VIT Standards for Graduating Teachers
Professional Practice
Teachers plan and assess for effective learning
Graduating teachers will:
Teachers plan and assess for effective learning
Graduating teachers will:
4.1 use their professional knowledge to establish clear, challenging and achievable learning goals for students as individuals and groups.
Having previously assessed a deficit in skills and understanding about working with fractions, I developed a revision activity to deliver in a subsequent lesson. After discussion with the students I was led to believe that a brief revision session would be all that was required. As my case study about this lesson shows, I learned that without a good understanding of the students' prior learning it is very difficult to establish achievable learning goals, and in this case I was not successful.
Similarly, my experience with my Applied Curriculum Project really highlighted that even higher ability, motivated students still require clear goals in order to challenge themselves and achieve.
These were both incredibly valuable experiences, leading me to a new awareness of the importance of clear learning goals and intentions stemming from a base of solid understanding of prior learning.
Similarly, my experience with my Applied Curriculum Project really highlighted that even higher ability, motivated students still require clear goals in order to challenge themselves and achieve.
These were both incredibly valuable experiences, leading me to a new awareness of the importance of clear learning goals and intentions stemming from a base of solid understanding of prior learning.
4.2 design lesson and unit plans which integrate a range of activities, resources, and materials to support learning, including the use of ICT and other learning technologies.
I designed a Humanities integrated unit for year ten economics about renewable and sustainable energy. The unit was designed to let the students build their own knowledge, using a variety of tools and resources from ICT through to hands on incursions and excursions, and covered several strands and domains from VELS. While I did not have the opportunity to deliver this unit I consider it an excellent resource and intend to utilise similar strategies when designing future units, with a commitment to new learning strategies and technologies.
4.3 evaluate student responses and work samples, using a variety of strategies and tools to make appropriate assessments of learning and plans for future teaching and learning activities.
Whilst delivering a middle years maths lesson during my teaching placement I identified a deficit in understanding in just about every student on a particular topic, unrelated to that lesson. I took the opportunity to design and deliver a revision activity within a subsequent lesson, refer to the case study about this. The revision activity was not very successful, but it was a valuable experience. It taught me not to make assumptions but actually test prior knowledge, and also illustrated where parts of the previous unit should have been strengthened.
I set, collected and corrected a homework assignment for a unit of maths on percentages, fractions and decimals. This process really highlighted the huge discrepancies in understanding and ability levels within the class. The highest performing student did exceptionally well, and her assignment showed a clear understanding of the topic and that she meets the criteria for the appropriate AUSVELS standards. Her performance far exceeded any other student in the class. I have selected a second student to represent the average student performance - his assignment would be at the higher end of average achievement in the class. He and many of his classmates have not met the criteria of the appropriate AUSVELS standards even with extensive revision and class time spent on the assignment.
This clearly identifies that in future I need to work on and improve my instruction so that a higher proportion of students are understanding the topics, but also bear in mind that the higher ability students must be enriched and extended to prevent boredom and underperformance.
I set, collected and corrected a homework assignment for a unit of maths on percentages, fractions and decimals. This process really highlighted the huge discrepancies in understanding and ability levels within the class. The highest performing student did exceptionally well, and her assignment showed a clear understanding of the topic and that she meets the criteria for the appropriate AUSVELS standards. Her performance far exceeded any other student in the class. I have selected a second student to represent the average student performance - his assignment would be at the higher end of average achievement in the class. He and many of his classmates have not met the criteria of the appropriate AUSVELS standards even with extensive revision and class time spent on the assignment.
This clearly identifies that in future I need to work on and improve my instruction so that a higher proportion of students are understanding the topics, but also bear in mind that the higher ability students must be enriched and extended to prevent boredom and underperformance.
4.4 plan learning sequences and units which are consistent with curriculum statements, frameworks and assessment structures commonly used in schools.
I developed two Humanities units, one consistent with VELS and one using the Classical Studies VCE Study Design. These included appropriate assessment activities and rubrics for assessment and reporting. Although I did not have the opportunity to deliver either unit I am confident in my ability to develop units of work within appropriate frameworks, and with practice I hope to improve the quality of future sequences of work.
