Standard 1 - Know Students and how they learn
AITSL Standard 1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning
AITSL Standard 1.2: Understand how students learn
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
AITSL Standard 1.3:Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
AITSL Standard 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
AITSL Standard 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
AITSL Standard 1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability.
Please find below: artefacts and evidence that show my understanding and ability to fulfill sub-standards displayed above
Artefact One: "Lesson 1- Introduction of measuring instruments"
Reflection
What?
This artefact is a lesson plan created on the 04.04.2019 by Andre Hetebrueg during an assessment task of the subject EDC210 (Bachelor of Education-Primary). It is an introductory lesson for Grade 4 students leading into the skill and knowledge development of taking accurate measurements of weight, length and volume. This lesson provides evidence for the sub-standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5.
So What?
This artefact signifies my ability to plan a lesson considering intellectual ability and cognitive development of students, by exploring prior knowledge about the topic during the introduction activity.Throughout the mathematics lesson, I have planned peer learning and the using of concrete materials to provide an authentic and rich learning environment for the students, which signifies an understanding on how students learn best. The plan also allows for the inclusion of an EAL learner as well as a student with a physical disability. This is achieved by pairing the EAL learner with a more proficient speaker of English with whom he shares the same first language to achieve access into the classroom. The differentiation for the student with the physical disability is evidence for supporting full participation of students with disabilities.
Now What?
A teaching area that needs to be improved is the definition of explicit learning instructions, objectives and assessments. I need to improve the lesson's closing plenary and directly assess new knowledge gained or knowledge gaps students might still show. The inclusion of quick quizzes or more direct questions at the end of a learning experience is required. To improve the lesson's inclusion of indigenous students, I will need to amend and include objects and measuring instruments more relevant and authentic to their cultural heritage.
Reflection
What?
This resource guide was created by Andre Hetebrueg during the subject EDC 111 – Exploring and Contesting the Curriculum (Bachelor of Education – Primary) on the 10.02.2018. The focus areas of this artefact are ethnicity, multiculturalism and inclusion of linguistically and culturally diverse students. It was designed to act as a resource for educators, as the author unpacked facets of multiculturalism in an Australian primary school context and offered classroom strategies and activities for the reader to create a culturally tolerant classroom. This artefacts provides evidence for the sub-standards 1.2., 1.3. and 1.4. of this AITSL Teaching Standard at graduate level 1.
So What?
Linking the inclusion of engaging classroom activities and supportive learning environments to effective teaching practice gave me an understanding of how students learn effectively in positive environments, such as “Third Teacher” (Mereweather, 2017) classroom settings. Through this artefact, I have learnt to consider every student’s “virtual backpack” (Mereweather, 2017) and how cross cultural peer-learning and sharing of experiences can help students learn new concepts and ideas.
The resource also provided an insight into the multi-cultural landscape of education and methods to enrich such environment through various strategies, like the constant display of classroom rules (Lyons, Ford and Slee, 2013, p.91) that convey tolerant and accepting behaviour and the provision of empowerment and accountability for students when interacting with cultural diverse peers.
The artefact also offers understanding about some of the impacts indigenous culture, language and identity endures in Australia’s contemporary educational system.
Now What?
Further research into the physical and cognitive development of children is needed, this will help me to gain more understanding of how students learn and provide me with differentiated teaching strategies for students with diverse abilities and disabilities. I will also have to explore effective teaching strategies explicitly directed at indigenous students to contribute practical teaching applications to my theoretical understanding of the issue.
References:
Mereweather, J. (2017). What is curriculum? In B. Gobby & R. Walker (eds). Powers of curriculum: Sociological perspectives on education. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Lyons, G., Ford, M. and Slee, J. (2013). Classroom management. 4th ed. Melbourne South: Cengage Learning Australia, p.91.