STANDARD 6 – Engage in professional learning
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
Reflection and Evidence
Like students, teachers must challenge themselves throughout the learning process and identify areas to improve their own learning needs through self reflection or external feedback. Students observing a teacher aiming to improve their own teaching and step outside their comfort zone will promote mutual respect in the classroom. In order to see growth, a teacher must record their progress. A teacher could record a lesson and have a mentor or principal observe and give feedback regarding a particular area or to help identify an area for a teacher to develop.
Together, the teacher and mentor can set professional goals at the start of a year and formulating a plan to achieve them, including regular self reflection and external feedback to track progress.
During my time at Blackwood High School, I had regular meeting with my mentor teacher to identify areas for improvement and discuss teaching strategies for keeping the two year 8 classes I was teaching engaged and on task (3.3, 4.2, 4.3)
Reflection and Evidence
Like students, teachers must challenge themselves throughout the learning process and identify areas to improve their own learning needs through self reflection or external feedback. Students observing a teacher aiming to improve their own teaching and step outside their comfort zone will promote mutual respect in the classroom. In order to see growth, a teacher must record their progress. A teacher could record a lesson and have a mentor or principal observe and give feedback regarding a particular area or to help identify an area for a teacher to develop.
Together, the teacher and mentor can set professional goals at the start of a year and formulating a plan to achieve them, including regular self reflection and external feedback to track progress.
During my time at Blackwood High School, I had regular meeting with my mentor teacher to identify areas for improvement and discuss teaching strategies for keeping the two year 8 classes I was teaching engaged and on task (3.3, 4.2, 4.3)
ICT Elaboration
The Teachers Registration Board website has a whole section on professional learning including resources including
The Teachers Registration Board website has a whole section on professional learning including resources including
- guidelines to identify professional learning opportunities positive case studies from teachers who have undertaken professional learning successfully
- links to other sites with useful information about professional learning
http://www.trb.sa.edu.au/about-professional-learning
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
Reflection and Evidence
Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up to date on new research on how students learn (1.2), emerging technology tools for the classroom (2.6), new curriculum resources (2.1), and more. This will ensure students are engaged in learning activities and content is presented in a relevant context (2.2).
Tuesday 9th June, 2015 – Professional Development 5 hrs 45 minutes
The professional development day consisted of some morning presentations on providing intellectual challenge for all students, loading assessment tasks on Daymap (the school learning platform)and answering questions about Managebac (the newly implemented school software for storing unit plans and assessment tasks).
Staff then separated into curriculum teams and worked on developing IBMYP unit plans and assessment tasks (5.1) aligned to the Australian Curriculum (2.2, 2.3).
At Blackwood High School, year levels undertake a rotation of units which are developed collaboratively between all staff in the curriculum area and are updated regularly. This ensures all classes have common tests and equipment availability is rotated (3.2, 3.4).
I worked with a mentor, Rogan on aligning and updating the unit for year 8 science on rocks and minerals and it ensuring the unit covers all areas of the IBMYP and AC content. We then loaded it onto Managebac so it is available for all staff to access
Reflection and Evidence
Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up to date on new research on how students learn (1.2), emerging technology tools for the classroom (2.6), new curriculum resources (2.1), and more. This will ensure students are engaged in learning activities and content is presented in a relevant context (2.2).
Tuesday 9th June, 2015 – Professional Development 5 hrs 45 minutes
The professional development day consisted of some morning presentations on providing intellectual challenge for all students, loading assessment tasks on Daymap (the school learning platform)and answering questions about Managebac (the newly implemented school software for storing unit plans and assessment tasks).
Staff then separated into curriculum teams and worked on developing IBMYP unit plans and assessment tasks (5.1) aligned to the Australian Curriculum (2.2, 2.3).
At Blackwood High School, year levels undertake a rotation of units which are developed collaboratively between all staff in the curriculum area and are updated regularly. This ensures all classes have common tests and equipment availability is rotated (3.2, 3.4).
I worked with a mentor, Rogan on aligning and updating the unit for year 8 science on rocks and minerals and it ensuring the unit covers all areas of the IBMYP and AC content. We then loaded it onto Managebac so it is available for all staff to access
![Picture](/uploads/4/8/6/7/48679241/3333160.jpg?1446342239)
Tuesday 9th June, 2015 – Professional Development 5 hrs 45 minutes
The professional development day consisted of some morning presentations on providing intellectual challenge for all students, loading assessment tasks on Daymap (the school learning platform)and answering questions about Managebac (the newly implemented school software for storing unit plans and assessment tasks).
Staff then separated into curriculum teams and worked on developing IBMYP unit plans and assessment tasks (5.1) aligned to the Australian Curriculum (2.2, 2.3).
At Blackwood High School, year levels undertake a rotation of units which are developed collaboratively between all staff in the curriculum area and are updated regularly. This ensures all classes have common tests and equipment availability is rotated (3.2, 3.4).
I worked with a mentor, Rogan on aligning and updating the unit for year 8 science on rocks and minerals and it ensuring the unit covers all areas of the IBMYP and AC content. We then loaded it onto Managebac so it is available for all staff to access.
The professional development day consisted of some morning presentations on providing intellectual challenge for all students, loading assessment tasks on Daymap (the school learning platform)and answering questions about Managebac (the newly implemented school software for storing unit plans and assessment tasks).
Staff then separated into curriculum teams and worked on developing IBMYP unit plans and assessment tasks (5.1) aligned to the Australian Curriculum (2.2, 2.3).
At Blackwood High School, year levels undertake a rotation of units which are developed collaboratively between all staff in the curriculum area and are updated regularly. This ensures all classes have common tests and equipment availability is rotated (3.2, 3.4).
I worked with a mentor, Rogan on aligning and updating the unit for year 8 science on rocks and minerals and it ensuring the unit covers all areas of the IBMYP and AC content. We then loaded it onto Managebac so it is available for all staff to access.
ICT Elaboration
The Teachers Registration Board website has a whole section on professional learning and learning resources including links to and a calendar of professional learning opportunities.
http://www.trb.sa.edu.au/PL-learning-resources
Useful Links
On this page, you will find links to some professional associations and employers that provide professional learning opportunities.
Event Calendar
On this page, you will find links to events that provide professional learning information and opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to questions that are commonly asked.
The Teachers Registration Board website has a whole section on professional learning and learning resources including links to and a calendar of professional learning opportunities.
http://www.trb.sa.edu.au/PL-learning-resources
Useful Links
On this page, you will find links to some professional associations and employers that provide professional learning opportunities.
Event Calendar
On this page, you will find links to events that provide professional learning information and opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to questions that are commonly asked.
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
Reflection and Evidence
Schools are communities for both students and teachers. Colleagues can be utilised as a resource for lesson plan and assessment ideas, feedback and sounding boards. This will improve a teacher’s practice and help manage classroom activities (4.2) by knowing what learning activities may or may not have been successful in the past.
During a Professional Development day during my time at Blackwood High School, I participated in curriculum team based planning to help develop and update unit plans and assessment tasks to align with the IBMYP and Australian Curriculum. During this day were two blocks of time for curriculum teams to sit together and discuss content organization (2.2, 3.2, 3.4), establish challenging learning tasks (3.1) and update assessment tasks (5.1) and share experiences, knowledge and learn off each other to improve their practice.
I also participated in a Professional Development day at Sacred Heart College Senior where teachers from the two feeder schools came to meet with the senior staff to discuss curriculum and what is expected of students when they enter the senior school.
Reflection and Evidence
Schools are communities for both students and teachers. Colleagues can be utilised as a resource for lesson plan and assessment ideas, feedback and sounding boards. This will improve a teacher’s practice and help manage classroom activities (4.2) by knowing what learning activities may or may not have been successful in the past.
During a Professional Development day during my time at Blackwood High School, I participated in curriculum team based planning to help develop and update unit plans and assessment tasks to align with the IBMYP and Australian Curriculum. During this day were two blocks of time for curriculum teams to sit together and discuss content organization (2.2, 3.2, 3.4), establish challenging learning tasks (3.1) and update assessment tasks (5.1) and share experiences, knowledge and learn off each other to improve their practice.
I also participated in a Professional Development day at Sacred Heart College Senior where teachers from the two feeder schools came to meet with the senior staff to discuss curriculum and what is expected of students when they enter the senior school.
ICT Elaboration
Broader communities can be found on online forums such as local and global facebook groups (Teachers of Adelaide), subject associations (Mathematical Association of South Australia, www.masanet.com.au/) and communities on TES Australia website where resources are rated by other users.
iTunes U courses let teachers give each class a customised learning experience. Teachers can create and manage their course and students can experience it all from the iTunes U app on iPad. Teachers can search other courses in their area and use as a resource to improve their own lessons.
Broader communities can be found on online forums such as local and global facebook groups (Teachers of Adelaide), subject associations (Mathematical Association of South Australia, www.masanet.com.au/) and communities on TES Australia website where resources are rated by other users.
iTunes U courses let teachers give each class a customised learning experience. Teachers can create and manage their course and students can experience it all from the iTunes U app on iPad. Teachers can search other courses in their area and use as a resource to improve their own lessons.
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers model effective learning and must be willing to experiment and try new ideas and approaches in their teaching and teaching strategies (3.3). After completing professional learning or development, the ideas or skills learnt need to be tested in a classroom. Teachers may ask feedback on ideas from their colleagues or online communities before trying them in the classroom to get an experienced perspective.
During my Graduate Diploma of Education studies, I was told about an online gaming platform called Kahoot (https://kahoot.it/), where the teacher makes a multiple choice quiz on their free profile (https://getkahoot.com/) and then students log in with a specific game pin on their device and the quiz is projected on a screen and points are accumulated with correct answers and players are ranked after every question.
I decided to try it with my STAGE 1 chemistry class during practicum at Sacred Heart College Senior as a revision activity to end a long lesson. It was an enormous hit! I asked the students for thumbs up or down if they wanted to do it again and it was a unanimous yes. From then on, I pre made a quiz for each subject I taught to be used as an extra activity ready to go (3.2, 3.3, 3.4). Everyone got involved (4.1) and it was an excellent way to finish a long lesson when students were tired or disengaged (4.2, 4.3). It was also an excellent indicator to me about which questions a number of students got wrong so I could clear up any misconceptions (5.1) as the game gave me graphs of which students chose each answer.
I shared the game with a few other staff and within a short time, most of the science faculty had incorporated it into their lessons.
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers model effective learning and must be willing to experiment and try new ideas and approaches in their teaching and teaching strategies (3.3). After completing professional learning or development, the ideas or skills learnt need to be tested in a classroom. Teachers may ask feedback on ideas from their colleagues or online communities before trying them in the classroom to get an experienced perspective.
During my Graduate Diploma of Education studies, I was told about an online gaming platform called Kahoot (https://kahoot.it/), where the teacher makes a multiple choice quiz on their free profile (https://getkahoot.com/) and then students log in with a specific game pin on their device and the quiz is projected on a screen and points are accumulated with correct answers and players are ranked after every question.
I decided to try it with my STAGE 1 chemistry class during practicum at Sacred Heart College Senior as a revision activity to end a long lesson. It was an enormous hit! I asked the students for thumbs up or down if they wanted to do it again and it was a unanimous yes. From then on, I pre made a quiz for each subject I taught to be used as an extra activity ready to go (3.2, 3.3, 3.4). Everyone got involved (4.1) and it was an excellent way to finish a long lesson when students were tired or disengaged (4.2, 4.3). It was also an excellent indicator to me about which questions a number of students got wrong so I could clear up any misconceptions (5.1) as the game gave me graphs of which students chose each answer.
I shared the game with a few other staff and within a short time, most of the science faculty had incorporated it into their lessons.
Sacred Heart College Senior Student Feedback surveys, 2015 STAGE 1 Chemistry
In response to:
What are some of the positive things about the teacher/lessons/classroom/subject content?
“Varied the ways that the lessons were taught – Practicals, power points, interactive games, helped the students that were having trouble”
“Good attitude, incorporated videos and games”
“Games”
“Kahoot”
“Quiz”
In response to:
What are some of the positive things about the teacher/lessons/classroom/subject content?
“Varied the ways that the lessons were taught – Practicals, power points, interactive games, helped the students that were having trouble”
“Good attitude, incorporated videos and games”
“Games”
“Kahoot”
“Quiz”
ICT Elaboration
Self reflection is necessary for future reference or ways to improve the activity and can be done as simply as notes on the lesson plan template or as a blog on an eportfolio or online journal (Free Online Journal and Diary, https://penzu.com/)
Student feedback is vital. Students could give instant feedback during lesson on Poll Everywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/) or be invited to leave a comment on a learning platform such as Edmodo as to how they enjoyed the lesson or activity and did they find it useful or comprehensive. This will support student participation (4.1) and help meet specific learning needs (1.5).
Self reflection is necessary for future reference or ways to improve the activity and can be done as simply as notes on the lesson plan template or as a blog on an eportfolio or online journal (Free Online Journal and Diary, https://penzu.com/)
Student feedback is vital. Students could give instant feedback during lesson on Poll Everywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/) or be invited to leave a comment on a learning platform such as Edmodo as to how they enjoyed the lesson or activity and did they find it useful or comprehensive. This will support student participation (4.1) and help meet specific learning needs (1.5).