Kev Kelly Personal Statement

Relationships
The development of meaningful relationships is a central
tenet of my teaching practice. I believe teachers must know
their students and how they learn, whilst having an
appreciation of the diverse backgrounds encountered in
Australian schools. The establishment of positive relationships,
based upon mutual respect, facilitates student participation
and is the basis for effective classroom control. Beyond the
classroom, success in teaching is founded upon the
establishment and nurturing of relationships with colleagues,
parents and carers and the broader school community.
Fundamentally, I establish these relationships by having a
sincere respect for each and every individual; not in spite of,
but because of, the unique attributes that define them. I
engage sincerely with the individuals I meet and endeavour to
learn as much about them as possible in order to display the
value I hold in the development of a relationship with them.
This begins by learning names, inquiring about their interests
and well-being and having a commitment to growing my
understanding of them and their needs. At all times, I ensure
my language and my actions convey this commitment. Most
of all, positive relationships are born out of my willingness to
invest myself and my time in those relationships. I do this by
adopting open lines of communication, honoring my
commitments, engaging in extra-curricular activities and the
absence of judgment.
I know this is something I do successfully through the
reciprocal benefits I enjoy. My students are more engaged,
school staff more supportive, parents more involved and my
colleagues more collegial and collaborative. I have also
established positive and ongoing relationship across cultural
and linguistic borders. My previous employment overseas
provided opportunities to learn and act upon diverse and
foreign cultural norms to establish meaningful relationships. This
is something I continue to do through teaching students from
countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia and Brazil. Additionally,
my extended teaching internship at Reynella East College has
given me the opportunity to form a relationship with a student
with whom there were initially difficulties. First and foremost, I
did this by insisting that each day was new. In consultation
with the school counselor, my readiness to reserve judgment,
engage in understanding them as a unique individual and
adjusting my practice to accommodate their situation, I
eventually established a mutually respectful relationship that
resulted in greater classroom engagement and academic
results.

Student Learning
Obtaining positive outcomes for my students begins with
understanding their physical, social and intellectual
development. The ability to promote learning across linguistic,
cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, including
those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, is a fundamental
precondition of obtaining positive outcomes. This is achieved
through the planning and utilisation of differentiated teaching
strategies. These strategies also support the full participation of
students with disability and allow me to meet the specific
learning needs of students across a full range of abilities.
I facilitate student learning through my understanding of
the interactive nature of the teaching cycle. Establishing
challenging learning goals, drawing on the Australian
Curriculum and knowledge of my students learning profiles is
my starting point. Based upon these goals, I plan, structure
and sequence learning programs which I deliver, supported
by appropriate resources, across a number of media types. I
consistently evaluate and improve my programs through
formative and summative assessment, specifically the use of
entry and exit cards to review student learning, and use this
data to provide prompt, relevant feedback on which the
student can act. I recognise that quality feedback, as
identified by John Hattie, is a significant factor in enhancing
student learning. Therefore, I ensure this is a major focus of my
teaching cycle. In addition, this frequent and varied
assessment also allows me to evaluate the success of my
teaching and adjust accordingly. At the completion of a unit,
and after consultation with students in my History class, I was
aware the previous unit had focused heavily on written modes
of production. In response to this, I switched the assessment
task for the subsequent unit from source analysis to an ICT
based inquiry. This gave students increased ownership over
their learning which resulted in enhanced engagement and
more meaningful feedback during subsequent exit tasks.
Finally, content is delivered using appropriate pedagogies,
with an emphasis on collaborative but structured learning in
the middle years and with opportunities to engage in a variety
of productive modes. I also ensure that I engage students in
broad academic skills such as note-taking, substantiation of
information, essay writing skills and the ability to interpret and
present numerical information.

Curriculum
Curriculum has many definitions and I acknowledge that
explicit curriculum and implicit or hidden curriculum
significantly impact on students learning. My actions as a
teacher and interactions with students are models of a hidden
curriculum in schools and as indicated in my previous sections
on relationships and student learning, I am committed to
valuing all students and to developing their self-esteem and
efficacy to be successful learners.
Beyond the hidden curriculum, I have made a considered
effort to deepen my understanding and knowledge of the
Australian Curriculum and SACE documents which have
guided my practice. Through real and meaningful
engagement with these curricula, I have developed programs
which facilitate the delivery of lessons that allow students to
develop their knowledge and understanding and topic
specific skill sets. Furthermore, my personal passion for learning,
and ongoing interest in my content areas enriches student
engagement.
I do this through the continuous relation of content and the
application of skills to authentic, current and relevant contexts.
Students gain a greater appreciation for historical skills if they
can be applied within up-to-date contexts such as the
ongoing situations in Thailand, the Ukraine and Middle East.
Students are particularly engaged in the evaluation of bias,
perspective and evidence if they can be evaluated and
examined in real time and evolving situations. I am also
committed to the development of programs which foster a
greater understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people. Year 9 history classes in particular, have
enjoyed learning about the interactions between indigenous
Australians and the early settlers and do so with an inquisitive
yet reconciliatory spirit. Completing units of work on the Myall
Creek Massacre, indigenous resistance and the conditions for
other immigrants such as the Chinese and Irish, all with an
emphasis on perspective, instil in my students a considered
ability for historical empathy. I know I have succeeded by
witnessing the way in which my classes engage respectfully in
provocative and controversial topics.
Finally, my rich life experience and varied areas of study,
places me in a unique position to easily and authentically
incorporate the general capabilities and cross curriculum
priorities into any topic I may be teaching.

Safe Work Practices

Ensuring a safe environment is an essential component of my
practice. This involves the effective management of my
classroom and my ability to manage challenging student
behaviour and all learning activities. I also have a keen
awareness of my professional responsibilities and the ethical
way in which I should carry out my practice which includes
the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT. During my
internship, I adhered to all site safety protocols and organised
a Stage 2 excursion to the Kauwi Interpretive Centre.