Professional Experience Office

School of Education
Telephone: 8201 3330
Fax: 8201 2568

Professional Experience Report 2015

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE FINAL YEAR
Middle & Secondary Schooling
Year 4 Undergraduate & Year 2 Master of Teaching

Pre service teacher name

Cassandra Powell

Student No.

2107551

Site

Roxby Downs Area School

Year level(s) taught

9 - 12

Site mentor teacher

Subject

Physical Education

Site coordinator

Tony Holden

University liaison

Diane Howarth

40 day placement
Site Context

School Coordinator - Context statement about your school

Site sector (DECD), Independent.

Roxby Downs Area School is a South Australian State

Site size, class size and composition of

Government school conducted by DECD. It was

campus

established in 1987 to support the newly created

(R-12, Area, Primary, Secondary)

Olympic Dam mine and continues to adapt to its

Physical and/or unique characteristics.

dynamic growth. It shares facilities with the local

Students with specific needs.

TAFE and during school the Leisure Centre, ovals

Socio-economic factors.

and tennis courts. The school has excellent

teaching facilities including 2 science
laboratories, 3 Computer Suites, Photography
Laboratory,Art Room, Music Room, Drama Room, Senior
Room and Open Access Room. The school population
has grown from 100 in 1987 to over 600. Years 7-12
students from Andamooka travel by bus to school.
Mentor Teacher - Summary Statements

Professional Relationships

Comments

PROFESSIONAL & COLLEGIAL LEARNING

Cassandra actively sought to participate in as many

Teachers actively engage in personal and

professional learning opportunities as possible.

collegial learning within the professional

She attended all whole staff and cohort meetings

community

during her placement including attending an ICT in

schools development day as part of the secondary
school personal development. Cassandra also
participated in the Metropolitan Fire Service Road
Awareness Program presentation.Cassandra was
constantly asking advice and seeking professional
guidance during her time at RDAS. She engaged with
a number of staff members and took time to observe
a number of different staff members in order to
gain a wide range of experience. Cassandra also had
the opportunity to work with the Physical education
faculty to redevelop the entire secondary PE
curriculum, aligning it with the Australian
Curriculum.

LEARNER RESPECT

Cassandra quickly developed a strong rapport with

Teachers foster trusting and respectful

students, taking time in the first week to talk

relationships with all learners

with students individually and small groups,

learning about them both inside and outside of the
school context.Cassandra was able to develop strong
professional relationships within the classroom,
being approachable to the students, while being
able to maintain an effective working environment
for the group. She did this by following the school
behaviour management guidelines, and remaining
consistent in her approach to this.Cassandra
regularly joined in with the group during practical
lessons, and also within the wider community,
playing and helping with a variety of community
sports. Through this approach Cassandra was able to
model active participation and encourage some of
the more reluctant students to join the activity.
Cassandra participated in the year 10 career camp
to Adelaide, where she further strengthened her
relationship with the students.

PARENT/CAREGIVER & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

Throughout her time at Roxby Downs Area School

Teachers work effectively with

Cassandra took an active role within the community

parents/caregivers and the wider

through various sporting groups. She made regular

community

professional contact with Parents/ Caregivers using

Daymap, and played an active role in the Parent
Teacher interview evening.

Professional Knowledge

Comments

LEARNING PROCESSES

During Physical Education practical lessons

Teachers know about learning processes and how Cassandra worked within a variety of different age
to teach and implement

groups from, including years 10, 11 and 12.

Cassandra was able to effectively plan and
implement a variety of sports across these year
levels including Basketball, Netball, Volleyball
and touch Football. Cassandra developed a series of
lessons across all practical topics that were
engaging for the students and allowed for maximum
individual participation. Cassandra used a variety
of teaching techniques utilising visual and oral
cues, building the principals of skill acquisition
when delivering practical content, and allowed time
for discussion, reflection and feedback throughout
the lesson.

LEARNING CONTENT

Cassandra was able to deliver a variety of content

Teachers know the content they teach

to the students throughout her practicum. This was

well organised in advance and provided
opportunities for the students to engage in a
variety of different learnings.  Cassandra
demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the
topics she delivered. This was particularly evident
when she requested to write and assess the year 10
and year 11 Physical education exams. These were
well written and assessed.

LEARNING CONTEXT

Cassandra ad he opportunity to work with a diverse

Teachers know about learner contexts and

group of students from a variety of different

diversity

backgrounds and learning needs. Roxby Downs Area

School has several  students that Cassandra
was able to plan for incorporating SSOs where
applicable. She worked especially well with one of
the year 12 students who had missed large portions
of year 10 and 11 due to illness. Cassandra was
able to scaffold tasks and develop effective
structures for this student to successfully
complete specific tasks.

Professional Practice
PLANNING AND TEACHING
Teachers plan and implement teaching

Comments
Cassandra was well prepared for all of the lessons
that she taught. As a result the classes were

strategies for successful learning experiences engaged, and actively participated in the
activities provided. Cassandra developed sequential
learning opportunities which allowed the students
to build on prior knowledge and continually develop
skills and understanding as lessons progressed.
FEEDBACK AND REPORTING

Cassandra regularly provided students with feedback

Teachers assess and report learning outcomes

during practical and theory lessons. She was able

to build on peer and self assessment practices, and
incorporated regular individual and group feedback
to the students. Cassandra engaged in internal
moderation of student work in both Physical
Education and Health topics. Her participation in
subject development and Australian Curriculum
planning days allowed to  further develop her
knowledge and understanding of planning and
assessing in a relevant and real life setting.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

From the beginning of her practicum Cassandra was

Teachers create a safe, challenging and

able to develop positive professional relationships

supportive environment

with students ranging from years 9 - 12. As a

result she was able to create an environment in
which students were comfortable to work and seek
assistance. Her flexibility in planning, and
ability to work with individual students and small
groups ensured that students needs were met in
different circumstances. The fact that she engaged
in a variety of sporting groups in the local
community also allowed her to develop relationships
with students and parents out of the school
setting. Throughout her time at Roxby Downs Area
School Cassandra was a positive member of the
school community who was always willing to help

Pre-service teacher: Comments

In my time at Roxby Downs Area School I was able to develop my pedagogy and skills
within the classroom immensely. I was also able to develop wonderful student teacher
relationships with all of the students quickly, with many students saying at the end of
my practicum that they didn't want me to leave. I enjoyed the community life in Roxby
Downs as it reminded me of home and I was able to get further involved through sporting
events and events within community. My time in Roxby Downs flew and I couldn't believe
how quickly the eight week block went, I actually didn't want to leave. I am so greatful

to Roxby Downs Area School for providing the opportunities that they did on my final
year practicum.
University Liaison: Summary statement
During her placement at Roxby Downs Area School, I contacted
Cassandra several times via email and things were going very well. I also phoned her
twice and she was very happy with her progress and the support that she was getting from
the school. Midway through her placement, I met Cassandra while she was in Adelaide with
the school on a Year 10 camp. We met for a coffee and chat and her mentor teacher was
able to come along too. We talked in detail about Cassandras experiences during her
placement. I gave her some feedback on her lesson preparations which she had emailed to
me earlier and some strategies to help improve her classroom worksheets. Cassandra was
very receptive to these ideas and implemented them into her lesson plans. Cassandra was
very determined to make the most of her opportunities during her placement, and from my
dealings with her and her mentor, I sensed that she was performing exceptionally well
and setting a good impression. Her mentor teacher indicated that she was very impressed
with Cassandra and even mentioned early in her placement that the school already felt
that Cassandra was ready for employment as a teacher.
School Coordinator: Final Comments (optional)
Cassandra has been a positive and vibrant member of the Roxby Downs Area School
community during her practicum. She was well prepared for her teaching component, often
asking for extra responsibility. This was demonstrated when she asked to write and
assess the year 10 and year 11 Physical Education exams. Cassandra developed positive,
professional relationships with staff, students and the wider community during her stay,
and maintained a high level of professionalism in the classroom.
School Coordinator:
The pre-service teacher may wish to submit this report with an application for

employment. Please

avoid the use of acronyms as student reports are often viewed by interstate and international
employers who are not always familiar with South Australian nomenclature
Name of School Mentor Teacher(s):

Date:

Name of School coordinator: Tony Holden Date:

Consideration has been given to the complexities and degree of challenge of the professional
experience context in evaluating the pre-service teacher's ability to meet the assessment criteria
for the professional experience.
In our opinion, the pre-service teacher HAS demonstrated competency in the professional teaching standards for registration in SA

SATISFACTORY
University Liaison
Name of

University

Report ID: 001719

Liaison: Diane Howarth Date: 15.09.2015