Teaching Philosophy:

Professional Knowledge:

Knowing the students and how they learn is a decisive element in demonstrating
high-quality pedagogical practices. Content knowledge is important in
understanding what students need to know; however, understanding each
individual student determines successful pedagogical practice. All students’ learn
through different processes and strategies, therefore the incorporation of
differentiated strategies will facilitate understanding how students best learn.
Tomlinson (2016) best describes differentiation being a teaching attending to
the learners needs, rather than teaching a class of individuals. Tomlinson’s
statement is one that promotes inclusion of all students’ and advocates for
teachers to create content that tailors to students’ interest and learner profiles;
this statement signifies the importance of implementing differentiation into
classroom. Through the usage of assessment and instruction, I hope to
successfully implement differentiation strategies into my classroom. The
utilisation of pre-assessments, formative assessments and exit cards will help in
guiding my understanding of students’ readiness levels. Furthermore,
differentiated instruction will facilitate collaborative learning amongst students
to further enhance learning, whilst incorporating an environment that promotes
student centred learning. I hope to develop a strong professional bond with
students to ensure that each and every student’s needs are being met.

Professional Practice:
Professional Practice is at the cornerstone of understanding how to create
engaging, resourceful material that creates strong powerful learners. One
important aspect that resonates with me is creating a fun, inclusive, safe learning
environment. One memorable statement that has empowered my passion was
Haim Ginott’s statement on teachers in class; this statement cites that teachers
are the decisive element in the classroom. Ginott’s statement is powerful and
accurately details how teachers have a duty and reputation to uphold. Teachers
play an integral role in determining how students learn and engage with each
other. In advocating for safe inclusive classrooms, I need to demonstrate to
students and the wider community those specific values I hope students practice.
In creating inclusive classrooms, understanding students and their individual
needs will be integral and must be of the upmost importance. Reflecting on past
experiences in school has deepened my teaching philosophy. Differentiated
practice will be deeply embedded in assessment and content. I always looked
forward to assignments that presented choices of assessment. I will strive to
create engaging assessment that centres on student interests and learning styles.

Professional Engagement:
Communication is an influential factor in the profession of teachers.
Communication amongst peers and colleagues at school is something I take very
seriously. Engagement and interactions with staff will enable the development of
resourceful unit plans that aim to deliver high-quality education. Communication
amongst fellow colleges will always be in a respectful manner that promotes the
core values and vision for my current school. Modelling correct behaviour to
staff, but more importantly the wider community is integral for high-quality
pedagogical practice and respect. As a student at school, I always respected
teachers that were professional and emulated what they preached. I would
mirror this to students. Engagement with parents/caregivers and the wider
school community is a strong foundation for high-quality pedagogical practice.
Engagement with parents/caregivers is an extremely important resource in
understanding how students learn. The connection of the students’ home will
facilitate the ongoing learning through bridging the gap. On placement I hope to
close the gap between student and home. As an educator I understand parents
expect to know and understand what students are learning. I hope to follow this
strong communication through sending letters home to parents summarising
every week what students are learning. The usage of Edmodo, which parents
have access to, will facilitate in communicating to parents. Engagement in extra-
curricular activities will also be a key focal point in participating in the extended
school community. My induction days have already given the opportunity to
communicate to parents/caregivers through parent teacher interviews.
Involvement in the school family fun day has resulted in further opportunities
for building strong professional relations with the extended school community.
 Case Study one:

Ben:

Ben is a student in Year 10 at Tyndale Christian College in Strathalbyn. Ben was a

student that caught my attention in the HASS class. He had an infectious smile
and stood out from the rest of the class. In observing Ben for the first few weeks,
it was evident that Ben was easily distracted from his peers in class. Teachers
often had to make sure Ben was separated from is fellow friends, otherwise he
would complete no work. While Ben and fellow students were administered into
a seating plan; this would help Ben focus. Helping Ben in class revealed that Ben
had difficulty remembering instruction and class content. In conversations
with ESO and teaching staff at the school, Ben dislikes the extra attention and
prefers to be treated like his fellow classmates. In a letter written by Ben, he
expresses his interests in the form of images; this could highlight the need for
visual aids when teaching Ben. Interests for Ben include video games,
Basketball, surfing and being outdoors. The commencement of induction days
saw Ben encounter some family issues that saw a family member in a car
accident. In that time Ben’s behaviour was quieter than normal, possibly
equating to a stressful home situation. Examining and reading reports, Ben has
an Individual Education Plan (IEP) focusing on social emotional aspects (1.1)

Students in year 10 are going through extreme changes; Duchnese et al (2013) it

discusses the significance of the sociological and physiological forces at play
amongst adolescence in the classroom setting. Adolescence during this time gain
increased strength and coordination of gross motor skills, adding to an already
rapid change in internal and external features (1.1).

Ben is at the pivotal stage of transitioning into an adult, gaining more

responsibility and at the same time discovering his identity. Ben has little
interest in History and often lacks concentration in class activities. Class
expectations will be at the forefront of creating safe environments for all
students.’ Shindler (2010) advocates the benefits for the introduction of
classroom expectations for students. Students will benefit from class
expectations with improved decision-making (Shindler, 2010). Setting
expectations for Ben where he is responsible for developing expectations may
decrease behavioural issues. Class contracts may facilitate all students’
learning in understanding about boundaries, policies and acceptable
behaviours (Shindler, 2010). Social contracts and class expectation will help to
create effective strategies to counteract behavioural management issues
(Shindler, 2010) (1.2)

Marslow’s theory and Carl Rogers’ theory of creating meaningful work

associated with the learner and their inner world is important in understanding
how students learn (Duchnese et al, 2013). Incorporating Ben’s interests will
enable the fostering of engagement and learning, creating an environment where
Ben is on task with content that directly relates to his inner world (Duchnese et
al, 20103).

Ben shows he can often be disruptive with other students; this disruption could
indicate that content is not being differentiated on students’ interest and
readiness levels. Ben’s low level of intrinsic motivation may help in
understanding how Ben learns and what learning styles may suit his readiness
levels. Observing Ben’s work and recent reports indicate the need for explicit
instruction and content that is diversified to cater for different learning styles.
Gardner’s (1983) model of intelligence describes non-traditional intelligences.
Assessing Ben’s work indicated that he has Spatial and Bodily-kinaesthetic
intelligences’. Ben excels and enjoys outdoor sports. Biking and surfing are key
hobbies that he has expressed. Introducing visual cues may help Ben in
understanding class content. Creating class formative and summative
assessment that takes into account all students’ diverse intelligences’ will create
an inclusive environment facilitating rich learning.

Action plan Ben:

Ben and students within the class will demonstrate through a variety of
narratives to create a letter/multimedia presentation about events and stories in
the Pacific War. Students will understand and learn of events and developments
that were significant in World War Two. Students will use a variety of secondary
and primary sources to facilitate knowledge and understanding of
significant events. In order to be inclusive for all students,’ differentiated
strategies will be used to increase intrinsic motivation (2.2). Approaches to
student interests will be embedded with the choices of writing a letter/multi-
media presentation. In capturing Ben’s attention, the assessment will be
modified enabling Ben to write a letter, incorporating his interests. Establishing
further differentiated practices, negotiating with Ben on the type of
letter/presentation he will write will help in engaging Ben in the task and
increase intrinsic motivation (2.2). In order to further develop Ben’s knowledge
and understanding of the Pacific War, group tasks will contribute in to improving
his verbal and language skills (2.1).
Assessment Criteria :

Students, including Ben will be asked to complete an Empathy Task about the
Prisons of War (POW), under the Japanese Army or the bombing of Pearl
Harbour. Students’ will understand the Pacific War and its significance to
Australian History. A main focus for Ben, whether he chooses to write a letter
home or to fellow soldiers, will be his engagement and ability to complete the
assessment. Growth mindset and positive feedback will help in improving
Ben’s engagement and effort (2.3).

Outcome Criteria:

The outcome from the unit will result in Ben successfully finishing his
negotiated Empathy Task. Throughout the unit, Ben will engage in content and
class activities in mitigating his disruptive behaviour and enhancing his verbal
skills. Ben will demonstrate his knowledge and understanding in causes and
events and their relevance in present day Australia, aswell as understanding the
relationships between events across different areas (3.1).

Case Study two:

Sarah:

Sarah is a student at Tyndale Christian College in Strathalbyn. Sarah currently is

in Year 7 and has approximately been at Tyndale for one year. Observing Sarah
saw her extremely quiet in the activity for the lesson. It was evident through
instruction that Sarah struggled with interpreting and processing class
instruction. Sarah lacked engagement and showed a lack of concentration
of the activity. Sarah also used a blue sheet on her computer as she cited in
previous lessons, white paper was hard to read. In conversations early into my
induction days, Sarah expressed her discontent with learning History and
expressed how she did not find the topic interesting. In a letter written at the
start of term, Sarah shared some information about herself to the teaching
cohort. Sarah stated that she disliked working in large groups and preferred to
work alone. Sarah has interests in soccer and cricket, eating hotdogs and
watching Titans TV show. The letter also mentioned that Sarah had moved
school five times. After observing Sarah, I consulted with my mentor teacher to
discover that Sarah has Dyslexia.

Domain 1: Professional Standards

Young adolescents are exposed to extreme sociological and physiological
changes during this period of their life. Students of this year/age bracket are
at the crossroads of their self, exploring their minds to find their place in
society. Duchesne et al (2013) describes the ‘sense of self’ for adolescents as
crucial where their social awareness becomes a source of self-efficacy (1.1). In
Sarah’s case, the idea of large groups may be an indication that Sarah compares
her strengths and weaknesses with her peers. Sarah’s comparisons between
classmates also indicate her social awareness could directly affect her
intrinsic motivation (Duchnese et al, 2013). Sarah has attended multiple
schools; this could have an immense impact on the way Sarah learns. The
continued movement across different schools could further indicate Sarah’s lack
of engagement in-group activities. Erkison is a well-known theorist who studied
the psychological development of students; he describes the importance of the
stages of psychological development. Erikson cites the facilitation of good role
models in adolescents; therefore, as a pre-service teacher, my role will be of
paramount importance to support and encourage Sarah. (1.2)

Sarah indicated her limited interest in History; therefore, classes and

content will need to be intrinsically motivating and engaging for all
students. From my observation in the class, Sarah often lacked the motivation to
demonstrate strong interest and effort in her work tasks. Sarah commented on
the objective of certain activities and why she had to complete the task. One
strategy is one the advocates the growth mindset, which will encourage myself to
focus on positive reinforcement (Lerman, 2003). Positive Reinforcement may
help Sarah in staying on track and increase intrinsic motivation. Positive
reinforcement was best described in TED Talks by Rita Pierson’s. In a powerful
example she stated that when a student indicated that they got 18 questions
wrong, Rita said to the student they got two right and positively reinforced what
the student understood; this strategy could help Sarah in staying focused and
engaged (Pierson, 2013). Sarah expressed her discontent for working in big
groups so in order to facilities Sarah’s learning and incorporation of various fun
activities that cater to all students will be incorporated (1.2).

Sarah is a student that has learning needs. Sarah is diagnosed with Dyslexia.
Dyslexia is best described as a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia
results in people having difficultly with specific language skills (spelling, reading,
numbers). Sarah shares many of these symptoms. Whilst observing Sarah found
it difficult to spell and decode phrases in History. In an attempt to better
understand how Sarah best works, the incorporation of differentiated strategies
will enable an inclusive, diversified content delivery to the class. In some
observation classes, Sarah was engaged when the content specifically relates
to her interests. In one class Sarah was deeply disengaged with History, where
the information was not connected to her intrinsic motivations. However, once
the teacher addressed that students write down three things they liked in
hieroglyphics; Sarah instantly was engaged and exceled at completing the
activity. Tomlinson (2016) advocates that importance of differentiated
activities. Creating content for different learning styles and students interests
will empower the learning of students (1.5) (1.6). Assessment wise
(formative/summative) all students learning styles and interest be embedded in
the unit plan through negotiation.

Action Plan: Sarah

Students within year 7 will focus on learning about Ancient China. This unit will
demonstrate students’ knowledge and understanding of Ancient China and
how it has shaped modern day China. During this unit students will create
inquiry questions to research about specific events/influential people. Primary
and Secondary resources skills will be a key focus in students demonstrating
using correct and reliable resources. Students will transfer their knowledge
through the usage of historical concepts, and information across a variety of
different platforms. Sarah as discussed previously has little intrinsic motivation
for history. Sarah has a passion for hands-on-learning; therefore, the current
topic will allow for Sarah to physically create an assessment piece. Keeping
Sarah on task and engaged with class activities will be priority. Class
instruction and content will take into account Sarah’s needs, while trying to
incorporate hands-on-learning where possible.

Assessment Criteria:

The Ancient China Research Assessment will look for students to research a
significant person, landmark or religion that was apart of Ancient China. During
this assessment, Sarah will aim to successfully present information
(practical) about Ancient China. Sarah will be able to describe changes and
significant events that occurred in Ancient China. Throughout the unit Sarah
will engage in work tailored to Sarah’s readiness levels. Engagement will be a
focal learning area that will be addressed to meet learning requirements.
Ongoing assessment will be key in determining whether class strategies or tasks
need to be modified.
Outcomes:

By the completion of the Ancient China unit, I hope Sarah will be able to
complete the major assessment. Sarah will engage more openly amongst class
members, being more open to working with fellow classmates. In class, Sarah’s
engagement will increase, helping in remembering information in class. I will
strive to make Sarah’s lessons intriguing, reinforcing engagement and effort.
 References:

Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., & Krause, K.-L. (2013). The Learner Developing
Over Time. In S. Duchesne, A. McMaugh, S. Bochner, & K.-L. Krause, Educational
Psychology for Teaching and Learning (pp. 55-102). Melbourne: Cengage Learning
Australia Pty Ltd.

Lerman, D. C. (2003). From Laboratory to community application: Translation research in

behavioural analysis. In J. Shindler (1st edition). Transformative Classroom
Management. Positive Strategies to Engage All Students and Promote a Psychology
of Success. (pg 59-81). .Jossey Bass Teacher

Pierson, R,. (2013). Every Kid needs a Champion. Ted Talks on Education. Ted Conferences.
https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Tomlinson, C,. (2016) Institutes on Academic Diversity. University of Virginia Retrieved:

http://differentiationcentral.com/what-is-differentiated-instruction/

Shindler, J. (2010). Examining Motivational Strategies. In J. Shindler. (1st Edition).

Transformative Classroom Management. Positive Strategies to Engage All Students
and Promote a Psychology of Success. (pg 103-127). .Jossey Bass Teacher.

Shindler, J. (2010). Promoting Clear and Shared Classroom Expectations. In J. Shindler (1 st

edition). Transformative Classroom Management. Positive Strategies to Engage All
Students and Promote a Psychology of Success. (pg 59-81). .Jossey Bass Teacher