EDFD663
Step 4
Step 4
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Four focus areas I have yet to attain at the graduate standard are:
3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process, 5.1 Assess student learning,
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements, and 5.5 Report on student achievement.
Below I discuss how I plan to ensure I achieve these standards before graduation.
3.7
Engage
Parents/Carers
in the Educative
Process
To date I feel I have made progress towards the attainment of focus area 3.7. When I began my degree, the thought of engaging with parents filled me with dread. In EDFD548 Effective Teaching and Professional Practice I learnt about parenting styles, eg. high or low levels of responsiveness and demandingness and through the work of Jim Burns, managing angry/bullying parents. Burns’ 10 step process felt like a lifeline. Most recently through EDES601 Special Education and Inclusive Practice, I have come to value the partnership between parents and teachers in providing the best educational outcomes for students. This unit has shown me tools for scaffolding and managing parent partnerships to ensure clear communication and support.
I have not yet undertaken a practicum and so have not had the opportunity to utilise these new skills I am developing. I recognised that although I will have three practicums this year, the opportunity to engage with the wider community (ie parents) is extremely limited. Fortunately, I was accepted into the Spiritual and Pedagogical Approach (SPA) Program offered by ACU and in my short time working with St Columban’s College witnessed positive parent teacher interactions. I feel I have an advantage that as part of this program I will be able to participate in parent teacher interviews and undertake a longer practicum during my GTPA assessment. Having access to the Brisbane Catholic Education system will allow me, with the guidance of my supervisor, to establish direct contact at the start of my final placement and engage with what I have learnt throughout my course.
5.1
Assess Student
Learning
I have not yet had the opportunity to study my Drama and English Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment units and so although I am aware of some assessment strategies, I have not yet had the opportunity to design them. In my EDES601 Special Education and Inclusive Practice, alternate methods of assessment such as visual analysis and reasonable adjustments were considered. I have already begun engaging with the AITSL resources pertinent for this standard to support my learning in that unit's assessment criteria with great success.
Looking forward to my graduation, I know undertaking the CPA units will provide me with a better context of learning and my work within the SPA program will help me further develop in this area through the support of my supervisor and mentor teachers. Engaging in reflective practice at the end of those units, I will identify any potential deficits in my attainment of this area and seek out my colleagues, mentors and journal articles/resources as needed.
5.3
Make
Consistent and
Comparable
Judgements
Of the four focus areas I am most concerned about 5.3 make consistent and comparable judgements. It is the only focus area I haven’t had exposure to through my other units. Being able to make consistent and comparable judgements is a skill that will take time and exposure to student work to achieve. Again, having not yet undertaken any CPA units has left me with a significant skill gap. I have received my semester 1 unit outlines and found this topic will only be covered in the very final lesson so I know it won’t be enough to equip me with the required skills. Having access to the BCE network will allow me to view student data and assessment while following student progress throughout the year which my subject mentors will help me gain some perspective. I’ve also engaged with the ACARA work sample portfolios for below, above, and satisfactory levels. These are tools I know will be greatly beneficial once I understand them better in context through my CPA units. Finally, collaborative teaching and cross assessment, which I have already fortunately been able to witness at my SPA placement school will help me gain insight into comparing and contrasting student work against ACARA’s assessment design criteria.
5.5
Report on
Student
Achievement
Although I am far more comfortable communicating with key stakeholders, 5.5 report on student achievement is another focus area I feel I have little experience in. As I have experienced in focus area 3.7, my learning in this degree has provided me with excellent skills to scaffold parent teacher communication. However, in that specific context it is about developing a partnership. This focus area requires that I report to both students and parent/s carers the outcomes of their learning. While I have every confidence in my ability to maintain records, I will need strategies for disseminating this information. Of course, practical experience through the SPA program and my practicums will be of enormous benefit. Working with my mentors and supervisors and watching their processes too. A quick google and the resources here are endless, but to ensure good practice I will engage with trusted journals and peer reviewed papers to develop a framework in consultation with my supervisor to ensure my achievement of this standard by graduation.