Jaclyn Munro

jaclyn.munro@live.vu.edu.au
0478 646 682

Dear the Principal and the Selection Panel,

I am a student at Victoria University currently completing a Masters of Secondary Teaching, after having
graduated from my Bachelor of Applied Science (Secondary Physical Education) last year. By the conclusion
of 2015, I will be qualified to teach Physical Education and Health from year seven to twelve as well as General
Science from year seven to ten and VCE Biological Science.
I am currently eligible to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and I have a current Working with
Children Check, Austswim, level 2 First Aid and CPR certificate, as well as a current Victorian Drivers
License. I am also currently completing a Leadership Development Course at my part time job. I was able to
take part in this due to the nomination from my Venue Manager at Bounce Inc., Essendon Fields. I was selected
for this program due to my high level of work ethic, dedication to my work and support of staff members. Prior
to this course, I was also awarded the Customer Service award for my rapport and enthusiasm with customers.
I have completed school placements at Roxburgh College and Footscray City College. During these
placements, I was supervised by the Head of Physical Education at both schools as well as a senior teacher in
science. My placement has given me the opportunity to develop a teaching pedagogy that enables all students to
reach their full potential within my classes. I believe that active participation within the classroom is a priority.
This encourages the students to pursue greater opportunities to grow on an academic, physical, emotional and
spiritual level. This will allow them to develop personally and socially to have significance, influence and
service within the wider community. I have also attained strong skills in behaviour and classroom management
which is known to be most difficult in public schools within low socio-economic areas. I believe I am capable
to transfer these skills within your school.
Outside of study and work, I participate competitively at an elite level in Calisthenics on a regular basis and
have extensive experience training and coaching adolescents as a part-time activity. I display and assist my
pupils to develop a high level of confidence within themselves, co-operation with other team mates and
discipline during rehearsals. I have been involved in this sport for 20 years and have represented Victoria on a 9
separate occasions with the persistence to always strive for excellence. Being actively engaged within
Calisthenics extends my passion for dance and performing arts which I would like to be actively involved in
within a school environment in addition to Science, Physical Education and Health.
I am enthusiastic, reliable, organised and hardworking. My motivation, great sense of humour and positive
nature enables me to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds. I work well collaboratively and have gained
strong communication skills from working within key learning areas teams of science and physical education at
my school placements as well as various competitive sporting teams.
Please find attached a copy of my Curriculum Vitae which highlights various skills and experiences I have
developed during my studies and previous employment as well as my responses to the key selection criteria. I
look forward to hearing from you in regards to my application.

Yours sincerely,

Jaclyn Munro

Jaclyn Munro

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______________Jaclyn Alana Munro _________________

jaclyn.munro@live.vu.edu.au
0478 646 682
PERSONAL PROFILE:

I have high personal standards which I maintain during study, work and recreation
I have an exceptionally positive attitude which I use to motivate myself and the people around me
I am a caring and compassion person who is always willing to above and beyond my expectations to
benefit my peers
I have an active and dynamic approach to work and completing tasks to a set deadline
I am loyal and determined to maintain a strong bond with people in work and sport groups
I hold a current Victorian Drivers Licence to ensure I am at all my commitments on time
I am always looking for ways to extend my professional development as an educator

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Victoria University (2011-2015)
Currently completing a Masters of Secondary Teaching majoring in Science and Physical Education
Completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education) (Secondary), Victoria University
I have attained my Bronze Medallion, CPR certificate, First Aid Level 2 and Austswim while studying

Buckley Park College (2005-2010)

Completed my VCE at Buckley Park College (2010)
Awarded the Australian Defence Force award for Leadership (2009)
Lead dance choreographer for the school production with a cast of 120 people (2009)

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
Bounce Inc (2014-2015)
Customer Service of all patrons upon entry and exit
Manage school groups and parties that come to the workplace
Prioritise and manage multiple tasks, simultaneously within session timeframes
Strong communication skills to address each customers needs and provide parents with adequate
information to address their concerns
Work within a team of employees to ensure an engaging experience for all patrons
Present myself professionally to uphold the image of the business

Robynmore Calisthenics College (2009-2015)

Manage groups of 20 dancers and instruct while observing individual performance and technique and
provide timely feedback for improvement
Prioritise and manage multiple tasks, simultaneously within session timeframes
Strong communication skills to address each dancers needs and provide parents with adequate
information to address their questions
Work within a team of 3 coaches and a collective of 20 athletes to provide a quality coaching service

Jaclyn Munro

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VOLUNTARY/WORK EXPERIENCE:
Footscray City College, Footscray (2015)
Completed a 4 and a 6 week block placement for Secondary Physical Education and Science
Planning and developing lessons plans for year 8 Science, Year 11 Physical Education, Year 10
Chemistry, Year 10 Fitness, Year 8 Sport and Year 7 Science
Researching and Exploring new styles and approaches to teaching
Listening to the students, understanding any conflicts they face, helping them cope with personal issues
Roxburgh Park College, Roxburgh Park (2013)
Completed 70 hours observational placement for Secondary Physical Education and Health
Planning and developing lessons plans for year 7-10 Physical Education and Health Classes
Researching and Exploring new styles and approaches to teaching
Listening to the students, understanding any conflicts they face, helping them cope with personal issues
Science demonstrations and showcases (2013)
Volunteered over a 3 day camp performing several different science demonstrations at a number of rural
primary and secondary schools within the Bendigo area
Engaged with students aged 5-18 to understand new science concepts in chemistry, biology and physics
Worked with a team of 12 other educators to run a smooth presentation with over 20 different science
demonstrations
Sports Carnivals and Competitions (2011-2015)
Volunteered at multiple sporting carnivals such as: Swimming, Athletics and Cross-country within my
school placements and as part of my Bachelor of Applied Science
Attended various interschool sports competitions such as: Basketball, Soccer, Badminton, Netball and
Football where I have assisted with coaching, training, scoring and on one occasion convening
St. Andrews Kindergarten, Aberfeldie (2010)
Completed 20 hours of Voluntary Work
Class Supervision of approximately 20 students
Promptly Setting up and Packing up several activities
Creating a fun learning environment for the students to learn

COMPUTER SKILLS:
I have experience using both PC and Mac computers and I am proficient with the following programs:
Microsoft Office
Kahoot
Silicon Coach
I have also utilised various ICT resources during teaching rounds to assist student learning of both science and
physical education in junior and senior years.

REFEREES:
Professional Referees:
FRANK RANERI
Senior Science Teacher at Footscray City College
Email: raneri.francesco.f@edumail.vic.gov.au

Personal Referees:
ANDREW YACOUB
Owner of Andys Place and Dribbles
Burgers, Essendon North
Ph: 0414 617 474

NATALIE BOND
Coach at Robynmore Calisthenics College, Essendon
Ph: 0420 534 915

PATRICK CASHIN
Customer Service Supervisor at Bounce
Inc. Essendon Fields.
Ph: 0433 454 669

Jaclyn Munro

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KSC 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.
My journey over the last four years as a pre-service teacher has been insightful and rewarding in understanding
how students learn in various environments. From my first placement in 2011 to my final placement in 2015, I
have been able to develop my approaches to teaching and learning and understand the reason why we
incorporate the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Standards.
My professional knowledge of how students learn in our contemporary lifestyle has reached a level that has
allowed me to engage with students within my method areas of science and physical education. I have found it
much easier to notice students learning capabilities and I have been able to adjust their work to suit their needs,
especially within the years 7-10. I have also been exposed to many students who come from different cultural
backgrounds, some of which have minimal English speaking skills, and I have learnt ways that I can adapt their
learning in science and physical education to help interpret concepts and questions and get the most out of their
education.
I have also been able to engage with student learning through ICT applications as I am very confident with
utilising technology. I have ran classes which are entirely technology based with the inclusion of a digital
textbook, online activity resources and quizzes. I have allowed students to grow their ICT skills by having
assessment tasks based around programs such as PowerPoint and Kahoot.
During my professional practice I have been able to expand my knowledge on how to maintain a strong rapport
with students by initiating classroom management plans, engaging learning resources and implementing student
safety. I have dealt with times of conflict with students from years 7-11 and have been able to resolve
behavioural issues within the classroom and delegate classwork that reflects their developmental capacity as
well as keeping it linked to AusVELS.
In both Physical Education and Science, safety is an important element in the classroom. Within PE, I taught an
elective subject on fitness which had a very large aspect of safety being implemented in a number of different
ways such as correct clothing, technique and following rules within a gym environment which I was able to
implement successfully. Within Science, I did a number of practical activities which were checked through risk
assessments being written and confirmed with the schools laboratory technician and when there were potential
hazards, we were able to discuss these as a class and avoid any chances of issues arising.
During my placements I have been able to develop my professional engagement. During 2015, I have been
involved in Footscray City Colleges Professional Learning Team for Science where I was working with fellow
pre-service teachers and the science department to write up the schools science curriculum on Google Docs. I
was lucky enough to engage in staff meetings two times a week and develop interpersonal skills with other staff
members. During this year, I have also attended a number of Professional Learning Days which were focused
on DEET policies, Human Sexuality within schools and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priorities. I have
learnt a lot of information regarding these topics and look forward to continue my professional development for
many years.
I have used the Principles of Learning and Teaching to provide me with a framework on which to model my
teaching. Within my teaching, I always ensure that my learning environment is supportive and productive,
promoting independence and self-motivation. A way that I can successfully achieve this is through a consistent
approach to each class following the GANAG principles. This is achieved through whole class focus, group
work, and individual work, followed by a reflection.

Jaclyn Munro

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I encourage students to contribute freely to class discussion and attempt all means of assessment without fear of
failure or mockery, thereby facilitating productive debate, higher order thinking and questions skills. This
assists students to meaningfully connect to the classroom and the wider community ensuring that all given
activities have a clear purpose. From these activities I adhere to the Assessment and Reporting Guidelines and
provide students with regular written or oral feedback to improve their learning and my own teaching approach.
I have used both formal and in-formal assessment within the classroom during individual and group work,
verbal presentations and individual conferencing, particularly with students who are sitting below an expected
outcome. I have utilised formative assessment to monitor student learning and provide them with ongoing
feedback that assist me with identifying students strengths and areas for improvement. I have done this during
class discussion time where I allow different students to explain concepts to the class.
I have also tailored certain summative assessment tasks in accordance to their current level of understanding of
a concept and have allowed them to learn these ideas in a variety of different ways. When I have done this, I
have been able to accumulate and compare data of their personal educational achievements, as well as their
peers.

Jaclyn Munro

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KSC 2: Demonstrated high level classroom teaching skills and the capacity to work with colleagues to
continually improve teaching and learning.
I believe students learn best when their strengths are celebrated and their gaps in learning are identified and
supported. An important aspect I always remember is that all students are individuals with different needs and
have different ways in which they can comprehend and retain information. I have found through my teaching
that most students enjoy an interactive classroom with kinaesthetic activities to back up their learning concepts.
With this in mind I always look for additional resources which are available and have a dominant link within
the AusVELS and will allow my students to reach their full potential within the classroom.
I am very knowledgeable on many different concepts within Physical Education and Science and I always
allow students to further develop their own understanding if they are accelerated within the classroom. I have
found that drawing from past experiences within my own learning and tailoring various activities that I did to
suit the contemporary lifestyle with a high demand for ICT application, I can get the most out of the students
learning and they can connect with concepts through higher order critical thinking.
During my school placements, particularly in 2015, I have been challenged within the classroom. As a Biology
major of science, I was chosen to take on the year 10 accelerated Chemistry class which links on level 10
AusVELS and well as Unit 1 VCAA concepts. This decision was made by my mentor who wanted me to
challenge my level of understanding and adapt classroom management skills for a class with 29 students. After
completing 5 practical experiments and 2 tests over a 6 week block, I was able to watch the students level of
understanding grow within this topic which was a clear indication of my ability to teach a concept that I am not
previously familiar with. I received excellent feedback from my mentor regarding the entire unit and he was
thankful that he gave me this challenging opportunity to grow as an educator.
Throughout my teaching placements, I have been given to opportunity to work collaboratively with different
teachers and particularly my mentors to continue to improve my teaching styles and analyse student learning. I
was given direct feedback in both verbal and written form from my mentors at the conclusion of every class I
taught which allowed me to look over their professional and experienced perception of how I am improving as
a teacher. From various observation classes I undertook during my placements I was able to see how different
teachers dealt with conflict and engaged the students in various ways. Many of these teachers were very willing
to give up some words of wisdom as a successful teacher which I have taken in and reflected through my
teaching and learning.
Working in Professional Learning Teams at placements have given me the opportunity to discuss means of
curriculum and assessment priorities that are important to the school. During these meetings I have presented
various assessment tasks which I have created to members of the PLT, and have sought feedback on the
language used as well as the direct links it has to AusVELS. All teachers have shown a high level of support
towards me and assisted me with catering for students of all levels of understanding in a variety of different
means of assessment.

Jaclyn Munro

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KSC 3: Demonstrated ability to monitor and assess student learning data and to use this data to inform
teaching for improved student learning.
I believe assessment is a powerful learning tool that can be of great assistance for the students to expand their
skills and knowledge, while also informing a teachers methods of teaching. I have accumulated and studied my
own data on various means of assessment to investigate which styles of learning are best suited to certain year
levels.
During my placements I have not used external resources to obtain a test to use for end of unit assessments,
instead, I have taken the time to improve my knowledge of content and AusVELS priorities and written a
variety of different assessments for my students to work through. These types of assessments have included
written topic tests with multiple choice, short answer and long answer questions, year 11 written SACs,
laboratory reports, work booklets, oral and written assessment write ups and revision sheets.
I have found that this has improved my teaching capabilities as I am able to reach cross curricular priorities
within the realms of literacy and numeracy in my given classes of physical education and science. I have been
able to critically analyse this data from these tests that I am familiar with to draw on how they can reach their
optimal level of learning.
The lessons I have developed have been around their given assessment tasks and I link various learning
objectives for the students to visualise at the beginning of every class. With these objectives we are able to
assess formatively at the conclusion of the classes if they are more familiar with the concepts that have been
displayed and we are able to pin point various ways in which students best learn.
I recognised the notion that each students work expectation is individually determined. Within a year 10
accelerated Chemistry class I wrote up their final topic test which covered various concepts they had learnt over
the last term. This test was then re-written on 3 different levels of understanding: accelerated, at expected level
and below expected level. From this I was able to allocate these test to the students whose data reflected their
level of understanding.
When I was marking these test I was able to compare the marks between the students and also see an
improvement on an individual level of understanding from all students. When reflecting with the students about
the results of this test, they were all happy with their marks due to the idea that they had been able to display a
better understanding of concepts.
Throughout my placement, students have found it easy to approach me when their understanding of concepts
isnt thorough enough. I ensure that I build a rapport with students so they feel comfortable when talking about
their academic achievements. This is when I utilise individual conferences with students to discuss their
assessment quality. This has been particularly beneficial with students in my classes who have learning
disabilities as they appreciate the one on one time to understanding objectives of the class with use of different
learning approaches.

Jaclyn Munro

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KSC 4: 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.
One of the main roles of any classroom teacher is to ensure clear and concise communication. I believe that the
importance of nurturing students ideas within the classroom plays a vital role in their motivation and
engagement of learning. I ensure that all my classes are perceived as a vibrant and welcoming environment for
all students where they are encouraged to discuss their ideas and opinions with the assurance that their input is
always valued.
When interacting with students, I am always friendly and caring in nature while also ensuring I show clear
boundaries and zero tolerance to undesirable behaviour. Students find me approachable within the classroom
which allows us to build a strong basis of trust, and allows me to develop a further understanding of them as
learners.
The foundation of a welcoming classroom environment is crucial is shaping each students future. This is not
only on an academic level but also on a social level. Social development is particularly important during early
adolescence where the way that students communicate with each other and their teachers before they become
independent members of the community.
During classes I ensure that students are understanding the content as well as enjoying the types of activities
that are linked to the learning objectives. I ask the students a number of questions throughout the classes such
as:

Do you think this activity was successful?

What did you enjoy about this activity?
Was there anything I could have explained more clearly?

This was a good way of knowing the students and how they learn and also improving my own teaching
capabilities.
Communication with parents and guardians is particularly important for students who are having difficulties
with their time at school. Whether that is on an academic or a social level, being able to communicate with
parents has been a good experience to improve student motivation and participation within the classroom.
Having attended parent teacher interviews, I was able to see first-hand the types of concerns parents have with
their children and how they reflect within classroom behaviour.
During 2015, I was on placement at Footscray City College with 2 very experienced teachers within the school.
I utilised their knowledge and understanding of the school values and student management programs as well as
their elaborate knowledge on the content. They were very supportive mentors and gave me feedback on all of
my classes which I was able to take on board and continue my improvement in all areas of teaching.
Within the departments of Physical Education and Science, I was able to work closely with Professional
Learning Teams to build curriculum programs for the school as well as communicate about types of assessment
different classes are completing. I was also lucky enough to work with teachers within different departments to
talk about specific students behaviour management as well as cross-curricular priorities that can be reflected
within my classes.

Jaclyn Munro

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KSC 5: 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.
When it comes to improving my own teaching, I believe that I can learn a great deal from my fellow pre-service
teachers and the experienced teachers at my placement schools. I am always open to developing my own
Professional Development, especially when it comes to teaching practice and improving knowledge within my
subject areas. I know that as a teacher, I will be continuing to always learn more.
I am always researching new and developing theories within the education sector and aim to continually update
my teaching through learning about these ideas. I have attended various professional development days to
improve my knowledge on topics such as DEET policies, Human Sexuality within schools and Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander priorities.
Within my teaching, I have found that students are able to show greater understanding of concepts through
practical activities. Within Physical Education, I have been able to attend various interschool sport days such
as: athletics, swimming, cross country, basketball, netball, soccer and football from junior year levels through
to senior year levels. Some of these days I have been lucky enough to be involved in the co-ordination of
running the day.
Within one of my year 10 elective subjects that I taught called Fit 4 Life, I was able to take the students down
to Victoria University gym to use their facilities so they are able to practically enhance their knowledge of gym
safety. From this experience I was able to communicate with the staff at the gym to ensure the behaviour of my
students was acceptable and also discuss hiring various gym rooms to run classes such as yoga, Pilates,
boxercise and spin classes.
My Physical Education mentor recommended me to the outdoor education teacher who was conducting an
excursion to the You Yangs National Park with her year 10 elective class. I was very grateful for this
opportunity and enjoyed seeing how the students learnt concepts on planning outdoor activity in a practical
environment. During the excursion I was able to communicate with the Outdoor Adventure Company who was
hosting this excursion and learn more about what they do with various schools around Victoria.
Within the Science realm, I was very fortunate to attend 2 excursions. The first one was part of my Applied
Curriculum Project which involved organising the schools Amazing Spaghetti Machine. This is an
accelerated science program run by Melbourne Universitys Engineering College where students from years 710 are required to build a Rube Goldberg Machine and compete against other schools. I was able to attend the
competition day and communicate with science teachers from all across Victoria about their experiences as
science teachers and help develop my own teaching. This was a successful day for the students, who came
runners up in the competition, and for myself as a professional development day.
The second excursion I attend was with the year 9 Myth Busters class where we attend VSSEC, and took a
trip to mars. After having recently attended a Professional Development Day here it was very insightful to see
how they day ran. During the day, I was able to talk to the staff who ran the mission to mars with the students
and I was able to continue to develop my knowledge on how to teach various topics of science within a
different mode of learning.

Jaclyn Munro

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