Team Teaching
1.4 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.
2.4 Provide opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
3.1 Set explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals for all students.
3.7 Plan for appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in their children’s learning.
In team teaching with two senior school classes this year (Leadership and Directions), I significantly contributed to each of these classes in specific areas, notably social emotional learning, numeracy and ASDAN modules. I worked flexibly and collaboratively with other class teachers and support staff, working on other material with the students where this was necessary, and often deferring to other teachers, as they have been the more significant contributors to their classes education in terms of time. Although fulling my responsibility with these classes has been challenging due to my number of other roles at the school, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these teachers and students. A good example of collaboration with my colleges occurred when I conducted a PATHS teacher brainstorm, which gave us the opportunity to compliment each other at the end of a tiring term.
Among a number of opportunities that have arisen in these situations, I have needed to assist two of the Indigenous Australian students in my care, with among other things, matters relating to their heritage. In conversations I had with her, one student was clearly quite confused and disrespectful toward this side of herself at the start of the year. My other student's lack of school attendance had been of concern for some time, and being a thoughtful responsible student we were certainly missing him.
Through a number of sensitive conversations with my leadership student, I encouraged her to respect and value this side of herself more, and attend an indigenous after school group, held by the school's Indigenous Heritage Officer. She followed this advice, and now seems much more content with this part of her life. I discussed both of these students with this mainstream member of staff, and supplied her with some supplementary maths work, on her request, for my leadership student to complete after school. We also discussed my others student's lack of school attendance, and how she would make contact with his family whom she new well, to encourage him to come to school more. Given that these are both lovely young people it was good to be part of providing this opportunity for them to engage more positively with their school.
With my leadership class I have been required to take part in diagnostic assessment of my students, and from this we developed explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals, formalised specifically into Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These plans focus on the most essential aspects of the student's learning in senior school, including focus on Literacy, Numeracy, Protective Behaviours, Career Education, Workplace Learning, and Life Skills. These IEPs are then utilised as the basis of reporting student progress to parents. In addition to this, other learning goals are set for our students on a needs basis. This feedback is related to students in a constructive way, including feedback to parents where necessary, and the new expectations form new goals for the students.
One fantastic moment involving parents in their children’s education arose in one of my team teaching situations, when my team teacher organised a book week meeting with parents and members of the community at the school library. Our students dressed up as book characters for this event, and the young children present were read several stories. They were then allowed to work with the students and parents to create craft items based on the theme of the stories. My role in this situation was to organise my other class of students that catered for the event, with varied foods and coffee provided with service. This was another opportunity for this class to practice their enterprise initiatives, and for both classes formed ideal contact with parents and other members of the general community.
I have been required on many other occasions to interact with parents this year, particularly during case conference meetings, where sensitive issues have been mutually resolved, and where IEP targets for students have been communicated and negotiated. These meeting have at times included relevant education professionals from our surrounding area, for example local government youth workers. I have also experienced significant positive contact with parents within whole school events, such as our school festivals and assemblies.
2.4 Provide opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
3.1 Set explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals for all students.
3.7 Plan for appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in their children’s learning.
In team teaching with two senior school classes this year (Leadership and Directions), I significantly contributed to each of these classes in specific areas, notably social emotional learning, numeracy and ASDAN modules. I worked flexibly and collaboratively with other class teachers and support staff, working on other material with the students where this was necessary, and often deferring to other teachers, as they have been the more significant contributors to their classes education in terms of time. Although fulling my responsibility with these classes has been challenging due to my number of other roles at the school, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these teachers and students. A good example of collaboration with my colleges occurred when I conducted a PATHS teacher brainstorm, which gave us the opportunity to compliment each other at the end of a tiring term.
Among a number of opportunities that have arisen in these situations, I have needed to assist two of the Indigenous Australian students in my care, with among other things, matters relating to their heritage. In conversations I had with her, one student was clearly quite confused and disrespectful toward this side of herself at the start of the year. My other student's lack of school attendance had been of concern for some time, and being a thoughtful responsible student we were certainly missing him.
Through a number of sensitive conversations with my leadership student, I encouraged her to respect and value this side of herself more, and attend an indigenous after school group, held by the school's Indigenous Heritage Officer. She followed this advice, and now seems much more content with this part of her life. I discussed both of these students with this mainstream member of staff, and supplied her with some supplementary maths work, on her request, for my leadership student to complete after school. We also discussed my others student's lack of school attendance, and how she would make contact with his family whom she new well, to encourage him to come to school more. Given that these are both lovely young people it was good to be part of providing this opportunity for them to engage more positively with their school.
With my leadership class I have been required to take part in diagnostic assessment of my students, and from this we developed explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals, formalised specifically into Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These plans focus on the most essential aspects of the student's learning in senior school, including focus on Literacy, Numeracy, Protective Behaviours, Career Education, Workplace Learning, and Life Skills. These IEPs are then utilised as the basis of reporting student progress to parents. In addition to this, other learning goals are set for our students on a needs basis. This feedback is related to students in a constructive way, including feedback to parents where necessary, and the new expectations form new goals for the students.
One fantastic moment involving parents in their children’s education arose in one of my team teaching situations, when my team teacher organised a book week meeting with parents and members of the community at the school library. Our students dressed up as book characters for this event, and the young children present were read several stories. They were then allowed to work with the students and parents to create craft items based on the theme of the stories. My role in this situation was to organise my other class of students that catered for the event, with varied foods and coffee provided with service. This was another opportunity for this class to practice their enterprise initiatives, and for both classes formed ideal contact with parents and other members of the general community.
I have been required on many other occasions to interact with parents this year, particularly during case conference meetings, where sensitive issues have been mutually resolved, and where IEP targets for students have been communicated and negotiated. These meeting have at times included relevant education professionals from our surrounding area, for example local government youth workers. I have also experienced significant positive contact with parents within whole school events, such as our school festivals and assemblies.