Robert Dodd Portfolio
Standard 8
Teachers are active members of their profession.
Teachers contribute to the development of school communities that support the learning and wellbeing of both students and fellow teachers;
My reflections:
As a teacher in an international language school for 4 years, I endeavoured to reflect on and critically evaluate my professional knowledge and the effectiveness of my teaching.
As a pre-service
teacher at
The teaching
mentor at
- Involvement with the school community, for example sports days, staff meetings, professional development, school council meetings.
The mentor teacher marked my teaching performance as excellent on this assessment.
During the teaching rounds I attended pastoral classes, maths meetings, morning briefings, and staff meetings.
While studying at RMIT for the Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education, I have studied extensively, including workshop participation, in programs that support the development of school communities. An assignment in the subject Communities of Practice involves a School Community project. I have learnt about school bullying extensively, which will benefit me in my next position as a teacher.
An example of this was a presentation called “Voice, Value & Vision; Active Roles of Value for Young People: Education and Citizenship”, by Roger Holdsworth
• This discussed many important aspects relating to student voice and student council
• Critiques of Traditional Student Council Approaches; Who gets to be involved?
• About what?
• Links to students and school decision-making
• Non-curricular
• Ineffective
Holdsworth, Roger; Student Councils and Beyond; (2005); via Connect
SAT Principles:
• An active role for young people as part of their community;
• Young people as community investigators;
• Young people doing something that makes a difference or brings about change;
• Programs that involve learning and meet academic goals
• The Student Participation Two-Step
• Teacher-Centred Learning
(teacher action and provision of information)
• Student-Centred Learning
(student investigation and discovery of information)
• Active
Student Participation
(productive outcomes and learning by students)
• In young people’s own organisations
(SRCs, JSCs, Student
Councils)
• In formal decision-making processes
(representation on School Council etc)
• In action/classrooms/curriculum
(cross-age and peer tutoring, community research and action, resource
production, oral histories, media production, job creation etc)
The above presentation was very enlightening, and provided valuable insight as to information to put into practice, and have awareness of, so as to be an active member of the teaching profession.
My future professional learning goals:
It is a goal of mine to continue to improve in this criterion through professional development, experience, and collaboration with teaching colleagues.
I
make it a goal to keep up to date with Government policies relating to this
criterion. One example is the following from “Values Education and
“Victoria’s response to the Australian Government’s approach to values education takes account of the complementary nature of The Standards, The National Framework and the context in which Victorian schools operate by:
- recognising that individual schools will develop their own approaches to values education, reflecting broader understanding of shared personal and social values and the needs of the school community
- encouraging local school communities to articulate their values as part of planning processes
- targeting professional development by regions and dioceses to school teams, which emphasises a whole school approach
- enabling school communities to consider what place values education plays in their school policies and practice and how to sustain values education in the curriculum and policies.”
Values Education
and
Additionally, at Community of Practice lectures at RMIT, we have studied Student Wellbeing Policy - Framework for Student Support Services in Victorian Government Schools
This states that “Students are better prepared for learning when they are healthy, safe and happy, therefore, student welfare is the responsibility of all staff working in a whole school context. Student learning cannot be separated from welfare. Helping students to learn effectively and to develop positive attitudes and behaviours are goals that have long been shared by teachers, student support services staff and parents. It requires that each young person is educated in an environment which provides for their individual development. This has been a long standing challenge for all involved in education. The Framework for Student Support Services in Victorian Government Schools describes the principles, arrangements and the additional resources provided to strengthen student welfare and support services. The Framework outlines the concepts of "continuity of care" and "partnerships between the school and the community" as the key to improving the services provided to students and their families. It identifies four levels at which these services take affect: “
<http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/wellbeing/welfare/framework.htm > 12-10-2006
The Framework for Student Support Services
• Aims to enhance wellbeing
• By supporting ‘resilience’
• Resilience is not an innate attribute it is an acquired capacity
• Where students feel a sense of connection resilience is enhanced and where they don’t it is minimized
• Resilience and wellbeing are linked to cultural factors
Crowhurst, Michael: Community of Practice Lectures RMIT,
It is a goal of mine to be an active member of the teaching profession, by endeavouring to study and put into practice the above information as a teacher in the teaching community.
Teachers work effectively with other professionals, parents/guardians and members of the broader community to provide effective learning for students;
My reflections:
As a pre-service
teacher at
The teaching
mentor at
- Awareness of working with members of the school community such as other teachers, parents, guardians.
The mentor teacher marked my teaching performance as excellent on this assessment.
For example, during the teaching rounds I attended a meeting with the police force addressing road safety to the school community. I met with other professionals who were guests at staff meetings. I attended the parent teacher afternoon and evening, where I met parents and guardians of the school students. I attended special maths meetings to decide upon and discuss the new text books for the next year at the school.
At the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education, Community of Practice Lectures I have met professionals from City Councils, and Youth Support Groups who work alongside the school communities to provide support and more effective learning.
The program covered information relevant to the criteria, including the following:
“Linking Schools with Communities”
Facilitators:
• Sanem Yunluel, Primary Welfare Co-ordinator, Dinjerra,
Footscray and
Contact number: 0417 169 624
Email – sanem.s@edumail.vic.gov.au
• Mariela Beck-Godoy, Social Worker, DE&T.
Contact number: 0413 605 897
Email – beck-godoy.mariela.m@edumail.vic.gov.au
• Christopher
Lynch, Youth Counsellor with the City of
Ph: 9688 0131 Christopher.lynch@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
• Alex Hughes, School Focused Youth Services Coordinator.
Footscray/Sunshine
Ph: 9680 8238
OUR EXPECTATIONS
• School staff to be actively involved in delivery of programs
• Schools integrate programs into curriculum
• Evaluation/follow up
• Whole school support – Health Promoting Schools Model
My future professional learning goals:
It is a goal of mine to continue to improve in this criterion through professional development, research into current policy, and collaboration with teaching colleagues and other professionals.
Teachers promote learning, the value of education and the profession of teaching in the wider community;
My future professional learning goals:
MEMBERSHIPS; <My intention is to join some or all of the following professional associations for teachers before commencement of work>
The Science Teachers' Association of Victoria.< http://www.stav.vic.edu.au/home .
The
Mathematical Association of
ICT in Education Victoria< http://www.ictev.vic.edu.au/about/index.htm >
Teachers understand and fulfil their legal responsibilities and share responsibility for the integrity of their profession.;
My reflections:
As a pre-service
teacher at
The teaching
mentor at
- Understanding of legal and professional responsibilities.
The mentor teacher marked my teaching performance as excellent on this assessment.
At the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education, Community of Practice Lectures On Oct 11, 2006 -- the lecture include a presentation on Duty of Care with a guest speaker - Drew Hopkins.
This was followed by a workshop in the tutorial covering aspects of ‘Duty of Care'. This training was valuable to put into practice in a future teaching role.
My future professional learning goals:
The preceding
information, along with my experience in an
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ARTIFACTS # 8
Robert Dodd Portfolio