Professional Knowledge
Differentiation - The class of thinkers
1.5 - Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Mrs Ali devised a strategic anchor chart that helped promote students and their writing abilities. The Writing Lillypads promotes scaffolding and self-regulated learning though 3 key elements;
1) Acknowledgement of student capabilities
2) Goal-setting and strategies
3) Self-regulated learning
2) Goal-setting and strategies
3) Self-regulated learning
Students are allocated to different AusVels levels according to student capabilities and self-regulated interests rather than grade or age, According to McGraw-Hill, successful differentiation is more "than simply "teaching to the middle" by providing a single avenue for learning for all students in a class [...] but to match tasks, activities, and assessments with their students' interests, abilities, and learning preferences" (2005). Students in grade 4 may not be in the recommended AusVel level, so they would be placed in the level 3. Once allocated, students will work on the AusVels progression points for each level. Once a student is competent in all the goals, they'll take their names then select a goal for them to work on. As students become aware of their goals, they begin to self-regulate their learning, giving themselves new goals once they feel they're competent in the said goal.
Aboriginal Culture - Discourse or Truth?
1.4 - Strategies for teaching aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander students.
2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians
My mentor teacher and I have taught an Inquiry unit about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the first inhabitants of Australia. As a teacher, it is important for me to RETHINK AUSTRALIAN STUDIES; to disseminate stigma and social prejudices brought down throughout the years about the Indigenous community and to educate students about aboriginal culture and heritage in order shape an inclusive, accurate and powerful representation of the Indigenous man. It is imperative that students are given an accurate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, as "The cultural context within which we grow up and the people with whom we engage begin to shape our ability to organize meaning in the ways that we communicate with others" (Berryman, Glynn & Wearmouth 2006).
This artifact is Oodgeroo Noonuccal's No More Boomerang, a poem that describes the oppression aboriginals faced and the white man's impact on the community and the environment. The students were moved by the poem, rethinking the ideologies and stereotypes that stigmatize aboriginal people and providing them an accurate image of the proclamation of Terra Nullius and its people. It is absolutely critical that students are given information that isn't stigmatized by white discourse, and reflections true historical events,
This artifact is Oodgeroo Noonuccal's No More Boomerang, a poem that describes the oppression aboriginals faced and the white man's impact on the community and the environment. The students were moved by the poem, rethinking the ideologies and stereotypes that stigmatize aboriginal people and providing them an accurate image of the proclamation of Terra Nullius and its people. It is absolutely critical that students are given information that isn't stigmatized by white discourse, and reflections true historical events,
Australian Literature - Stories of our people
1.1 - Physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.2 - Understand how students learn
1.3 - Students with diverse linguistics, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1.4 - Strategies for teaching aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians
In one particular lesson, students were given the chance to learn about indigenous landmarks and meeting grounds. For years, my mentor teacher has archived interesting lessons and activities which target the AusVels and the AITSL standards, promoting the celebration of aboriginal culture and identity in the classroom.
My mentor teacher and I taught an inquiry lesson, in which students were lead to discover that the name of the street that the school is situated on is named after an aboriginal landmark, Minjerribah, otherwise known as Stradbroke Island. Utilising maps, the internet and an Interactive Whiteboard, the students were able to bridge the street name, Stradbroke Drive, to Stradbroke Island. After reaching and displaying their knowledge around the classroom, Mrs Ali further solidified their understanding by taking the 3/4 faculty to the state library to an exclusive exhibit that celebrated the State Library’s Library Open Day for free. |
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The 3/4 faculty caught the bus to the State Library of Victoria and were given a range of activities that celebrates reading. One particular activity encapsulated the many facets and identities of picture books in Australian Literature. In one of the large display rooms, a plethora of fine works were on display, many of which displayed information in a child-friendly manner. One of the books, Stradbroke Dreamtime, discussed the stories and identities from Stradbroke Island, bridging the lesson from the classroom into a visual learning experience. The students learned how the book was written, and how it draws its links to Minjerribah and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.
Special needs - catering for our kids
1.6 - Strategies to support full participation of students with disability or special needs
During my rounds I came across 2 students who were in need of extra attention due to disability and injury. A student named Aaron had Asperger's syndrome and the other student, Tham, had broken both his wrists in an accident in the school gymnasium.
As a teacher, it is important that students learn in a neutral, safe environment regardless of special needs, 'If a disability handicaps performance in any significant way then in those areas a specific attack needs to be made on how the problem can be overcome. This may mean modifying curriculum demands and hence the need for a critical, objective assessment of skills and strengths that can be built up' (Loreman et al, 2005). In order for me to accommodate for the 2 fine learners in the classroom, My mentor and I developed modified lessons for both students, changing key elements in how they participate to scaffold their learning
As a teacher, it is important that students learn in a neutral, safe environment regardless of special needs, 'If a disability handicaps performance in any significant way then in those areas a specific attack needs to be made on how the problem can be overcome. This may mean modifying curriculum demands and hence the need for a critical, objective assessment of skills and strengths that can be built up' (Loreman et al, 2005). In order for me to accommodate for the 2 fine learners in the classroom, My mentor and I developed modified lessons for both students, changing key elements in how they participate to scaffold their learning
Tham broke both wrists in an accident inside the school gymnasium. As a result, he was unable to use his hands in class. As a result, he was unable to participate in any activities that involved any physical motions that strained his arms.
To cater for his special needs, I modified each lesson and converted the activities for each learning intention onto an iPad for him to use. In this example, the class were illustrating a Memory Canvas, an anchor chart of an incursion with the illustrator, Sue DeGennaro. By giving him a platform to present and share his knowledge, I was able to assess his knowledge and guide assessment without any hindrances to time constraints and scaffolding. |
Aaron is unable to retain and unpack large portions of information at a similar rate to the students, preventing him from participating in class lessons with the other students. However, my mentor and I modified each lesson to cater for his disability by targeting a key element from a class' learning intention, and to build on that one element to ensure that he is still learning what the others are learning but at an appropriate level.
In this example, Aaron had just finished his presentation on Aboriginals and settlement. We had crafted different learning intentions for his presentation. Rather than giving full sentences about what he learned, his goal was to read out the key words from each topic. Aaron was able to share what Aboriginals eat and what weapons they used and key periods during Australian migration such as Captain Cook and the gold rush. |
PLT Tuesdays - 3/4 team planing
2.2 - Content selection and organisation
Every Tuesday, the 3/4 teachers, Mrs Ali, Mrs Dalton, Mr Griffiths and I meet with literacy and numeracy coaches to unpack and create weekly units. The teachers consult the AusVels progression point, assign lessons and strategically place them in a weekly planner which allows for all the classes to participate in all activities without any hindrances to booking laptops for ICT, specialists classes like art, science ant PE and to accommodate for APT and planning sessions. The artifacts that i have chosen are examples of a reading and writing planner, in which the information is transcribed in a nicely organised weekly planner.
Literacy and Numeracy coaching - Tackling AusVels and the school strategic plan
2.3 - Curriculum, assessment and reporting
IWB - A Computer in your fingertips
2.6: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
In my 3/4 class, the Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) is the main tool for delivering lessons. It not only acts like a whiteboard, but it utilities a plethora of tools that make a standard class extraordinary. The IWB is essentially a computer that integrates touch via an interactive pen. I'm able to use the whiteboard as computer; I can surf the internet, word and Powerpoint process and copy and paste files. These utilities compliment my lessons in that I could pull up a Youtube video about a topic, then open the whiteboard program and begin writing as I would normally. I can also take screenshots and paste them into the whiteboard program, allowing me to copy stencils, images, grids; electronic items that i would have to print and copy. The use of electronic devices such as iPads, Netbooks and IWBs bring with it the ability to deliver information to students whenever and wherever they want (Johnson et al, 2011). Similarly, Pohio and Falloon found that students used technology in their classes to conduct research, create presentations and word documents, adding to the learning experience (2010).