Assessment Task 3: School

Observations.
Week 9:
Observation: What are the special learning needs of the students
in the class you are observing? How are these learning needs
catered for?
Currently I am observing a grade 6 class room. Within this classroom there are
multiple students with different intellectual and mental disabilities. Currently the
teacher has two students with Aspergers, one with central auditory processing
disorder and another student who has an intellectual disorder. Anita Woolfolk and
Kay Margetts (2008) state that not all students with learning disabilities are the
same, even when a group of students are classified as having the same
disability or disorder. This means that teachers must adapt their teaching
methods and attitudes towards the class and the students. As these disorders
require different methods of teaching to fully engage these students, the teacher
must employ a range of activities in order to obtain the highest level for inclusion
and learning of all students. For instance the student with the intellectual
disorder cannot do all of the work set for the rest of the class and therefore, is
set alternate work, as he reads at around a grade 2 standard making it very
difficult for him to comprehend the work that is set to him. The classroom
teacher has to give him extra one on one attention in order to make sure his
work is completed and understood.

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Self-refl ection: What breakthrough have you made this week? What
helped you make this breakthrough?
This week I made a breakthrough in regards to the knowledge that students have
within the class. As I am currently supervising grade 6 students it was interesting
to see the level of knowledge and understanding that students would hold upon
entering year 7. As it is currently term 4 of their final year within primary school
it presents an accurate sample of the intellectual ability of these future year 7
students. It's was lower than I anticipated and has changed my understanding as
to the level of work you would present to a year 7. This will ultimately affect the
way in which I plan and run my classes to cater to their intellectual abilities.

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Week 10:
Observation: Identify some examples of family engagement in the
school you visit? How involved are the parents in the education of
the children?
Sharon Butler (2010) expresses the view that Family engagement in learning is
one of the most under-utilised resources we have for improving children and
young peoples learning, and therefore life, outcomes. This shows a push to
include the students families in their learning to further enhance their capacity
to learn. The Catholic Education Commission Victoria has recently introduced a
Family School Partnerships (FSP) project as one response to the national
partnerships initiative. The FSP identifies and works to encourage parent
involvement by setting guidelines in regards to the amount of engagement that
schools should aim for (Butler, 2010). I am currently observing a grade 6 class
within a catholic school. At this time of year the students are practising for their
Confirmation. Usually this process will include the student and their sponsor,
however, the Grade 6 cohort have included parents by involving them in
workshops with the students, helping set up the church and general coordination of the event. This helps the students and their families understand the
role and importance of confirmation within the Catholic society.
My current school placement does not utilize the parent population within the
classroom, preferring instead to rely on the teacher and the teaching cohort for
the most part.

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Week 11:
Observation: How does the teacher in the classroom you observed
make use of ICT?
The use of Information and Communication technology (ICT) has been recognised
to improve students involvement by enhancing motivation and engagement
(Helen Butler, 2012). Students learning is enriched due to the fact that ICT
provides teachers with a flexible, accessible and ever-changing platform to
deliver key curriculum. ICT allows for further development and consolidation of
this knowledge which may have been previously inaccessible (Helen Butler,
2012). ICT incorporates the method of VAK by providing students with the ability
to see (visual), hear (auditory) and move (kinaesthetic) in a multitude of ways in
order to develop their learning. This can be adapted by the teacher in order to
enhance and motivate their learning. Within the Grade 6 class I am currently
observing the teacher uses ICT in the form of an interactive whiteboard. For
instance the students are currently learning about environmental sustainability,
the teacher used the interactive whiteboard to show the students a short
selection of videos on the topic and then relating these to the interactive map of
coal deposits and mines within Australia.

Self-refl ection: How does ICT help or hinder you in your learning?
ICT helps me learn as it allows me to research further and expand my knowledge
on any particular area of study. This is due to the fact that I am able to initiate
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and research in depth into any particular area of study. In addition to this it is
also an interactive source that is constantly changing stimulating growth in my
knowledge base. However, ICT can also pose a distraction in the form of social
networking sites (Facebook etc.). Overall I believe that ICT helps my learning as it
provides a broader access to previously inaccessible information.

References

Butler, S. (2010) Partnerships with Parents. Professional Voice, 8 (2), 11

17.

Woolfolk, A., Margetts, K. (2010). Educational Psychology (2nd

ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson
Butler, H. (2012) Lecture slide, Week 11. ICT and
Learning, Received from
http://leo.acu.edu.au/mod/equella/view.php?id=304361

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