Standard 6: Engage in Professional Learning

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice: Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning: Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning.

(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2022, para. 6)

On my latest placement in a grade 2/3 classroom, I planned and implemented a mathematics mini unit focused on three-dimensional objects. The learning sequence was developed to incorporate a range of diverse learning needs and teaching strategies, including formative assessment, an evaluative method employed to accumulate and analyse student progress (Wylie, 2020). During the first lesson, formative assessment was seamlessly implemented to collect an initial understanding of pupils’ readiness for new learning. The culminating self-evaluation exit-ticket, seen in Artefact 5.1, demonstrated that though some students responded with minimal detail, all pupils reacted with an emoji to indicate they had grasped the new topic. At the time of the lesson, I did not see the harm in this nonchalance, subsequently moving onto second lesson group rotations, in which learners seemed to once again excel. It was not until the concluding interpersonal exit-ticket conference, that results, seen in Figure 5.2, revealed individual students who could not explicitly identify 3D objects.

_{Artefact 6.1: Lesson one formative exit ticket self-evaluation slips (Verrall, 2023).}

_{Artefact 6.2: Lesson two formative checklist from teacher-student exit-ticket conferences (Verrall, 2023).}

In alignment with APST 6.3, I value collaborative engagement as I seek and apply constructive feedback to grow and develop as a graduate teacher (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2018). After identifying 65% of the class had mis-identified 3D-objects, I confided in my mentor teacher to determine potential reasons for this confusing result. Allen and White (2021) identified teaching as a collaborative profession, characterised by trust and frequent communication with colleagues to create a culture of support, nurturing professional growth. Upon reflection, it was apparent that the formative assessment employed at the commencement of the unit, was ineffective for monitoring new learning as whole-class observations, checklists and student self-evaluations require vigilant teacher attention to guarantee accurate data (Wylie, 2020). My mentor suggested when teaching and learning is ‘visible’ and pupils are actively involved in their development, they become more readily receptive to feedback (Hattie, 2009). The application of a ‘colour coordinated marking system’, seen in Artefact 6.3, explicitly provided grade 2/3 with positive, personalised feedback that encouragingly guided them towards learning success for the remainer of the unit (APST 6.3, 6.4).

_{Artefact 6.3: ‘Visible Learning’ colour coordinated formative feedback (Verrall, 2023).}

As a graduate teacher, I value high-quality partnerships with my colleagues and the opportunities to accumulate knowledge, experiences, and feedback which can be leveraged to continuously improve my teaching practice (AITSL, 2018, APST 6.4). Such adjustments to my instructional practice, had a profound impact on students’ learning outcomes, see Atefact 6.4, as they became engaged in the content and eager to receive progressive feedback. In my future practice, I will seek to apply the professional learning and collegial feedback gained throughout this placement to guarantee I closely monitor learning progress, vigilantly clarifying understanding to ensure all pupils are achieving optimal educational outcomes (AITSL, 2018; Fernandes, 2023).

_{Artefact 6.4: Representation of student summative-data and overall improvement.}

References

Allen, J., & White, S. (2021). Learning to teach in a new era (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2018). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) (Rev. Ed.). https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf

Fernandes, J. (2023). The role of data-driven decision-making in effective educational leadership. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 27(2), 1–3. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/The-role-of-data-driven-decision-making-in-effective-educational-leadership1528-2643-27-S2-002.pdf

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning. Routledge.

Wylie, E. C. (2020). Observing formative assessment practice: Learning lessons through validation. Education Assessment, 25(4), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2020.1766955