National Standards

National Standard 1 – Know students and how they learn

1.1 – Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 – Understand how students learn 

1.3 – Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds 

1.4 – Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

1.5 – Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

 1.6 – Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

National Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.1 – Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 – Content selection and organisation 

2.3 – Curriculum, assessment and reporting

2.4 – Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. 

2.5 – Literacy and numeracy strategies

2.6 – Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Professional knowledge is the first domain of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, it focuses on knowing students and how they learn (standard 1) and knowing the content and how to teach it (standard 2).

To create a classroom environment that incorporates personality, challenge, and active engagement for students, teachers must possess a clear understanding of each student’s intellectual, physical, and social needs. This understanding can be reinforced by fostering a connected community, which involves maintaining strong communication with students as individuals, fellow teachers, and the parent/carer figures in students’ lives. Collecting data and implementing new skills and strategies allows students to be adaptable, with the teacher playing a crucial role in facilitating this growth. Providing students with differentiation exemplifies the teaching practices of a knowledgeable teacher and supports the development of responsive students in various situations (Duffy, 2009). Differentiation in both curriculum and pedagogy can enhance understanding for students with learning needs and disabilities, providing them access to the necessary knowledge and skills. This multi-tiered approach enables teachers to identify and implement additional instructions for learners who may benefit from targeted support in specific areas (Vic Gov, 2023).

A deep understanding of curriculum and subject areas allows teachers to implement best practices in creating effective learning and teaching sequences that engage students. This can be supported by HITS strategies, which are reliable structural practices that enhance the effectiveness of lesson structuring, explicit teaching, and collaborative learning. Thoughtful planning of lessons, units, and the overall yearly structure helps students identify goals, experience successful formative assessments, and meet all requirements and achievement standards in their summative assessments (Vic Gov, 2023).