Running head: Critical Reflection

Assignment 3
Critical Reflection on Service Learning
EDFD 261
Shanelle Feillafe
S00195261
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Teaching is a complex and challenging undertaking that encompasses the knowledge of curriculum

content, and being able to personalise this learning, whilst also being able to nurture a safe and

supportive environment (Churchill et al, 2011). To enhance our teaching quality, which is vitally

important for any pre-service teacher, is the ability to critically reflect and engage in self-evaluation

and problem-solving in the classroom, so that our practice can continually be improved (Parsons &

Stephenson, 2005).

“Successful inclusive school communities aim to meet the diverse needs of all the students,

including those with additional needs” (Blackmore, 2009; Foreman & Arthur-Kelly, 2017 p.89). For

my practicum, I was placed at St Finbarrs. There are numerous students with additional needs, and

through effective strategies and technologies in each classroom, St Finbarrs demonstrated a safe and

supportive environment that caters to individual needs. Specifically for this example is a boy named

Ron, who has a severe hearing impairment with a cochlea implant in his left ear, and a hearing aid

in his right ear. My first interaction with Ron was when Mr R was addressing the class for the next

activity, editing their historical narrative. The first thing noticed was the microphone that hung like

a lanyard around his neck, which connected to a speaker in the classroom, and was also projected

into Ron’s implant. Mr R explained that when in the classroom, because of the microphone, his left

ear his is strongest, and outside the classroom, its best to speak closer to his right ear. I decided to

then assist Ron with editing his narrative, sitting on his right side as I did not need the microphone,

and gage his literacy skills. I then realised that because Ron doesn’t correctly hear each word, he

has made many spelling mistakes, assuming that was how they were spelt. Growing up, the only

person I knew with a hearing aid was my auntie. I knew from my interactions with her that it was

important not to mumble words and speak clearly, without being condescending in my mannerisms.

By sitting down with Ron, I realised how important a mixture of aural and visual learning is for his

comprehension of the content, specifically with words and how they are spelt. This is related back

to the English curriculum, that each student can become confident communicators and are able to
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build relationships with the world around them (ACARA, 2018). Connecting this to the Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011) standard 1, it is vital we know our students and

how they learn, as well as standard 3 in using a range of resources when planning and implementing

effective teaching and learning. Ron’s additional needs led me to adjust my lessons to be a mixture

of digital resources and paper handouts, making connections with words aurally and visually and

utilising the microphone and speaker system to his advantage with table placement and clarity in

instructions and expectations.

For many students with additional needs, support strategies are required to cater for individual

needs to create an inclusive setting. In my classroom was a boy named Jim, who has autism

spectrum disorder (ASD). A specific incident where the lesson had been differentiated to suit Jim’s

learning abilities was during an English lesson with puns. The class was learning about what a pun

is, and creating a pun of their own, using their name. I felt that Jim participated successfully in this

lesson as I set up both on the board, as well as a printed version for him to look at. The paper copy

had the original word, the pun underlined and a picture to go with it, explaining it clearly and

simply, with multiple examples to ensure he understood the concept of puns. The activity led to the

students being paired up and googling puns on the internet and placing them on a shared document

that was live streamed onto the whiteboard. This active participation with his peers was beneficial

for every student as they felt a sense of connectedness and acceptance as they worked together with

responsive interactions, allowing each student, including Jim to participate and learn to their best

potential (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2016). This lesson was successful in the supportive strategies used

for Jim, as he was able to develop his communication skills with others through positive

interactions, and with extra visual aids was able to understand an abstract concept. I understand that

no two students with ASD are alike, therefore strategies that support some children may not support

others (Foreman and Arthur-Kelly, 2017). Accordingly, relating this to AITSL standard 1, we as

teachers must know our students and how they learn, in Jim’s case, he has difficulties with
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communication and social instructions with others. Rather than excluding him from the learning

that his classmates are participating in, it is important to incorporate strategies that create an

inclusive setting. Providing Jim with the appropriate time and resources to comprehend the task, we

broke it down into small, achievable learning goals, and he was able to successfully create a pun

with his name.

"In a safe and supportive school, the risk from all types of harm is minimised, diversity is valued

and all members of the school community feel respected and included and can be confident that

they will receive support in the face of any threats to their safety or well-being.” (MCEECDYA,

2011, p.2). With a specific student in my class, a girl named Samara, who has a muscular bone

deformity, which means she wears a brace under her uniform to alleviate pain. I encountered

incidences where strategies were needed to support her in feeling safe and supported at school, as

Samara felt physically different to the other girls, leading to some social awareness problems for

Samara. During this lesson, we were looking at different styles of prayer, specifically praying for

the things we were thankful for. To create a class prayer, I organised the students into pairs, so that

groups were broken up and allowed the students to cooperate with others. This gave Samara a

chance to communicate and feel comfortable with one of the girls in the class, without any

repercussions from the other girls. This use of cooperative learning gave Samara and the other

students an opportunity to, “Improve their self-esteem, aided by the security that comes from being

members of a group, and higher success rate and improved quality of work; A chance for less

rejection by others, and the development of higher-order thinking skills” (Foreman and Arthur-

Kelly, 2017). This relates directly to AITSL (2011) standard 4, to create and maintain a supportive

and safe learning environment, as the organised group work, and table structure is a way to support

student participation and wellbeing. Having a focus on student wellbeing and safety, also connects

to the Health and Physical Education learning area of the Australian Curriculum (2018), which

states that “Students begin to explore personal and social factors that support and contribute to their
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identities and emotional responses in varying situations, and explores knowledge, understanding

and skills that support students to build and maintain respectful relationships.” As someone who

was bullied at school, I am personally determined to create a safe, nurturing and supportive setting

for my students, and will always strive to help every student feel safe and build on their resilience

and wellbeing by enhancing peer acceptance through strategies such as cooperative learning

activities.

Through my experiences on practicum, I was given the opportunity to not only develop my

knowledge and skills in pedagogy, content and theory but also how to critically reflect on each

lesson and incident (Coffey, 2014). During this experience, I was able to differentiate my teaching

to students with varying additional needs, and I have started to develop the skills needed to reflect

and implement changes needed so that my practice can continually be improved.

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References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2018). Health and

physical education. Retrieved from https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-

and-physical-education/?strand=Personal,

+Social+and+Community+Health&strand=Movement+and+Physical+Activity&capability=igno

re&priority=ignore&elaborations=true

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2018). English. Retrieved

from https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/?

strand=Language&strand=Literature&strand=Literacy&capability=ignore&priority=ignore&ela

borations=true

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian professional standards

for teachers. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-resources/

australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf

Blackmore, J. (2009). Inclusive education: What does it mean for students, teachers, leaders and

schools? Professional Voice, 7(1), 11-16.

Coffey, A.M. (2014). Using video to develop skills in teacher education studies. Australian Journal

of Teacher Education, 39(9).

Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godinho, S., Johnson, N.F., Keddie, A., Lett, W. et al. (2011). Teaching:

Making a difference. Milton: John Wiley & Sons.

Foreman, P., Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Inclusion In Action. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs [MCEECDYA].

(2011). National safe schools framework. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/system/

files/doc/other/national_safe_schools_framework.pdf

Parsons, M., & Stephenson, M. (2005). Developing reflective practice in student teachers:

Collaboration and critical partnerships. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 11 (1),

95-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1354060042000337110
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Woolfolk, A. & Margetts, K. (2016). Educational Psychology. (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson.