Element 3

ELEMENT 3 Teachers plan, assess and report...

I believe that in order to effectively engage students in quality learning that teachers need to carefully plan learning activities which allow students to successfully meet learning outcomes. In doing so teachers need to set appropriate and achieveable learning goals in line with students cognitive, social and developmental capabilities - that will engaage them, allow them to succeed, cause them to integrate existing knowledge and new knowledge an also meet mandatory syllabus requirements.

I believe that planned learning activities should scaffold new knowledge in a logical and sequential manner to allow children the opportunity to build on exisiting understandings and develop deep knowledge about subject content. I also believe that teachers should plan how they should assess students prior to designing lesson activities. Thi is important to ensure that teachers have taught their students what they ned to know to be successful in assessments and give all students the ability to achieve learning outcomes. I believe that assessment strategies should be varied - just as students' learning styles vary - to allow all students the opportunity to be assessed in a way that matches their preferred learning style.  Assessment should not only occur at the end of a unit or lesson - i.e. summative assessment, but should also occur during the learning process in the form of direct and specific oral and written feedbackto allow students to learn as a result of error and be affirmed when they are correct  leading to the forming of deep knowledge and deep undertanding. Assessment should not always be carried out by the teacher, but rather the students should also engage in self- and peer-assessment - encouraging reflection, critical awareness and substantive communication. I believe teachers should keep accurate and regular records of student achievements to inform both their own planning and self reflection and evaluation but also t aid the reporting process.  I believe teachers should continually reflect upon, evaluate and improve upon their teaching and programs in order to provide students with the most quality and effective learning as possible.

I have demonstrated that I have achieved the graduate standards of plannin, reporting and assessing in a number of ways...(to be continued). 

Evidence which shows this:

Maths lesson on 3D shapes - careful planning which sets out clearly the learning goals for the lesson (and unit) and how students will achieve them and be assessed throughout the lesson. [3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4]

Science unit "Seeds: dead or alive?" clearly establishes unit goals and desired outcomes as well as assessment strategies. [3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4]

PD Unit "The Great Bear" - shows all three aspects, clear planning, reporting to parents (letter home prior to learning controversial issues - reporting on what will be learned in the upcoming unit and providing parents with relevant information and resources to lok at as well as the opportunit to raise concerns with the teacher), and assessment strategies (including a rubric outlining A-E reporting scale). [3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.5, 3.1.8]

Written feedback on students work samples (e.g. science lessons from second year prac) (3.1.7)

Diagnostic and formativie assessment of year 3  on third year prac - prepositions lesson (could include written self reflection on lesson and also 3rd year prac assignment which discusses this issue also) 3.1.7, 3.1.10

I will  take opportunities on my upcoming prac to develop better assessment strategies and collect suitable evidence of how I  assessed students. I need  to become more familiar with different assessment strategies and also consider how these should impact upon both planning and reporting. I need to familiarise myself with the "starting with assessment kit" ad oter similar resources to aid my developing understandings of efective assessment practice.