7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities.
Daily reflection: Thursday 12th May 2016:
This morning I observed the administration of a year three NAPLAN numeracy test. The experience was a brilliant opportunity to witness professional ethics and standardised testing of students, therefore demonstrating AITSL standard 7.1.
In order to prepare for the test the teacher was required to remove displays and posters from walls as outlined in the NAPLAN instructions. The teacher I observed also ensured she followed the rules with regards to items students were and were not allowed to have on their desks. An example of this is that the students were not allowed to have anything on their desk but a piece of paper for taking notes, an eraser, pencil sharpener and pencil. The teacher is also given a script which he/she must use. The teacher I was observing explained to me that you are not allowed to stray away from the script. The aim of all of the above conditions is to try and ensure fair and equal test conditions for all students across the country sitting the test. This is an example of meeting professional ethics.
This morning I observed the administration of a year three NAPLAN numeracy test. The experience was a brilliant opportunity to witness professional ethics and standardised testing of students, therefore demonstrating AITSL standard 7.1.
In order to prepare for the test the teacher was required to remove displays and posters from walls as outlined in the NAPLAN instructions. The teacher I observed also ensured she followed the rules with regards to items students were and were not allowed to have on their desks. An example of this is that the students were not allowed to have anything on their desk but a piece of paper for taking notes, an eraser, pencil sharpener and pencil. The teacher is also given a script which he/she must use. The teacher I was observing explained to me that you are not allowed to stray away from the script. The aim of all of the above conditions is to try and ensure fair and equal test conditions for all students across the country sitting the test. This is an example of meeting professional ethics.
The above is an example of my letter out to parents to seen permission to use de-identifiable images of students work. This is an example of adherences to AITSL standard 7.1 meet professional ethics and responsibilities.
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
Daily reflection: Friday 6th May 2016.
Today I got to experience another exciting event, the year three to six Cross Country Carnival. This event was another excellent experience of AITSL standard 7.2, comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
As part of the organisation of the day, the students were required to bring back a permission slip to allow them to walk from the school to the Belair National park and back, approximately a 2km walk each way.
Students were provided with a name badge, which contained information about the student’s name, the class they belong to, their house and also the year that they were born. This was done so that;
A) Students were easily identifiable to teachers.
B) Safety reasons, should students wander off from their houses.
C) Fairness of the race, ensuring all students were racing against students the same age.
D) Compliance with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
The students were also allocated wrist bands which were colour coded as to which year they were born, in year four this meant students were born in either 2006 or 2007. An image can be seen below of the wristbands and the stickers allocated to students.
This represented standard 7.2. The organisation that has gone into the day is aimed at ensuring a fair and accurate record of student achievement and engagement with parents and colleagues to ensure students safety and fairness of the race. The decisions made on the day about the winners in each year level are therefore a fair and ethical representation and represented the Teachers Registration Boards Ethical Standards for teachers in South Australia.
Daily reflection: Friday 6th May 2016.
Today I got to experience another exciting event, the year three to six Cross Country Carnival. This event was another excellent experience of AITSL standard 7.2, comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
As part of the organisation of the day, the students were required to bring back a permission slip to allow them to walk from the school to the Belair National park and back, approximately a 2km walk each way.
Students were provided with a name badge, which contained information about the student’s name, the class they belong to, their house and also the year that they were born. This was done so that;
A) Students were easily identifiable to teachers.
B) Safety reasons, should students wander off from their houses.
C) Fairness of the race, ensuring all students were racing against students the same age.
D) Compliance with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
The students were also allocated wrist bands which were colour coded as to which year they were born, in year four this meant students were born in either 2006 or 2007. An image can be seen below of the wristbands and the stickers allocated to students.
This represented standard 7.2. The organisation that has gone into the day is aimed at ensuring a fair and accurate record of student achievement and engagement with parents and colleagues to ensure students safety and fairness of the race. The decisions made on the day about the winners in each year level are therefore a fair and ethical representation and represented the Teachers Registration Boards Ethical Standards for teachers in South Australia.
The Abscence Book pictured above is another example of compliance with legislative and administrative requires, AITSL standard 7.2. The Department of Education require a record of attendance to be kept in order to monitor absenteeism amongst school age children.
7.3 Engage with parents/carers.
Friday 11th March:
Today I assisted on a class excursion to the Zoo with year 1 students. This experience was very valuable as a student teacher and I learnt a lot from the experience.
The excursion was with thirty-six year one students who were divided into groups of four and were allocated to 9 parent helpers. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to demonstrate AITSL standard 7, engaging professionally with colleagues and parent/carers in the community (AITSL, 2013).
I spent the day with A a parent of H in year 1. We had a group of eight children. We worked together all day to ensure students were on task, answering the questions in their zoo workbook and were cared for in terms of their food, drink and safety needs. We were given a pack with all student medical information, emergency phone numbers and items such as tissues. An image can be seen below. This demonstrated AITSL standard 7.3, engage with parents/carers (AITSL, 2013).
Daily reflection, Narnu Farm Camp:
At the camp I had a fantastic opportunity to engage with the other eight parents helpers that attended. I worked one on one with a parent helper in our day group activities. We co-supervised the students to ensure behavior was managed. This experience was excellent for understanding the importance of creating a professional and communicative relationship with parents/carers. I ensured all communication with this parent helper was professional. I did this by ensuring my conversations were concise, sensitive and the content was appropriate. This experience demonstrates AITSL (2013) standard 7.3, engage with parents/carers.
At the camp I had a fantastic opportunity to engage with the other eight parents helpers that attended. I worked one on one with a parent helper in our day group activities. We co-supervised the students to ensure behavior was managed. This experience was excellent for understanding the importance of creating a professional and communicative relationship with parents/carers. I ensured all communication with this parent helper was professional. I did this by ensuring my conversations were concise, sensitive and the content was appropriate. This experience demonstrates AITSL (2013) standard 7.3, engage with parents/carers.
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities.
Eden Hills Primary School
Daily reflection, day 8:
In day 8 of my placement with A and her class I got to experience something very unique that Eden Hills Primary School participate in, The Four Corners Connected Learning Programme. The idea of the programme if for schools around ‘four corners’ of the world can connect and contact each other.
The class I was working with at Eden Hills Primary School are a part of a group that connect with schools in the U.K, Chicago, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
On the eighth day of my placement the class were Skyping a school in Hong Kong. The class had prepared questions, which related back to their unit of enquiry. I brainstormed my thoughts below on the activity.
How does the activity promote purposeful learning?
Daily reflection, day 8:
In day 8 of my placement with A and her class I got to experience something very unique that Eden Hills Primary School participate in, The Four Corners Connected Learning Programme. The idea of the programme if for schools around ‘four corners’ of the world can connect and contact each other.
The class I was working with at Eden Hills Primary School are a part of a group that connect with schools in the U.K, Chicago, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
On the eighth day of my placement the class were Skyping a school in Hong Kong. The class had prepared questions, which related back to their unit of enquiry. I brainstormed my thoughts below on the activity.
How does the activity promote purposeful learning?
- Students will experience different modes of meaning
- Conceptualising of new words and symbols as a result of integration with new culture.
- Experience the use of ICT in literacy, Skype.
- Experience literacy outside the ‘traditional’ classroom.
- Learn to work collaboratively.
- Experience interaction/collaboration with new cultures
Daily reflection: Wednesday- Friday, school camp, Narnu Farm 13/04/16-15/04/16:
Throughout the camp students had the opportunity to engage with the Narnu Farm Staff. The staff ran the camps activities. These included horse riding, feeding and maintaining all farm animals, the chicken hatchery, blacksmith, vintage truck ride and hand ploughing.
This was an excellent opportunity for students to engage with broader communities, AITSL standard 7.4 (AITSL, 2013). Students gained an insight into the farm operations and the requirements of the animals in terms of how and when they are fed. This gave students an insight into a different community. When my group was feeding the animals it really inspired and engaged them. This was demonstrated by the number of questions students had about the animals. Some pictures of the animals can be seen below.
Thanks for reading about my learning journey. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed experiencing it!
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