Evaluation of teaching

My teaching practice has improved throughout my second practicum due to the different
experiences and expectations that were placed on me. I have gained knowledge and made
progress in all areas of teaching such as planning, teaching, managing, assessing and
professional conduct through a wonderful experience in Kindergarten.
Applying Standard 1 of the Australian Professional Teaching Standards I got to know the
students through observing them in the classroom and having discussions with my mentor
teacher. It was acknowledged that the students still needed to develop their knowledge and
understanding of letter recognition and phoneme sounds. I decided to plan a sequence of
lessons, displayed under Standard 2 on Weebly, which catered to the various abilities and
interests of the students while maintaining a focus on literacy development. The lessons
scaffolded learning by giving various opportunities to practice letter recognition and
phonemes through different activities and experiences. The lessons were play based and
hands on which made learning enjoyable and fun to help keep the students engaged.
Incorporating the students interest in learning their own names assisted in creating confident
students with strong self-identities. The lessons were able to be differentiated, as they could
be modified or extended, while still being based on the same activity to ensure all students
could participate and feel included.
Knowing and organising the content through lessons and activities applies to Standard 2 of
the Australian Professional Standards and is shown under Standard 2 in Weebly. A holistic
approach that focuses on all aspects of childrens development and wellbeing that uses the
pedagogy of play was used to incorporate the interests of the students. Basing the
environment of the classroom on a space theme included the interests of the students while
being able to meet various outcomes of the Western Australian Curriculum. My
environmental plan, displayed under Standard 3 on Weebly, caters to the various learning
styles of the students through visual, aural and kinaesthetic learning experiences. This area
provided an escape for their imagination that linked to literacy and numeracy outcomes.
Using resources and recycling objects for another use created stimulating objects for the
students to use. Different resources were used through the various lessons such as books,
pictures, YouTube clips and songs and models to assist the students with links that relate to
the real world and the learning focus.
Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning is Standard 5 of the Australian
Professional Standards. As displayed under Standard 5 in Weebly, over the course of my
practicum I tried various types of assessment strategies to record students learning. These
ranged from informal observations and questioning to more formative and summative
assessments that provided insight and information on what the students know, where each
student was at with their learning and what support they needed. Having a baseline
assessment to see where the students are at with their understanding and knowledge provides
important information that can be used to compare the students progress at a later date. I
discovered that some assessments were more useful than others and it really depends on the
lesson type and what the focus of the lesson is.
Adhering to the Australian Professional Standard 4 building positive relationships with the
students was the first strategy I used to create a positive and supportive learning environment.
This is shown through my vision of intent based on kindness displayed under Standard 4 on
Weebly. The strategy to incorporate lessons that were game based, interactive or hands on
provided various learning opportunities that catered to the different learning styles and
interests of the students. Engaging, inclusive and relatable lessons encouraged participation
and gave the students an opportunity to consolidate learning from previous lessons or
experiences. Strategies that were used for behaviour management were positive, but
expectations were made clear and consistent as shown in the individual behaviour
management plan displayed in Standard 4 on Weebly. Speaking in a respectful manner,
encouraging desired behaviours through descriptive praise and cuing with parallel
knowledge, sharing stories to build knowledge and having class discussions are some of the
strategies that were used to build skills to enhance the emotional and social development of
the students.
Engaging in professional learning with colleagues to improve my practice applies to Standard
6 of the Australian Professional Standards. The experience and knowledge that my mentor
teacher has gave me a deeper insight into what teaching is about. Any feedback or advice that
was given was listened to and incorporated in my lessons adapted to suit my style. This was
evident through using the feedback from my mentor teacher about rushing my reading of a
book that I read for my kindness lesson, displayed under Standard 4 in Weebly. It was
suggested to use post it notes for specific pages in the book to remind me to stop to ask
questions or direct students to pictures. This helped improve the delivery of my lesson as it
helped me to slow down and keep on track to ensure I covered the learning outcomes to
enhance student learning.
The artefacts chosen show that I can plan a sequence of lessons and activities that cover the
outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework and Western Australian Curriculum.
Through my pedagogical approach I am able to develop lesson that are able to be modified to
cater to the students interests, various abilities and needs. Making tables and checklists is a
strength but assessing and recording student learning has been the hardest skill for me to
develop. Being prepared and learning to concentrate on the main learning outcomes of the
lessons have strengthened in this area of teaching for myself.
There are many goals I would set to improve my professional learning. Having an adaptable
approach to planning so I can provide different learning experiences to draw out the interest
of the students is an important skill I would like to develop further. Being flexible and
creative in relation to developing lesson plans, how they could be modified or extended and
working out how these could relate to the Western Australian Curriculum would be one of
the biggest goals I would aim for. Another goal would be to remember that I am on a lifelong
journey and to keep my mind open and eyes open to possibilities. Remaining static and
repeating the same lessons over and over again is not something I want to aim for. I would
like to adapt, change and evolve my teaching practice that listens to students needs and
thoughts. Learning from the past and embracing the future will create a positive learning
environment to show the students that education is the road to discovery.

Reference
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2014). Australian
professional standards for teachers. Education Services Australia. Retrieved from:
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list