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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & REFLECTION 2 / REFTECTIVE PRACTICE 2
FINAL REPORT

Perkins

PRESERVICE TEAGHER:

Matthias John

PROGRAM:

Masters of Teaching (Primary)

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srrE: lSheidow Park School

SITE COORDINATOR:

Wendy Westgate

UNIVERSITY LIAISON:

Trevor Feder

YEAR LEVEL (S) TAUGHT:

5/6

LEARNING AREAS
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DATES OF PLACEMENT:

2410812015 I ro

1810912015

MENTOR/S:

Paul Duff

TOTAL DAYS:

20

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE CONTEXT:

This was John's first teaching placement and came after number of familiarisation days earlier in the year.
John was expected to identify and assimilate his practice with the culture, ethos and policies of Sheidow Park School.
He was to tailor his planning, delivery and evaluation according to the beliefs of the school and the needs / abilities of
the students in his care. The class John was placed with has a large number of special needs iNEP students with
abilities ranging ftom Year 2 - 6.

SUTTATIVE GOMMENTS BY MENTOR TEACHER/S:

John presented as a professional in his manner, application and willingness to learn his craft. John always put the
needs of his students as his first priority and he was constantly asking questions about individual students so he could
understand them better and teach them more effectively- After some initial self calibration which John realised was
necessary in order to communicate well with students of this age, John demonstrated dedication in his relationship
with eacfr sfudent. As is expected during such an early career placement, John encountered some significant
challenges. Differentiating for such a wide ability range, using effective vocabulary and focusing onto the main content
of the lesson eady in the lesson were such challenges. John addressed each area by asking for help / insights and
then amending his delivery accordingly. Consequently, improvement was clearly evident in John's practice.

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SUiT,IMATIVE CoMMENTS BY SITE COORDINATOR:

John established positive relationships with the staff, students and parents at Sheidow Park School; he arrived at
school early each morning to ensure he was as well-organised as he could be. John sought advice from staff,
palticularly Paul, to assist him with the planning and implementation of his lessons; he attended every Staff Meeting
and participated fully in allof the events thattook place during his practicum. lwas parlicularly impressed with his
calm approach within the classroom, to which the students responded very well. I wish John all the very best for the
future.

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VERIFICATION BY AUTHORISED UNIVERSITY PERSONNEL:

The Mentor Teacher, Site Coordinator and Preservice teacher have been consulted during the placement and this report
documents evidence of the Preservice Teacher's achievement of the Professional Experience objectives.

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DATE:
Universlty Personnel Signature

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SUMMATIVE COMMENTS BY PRESERVICE TEACHER:

This placement, leading on from my placement in PER 1, helped me to improve my skills as a)\r'e-service teacher
significantly, as well as give me a clearer picture of the functioning of the school system.
As I was already familiar with the school, the class and the procedures within the class I was able to i:ecome and feel
paft of this learning environment immediately. I felt respected and supporled within the class and within the school. Both
the mentor teacher, Paul Duff, and the other staff were always happy to discuss matters with me when I had questions
and gave me invaluable advice to improve my teaching practice and help me better understand the school as a whole.
ln particular, Paul set aside a considerable amount of time at the end of each day to discuss lessons I had given and
general questions I might have. This instant and honest feedback was essential to me, especially in those situations
where lessons did not go to plan. Itried to take the key points and apply them to my next lesson.
While in some cases this was straight forward, in others I now appreciate that it will take time to gradually change. One
area in which I feel I have improved, but certainly still feel I need to improve further is pitching the lesson at the right
level. Coming from an academic background I sometimes still struggle to place my lessons in a primary school setting.
I also much appreciated accompanying Paul to a year 1/2 class where he was mentoring an early career teacher. This
gave me valuable insights into a very different year level.
Overall I feel this placement has presented itself as a steep, but rewarding, learning curve for me. lwas able to leam
much, but also still have much to learn. The support and welcoming environment at Sheidow Park Primary Sctrool
ensured that I could take as much from the placement as possibte.

DATE:

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Preseryie Teacher Signature

NOTES FOR MENTOR TEACHERS AND SITE COORDINATORS COMPLETING THIS REPORT
The assessment criteria used in this report are the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
The Preservice 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.

The preservice teacher has completed the required the full 22 days of their placement including visit

1.
1

1
1

2
3

1.4
1.5
1.6

II.IYES

l-l

days.

ruo

Know students and how thev learn

2.

Know the content and how to teach it

Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of

students
Understand how students learn
Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and
socioeconomic backgrounds
Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander
students
Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of
students across the full range of abilities
Strateoies to support full oarticipation of students with disabilitv

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4

Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

Content selection and organisation
Curriculum, assessment and reporting
Understand and respectAboriginal and Torres Strait lslander
people to promote reconciliation between lndigenous and nonlndigenous Australians
Literacy and numeracy strategies
lnformation and Communication Technology (lCT)

2.5

1. Know students and how they learn.

This was John's first experience with students of this age and he worked hard to ensure his knowledge of their cognitive
development so as to tailor his delivery more effectively. John developed skills in dividing larger concepts into smaller,
more bite size pieces for students of varying abilities. He also began allowing space for students to engage in the
content through their own learning styles. John's practice was inclusive in all aspects and his approach to differentiation
will continue to set him in good stead for the future. His feedback to each student was relevant, respectful and positive.

Know the content and how to teach it.

John was careful to annotate the content of each lesson with the National Curriculum documentation. After some initial
challenges with addressing the content to students of this age, John demonstrated improving skills in this area. By
placement's end John was much closer to delivering the content in an age appropriate way. His scope and sequence of
content was reasonable, logical and fluent. John was invited to give assessment to some students in some areas of
their work and he was accurate in his evaluation of their achievements. John developed an appreciation of modeling
how to do many of the tasks expected of the students before they began.

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4.

3.
3.'r

32 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

34
35
3.6

37
J.J

5.
5

5.2

4.1

42
4.3
44

Use teaching strategies

Select and use resources
Use effective classroom communication
Evaluate and improve teaching programs
Enoaoe oarents/carers in the educalive orocess

Assess. provide feedback and reoort on student

learninq
Assess student learning
Provide feedback to students on their learning

5.3
5.4
5

Create and maintain supportive and safe learninq

environments
Support student participation
Manage classroom activities
Manage challenging behaviour
Maintain student safety
Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically

Make consistent and comparable judgements

lnterpret student data
Report on student achievement

Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning.

John was invited to provide his planning in a format which suited him. His methods were sufficient for a preservice
teacher of John's status and he was willing to accept critical advice to improve in this area. John's preparation ranged
from adequate to excellent - especially in the procurement of materials for the unit "Measuring the Weathe/'. Showing/
demonstrating/modeling of concepts was an area of great improvement in John's practice and I encourage him to
continue to develop in this area.
Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
John was careful to ensure the safety of all students as his highest priority, particularly as he was responsible for the
class'well being on an all day excursion.
Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning.
John's achievement / development in this area is sufficient for a preservice teacher of his status. John showed a
particular interest in understanding the school report format and how I go about writing student reports.

6.

Enqaqe in professional learninq

7,

6.1
6.2

Enqaqe professionallv with colleaques. parents/carers and

the communitv

ldentify and plan professional learning needs

Engage in professional learning and improve practice
Engage with colleagues and improve practice
Apply professional learning and improve student learning

7.1

Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

6
6

72 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

1a

Engage with the parents/carers

Engage with professional teaching net\ivorks and broader communities

Engage in professional learning

John presented as being keen to learn as much as posslble during this placement. He was inquisitive and attentive
during our many long discussions and demonstrated amendments to his practices accordingly. John was eager to meet
with other teachers at the school and participated in Staff meetings.
Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.
John was exemplary in his professional demeanor throughout his placement. He asked to attend parenuteacher
meetings and other professional appointments. John was careful to ask relevant questions regarding school policies
and applied advice accordingly

Professional Experience Office - University of South Australia,

Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes SA 5095
Ihis ls a certified copy of the oiginalassessmenf document provided by the slte in which the student was placed for the professional experience lt
may be used for employment purposes

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