Standard 3

Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

Evidence 8. ARTEFACT:

Unit Plan Draft and Review

APST 3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

APST 3.2 Graduate: Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.

Highly Accomplished: Work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify learning and teaching programs to create productive learning environments that engage all students.

During my first SPE, in 2019, my supervising teacher gave me the autonomous task of designing a unit plan on arranging music for Term IV 2019 (Year 9). The plan I created was based on a broad timeline provided by my supervising teacher. I co-taught the first two weeks of lessons and made a number of observations and suggested modifications.

Devoting only one lesson to orienting the students to NoteFlight (online music notation software) turned out to be insufficient. I suggested that next time the unit is run, a whole week be devoted to this orientation rather than a single lesson. I also suggested that the initial inputting task be done in small cooperative groups (Kagan & Kagan, 2015), rather than individually and as homework, so that problems can be identified earlier and students are not left alone feeling isolated and confused. Finally, I suggested alternating short student tasks with demonstrations by the teacher online projected on to the white board, with class discussion and suggestions/brainstorms for shortcuts and tips. These modifications are designed to alleviate the problem we encountered of students not asking for help until it was too late, that is, after the assessment task due date.

The underlying assumption that had been made was that the students would be more familiar with the software than they were and that they would master it more quickly than they did. More diagnostic and formative assessment would have clarified this for us in the first week. The changes I suggested are aligned with recommendations by Dylan Wiliam (2018), although I made them before encountering his work.

This task also satisfied standards 1.2, 1.5, 1. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.4, 7.4

REFERENCES

Kagan, S., & Kagan, M. (2015). Kagan Cooperative Learning. Kagan Publishing.

Wiliam, D. (2018). Embedded Formative Assessment. Solution Tree Press.

Evidence 9. REQUIRED EVIDENCE. APST 3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process.

ARTEFACT: Response to a letter from an Aboriginal parent

APST 3.7. Graduate: Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.

This piece of evidence is a response to a ‘stimulus letter’ from the parent of an Aboriginal student (An Open Letter, 1977), raising concerns about how their child will be treated in the classroom and questioning my educative practices and my inclusiveness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The parent pointed out that Aboriginal children have traditionally been misunderstood, undervalued and expected to conform to a set of limited and rigid expectations.

In my response I outline why it is imperative for all teachers to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in their pedagogy. I describe the theories with which my pedagogy aligns and show how these align with Aboriginal pedagogy. Finally, I outline the ways I plan to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in my own subject areas, music and European languages (German, French and Italian). My essay seeks to respond constructively to the challenge to educators issued in the letter (An Open Letter, 1977).

This ‘Community Connections Plan’ satisfies Standard 3.7. because I showed how my teaching would involve parents and carers in the educative process, and Identified processes for engagement with community representatives, parents and carers. It also showed how my teaching would specifically engage with and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families, referring to pedagogues such as Howard (2002) and Sarra (2003) and pedagogies such as 8 Ways (NSWDECRAET, 2012).

Another way that I investigated and analysed ways in which teachers and schools engage with and involve parents and carers was in a community profile analysis of a local Sunshine Coast Lutheran school.

This task also satisfies standards 1.1, 1.4, 2,4, 6.3 and 7.4.

REFERENCES

An Open Letter. (1977). @IndigenousX. Retrieved from: https://indigenousx.com.au/an-open-letter-to-a-teacher-from-an-aboriginal-parent-1977/

Howard, D. (2002). Family, friends and teachers: Why indigenous students stay at or leave school. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 30 (2), 8-12.

NSW Department of Education & Communities Regional Aboriginal Education Team (NSWDECRAET). (2012). 8 Ways: Aboriginal pedagogy from Western NSW. Dubbo, Australia: REAT.

Sarra, C. (2003). Review of the Strong and Smart Vision at Cherbourg State School.