasks. Please see below for an example year 10 assessment task which is directly linked to the ACARA sub strands. |
text_production_assessment_task_-_year_10.docx | |
File Size: | 92 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Standard 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
One of the very first things a teacher needs to do with his/her class is provide a warm and safe class environment which includes all students. To achieve this teachers need to have a good understanding of Indigenous culture and how to integrate this knowledge into the culture of the classroom. Teachers can use the internet to educate themselves on Indigenous culture. Many people do not know the specifics about the way Aboriginal people communicate. For example, it’s rude to make eye contact and it’s uncomfortable for Indigenous people to be praised publicly. |
ICT Elaboration: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of ways that the use of digital resources and tools can complement the engagement, and integration of the nature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture.
A simple Google search is a good starting point for those who need more information on Indigenous culture. Here’s a link to a fact sheet about communication and Indigenous Australian culture: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/deadly_ears/docs/hp-res-comeffect.pdf. The following link explains ways to teach while being sensitive to culture: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/culturally-sensitive-educator/ (this is not specific to one culture, however, it is an interesting read). The link has some good points, for example: Anticipate possible responses to controversial topics. In a history class, for example, I need to be mindful not to teach Australian History from only a colonialist perspective. I need to be aware that there are extremely sensitive issues in Australian History that need to be handled with care. Presenting both viewpoints to students encourages reconciliation as non-Indigenous students will have a better understanding of the struggles faced by Aboriginal people in the past. It is suggested that teachers 'give serious consideration to students’ requests for alternative materials and be open to students’ reactions to course material'. In this context teachers must take care using ICT like clips from YouTube if they show deceased Aboriginals. This is likely to cause Indigenous students distress. |
Evidence.
My time at Seymour coincided with Reconciliation Week at the end of May. As a school we involved ourselves in a range of activities, for example learning traditional Indigenous art forms, such as painting. While I was at Mount Barker Waldorf Steiner school I assisted with their ethnography lesson for Indigenous cultures (this course has a very strong focus on Indigenous Australians) and helped to teach students about 'skin names' and traditional language groups in Australia. We also had an elder from the Stirling area come and talk to the class about his Indigenous heritage, and their totemic spirituality. He explained their connection to various animals and how important it was to respect the totems of other groups. Below are two handouts from our ethnography class. |
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Standard 2.5: Literacy and numeracy strategies
Know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas.
The academic and social development of our students relies on strong foundations in literacy and numeracy. This is why we work to incorporate aspects of literacy and numeracy into all disciplines. |
ICT Elaboration: Know and understand how digital resources and tools can enable, support, enhance and accelerate deep learning in literacy and numeracy.
In history classes I would cover literacy by providing students with a glossary of key words and asking them to use the Collins Online Dictionary to find the definitions. I would then ask that they keep a file (perhaps a Word document) with this glossary which is updated as we encounter new subject specific words. Numeracy in history is a little harder to incorporate. I would cover this by asking students about statistics and proportions or ask them to create a timeline. For example I could ask students to break down the number of World War Two deaths by country (and/or religion). Once students have located the necessary information online I would ask them to do a visual representation of these statistics in Excel. There are endless possibilities for statistics in History, for example: population growth during the Industrial Revolution, the number of deaths caused by the Plague, or the number of people who immigrated to Australia between 1970 and 1990. |
Evidence.
While I was teaching the Industrial Revolution I used both of the ideas I had earlier in the year (glossaries and statistics) to promote literacy and numeracy, however, we didn't use ICT. I introduced students to new terms and asked them to keep a glossary which would be included in their Main Lesson book. We also used statistics, such as population growth and growth of exports/imports during the Industrial Revolution. Below is an example of one students glossary (see page 29) and some graphs made by students. |
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Standard 2.6: Implement information and communication technology.
Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.
In today's day and age it is essential to use ICT in the classroom. ICT can be used in many ways to support student learning and make lessons more engaging. Simple examples of ICT in the classroom begin with the use of PowerPoints to deliver class presentations and the use of email or an online learning platform to facilitate communication. However, ICT can be integrated in many ways, for example, in regards to student attendance and achievement. Records can be entered into a Excel spreadsheet. Students can play games (and apps) online in specific subject areas. There are limitless opportunities to incorporate ICT in the classroom. |
Evidence.
I used a wide variety of ICT tools during both of my placements. Both schools use email as the main method of communication, Seymour has its own learning platform called SOCS, I used PowerPoint presentations on both practicums and in my French classes at Seymour we used Language Perfect and other online language learning sights to practice new vocabulary and verb conjugations. I fount that by using a wide range of ICT tools I could create new learning opportunities for my students. |