Focus area 1.1. Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students.
Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students' physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.
The observation note shown here outlines some reflections I made during my first term at Broome Senior High School in term two of 2019. As part of my commitment to ongoing professional development, I have participated in a wide variety of professional learning. In February 2021, I participated in a course on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and it's implications in terms of student learning. The certificate from this course is attached here.
As I progressed through my time at Broome Senior High School, I not only became more informed about the development of students, but became an integral part of the trauma response team. In conjunction with a colleague from the Aboriginal Education Team, I co-delivered a two-way professional development session to all staff at Broome Senior High School, over 150 people, on the subject of trauma responsive practice. This was the culmination of days of planning, based on years of reading, reflecting and practice.
During this 40-minute presentation, we outlined what it means to experience trauma, how this affects one's physiology and what teachers and school staff can do in response; primarily, to create an environment where relational safety is prioritised. We provided concrete advice on how to do this across three domains of relationships, learning environment and pedagogy and provided a checklist for staff to use to support implementing learnings from this PD. We invited and received feedback from staff, which was very positive, as evidenced here and here.
Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students' physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.
The observation note shown here outlines some reflections I made during my first term at Broome Senior High School in term two of 2019. As part of my commitment to ongoing professional development, I have participated in a wide variety of professional learning. In February 2021, I participated in a course on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and it's implications in terms of student learning. The certificate from this course is attached here.
As I progressed through my time at Broome Senior High School, I not only became more informed about the development of students, but became an integral part of the trauma response team. In conjunction with a colleague from the Aboriginal Education Team, I co-delivered a two-way professional development session to all staff at Broome Senior High School, over 150 people, on the subject of trauma responsive practice. This was the culmination of days of planning, based on years of reading, reflecting and practice.
During this 40-minute presentation, we outlined what it means to experience trauma, how this affects one's physiology and what teachers and school staff can do in response; primarily, to create an environment where relational safety is prioritised. We provided concrete advice on how to do this across three domains of relationships, learning environment and pedagogy and provided a checklist for staff to use to support implementing learnings from this PD. We invited and received feedback from staff, which was very positive, as evidenced here and here.
Focus area 1.2. Understand how students learn.
Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.
As a teacher of second level students at Broome Senior High School, I am committed to working cooperatively with my colleagues, incorporating collegial advice to improve teaching programs. Examples of teaching programs developed with colleagues are shown here and here.
As part of my commitment to understanding how students learn, I engage in continuing professional learning. This takes the form of reading published books and journal articles, viewing professional educator talks and listening to audio material, including that from the The Education Podcast Network. Inspired by the work of Tony Buzan, my typical reading process is to skim through the content for key points and then re-read in detail, creating a mind-map (as shown below) to represent my understandings and key takings from the material. My professional reading log, shown here, outlines the breadth and depth of my professional learning, and the implications of such for my teaching practice. This log is a living document and continues to be expanded upon, reflecting the career-long pursuit of knowledge and growth. Samples of note-taking and reflections on readings are shown below.
Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.
As a teacher of second level students at Broome Senior High School, I am committed to working cooperatively with my colleagues, incorporating collegial advice to improve teaching programs. Examples of teaching programs developed with colleagues are shown here and here.
As part of my commitment to understanding how students learn, I engage in continuing professional learning. This takes the form of reading published books and journal articles, viewing professional educator talks and listening to audio material, including that from the The Education Podcast Network. Inspired by the work of Tony Buzan, my typical reading process is to skim through the content for key points and then re-read in detail, creating a mind-map (as shown below) to represent my understandings and key takings from the material. My professional reading log, shown here, outlines the breadth and depth of my professional learning, and the implications of such for my teaching practice. This log is a living document and continues to be expanded upon, reflecting the career-long pursuit of knowledge and growth. Samples of note-taking and reflections on readings are shown below.
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Focus area 1.3. Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Since graduating, I have been employed as an English teacher at Broome Senior High School. In terms of socioeconomic diversity, most recent data shows that in 2021, Broome Senior High School had an ICSEA value of 931, with students on average experiencing relatively more educational disadvantage than their national counterparts at an aggregate level. This school also has a high level of cultural and religious diversity; with 36% of students identifying as Indigenous and 38% of students speaking a language other than English. Such diversity has been reflected in the classes I have taught and has influenced the content and the pedagogy I have employed.
The unit outline shown here, demonstrates a unit of learning I co-developed and taught to a Year 11 English as an Additional Language cohort. All of these students identified as Indigenous and experienced English as a second language, thus the learning content had to be modified to meet student need. Modifications to accommodate this diversity included allowing students more time to complete tasks, providing explicit instruction and extensive modelling, and supporting students to use their own language as a bridge to learning Standard Australian English. Students were encouraged to represent their learnings in a way that supported their understanding. For example, in a task which required writing a memoir, I provided students with an option to record their memoir orally using digital technologies such as Voice Recorder or visually using Movie Maker. Given the evidence supporting explicit instruction in teaching English to EALD learners, I have used this methodology a lot in teaching these students, particularly when teaching language conventions including grammar and punctuation. The sample shown here, demonstrates my use of explicit methodologies to teach a mini-lesson on apostrophes to these students.
In terms of responding to the cultural diversity of our student body at Broome Senior High School, I have sought to embed Indigenous ways of learning, and used the 8ways framework to help construct learning experiences. Where possible, I have tried to source locally-based texts containing images and references to places of local significance. This has included using texts by Indigenous authors. With one Year 9 cohort, for example, we used Bruce Pascoe's Young Dark Emu as a text study and based assessments around this text, as shown here.
In addition to teaching an EAL/D curriculum, in mainstream classes, I have also catered to a number of students for whom English is an additional language or dialect. Practices I have used to support student learning have included using oral language as a bridge to written text, using think-pair-share and such dialogic pedagogies, providing multiple models of sentence and text construction, using checklists to scaffold learning experiences (as per paragraph checklist shown below) and building shared knowledge through group activities. To expand my knowledge and skills in teaching these students I have consulted with ACARA resources and supports, such as the EALD Teacher Resource , which has provided expert guidance in this domain. I have also completed professional development in teaching EAL/D students, facilitated through the Department of Education; here one can see evidence of some notes made during this professional development. In recognition of the importance of relationships, I have paid particular attention to cultivating relationships with parents of EALD students, including communicating positive feedback to these parents, as shown in the example below.
Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Since graduating, I have been employed as an English teacher at Broome Senior High School. In terms of socioeconomic diversity, most recent data shows that in 2021, Broome Senior High School had an ICSEA value of 931, with students on average experiencing relatively more educational disadvantage than their national counterparts at an aggregate level. This school also has a high level of cultural and religious diversity; with 36% of students identifying as Indigenous and 38% of students speaking a language other than English. Such diversity has been reflected in the classes I have taught and has influenced the content and the pedagogy I have employed.
The unit outline shown here, demonstrates a unit of learning I co-developed and taught to a Year 11 English as an Additional Language cohort. All of these students identified as Indigenous and experienced English as a second language, thus the learning content had to be modified to meet student need. Modifications to accommodate this diversity included allowing students more time to complete tasks, providing explicit instruction and extensive modelling, and supporting students to use their own language as a bridge to learning Standard Australian English. Students were encouraged to represent their learnings in a way that supported their understanding. For example, in a task which required writing a memoir, I provided students with an option to record their memoir orally using digital technologies such as Voice Recorder or visually using Movie Maker. Given the evidence supporting explicit instruction in teaching English to EALD learners, I have used this methodology a lot in teaching these students, particularly when teaching language conventions including grammar and punctuation. The sample shown here, demonstrates my use of explicit methodologies to teach a mini-lesson on apostrophes to these students.
In terms of responding to the cultural diversity of our student body at Broome Senior High School, I have sought to embed Indigenous ways of learning, and used the 8ways framework to help construct learning experiences. Where possible, I have tried to source locally-based texts containing images and references to places of local significance. This has included using texts by Indigenous authors. With one Year 9 cohort, for example, we used Bruce Pascoe's Young Dark Emu as a text study and based assessments around this text, as shown here.
In addition to teaching an EAL/D curriculum, in mainstream classes, I have also catered to a number of students for whom English is an additional language or dialect. Practices I have used to support student learning have included using oral language as a bridge to written text, using think-pair-share and such dialogic pedagogies, providing multiple models of sentence and text construction, using checklists to scaffold learning experiences (as per paragraph checklist shown below) and building shared knowledge through group activities. To expand my knowledge and skills in teaching these students I have consulted with ACARA resources and supports, such as the EALD Teacher Resource , which has provided expert guidance in this domain. I have also completed professional development in teaching EAL/D students, facilitated through the Department of Education; here one can see evidence of some notes made during this professional development. In recognition of the importance of relationships, I have paid particular attention to cultivating relationships with parents of EALD students, including communicating positive feedback to these parents, as shown in the example below.
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I have continuously sought to respond to challenging behaviours in a culturally safe manner, by treating students with respect and in a space where they feel safe. The case shown here, documents a case where two Year 9 students refused to attend class. I responded by convening a meeting with the students at Broome Girls Academy (BGA), a space they have ownership of, and with BGA support staff in attendance. The students were offered an opportunity to talk about the BGA values to which they, as members, aspire and discuss their behaviour within this context.
Focus area 1.4. Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students.
Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
St. Mary's College (SMC), where much of my practicum training took place, caters to a student population of whom around 55% - 60% identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI). To this end, knowledge and understanding of local cultural context is essential to effective teaching. Having spent the previous decade working for a local Aboriginal organisation (Kimberley Land Council), I came to the school with a broad understanding of the local historical and cultural context.
Understanding the primacy of relationships, I spent a lot of time talking with the school leadership and Aboriginal Liaison Officers, learning about the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students. That the school values and celebrates it's ATSI students and heritage is evident in many ways including it's weekly acknowledgement of traditional owners at assembly, it's commitment to reconciliation (including through reconciliation scholarships) and celebration of NAIDOC. The school's vision is to be recognised as a model for reconciliation and it houses a reconciliation garden to acknowledge the past and move towards a better future.
Within this context, and further to knowledge gained during my subject 'Indigenous Perspectives on Education', I understood the importance of embedding Indigenous ways of learning, and used the 8ways framework to help construct learning experiences. Where possible, I tried to source locally-based texts containing images and references to places of local significance. This included using non-fiction texts such as 'Writing in the Sand' to construct lessons on handwriting, and using locally-based fiction texts in a place-based approach to learning. In terms of instructional strategies, I incorporated those with evidence in effectiveness when working with ATSI students, including story-telling, small group work and direct instruction.
Moving forward to my work within a secondary context, as an English teacher at Broome Senior High School, I have continuously sought to embed and celebrate the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literary figures in my practice.
As part of my commitment to Aboriginal education, in Semester 1 2020, I submitted an expression of interest to join the school's Aboriginal Education Team, and was accepted as a member of that team for the 2020 academic year. From that time, I became the minute-taker for the team and provided secretariat support in that regard.
To build strong links between class and community, I have sought to engage with local organisations, to incorporate local perspectives and involve local leaders in class experiences where possible. One example of this, was inviting a local representative from Garnduwa, to join our Year 9 class to speak with students about his experiences as a young person growing up in the Kimberley. Snippets from this experience were subsequently shared on the school's Facebook page, as shown in the image below (right).
Focus area 1.4. Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students.
Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
St. Mary's College (SMC), where much of my practicum training took place, caters to a student population of whom around 55% - 60% identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI). To this end, knowledge and understanding of local cultural context is essential to effective teaching. Having spent the previous decade working for a local Aboriginal organisation (Kimberley Land Council), I came to the school with a broad understanding of the local historical and cultural context.
Understanding the primacy of relationships, I spent a lot of time talking with the school leadership and Aboriginal Liaison Officers, learning about the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students. That the school values and celebrates it's ATSI students and heritage is evident in many ways including it's weekly acknowledgement of traditional owners at assembly, it's commitment to reconciliation (including through reconciliation scholarships) and celebration of NAIDOC. The school's vision is to be recognised as a model for reconciliation and it houses a reconciliation garden to acknowledge the past and move towards a better future.
Within this context, and further to knowledge gained during my subject 'Indigenous Perspectives on Education', I understood the importance of embedding Indigenous ways of learning, and used the 8ways framework to help construct learning experiences. Where possible, I tried to source locally-based texts containing images and references to places of local significance. This included using non-fiction texts such as 'Writing in the Sand' to construct lessons on handwriting, and using locally-based fiction texts in a place-based approach to learning. In terms of instructional strategies, I incorporated those with evidence in effectiveness when working with ATSI students, including story-telling, small group work and direct instruction.
Moving forward to my work within a secondary context, as an English teacher at Broome Senior High School, I have continuously sought to embed and celebrate the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literary figures in my practice.
As part of my commitment to Aboriginal education, in Semester 1 2020, I submitted an expression of interest to join the school's Aboriginal Education Team, and was accepted as a member of that team for the 2020 academic year. From that time, I became the minute-taker for the team and provided secretariat support in that regard.
To build strong links between class and community, I have sought to engage with local organisations, to incorporate local perspectives and involve local leaders in class experiences where possible. One example of this, was inviting a local representative from Garnduwa, to join our Year 9 class to speak with students about his experiences as a young person growing up in the Kimberley. Snippets from this experience were subsequently shared on the school's Facebook page, as shown in the image below (right).
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Focus area 1.5. Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
While students shared broad goals in terms of outcomes and corresponding assessments, a central part of my teaching practice has been to extend students where appropriate. One way of doing this was providing targeted personalised instruction. The examples shown here and here, demonstrate two instances where Year 9 English students, who were ahead of the general class on their narrative writing project, were given the personalised feedback required to progress their learning.
Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
While students shared broad goals in terms of outcomes and corresponding assessments, a central part of my teaching practice has been to extend students where appropriate. One way of doing this was providing targeted personalised instruction. The examples shown here and here, demonstrate two instances where Year 9 English students, who were ahead of the general class on their narrative writing project, were given the personalised feedback required to progress their learning.
Focus area 1.6. Strategies to support full participation of students with disability.
Design and implement teaching strategies that support full participation of students with disability.
During my time as a graduate English teacher at Broome Senior High School, I worked with a number of students presenting with a range of issues or disabilities.
I worked with a number of students presenting with processing difficulties or delays. To accommodate these issues in order to ensure the students' full participation, strategies included incorporating visual tools such as flowcharts, checklists and teacher models of tasks required. I also provided individual visual charts to students to outline strategies they could use when struggling with information processing. Evidence of these accommodations are shown in the images below.
Design and implement teaching strategies that support full participation of students with disability.
During my time as a graduate English teacher at Broome Senior High School, I worked with a number of students presenting with a range of issues or disabilities.
I worked with a number of students presenting with processing difficulties or delays. To accommodate these issues in order to ensure the students' full participation, strategies included incorporating visual tools such as flowcharts, checklists and teacher models of tasks required. I also provided individual visual charts to students to outline strategies they could use when struggling with information processing. Evidence of these accommodations are shown in the images below.
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As an English teacher at Broome Senior High School, I have also worked with a number of students with dyslexia. Support for these students has included much explicit instruction, as per the example shown here, which shows a mini-lesson on apostrophes delivered to students in a Year 9 class. Additional strategies included providing cloze activities, providing plentiful modelling and a significant amount of repetition. With these students, I maintained a higher-than-usual level of communication with parents, typically communicating with parents student progress and explaining assessment tasks to parents in order that they might support their students at home with such tasks.
One of my professional interests is how we respond to students experiencing complex trauma. Colonisation has had a devastating impact on Australia's Indigenous people; in particular, the impacts of forced-removal of children has left deep and complex trauma in its wake. Given all we now know about trauma and it's impact upon a child's neuro-biology, I have consistently sought to treat trauma with the same gravitas as other disabilities. To make accommodations for students with a history of trauma, I have adhered to the Australian Childhood Foundation's principles for learning as outlined in their Making Space for Learning resource. This has included making routines explicit and consistent (see assessment process provided below), cultivating a sense of community with students by attending extra-curricular events, conducting circle time and maintaining connection with students, especially in the context of emotional outbursts. The reflection note below provides an outline of my response to one outburst from a child.
I am consistently striving to stay abreast of recent research in the area of learning challenges and this is reflected in my professional learning log, shown here. Furthermore, I am consistently making observations, as shown below, to consider HOW I might use this learning to better my response to the needs of my students.
One of my professional interests is how we respond to students experiencing complex trauma. Colonisation has had a devastating impact on Australia's Indigenous people; in particular, the impacts of forced-removal of children has left deep and complex trauma in its wake. Given all we now know about trauma and it's impact upon a child's neuro-biology, I have consistently sought to treat trauma with the same gravitas as other disabilities. To make accommodations for students with a history of trauma, I have adhered to the Australian Childhood Foundation's principles for learning as outlined in their Making Space for Learning resource. This has included making routines explicit and consistent (see assessment process provided below), cultivating a sense of community with students by attending extra-curricular events, conducting circle time and maintaining connection with students, especially in the context of emotional outbursts. The reflection note below provides an outline of my response to one outburst from a child.
I am consistently striving to stay abreast of recent research in the area of learning challenges and this is reflected in my professional learning log, shown here. Furthermore, I am consistently making observations, as shown below, to consider HOW I might use this learning to better my response to the needs of my students.
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