Introduction

The public perceptions of teaching as a profession had been fluctuating through out
the years. Even though, people acknowledge that teaching is a noble profession (may be a
noble job), the attitudes towards the work of schools and teachers are seen to be easy with
lower working hours. People who hold admiration to individual teachers they know, still
disparage the general teaching community. Thus, the community perceptions towards
teachers are not uniform and change from time to time according to the needs. The essay
tries to critically analyse the famous quote of Bernard Shaw which stereotype teachers to be
those who cannot achieve anything. It explores the complexity of work that a teacher does,
alongside their professional standards, professional learning and integrity.

Professionalism

To explain the professionalism involved in teaching, let us define professionalism in

general or what is considered as a profession. “A profession is a disciplined group of
individuals who adhere to ethical standards. This group positions itself as possessing special
knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education
and training at a high level. A profession is also prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise
these skills in the interests of others” (Professional Standards Council, n.d.). The teaching
profession fit in the different aspects of this definition, but the profession lacks the mystique
like other professions, so the work of teachers is to render knowable knowledge and skills and
so is considered less professional (Parliament of Australia, n.d.).

To substantiate teachers are a disciplined group, what does discipline mean in a

profession? A discipline comprises of its own topic areas, independent goals, independent
research methods, an independent system of secure knowledge and various organisational
allocations (Dahncke et al., as cited in Loughran, 2009). Hence teaching is a discipline where
teachers require sound knowledge a of their curriculum and the pedagogy. The curriculum
and pedagogy itself are structured in a disciplined way with lesson plans, mandatory activities
and assessment components. The pedagogy requires meeting the different needs of the
students with pre-designed policies and strategies for teachers.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers(APST) outline these standards at

different levels of teaching profession (Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead)
 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

and at different domains of teaching (Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and

Professional Engagement) (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2011).
The APST itself is constructed for a systematic and disciplined way for teaching. Teachers are
needed to meet the standards for quality teaching at schools and it is mandatory to do so.
The seven standards are:

1. Know students and how they learn

2. Know the content and how to teach it

3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

6. Engage in professional learning

7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

Teacher professionalism is an ongoing and changing aspect. As described by Sachs

(2016), there are three major factors shaping teacher professionalism: Performance culture,
increased accountability and continued imposition of teaching standards. These are complex
and interconnected factors through out the different aspects of teaching curriculum,
pedagogy and assessment. The credibility of performance indicators used, the two-sided
accountability (one by teachers themselves and the other by the government and employers)
and standards imposed is matter of thought (Ditchburn, 2012). Standards can be used as a
regulatory tool to politically control education or as a tool for actual development and
improvement of teacher quality (Sachs, 2016).

Despite all these standards to follow, knowledge to possess and continued learning
that teachers undertake, teachers are often undervalued because of the increasing demands
with unrealistic expectations (Parliament of Australia, n.d.). Stereotypic opinions become
common in a such a scenario when people think they know about the profession and cannot
acknowledge the complexity of the work involved and the external regulatory involvements.

Curriculum

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 2

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

The demands of the curriculum in Australia are increasing and changing enormously
with the development of science and technology. Curriculum is study of all education
phenomena (Eagen, 1978). It includes subjects, content, materials, syllabus, performance
objectives etcetera.an effective curriculum should have clarity of purpose and intended
outcomes, an effective rationale and scaffolding for content selection and explanations to
support intellectually, whereas specifying the contents to be taught by their sequence
throughout the years can be called syllabus (Atweh & Sing, 2011).

In Australia, the national curriculum was developed by ACARA (Australian Curriculum

Assessment and Reporting Authority) and there is individual state level curriculum developed
by the state bodies (for example NESA in NSW). Australian National Curriculum was
developed based on the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians
(Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008). Goal one is
that Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence and goal two is to ensure all young
Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and
informed citizens.

The cross-curriculum priorities evolved from the idea of a relevant, contemporary and
engaging curriculum focusses on three major priorities (ACARA, n.d.). Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander histories and cultures which help students to have a deeper understanding and
appreciation of the Aboriginal people, culture, knowledge and views. Asia and Australia’s
engagement with Asia is an opportunity to know and celebrate the social, cultural, political
and economic connectedness of Australia and Asia. Sustainability is prioritised to enable
students to learn knowledge, skills and values to live a more sustainable pattern of life.

Another major aspect of the Australian Curriculum was the general capabilities which
include literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology capability, critical
and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural
understanding (ACARA, n.d.). It is believed to bring richness and depth to learning when these
are included along with the learning areas.

The above said complexities involved in following the curriculum priorities and to
finish the syllabus content in the given limited hours of teaching justifies the amount of out
of class work a teacher must undertake. Teachers are to engage students into social and

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 3

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

cultural capabilities and simultaneously prepare them for the competitive global education
These high-level expectations on the education outcomes makes teaching a complex process
incorporating all the curriculum needs, keeping up their own standards and researching
towards the need for advancement.

Pedagogy

Pedagogy relates to the practice of educating which include instructional strategies

and methods which qualify learning and provide skills, attitudes and dispositions in a social
and material context (UK Department of Education, 2015). The quality teaching model in NSW
is the foundation for effective pedagogy, which can be applied from Kindergarten to Year 12
and across all key learning areas. The eighteen elements categorised under the three major
dimensions of intellectual quality, quality teaching environment and significance empirically
links teaching quality and student learning (NSW Department of Education and Training,
2003). The department again explains that the main aim of the guide is to support teacher
professional learning by reflection and analysis of the current classroom practices. The quality
teaching model thus demands high quality intellectual work by the teachers to what content
to be taught, what concepts are to be learned, what sort of activities are to be incorporated
and what kind of assessments are to be done to enhance student engagement and learning
(Gore, 2007).

Teachers play the role of orchestrators of learning environments, student inputs and
interactions. Through the ways they adopt in class rooms, teachers offer feedbacks that can
shape the identity and values of a student (Harrell-Levy and Kerpelman, 2010). These two
facets of pedagogy; the struggles to develop a method to suit everyone in the class and at the
same time be the role model to students to help them build their identity pressurises teachers
in many ways. Hence, an everyday classroom is an experimental laboratory for a teacher
where he/she must meet the standards, ensure student engagement, enhance teaching and
learning quality and reform student identity.

Assessment

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 4

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Assessment is the process of judging student learning by gathering and interpreting

evidence. It serves as an important link between learning outcomes, content and teaching
and learning activities (ACT Department of Education, 2011). Assessments can be formal or
informal, diagnostic, formative and summative. Different approaches used for student
achievement assessment are norm referenced (comparison relative to each other) and
criterion referenced (relative to a pre-defined standards). Assessments are not just tests, but
best practice assessments include different forms such as anecdotal records, authentic tasks,
checklists, conferences, games, self-evaluations, teacher observations etcetera.

The National Assessment Plan for Numeracy and Literacy (NAPLAN) in Australia is
considered to evaluate and compare the general literacy and numeracy capabilities of
students at different levels. Although the testing system was introduced to assist teachers
and parents to understand the skill levels of students and help them improve, how had it
helped our students to improve is still a debating topic. The declining NAPLAN results and
inequality in education among the disadvantaged communities are often pointed out as the
evidences of the failure of standardised testing (Ford, 2013).

On the other hand, the comparison between schools according to the NAPLAN results
had created more pressure on schools and teachers so that intensive focus is given for the
performance in the tests. This elevates the complexity of teaching to respond to the meeting
the high expectations of the society. Thus, teaching is often underrated merely because of
the high and impractical expectations of the society.

Gifted and Talented Students

Gifted and talented (GAT) students are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging
learning opportunities drawn from the Australian Curriculum and aligned with their individual
learning needs, strengths, interests and goals (Australian Curriculum, n.d.). The Australian
Curriculum outlines general advice on interconnected use of curriculum content, cross
curriculum priorities and general capabilities to personalise the learning experience of the
GAT students. An example of differentiation of tasks and activities for GAT students are also
given to develop a personalised learning for the students

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 5

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Henderson and Jarvis (2016) provides a gifted version of the APST which incorporates
the different professional standards and the related APST descriptors. The article portrayed
the incorporation of the APST and educational goals into teaching and learning of GAT
students. An understanding of the GAT students and how they learn is crucial in designing
curriculum, assessment, programs and activities for them (NAGC, as cited in Henderson and
Jarvis, 2016). Gifted students are found in all groups of a multicultural society.

A teacher’s planning for GAT starts from the proper identification of the gifted ones.
Teachers need to assess their students with different checklists and rating scales, through
their academic and school records, formal assessments like IQ tests and a wholesome
evaluation of a student in many perspectives. Based on this, teachers are needed to make
specific educational and behavioural recommendations for GAT students (Catholic Education
Office -Archdiocese of Melbourne, 2013). Then comes the curriculum differentiation, which
is adapting the usual curriculum to meet the needs of GAT (Catholic Education Office -
Archdiocese of Melbourne, 2013). Curriculum differentiation for GAT students usually include
accelerated differentiation. For example, in Year 5 when students are introduced to solar
system, the GAT students can be asked to research on their own to find the information of
planets and design an intergalactic tour. Cross curriculum priorities are incorporated through
learning of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples’ explanation of day and night and use of
this for navigation. In addition, when teaching GAT students with disabilities personalised
learning strategies are expanded to address these difficulties as well (Australian Curriculum,
n.d; Catholic Education Office -Archdiocese of Melbourne, 2013).

Assessments for GAT students also vary. Teachers need to do pre-assessment to

understand the background knowledge of the student and then do the post assessment with
extended learning outcomes. The feedback provided to the students should also be
differentiated according to the student capabilities and encourage them for lifelong learning
(Catholic Education Office -Archdiocese of Melbourne, 2013). Most of the times, GAT students
are taught along with other students in the same classroom. Teachers are responsible to
respond to these personalised needs of their students through developing methods of
instruction and curriculum adjustments.

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 6

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Conclusion

Teachers and teaching have got many standards, guidelines, code of conduct, rules,
policies, curriculum (National, State wise), pedagogy, assessments, and adjustments of all
these for personalised learning. However, what succeeds in the classroom depends on the
out of classroom work that a teacher does and how well the teacher align the complexity and
inter relationship between this. Finally, the complexity of care involved should also be
considered as teachers have the primary duty of care. To conclude, the profession of teaching
is unique because a teacher involves in the life of student in a way that can change it forever.

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 7

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

REFERENCES

ACT Department of Education. (2011). Teachers’ Guide to Assessment. Retrieved

from
http://www.det.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/297182/Teachers_G
uide_to_Assessment_Web.pdf

Atweh, B., & Singh, P. (2011). The Australian Curriculum: Continuing the National
Conversation. Australian Journal Of Education, 55(3), 189-196.
doi:10.1177/000494411105500302

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Curriculum.

Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum

Australian Curriculum. (n.d.). Gifted and Talented Students. Retrieved from

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/student-
diversity/gifted-and-talented-students/

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Catholic Education Office Archdiocese of Melbourne. (2013). Gifted and Talented

Students. A Resource Guide for Teachers in Victorian Catholic Schools.
Retrieved from http://www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/getmedia/0d923109-6fb2-
4f32-a2e6-c437073dfccf/Gifted-and-Talented-handbook.aspx?ext=.pdf

Ditchburn, G. (2012). A national Australian curriculum: In whose interests. Asia

Pacific Journal of Education, 32(3), 259-269. doi:
10.1080/02188791.2012.711243

Egan, K. (1978). What is curriculum. Curriculum Inquiry, 8(1), 65-72. Doi:

10.2307/1179791

Ford, M. (2013). Achievement gaps in Australia: What NAPLAN reveals about

education inequality in Australia. Race Ethnicity and Education, 16 (1), 80-
102. Doi: 10.1080/13613324.2011.645570

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 8

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Gore, J. (2007). Improving pedagogy: The challenges of moving teachers toward

higher levels of quality teaching. In. J. Butcher, L. McDonald (Eds.). Making a
difference: Challenges for Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education (pp. 15-
35). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers

Harrell-Levy, M., & Kerpelman, J. (2010). Identity Process and Transformative

Pedagogy: Teachers as Agents of Identity Formation. Identity, 10(2), 76-91.
Doi:10.1080/15283481003711684

Henderson, L., & Jarvis, J. (2016). The Gifted Dimension of the Australian Professional
Standards for Teachers: Implications for Professional Learning. Australian
Journal of Teacher Education, 41(8), 60-83. Doi:10.14221/ajte.2016v41n8.4

Loughran, J. (2009). Is teaching a discipline? Implications for teaching and teacher

education. Teachers and Teaching, 15(2), 189-203.
Doi:10.1080/13540600902875290

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008).

Melbourne declaration on educational goals of young Australians. Retrieved
from
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_t
he_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

NSW Department of Education and Training. (2003). Quality teaching in NSW public
schools. A classroom practice guide. Retrieved from
https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/quality-teaching-
rounds/Assets/Classroom_Practice_Guide_ogogVUqQeB.pdf

Parliament of Australia. (n.d.). Chapter 4- Perceptions of teachers’ status. Retrieved

from
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Educa
tion_Employment_and_Workplace_Relations/Completed_inquiries/1996-
99/teachers/report/c04

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 9

 102086 DESIGNING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Professional Standards Council. (n.d.). What is a Profession. Retrieved from

http://www.psc.gov.au/what-is-a-profession

Sachs, J. (2016). Teacher professionalism: why are we still talking about it?. Teachers
and Teaching, 22(4), 413-425. Doi:10.1080/13540602.2015.1082732

UK Department of Education. (2015). Pedagogy in early childhood education and

care (ECEC): An international comparative study of approaches and policies.
Retrieved from
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/upload
s/attachment_data/file/445817/RB400_-
_Early_years_pedagogy_and_policy_an_international_study.pdf

18158263 NIMMI ANN VARGHESE 10