Professional Practice
Practice Described
During my 4th year placement rounds, I observed my mentor teacher, Mrs Ali, and her delivery of a reading lesson to a grade 3/4 class in St Albans Heights Primary School. Her classroom has a wide variety of learners; there are a number of students who are below the recommended AusVels progression point 2.0 due to low-socioeconomic status, family issues and behavioural issues, and there are those who skyrocket beyond the recommended level, reading texts suitable for a grade 6. What caught my eye is how my mentor would cater for all the students using valuable classroom practices which ensure all students learn to the best of their abilities, and I’ve seen its impact on my teaching practice as a learner in the classroom.
The 3/4 faculty leading teacher, and my mentor, Mrs Ali, is facilitating newly introduced pedagogy by incorporating an extensive feedback system for students and teachers to use in any stage of a lesson. Feedback cards are placed in easily accessible areas such as workstations and on the teacher’s table. Contained in each feedback stations are laminated cards that prompt students and teachers to guide feedback. When appropriate, Mrs Ali will have children guide their feedback, providing critical feedback for peers and teachers in a streamlined, accessible way.
During one of my lessons, Mrs Ali decided to assist me in one of my lessons and recommended that she could take 5 minutes of my time to introduce the feedback stations. After my lesson was finished, Mrs. Ali had the children walk to the closest feedback station to give feedback to other students on how they worked, what they liked about their shared learning experience or what they would improve on. The high-achievers were actually providing students who needed help great feedback about their work and how they attempted to meet the learning intention. One of the high achievers gave a student recommended tips for when they read aloud. The below-average students were also providing feedback to other students, sharing their approval of how they used an exclamation mark when they read or if they need to stay silent during independent reading. Now this behaviour is constantly regulated without Mrs. Ali in the classroom.
The 3/4 faculty leading teacher, and my mentor, Mrs Ali, is facilitating newly introduced pedagogy by incorporating an extensive feedback system for students and teachers to use in any stage of a lesson. Feedback cards are placed in easily accessible areas such as workstations and on the teacher’s table. Contained in each feedback stations are laminated cards that prompt students and teachers to guide feedback. When appropriate, Mrs Ali will have children guide their feedback, providing critical feedback for peers and teachers in a streamlined, accessible way.
During one of my lessons, Mrs Ali decided to assist me in one of my lessons and recommended that she could take 5 minutes of my time to introduce the feedback stations. After my lesson was finished, Mrs. Ali had the children walk to the closest feedback station to give feedback to other students on how they worked, what they liked about their shared learning experience or what they would improve on. The high-achievers were actually providing students who needed help great feedback about their work and how they attempted to meet the learning intention. One of the high achievers gave a student recommended tips for when they read aloud. The below-average students were also providing feedback to other students, sharing their approval of how they used an exclamation mark when they read or if they need to stay silent during independent reading. Now this behaviour is constantly regulated without Mrs. Ali in the classroom.
Practice Explained
Mrs. Ali demonstrated the VIT Standard, ‘Professional Practice’, by utilising great assessment methods, utilising solid resources to engage in effective learning, and providing an environment where children are scrutinised and challenged by peers (VIT, 2014), which co-insides with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s ‘Annual Implementation Plan’ developed for 2011 – 2015 (DEECD, 2012).
The use of Feedback stations targets a number of elements from the Principles of Learning and Teaching; 1) The learning environment is supportive and productive 2) The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation 3) Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom. (DEECD, 2013) The use of physical resources underpins student behaviour, student engagement and the learning needs of students by allowing students a visual representation of good behaviour, acknowledgement of higher order thinking and the scaffolding of each other’s abilities. |
Practice Theorised
The implementation of feedback at a self-regulated level allows for students to constantly learn and create higher order thinking techniques in a timely, effective, safe and challenging manner. According to Seng, helping students to visualise a learning progression involving task, process, and self-regulation levels, facilitates the formulation of differentiated peer feedback (pg.ii, 2011). In turn, this allows for students to view feedback and assessment as a form of progression, rather than a discrepancy of their work or a judgement of their pass or failure. The feedback sticks also promote learning through in that students are given the chance to scaffold and learning not only from teachers, but from their peers, facilitating learning from more knowledgeable others and obtaining more ground in their zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978).
Practice Changed
This is a great system that allows for students to self-regulate their work, set clear short and long term goals for each other and to normalise feedback and response. In order to build on this system, I would also like students to also write feedback prompts for the teacher to not only further normalise feedback, but to also show that teachers also collaborate at a deeper level. In doing so, students can continue to reproduce quality feedback to everyone, and it will also provide feedback for my teaching practice.
Update!
I've made an attempt to have students give me feedback and it worked! The students not only gave each other feedback, but also gave me worthy feedback to help express my lessons. I now know where I stand, and I can only move forward from here!
Update!
I've made an attempt to have students give me feedback and it worked! The students not only gave each other feedback, but also gave me worthy feedback to help express my lessons. I now know where I stand, and I can only move forward from here!