Josephine Walton S00170561

EDFD220: TEACHING AND MANAGING LEARNING ENVIRNMENTS

Assignment #1 Individual Reflective Journal Entry

When I think about the broad topic of professionalism in teaching and learning,
there are two specific thoughts that come to my mind. Firstly is teaching itself as
a profession. It is important that we are recognized for all of the hard work that
we put in on a daily basis, and not just be seen as glorified babysitters who get
all of those holidays. Secondly, I think of how we as teachers act; both in and out
of our classrooms. I can think of numerous teachers I have had over the years
who did not act in a professional manner in their classroom, and teachers like
these need to be accountable for what they say and do.

Any professional, not just a teacher, must be competent and well educated for
the work they are to complete (Ritchie, 2015). For teachers, this is important
because we want and hope to provide the best possible start for the students we
teach; so that they develop into healthy, well-socialised, productive and engaged
members of our communities (Bowes & Grace, 2012). This means we need to
understand how the variety of students we teach learn and develop, and have
the skills to put this into practice.

So that both teachers themselves and members of the community know what is
expected of a capable teacher, we have the Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers. These standards outline what teachers should know and be able to do
(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2015). The standards
cover three domains of teaching, professional knowledge, professional practice
and professional engagement.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers provides support and

guidance for teachers at various points in their careers. As a preservice teacher
who has recently completed her first teaching placement, I am able to look at the
standards and see what I have done and understood, and see what concepts,
skills and knowledge I still need to develop.

During this placement I worked with a prep student who was on the autism
spectrum. Looking over The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers with
this student and my associated experiences in mind; two particular standards
stuck out. These were Standard 1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific
learning needs of students across the full range of abilities and Standard 4.3:
Josephine Walton S00170561

Manage challenging behaviour. When teaching my lessons, I had to be aware of

how this student would engage with the learning (if he engaged at all), how to
modify the activity so that he would be able to participate to the fullest of his
ability and manage his, at times, very challenging behaviour; all while meeting
the needs of the 18 other students in the class.

Some days I felt I did this very well, other days were more of a challenge, but
what I felt was more important was the experience and professional knowledge I
gained from these experiences. While every student on the spectrum is
completely unique, I learnt various behaviour management techniques, how to
identify what was autistic behaviour and what was simply naughty behaviour and
how to provide him with the one-on-one assistance he often needed while
helping the rest of the class. I was able to observe how a teacher with 20 plus
years of experience handled these situations, and see how effective or
ineffective these techniques were. Not only did my own experiences (and
watching the experiences of my associate teacher) make me a better teacher,
but they provided me with knowledge and skills that I can know take with me
into my next placement and beyond.

The standards also provide a framework for how I, and all teachers, should
behave and conduct myself when I engage with my students, fellow teachers and
the wider community (Ritchie, 2015). Not only do teachers act a role model for
the students they teach, they are subject to the scrutiny of the parents of
students. Following the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers ensures
my actions and interactions are that of a professional.

How teachers interact with other teachers is also important. While on my

placement block, the only time I heard teachers discussing specific students was
when the teacher they were speaking with had taught the student previously and
wanted their thoughts on an academic or behavioural issue. The teachers at my
placement school did, however, discuss the parents of students more freely;
especially how the parent helpers behaved when they were in the classrooms.
While they never had these discussions when any parents or students were
around; this could be seen as unprofessional behaviour. This is something that
would come under Standard 7.1: Meet professional ethics and responsibilities;
and it is an equally important part of the Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers.
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Working with, understanding and acting upon the Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers is an important part of being a teacher, and something I
look forward to developing and building upon as my career as a teacher
progresses.

Word Count: 824

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2015). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-
teachers/standards/list

Bowes, J., Grace, R., & Hodge, K. (2012). Children, Families & Communities.
Contexts and Consequences. (4th ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Ritchie, D. (2015). Professionalism: Supporting Professionalism in Teaching.

Aviso, Spring 2015, 31(3), 12-14. Retrieved from
https://www.nstu.ca/data/documents/pdf/aviso-spring- 2015.pdf