Standard 7: Engage Professionally with Colleagues, Parents/Carers and the Community
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities: Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements: Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers according to school stage.
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers: Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers.
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities: Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2022, para. 7)
Integrity in Practice
Integrity in practice refers to the professional responsibilities of educators to foster a morally, transparent workplace culture, characterised by the highest standards of ethical behaviour and accountability including professional conduct and organisational integrity (Lavelle, 2022). The Code of Conduct and Standard of Practice have been developed by the QDOE (2023a) to cultivate ethical educational environments that guide, support and protect employees. As I embark on my professional journey as a graduate teacher, I understand I have an obligation to demonstrate, promote and comply with QDOE mandates, principles, values and standards to uphold professional boundaries. As an educator, I believe it is vital to establish partnerships in the school environment built on firm foundations of mutual trust and effective communication. It is my responsibility to balance these connections to integrally, respectfully, impartially, and ethically interact with students, parents, carers, colleagues and community members inside and outside the classroom (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2018, APST 7). Lavelle (2022) emphasised teachers’ unique position of trust, care, authority and influence with their class, furthermore, expressing the importance of maintaining a separation between professional and personal life with both present and past students, particularly when using social media. I understand the potential for damage in how I engage online and am mindful of sharing respectfully appropriate content. Moreover, I am committed to maintaining high levels of privacy to prevent children from communicating and accessing my personal information. Complying with these practices, I will only contact students using communication formats approved by the principle for justifiable educational purpose, and will not disclose confidential student information online (Lavelle, 2022).
Complying with QDOE legislations and guidelines, educators are responsible for protecting confidential information, ensuring it is solely for its purpose and not recorded or shared (AITSL, 2018, APST 7.2). When handling physical copies of personal or departmental documents, I must act with caution, storing them securely and shredding after use. To maintain digital security, professionalism must be maintained online and ICT devices sealed with passwords (Lavelle, 2022). In my professional career, I will follow information management and security procedures to protect confidentiality, and disclose any suspicious breaches.
Lavelle (2022) highlighted ethical decision-making as a fundamental characteristic for teachers’ integrity in practice. The known practice for educators to receive gifts and benefits from families as a token of appreciation must be monitored. In alignment with QDOE policy (2023a), I will declare all gifts received to the principle, and before accepting, critically consider the intentions behind the offering. When faced with an ethical issue such as a bribery gift, I must recognise the conflict of interest and examine the situation, report evidence, and consult with the leadership team to arrive at an appropriately managed decision (Lavelle, 2022).
OneSchool
As a pre-service teacher, I endeavour to understand the power of OneSchool, a QDOE (2023b) software utilised in the state sector to support the adherence of educators’ legal obligations, organisational responsibilities, and ethical duty of care to operate safe, secure, sustainable and consistent reporting and administrative processes (AITSL, 2018, APST 7.2). In concern for student learning, wellbeing and behaviour management, OneSchool offers a centralised space for colleagues to provide, capture and collect data regarding enrolment records, academic results, behaviour plans, intervention details, communication logs, medical information, attendance, photo permissions, and extracurricular activities (Fitzsimmons, 2022).
Fitzsimmons (2022) outlined how this digital platform can be leveraged to apply evidence-based decision-making into practice, instigating a data-driven cycle of effective curriculum design. As a beginning teacher, I strongly believe it is crucial to target and scaffold instruction, applying accumulated data to build students’ learning upon the foundation of previous understanding (AITSL, 2018, APST 5). The ability to access individualised OneSchool profiles, allows me to effectively plan differentiated learning sequences in alignment with each students’ level of competency and independence. Furthermore, details regarding class attendance will allow me to monitor and investigate possibilities to increase learners’ engagement (Fitzsimmons, 2022). The seamless, secure and comprehensive nature of OneSchool extends the opportunity for data evaluations with colleagues and leadership teams, to compare trends and offer guidance to further create a nurturing classroom environment, that fosters success and supports student learning and wellbeing (AITSL, 2018, APST 7).
Professional Engagement: Resume Writing and Interview Techniques
Having engaged in the professional development hosted by Baker (n.d.), a member of the university’s careers and employability team, I was able to obtain essential tips and tactics to construct an effective resume and interview for anticipated employment. Applying this newfound knowledge and skills, I created a professionally relevant resume and personalised cover letter for a hypothetical rural school context, see Artefacts 7.1 and 7.2. From there, I conducted a two-question interview, demonstrating my capability and motivation for a proposed employment opportunity (Baker, n.d.). In preparation for future career applications, I submitted the three resources to the Candidate Pool for appraisal, see Figure 7.3.
Career Readiness: Working Effectively and Making the Most of Teacher Aide Time
Engagement in the professional development presentation conducted by Kinnear (n.d.) broadened my understanding of the invaluable opportunities to establish effective teaching partnerships with teacher-aids. As a beginning teacher, I am eager to work respectfully alongside teacher-aids in appreciation of their integral role in the school community, offering unique knowledge, expertise and perspective to enrich students’ learning (AITSL, 2018, APST 3.4). Kinnear (n.d.) defined teaching as a collaborative profession, characterised by frequent communication between colleagues to strengthen the effectiveness of the partnership process, creating a culture of support and nurturing both personal and professional growth.
When lesson planning, I will aim to structure learning activities, to effectively and efficiently utilise my weekly scheduled teacher-aide time. Through this, I will openly communicate with colleagues to ensure they are comfortable and confident in my classroom, providing them with the required instructional strategies and resources to meet desired learning goals and target behaviour management (AITSL, 2018, APST 7.1). I acknowledge that high-quality partnerships, in which teacher-aides are an essential resource, included in team meetings and moderation, will allow them to share individual knowledge and experiences accumulated during their time with my students. This connection will keep me well-informed of new evidence, and allow me to make precise, data-driven alterations to my practice to facilitate educational success (Kinnear, n.d.).
References
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
Baker, K. (Host). (n.d.). Quality job applications and interviews [Video podcast]. USQStudyDesk. https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/mod/folder/view.php?id=2815791
Fitzsimmons, D. (Host). (2022). OneSchool industry presentation [Video podcast]. USQStudyDesk. https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/mod/folder/view.php?id=2552798
Kinnear, M. (Host). (n.d.). Considerations for effective use of teacher-aids and supportive staff [Video podcast]. USQStudyDesk. https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/mod/page/view.php?id=2815800
Lavelle, C. (Host). (2022). Integrity in practice [Video podcast]. USQStudyDesk. https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/mod/page/view.php?id=2552796
Queensland Department of Education (QDOE). (2023a). Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service. Queensland Government. https://qed.qld.gov.au/working-with-us/induction/department/induction-programs-and-resources/code-of-conduct
Queensland Department of Education (QDOE). (2023b). OneSchool. Queensland Government. https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/school-information/oneschool
