Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
4.1 Support student participation.
Friday 18th March
Today was the schools swimming carnival. This was another excellent experience to engage with colleagues, parents and carers of students demonstrating AITSL standard 7.3 (AITSL, 2013).
The carnival also demonstrated a huge body of organisation by the school, particularly the office staff and the PE teacher who organised and picked the students to race. It was really great to see that there were also events for all students which ensured that all students were given the opportunity to participate.
There were 37 race events ranging from year 3-6. We arrived at Adelaide aquatic centre at 10am and finished the races by 1.30pm.
The students were grouped into houses. Gooch, Mophett, Halstead and Prince. This not only increased student’s interaction between peer and year levels but also allowed myself and other teachers to interact with some other colleagues and parents.
Ribbons and prizes were awarded to students who won a variety of different races, which were awarded according to their year level and score from the race.
It was a fantastic experience as students were really engaged in the carnival and experienced an authentic learning experience outside of the classroom.
This experience demonstrated AITSL standards 4.1, supporting student participation since all students were given the opportunity to participate in the swimming carnival. All students also received a participation ribbon for taking part in the activities.
Today was the schools swimming carnival. This was another excellent experience to engage with colleagues, parents and carers of students demonstrating AITSL standard 7.3 (AITSL, 2013).
The carnival also demonstrated a huge body of organisation by the school, particularly the office staff and the PE teacher who organised and picked the students to race. It was really great to see that there were also events for all students which ensured that all students were given the opportunity to participate.
There were 37 race events ranging from year 3-6. We arrived at Adelaide aquatic centre at 10am and finished the races by 1.30pm.
The students were grouped into houses. Gooch, Mophett, Halstead and Prince. This not only increased student’s interaction between peer and year levels but also allowed myself and other teachers to interact with some other colleagues and parents.
Ribbons and prizes were awarded to students who won a variety of different races, which were awarded according to their year level and score from the race.
It was a fantastic experience as students were really engaged in the carnival and experienced an authentic learning experience outside of the classroom.
This experience demonstrated AITSL standards 4.1, supporting student participation since all students were given the opportunity to participate in the swimming carnival. All students also received a participation ribbon for taking part in the activities.
Daily reflection: Tuesday 12/04/2016
Over the past week I have observed a lot of camp preparation in which my mentor teacher, her colleague in 4F and myself have been preparing for the year four camp which is happening later this week, from 12-15th April 2016. The teachers have collaborated together to run the school camp.
Students were offered the opportunity to pick two friends to sleep with in their dorms. My mentor teacher and myself then placed the students in dorms. This in itself was extremely challenging. It was difficult to place students in appropriate friendship choices, which would ensure their safety but also that they had fun and felt comfortable when sleeping.
The fact that students got to choose their friend was a great strategy for minimising challenging behavior whilst on camp. By offering students two friendship choices students were given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own behavior by choosing friends that they knew they would be a good choice and minimise the potential for them to be disruptive. This also caused a lot of additional work for my mentor teacher who then had to place students into dorms. I felt this aspect of the camp was above and beyond the requirements of my mentor teacher and demonstrated a genuine commitment to ensuring student safety but also that students would have fun on the school camp and participate in all activities.This experience represented AITSL standard 4.1, support student participation.
Over the past week I have observed a lot of camp preparation in which my mentor teacher, her colleague in 4F and myself have been preparing for the year four camp which is happening later this week, from 12-15th April 2016. The teachers have collaborated together to run the school camp.
Students were offered the opportunity to pick two friends to sleep with in their dorms. My mentor teacher and myself then placed the students in dorms. This in itself was extremely challenging. It was difficult to place students in appropriate friendship choices, which would ensure their safety but also that they had fun and felt comfortable when sleeping.
The fact that students got to choose their friend was a great strategy for minimising challenging behavior whilst on camp. By offering students two friendship choices students were given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own behavior by choosing friends that they knew they would be a good choice and minimise the potential for them to be disruptive. This also caused a lot of additional work for my mentor teacher who then had to place students into dorms. I felt this aspect of the camp was above and beyond the requirements of my mentor teacher and demonstrated a genuine commitment to ensuring student safety but also that students would have fun on the school camp and participate in all activities.This experience represented AITSL standard 4.1, support student participation.
4.2 Manage classroom activities.
Daily reflection: Tuesday 29th March.
Today I ran a lesson on a Mega Fauna for history.
When I set up the lesson in the morning I preloaded the video so that it was ready to play. Unfortunately this got accidentally exited out of and it meant that the video was not loaded when I went to complete my lesson. This meant that I had to think quite quickly to ensure the lesson was delayed and therefore students disrupted.
I found this experience really valuable as it shows the nature of teaching, the ability to have back up activities should technology or any type of planning fail.
I had a back up video in mind that I had viewed when planning this lesson. I immediately switched to watch this video and gave students a task to start off with which kept them engaged and listening. This experienced demonstrated Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning standard, 4.2 manage classroom activities (AITSL, 2013)
Today I ran a lesson on a Mega Fauna for history.
When I set up the lesson in the morning I preloaded the video so that it was ready to play. Unfortunately this got accidentally exited out of and it meant that the video was not loaded when I went to complete my lesson. This meant that I had to think quite quickly to ensure the lesson was delayed and therefore students disrupted.
I found this experience really valuable as it shows the nature of teaching, the ability to have back up activities should technology or any type of planning fail.
I had a back up video in mind that I had viewed when planning this lesson. I immediately switched to watch this video and gave students a task to start off with which kept them engaged and listening. This experienced demonstrated Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning standard, 4.2 manage classroom activities (AITSL, 2013)
Above is a video of my introduction to a lesson after recess. It features a number of different behaviour management techniques such as a countdown from five to one, individually pointing out students doing the right and the wrong thing and placing ownership back on students to take responsibility for their own behaviour. This demonstrates 4.2 manage classroom activities as it was aimed at minimising the disruption from changeover in a lesson.
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour.
Daily reflection: Wednesday 16th March
Today I ran three lessons, two on English in which the students created a book review on Charlotte’s web. The students worked really well and were very on task. I was at ease and felt confident that the strategies I had observed over the past ten days had really assisted me in managing behavior in this lesson. In this lesson I used the following strategies In order to manage behavior:
This experience demonstrated AITSL standard 4.3, manage challenging behavior (AITSL, 2013).
Today I ran three lessons, two on English in which the students created a book review on Charlotte’s web. The students worked really well and were very on task. I was at ease and felt confident that the strategies I had observed over the past ten days had really assisted me in managing behavior in this lesson. In this lesson I used the following strategies In order to manage behavior:
- Behaviour discussion chart - to manage the level of chatter that was appropriate for the task. I set this to yellow which was quiet talking but since students were working
- Behaviour warning chart - in which one student was issued a warning due to his constant chat with the person sitting next to him.
This experience demonstrated AITSL standard 4.3, manage challenging behavior (AITSL, 2013).
Tuesday 29th March
Today I ran a lesson on a Mega Fauna for history. I found two students were not listening and we're talking for the duration of the lesson. Despite several warnings the students ignored me. I issued one of the students with a timeout and asked him to sit in the class next door. I explained that this was a result of his failure to take control of his behaviour.
Once he had been in timeout for five minutes I went to retrieve him and explained why his behavior was disruptive and my expectations for next time I ask him to stop misbehaving, demonstrating AITSL standard 4.3, managing challenging behavior (AITSL, 2013).
The lesson after this was a lot more successful and he worked well. I reinforced this positive behavior by informing me that he had done a great job and told him to take his name off of the behavior chart, this is pictured below.
Today I ran a lesson on a Mega Fauna for history. I found two students were not listening and we're talking for the duration of the lesson. Despite several warnings the students ignored me. I issued one of the students with a timeout and asked him to sit in the class next door. I explained that this was a result of his failure to take control of his behaviour.
Once he had been in timeout for five minutes I went to retrieve him and explained why his behavior was disruptive and my expectations for next time I ask him to stop misbehaving, demonstrating AITSL standard 4.3, managing challenging behavior (AITSL, 2013).
The lesson after this was a lot more successful and he worked well. I reinforced this positive behavior by informing me that he had done a great job and told him to take his name off of the behavior chart, this is pictured below.
A spider diagram of observations of behavioural management techniques implemented at St Johns Grammar School.
4.4 Maintain student safety.
Reflection from Narnu Farm school camp, 13/04/16-15/04/16.
On camp I witnessed the process involved for incidents with children’s ill health. Whilst at camp I witnessed two students whom for various reasons suffered from ill health.
In both cases the student’s parents had packed medication for the students and the parents had noted this on the medical information provided to the teachers.
However, in one of the cases the students suffered from regular migraines. It was a great learning experience to witness the process for dealing with this issue, which was compliant with legislative and administrative requirements.
The process involved the teachers administering medication to the student for his migraine. This had been provided to the teachers by the parents with instructions noted on the medical information.
Since the child was quite distressed the teachers also called the child’s parents to inform them of the incident. The teachers gave the parents the opportunity to talk to their child and they then decided to come and pick the child up from camp.
This was a fantastic learning opportunity and demonstrated AITSL standard, 4.4, maintain student safety.
On camp I witnessed the process involved for incidents with children’s ill health. Whilst at camp I witnessed two students whom for various reasons suffered from ill health.
In both cases the student’s parents had packed medication for the students and the parents had noted this on the medical information provided to the teachers.
However, in one of the cases the students suffered from regular migraines. It was a great learning experience to witness the process for dealing with this issue, which was compliant with legislative and administrative requirements.
The process involved the teachers administering medication to the student for his migraine. This had been provided to the teachers by the parents with instructions noted on the medical information.
Since the child was quite distressed the teachers also called the child’s parents to inform them of the incident. The teachers gave the parents the opportunity to talk to their child and they then decided to come and pick the child up from camp.
This was a fantastic learning opportunity and demonstrated AITSL standard, 4.4, maintain student safety.
Above is an image of the instructions sent home to parents/carers with regards to a list of items for students to bring including clear outlines about medication. The medication was kept in a clearly labelled green basket which is also pictured above. This represents AITSL standard 4.4, maintain student safety.
4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically.
Throughout my placement at St Johns Grammar School I have frequently incorporated the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) into lesson plans. In order to ensure the responsible and ethical use of ICT I ensure I check the content for its suitability for students. After checked off the content ensuring its use is ethical and responsible I incorporate all links for websites, videos or images into my lesson plans. The lesson plans are then submitted to my mentor teacher for her sign off before I complete the lesson. My mentor teacher also views this material ahead of the lesson to check my judgement about the content being ethical, responsible and therefore demonstrating the safe use of ICT. One example of this is pictured below. In this example I was completing an interactive maths lesson using maths games. Prior to conducting this lesson I submitted the following documental to my mentor teacher for her sign off.
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I had the opportunity throughout my placement to teach a unit of work on Cyber Safety. I have included my lesson plan below, a video of my mentor teaching introducing the first lesson and a poster we discussed in one of the lessons. This unit of work demonstrates AITSL standard 4.5, use ICT safely, ethically and responsibly.
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References:
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015). The Australian curriculum v7.1 Foundation to Year 10 curriculum browser by subjects and columns retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Browse?a=E&a=M&a=S&a=H&a=G&a=ENB&a=CNC&a=da&a=dr&a=ma&a=mu&a=va&a=DI&a=DE&a=HPE&y=5&y=6#page=2
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2013). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers retrieved from www.aitsl.edu.au/sustralian_professional_standards_for_teachers
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015). The Australian curriculum v7.1 Foundation to Year 10 curriculum browser by subjects and columns retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Browse?a=E&a=M&a=S&a=H&a=G&a=ENB&a=CNC&a=da&a=dr&a=ma&a=mu&a=va&a=DI&a=DE&a=HPE&y=5&y=6#page=2
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2013). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers retrieved from www.aitsl.edu.au/sustralian_professional_standards_for_teachers