This artefact contains a personal reflection on my first teaching performance as well as mentor feedback.

I have reflected on my ability to include all students, including those who are working at a lower level and actively obtained advice from my mentor regarding how to improve at this capacity.

For example, I have asked for advice on how to keep other students on track while I work with smaller groups or individual students throughout the lesson, or how to ensure that students aren’t ‘left behind’.
My mentor has responded with strategies such as “pair with capable student”, “ask the student to explain how they have tried to work it out themselves first”, and “set clear behaviour expectations at the beginning of class”.

The evidence to show that I am meeting this standard can be seen where the mentor writes that I “asked appropriate questions and selected a range of students to answer”, have “taken on board advice about individual students and how to accommodate their needs during [the] lessons”, and have “actively worked to engage with all members of the school community and is polite and conscientious at all times”.

To elaborate on my mentor's feedback, I strive to question a variety of students using their name to ensure that all students are engaged and understanding the content, rather than the small group who consistently raise their hand to answer. Further to this, I listen attentively and acknowledge their contributions with thoughtful responses such as "thanks for trying, but that's not the exact answer I'm looking for" rather than "no, that's not correct".

I spend time with students before school and during lunchtime to learn about their interests and lives outside of school. I found that in doing so, I developed positive relationships with even the most reserved students, and this had a substantial impact on the way that they respected and responded to my teaching within the classroom. It also helped me to understand ways that I can differentiate learning to relate to their interests or needs, and this was clearly a simple yet effective teaching strategy to support student participation.