I recognise that as an educational professional, I am required to undertake continued professional development (CPD) (Queensland Collage of Teachers, 2017), which can be teacher identified, formal and informal, yet relevant to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2017). I believe that professional development should be an everyday occurrence, not a one-off special event. Teachers can engage in daily reflection, analysing and evaluating their practices, based on student level of engagement and success. I
About Letiesha Parker
View all posts by Letiesha Parker:
My first blog post
As I start this Portfolio I reflect on what a portfolio is and why I really want to create one. This video helped me consider purpose and options.
What is a Portfolio?
What_is_a_Portfolio_.mp4 from USQ on Vimeo.
Example post
As a preservice teacher, I was exposed to a wide variety of evolving pedagogical beliefs and teaching strategies, including HITS (DETV, 2019) known to increase student learning outcomes (Hattie, 2009). These strategies instantly resonated with me and I utilised them to target my teaching (Goss et al., 2015) throughout my final practicum placements, planning explicit, well-structured, collaborative lessons, aimed at achieving student learning goals, guided by formative feedback, achieving the complete cycle of inquiry (Timperley, 2011).
As a beginning teacher, it is my job to provide all students with excellence and equity in education (COAG, 2019). I will empower my students to overcome their weaknesses by identifying learning goals and promoting self-sufficient, independent learners. I believe the data I collect and share with parents will reflect these lifelong skills, highlighting to parents their child’s growth, across all aspects of their development, including life skills. Rubrics and grades are a necessity of the education system, to inform moderation (Department of Education & Child Development (DECD), 2016), and reporting decisions, and as such, I will participate in these processes and share my students learning with my colleagues, which in turn will inform my future planning decisions (Timperley, 2011). Additionally, I recognise I am responsible for student safety and wellbeing; therefore, I will refer to the Department of Education Queensland’s website, policies, and documents, plus my employer’s handbook to ensure I am implementing best practice. As a beginning teacher, I have engaged in Professional Development regarding the Code of Conduct (2020) and believe it will guide my interactions with students, families, and the public moving forward.
Example post
I recognise that I am at the start of a long journey to becoming a professional in my chosen field of early childhood education. My priority would be to develop an understanding of my student’s abilities and backgrounds to better understand how they learn (AITSL, 2017). I believe teachers are ethically and legally required to personalise teaching by recognising barriers to learning (Council of Australian Governments (COAG, 2019). I would promote an open-door policy and invite families to share information about their child’s strengths, weakness, interests, and goals, to enhance existing One School data. For me, teaching is not solely about grades but also about student wellbeing and promoting a growth mindset, so that students leave my classroom as independent, robust individuals, capable of being valued members of our society.
