SC 1: Demonstrated understanding of initiatives in student learning including the

Standards, the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 and Assessment and
Reporting Advice and the capacity to implement curriculum programs consistent with
their intent.
During my time as a student teacher I have been exposed to many different initiatives in
student learning, from this I have been able to develop my own style of teaching which I
believe engages students and allows them to maximise their potential. The recent changes
to priorities in the Victorian curriculum reflect my own personal style of creative innovation
and preparation for learners in the digital world. I also feel that the changes to highlight the
greater need for higher literacy and numeracy skills will greater reflect my teaching methods.
I am confident in my ability and capacity to implement curriculum programs throughout with
school and have demonstrated this through the following:

Working with my mentor teacher and the professional learning team for mathematics,
we identified an issue in our year 7 cohort. We had collectively noticed that the
students were struggling in extension tasks of mathematics and written problems.
As a team we discussed what we could do to increase student outcomes in this
area, to which we decided to hold a weekly problem solving class. This class was on
a Friday, during which the students were usually restless, and consisted of a worded
problem related to the topic to solve in groups which was then presented to the class.

From this we saw a greater number of students attempting the worded questions in
the extended response section of their books. We felt this also addressed a need to
implement literacy skills into mathematics, which was previously lacking. We also
found that approximately 10% of students asked to be extended further with these
written problem classes. From this we devised a solution to have these students
create their own worded problems that we then solved in future classes.

This year, the mathematics department at manor lakes p-12 College were discussing
the changes to the curriculum and how it will affect the current Matrices topic.
We concluded that we would need to recreate the lessons to account for the new
material to be covered. As I was eager to get involved, I offered to take the lead on
the assignment to improve my skills as an educator. We felt that due to the new
topics in the unit we will be conducting after school catch up classes where students
can revise what was taught each week without distractions. It provided an opportunity
for students to approach myself or my mentor with questions they have from the
exercises completed at home.
This unit is currently ongoing, but I am interested in reviewing the results of the SAC
work to compare with the quiz results to view each students development and areas
for improvement.

A key topic, which is studied during the manor lakes p-12 colleges ICT curriculum, is
databases using access.
From our work in class my mentor and I felt that we needed to create an assessment
that was literacy based and posed as a real world ICT client requesting a solution to

a particular problem. We felt that this as more beneficial than a standard instruction
based assessment as it provided a glimpse into the ICT industry. We deemed the
SAC to be very successful and had very few redemption tasks to complete.
However, I do understand that the role of a teacher is more than curriculum based
learning, this is why we follow the principles of learning and teaching guidelines.
POLT holds teachers to high standards to ensure we do the best for our students. I
have shown the POLT principals by:

Focusing on student relationships to ensure that children are in a safe and supportive
environment.
Scaffolding and extending plans and work to ensure that no child feels left behind or
gifted children feel wasted or unutilised.
Fostering a classroom that is success criteria based and allows students to take
charge of their own learning as well as promoting peer and self-assessments in the
classroom to provide students the opportunity to reflect on their own learning.
Creating challenging tasks that are both relevant to the curriculum but also relevant
to the lives and interests of students.
Implementing an environment that is technologically savvy and implementing new
technology for the benefits in learning and teaching.
Going beyond the classroom and attending cultural and ideological events different to
my own to better understand my students.
Having links to the greater community through my involvement in local theatre and
volunteer groups in Werribee and Altona.

Assessment is a critical process in student learning and an insight into how we can better
cater for each individuals learning. There are many methods we can use to assess students
and determine their zone of proximal development, but they tend to lie under the following
categories; Assessment for, assessment as or assessment of learning. I believe I have
demonstrated or plan to demonstrate each aspect as follows:

Assessment of learning, by created assessments that are based on the covered

material and have clear and concise criteria linked. Such as tests or assignments
which directly link to the Victorian curriculum.
Assessment as learning, by holding class discussions and Socratic seminars as well
as peer assessments to ensure that students are learning while showing their
knowledge.
Assessment for learning, by having pre-tests and benchmarks for students to
improve upon. This can be used to inform me of what each student can do before a
unit begins. As an informal assessment I enjoy using Kahoot as a warm up activity.

I am eager to continue learning and developing my skills as a teacher in correspondence

with the mentioned documentation. I am interested in using my ICT, mathematics and
performance background to implement curriculum and extra-curricular programs in schools. I
intend to further innovate and bring new technologies and logical based tasks into my
classrooms with the hope of moulding minds in a safe and productive environment.

SC2 Demonstrated high level classroom teaching skills and the capacity to work
with colleagues to continually improve teaching and learning.
Each teaching professional has a different method to ensure that their classroom is being
taught at the highest standard and it is essential to work with other teachers and team
leaders to continually improve on this. I find that the key to all strategies is knowing your
students and how they learn. I have learned a lot of my personal teaching style from
Howards Gardners multiple intelligences theory, Vygotskys zones of proximal development
and Maslows theory of human motivation. From this I feel that all my classes need to be
engaging and motivating but also need to be differentiated to suit students abilities. On top
of this I also need to change the ways I am teaching to suit the different types of learners in
the classroom. I feel I have best demonstrated my teaching skills and collaborative work
during my placements by:

Completing the AVID program and training, which follows principals that I believe
are important for the students of today.
The program attempts to raise student achievement and tertiary study rates by
teaching students the key to note-taking, revision and tutorial based learning. I
have participated in this program for two years and would like to implement it at
schools or collaborate and participate in schools that have already adopted the
program. In my own classroom I intend to adopt principals such as Cornell note
taking and required revision and summaries for homework.

Coming from an ICT background, I am always looking to implement and utilise

technology in the classroom. I feel that we need to teach students to be active
participants in the digital age.
I will always being looking into new technologies and how I can best utilise them
to innovate my classroom. I am currently collaboration with another teacher on a
mathematics based YouTube channel with the eventual hope to have an entire
unit as a flipped classroom where learning is done at home and work is done in
the classroom. Another innovation I would like to use is Livescribe technology
where a student is given a pen to do written work and then the movements on
the page is sent to an app on the teachers notebook. I feel this could change the
way we work in terms of behavioural management and work ethic in middle and
senior years as well as word and letter formations in the earlier years. This
movements can also be recorded and shown to parents or shared with them in
an online environment.

SC3 Demonstrated ability to monitor and assess student learning data and to use
this data to inform teaching for improved student learning.
Due to my current role as a student teacher, my exposure to student data is somewhat
limited. However, coming from my maths background I am a firm believer in data and
statistics. I feel the only pure genuine way to track student progress is through assessment
and comparison with earlier works or pre-assessments. I have applied or Im interested in
applying the different methods of assessment to my classroom and future teaching in the
following ways:

Assessment of learning through the use of tests in Maths as well as assignments

with explicit criteria. In terms of mathematics in particular I would like to move away
from tests and look towards a worded problem based assessment which asks for
students to apply their knowledge. I feel this is a more beneficial and pure method to
see a students understanding of the covered material. I also feel that on test we
should have more explanation based questions where a student needs to explain
why a step or process is taken.

Assessment as learning by stressing the importance of goal and learning criteria

driven learning. I feel this should the basis for the start of any lesson as it informs the
students of what they should know how to do by the end of the session. In the
modern classroom this can often be overlooked and leave students without that
knowledge of why they are doing what they are doing.

Assessment for learning by focusing on early evaluations in the classroom to

determine an entry point for the topic. This will provide me with the information I need
to properly differentiate tasks for students and evaluate their progress.

I my classes I intend to use Socratic seminars and group discussions as an informal

assessment to reveal the understandings and misconceptions of each student. I feel
that these informal settings can be a great opportunity to gauge this.

I feel in my classes it is important to provide students with regular and concise

feedback to help them with their own learning. To do this I plan to keep data from
every lesson with sections for effort, behaviours, attendance and also a general
comment section. I can ten refer back to this when speaking to students individually
about classes.

I will continue to develop my strategies in this area and use it to inform myself and fellow
teachers about whether a lesson or activity was successful or not. I look forward to using
these assessments to improve my own teaching and achieving the best possible outcomes
for students. I believe with my background sin mathematics and ICT I can use this data to be
as useful as possible and help the greater school community.

SC4 Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills and high level
interpersonal skills including a capacity to develop constructive relationships with
students, parents and other staff.
My personal teaching philosophy states that Student relationships is the key to classroom
success. However, teaching is not a solo profession in that we need relationships with
parents, teachers and other staff to maximise what effect we have on students. To
communicate effectively with parents we need to

During my time working in OSHC centres I have developed a rapport with students
and staff alike. Over the past few years I have ensured that I have also developed
relationships with parents, this is because without their support at home we will find
difficulties succeeding in our efforts in the classroom and school.
As part of the OSHC program we generally replicate the mother and father roles in a
family, meaning we need to have close relationships with parents. When I adopt
these skills into my teaching, I can build a web of support for each individual student
and help as many as possible achieve their best. Whilst working in the BOSHC
centre I was invited to attend the parents and friends trivia evening where I got to
make a lot of new relationships as well as consolidate current ones. Attendance in
these events can be essential to building relationships with parents and staff alike in
a less formal setting.

Part of my ICT knowledge extends into the legal side of communications technology.
Teachers now need to be careful in what they write in emails as they can now be
considered evidence in the courtroom. Because of this, we need to ensure that we
write emails in a professional and impartial manner, even if the email is internal.

Whilst on placement at Kurunjang secondary college Melton I was fortunate enough

to be invited to social club meetings on Fridays where we all got to know each other
better. I feel that these exercises and clubs provide an opportunity to build a bond
with fellow professionals and build the support system for myself as a first year
teacher.

Over the past few years I have found that I can build relationships with students quite
easily due to my age and that I keep up with current trends. I feel that this sets me
apart from some colleagues and will benefit my teaching over my career.

Communication is one of the key components of modern schools. As said previously

teaching is not a solo profession but one where relationships can be invaluable. This is one
of the reasons I chose to take on this profession.

SC5 Demonstrated commitment and capacity to actively contribute to a broad range

of school activities and a commitment to ongoing professional learning to enable
further development of skills, expertise and teaching capacity.
One of the main reasons I chose to become a teacher was that I once had a teacher who
changed my perspective and offered me an opportunity to do something I love. I feel that a
large part of teaching is not just what is done in the classroom but what is done outside. We
can also help improve our school and community just by taking a little initiative. I feel I can
best contribute to a school in the following ways:

Coming from a theatre background, I have a lot of ties to the amateur companies in
Geelong, Werribee, Altona and Williamstown. I can use these contacts to assist
students in chasing their own interests like I did in secondary college.

I was the director of my own production in 2014, where I took creative control of
music and acting and would be interested in getting involved or implementing a
theatre production or Wakakirri as an extra-curricular.

Due to my work in film and TV I will be willing and interested in implementing a movie
club or an extra-curricular class into film and TV production. This can be a platform
for many students to express themselves or move into the industry.

Coming from a background in ICT I always am keeping track of the latest and
greatest technologies available, I will always be interested in attempting to use them
in my own class and if successful running professional development for staff.

I have attended various professional developments and relayed them back to the
OSHC centre, putting on my own professional development. The recent sessions I
have attended have been go girls, go for IT and Indigenous cultural awareness.

Having two years experience in AVID including training days and tutorial sessions
with students I will always be looking to implement these methods in my own class. If
the school is interested in moving into the AVID program then I will be interested in
running sessions to help staff learn about Cornell notes, Socratic seminars, Costas
levels of questioning and the tutorial process. I can also use my contacts with Victoria
University to organise tutors.

Playing both soccer and AFL in my lifetime, both in leadership roles, I will be willing
and able to contribute to sports teams in terms of coaching and drilling. During my
time working with the Western Bulldogs in their friendly schools program I created
and ran most clinics for Carranballac.

Having musical and performance experience I feel I can contribute to any

performances and extracurricular activities. Having experience as an MC for several
events allows me to host any live events as required.

I am very excited about a career in a school where I can extend myself into as many areas
as possible. I feel that this will be rewarding and fulfilling to see students excel in areas
outside and inside the classroom. I know I have a lot to contribute and I am eager to get

involved in the school community.