A good teacher from my perspective is someone who is well balanced with themselves personally and wants the students to feel the same way. What I mean by this is that if you are a positive person then your students will feel the same positive energy as you do. A good teacher is someone who is serene and tolerant of the differences and learning development of the students. I am more focused on the quality of the teacher’s personality. They are well organised with their time and would take that extra step to make the learning experiences for the students fun, enjoyable and relevant. A good teacher would have rules in the class room that not only benefit the teacher in terms of classroom management but also benefits the students socially wise. They have a good sense of humour that benefits the development of the students social skills and that they are open minded to learning more educational philosophy that will benefit the classroom and for themselves. A good teacher would have classroom rules that are applicable to the students not only in their school life, but also on the playground and out into the real world. The main concepts that I want the students to understand are acceptance, acknowledge and appreciate. We live in a diverse society, and social differences can lead to conflict if we did not know how to deal with problems in a well civilised manner; that is we choose to be assertive with each other rather than be aggressive. Another characteristic that a teacher should have is the ability to help students grow personally not just intelligently. They would have a good rapport with the students. The relationship between the student and the teacher should be one that is beneficial for the students learning and social development and not just in a way that would hinder students learning. The teacher would show respect to the students, respect their individualities, find and foster the talent that each student may have. The role of the teacher should be someone who is there to facilitate and provide appropriate resources for the students. They should be helped by the school, parents and the community to help students become independent, responsibly good citizens that would make a good contribution to society. The other side of teaching is to not only care and nurture students social well being but they should also be there to ensure that students are safe at school and as well as at home. The role of the student is to come to school with the sense that they will feel that they belong and that they would want to help their peers when in need but also help those who are also in need in society. They should show respect to their teachers and other students as well as respecting themselves. They should show integrity and pride in doing their work. They should present themselves in a positive manner that reflects the school values.
I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts Diploma of Education following the primary education program. You may view the program of study on the following link.
http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/2010/DegreesDiplomas/Degree/Bachelor+of+Arts+with+the+Diploma+of+Education
The following link goes into detail on the mandatory subjects that students must do in order to satisfy the requirements of the degree.
www.educ.mq.edu.au/public/download.jsp?id=10890pdf
It is a set course and content that is presented out to students in schools and university. Currently in Australia there are 6 primary education curriculum for each state. Generally the curriculum undergoes several processes. The following image is an overview on the background work that is involved when creating the curriculum and for its purpose.
Purpose of a curriculum is to ensure that teachers are teaching the right content to students so that there are clear expectations and learning standards of where each student should be progressing at. The curriculum are influenced by politics, economics and geographical factors.
It is a powerful texts because political and economic power plays an important role over the curriculum. Teachers must deliver the content within the time. We can see this movement happening right now in the National curriculum. One of the main purpose of having a national curriculum is ensure that the new generation of students become innovative learners. They will gain a broader global perspective and understand the relationship and perspectives of other countries. This is the result of Globalization. According to Mitchell and Boyd (2001) ''Globalization, we argue, is fundamentaly changing the parameters of political deliberation throughout the industrialized world, raising the stakes for education policy and changing the ground rules for its adoption and implementation'' (p.60). The policy forces the students to be the people who could fulfill social needs, not to be the one who they want to be as an individual. As a powerful group, which are the ''curriculum experts'' (Apple, 1997), are they really experts? There is therefore a debate on who should really be creating and inputting what should be in the curriculum.
As a result of polictical involvement in the curriculum some of the disadvantages that have unfolded is the neglect of other subject fields. For example there are the debates that are surrounding the role of CA (creative arts) and PDHPE that play in the education of the students are that teachers find that it is hard to find the time to engage the students in these KLAs (Anderson and Gibbs, 2004). There are limited resources to help the students in these KLAs and as well as the numbers of students that participate in these KLAs in secondary education are often low (Anderson and Grabs, 2004). Teachers would find it hard to make these two KLAs to be seen as relevant and essential for students as part of their learning and growth development. These two KLAs have not always been valued and seen part of the learning experiences that promote long term learning for the future (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). Society changes rapidly economically and technologically. PDHPE may not be seen as a valuable learning experience for students because dominantly in Australia because we have a shortage jobs that require people to have high intellectual qualities for that role for example, engineers and doctors, physical qualities therefore are not as valued (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). Similar to the last point, school is like a microscopic society. If students do something wrong, they would face the consequences. In a society it is important to conform. It is a survival skill. Artist in society often find it hard to earn income and support for their work. This is due to the lack of support from the government and society to see art as a worth job profession that benefits society (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). In a recent research it has been found that 80% of Australians found that it is important for students to learn art (Anderson & Gibson, 2004). The problem seems to be that policy makers find it hard to see art as an essential part of the learning experience in schools for students. The art sector should work closely to students and teachers if the CA is to succeed to be seen as important in playing a valuable role in students learning experience (Anderson & Gibson, 2004). One of the greatest achievements that these two KLAs have seen is The Education Act 1990 being pushed through which sets out the minimum requirement that each primary KLA must be taught (Board of Studies: Creative Arts, 2000 pp 5). Just like in school students may find it hard to be creative and unique as being different would lead to discrimination and to being a social outcast (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). There is also the issue about student’s participation in the KLA. The issue is that depending on the gender of the students, boys tend to find it hard to participate in dance. The girls find it hard to participate in sports. Teachers also find it hard to be good role models for students in all form of the arts as well as being good physical role model for the students. This is hard for the teachers as they themselves find it hard to lead a good active lifestyle that would benefit their health. It is hard to be mentally and physically healthy when you are in a profession that time consuming where the focus and emphasis is more on the student’s development than on for the teachers (Anderson and Gibbs 2004).
The limitations of having such a structured curriculum would limit students ability to be imaginative thinkers and learn what they want to. It is essential to be critical thinkers, explore reality to solive problems in life. Therefore teahcers must utilise ways to deliver the curriculum in a way to make it relevant to the students.
This section is very broad. To be a teacher, then the teacher must have gained some form of qualification in which they have studied the science, pedagogy practice to become a teacher.
Macquarie University teaching program ''is widely acknowledged as one of Australia's finest. The program is distinguished by the emphasis it attaches to the concept of the scholar-teacher, its promotion of reflective classroom practice, and its innovative, school-based, professional experience program. A focus on the application of information and communication based technologies in educational settings is integrated across our programs.''
Teachers teaching in a formal education environment facilitate students learning. In this sense, teachers are equipped with the following knowledge in order to deliver the curriculum to the students.
The following website discusses more into detail about each of the three dimensions.
http://athene.riv.csu.edu.au/~lflynn/EMR491_backup/topic2/topic2_b.htm
Primary education curriculum is very broad. Because there are so many outcomes that teachers must achieve within a year for each stage and for each KLA, it is essential that teachers know how to integrate the KLA's.
For example, when delivering a HSIE lesson about culture, you could incorporate a lesson into it with visual arts. Exploring visual artsworks from different cultures. students will find the lesson more significant.
The impact that this has for teachers is that it will make the lessons more meaningful and save time in the classroom. it makes the lessons more enjoyable and lessons are more rich in task.
The following article looks into the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom.
http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
Why do teachers need to assess?
Teachers assess students work because it provides a guideline to see where students have developed and where they have progressed. It helps teachers reflect on their teaching practice to further improve the learning experience for future and present students. It is also a significant document to provide for the principal, teachers, students and parents. Teachers generally assess what they have taught to students to see what they have learnt.
The following diagram explains the steps and processes that teachers go through in order to implement a successful assessment task to the students.
There are different forms of assessment tasks.
Diagnostic assessment is used to determine where instruction should begin and usually occurs at the beginning of the school year or before a unit of instruction. Its main purposes are to identify students who lack prerequisite knowledge, understanding, or skills, so that remedial help can be arranged; to identify gifted learners to ensure they are being sufficiently challenged; and, to identify student interests.
Formative assessment is an ongoing classroom process that keeps students and educators informed of students' progress towards program learning objectives. It provides teachers with valuable information upon which instructional modifications can be made. Analysis of work samples, observation, interviews, checklists, and teacher-made tests are ways of collecting data for formative evaluation. Students are provided direction for future learning and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own progress.
Summative evaluation occurs most often at the end of the unit of study. Its primary purposes are to determine what has been learned over a period of time, to summarize student progress, and to report on progress to students, parents, and educators.
It is a formal evaluation and students are informed in advance of the timing, method, and specific knowledge, skills, or behaviours being evaluated. Evaluation techniques include testing, analysis of work samples, interviews, checklists, and projects.
Typically all three are essential and should be integrated together to reinforce and reflect on the students learning.
It is important to understand that while assessment is very important it is also important to remember that as teachers we should provide students with a rich learning environment that also reflects societies values. Life is not always a test. It a learning field and teachers should be condemned to teaching in a way where classroom lessons are based on teaching to the test. With the NAPLAN and my school website coming up, it puts pressure on teachers and schools to improve results rather then worry about students well being and social development.
On a final note however, assessments can also be fun for students as it provides a rich and significant lesson for the students. it challenges and stimulates their mind and helps students become motivated and self regulated learners. The above diagram are examples on what teachers could use to to use assessment for learning.
One of the main foundation units to study for the education program at Macquarie University was EDUC 105. On the website it states
'This unit is intended as an introduction to the field of educational psychology. This field of inquiry combines major theories from the disciplines of psychology and education, and applies these to the context of teaching and learning. The central focus of this unit is on human development. Development and learning are influenced by a range of factors, such as language, cognitive, personal, social, emotional, and physical development. Social and cultural influences also play a significant role in students' learning experiences, as do school based factors including teachers' classroom management practices and their skills in motivating students to learn.'
Gennerally it is a branch of psychology that specializes in understanding teaching and learning in educational settings. Without it we would not improve our teaching strategies. Educational Pyschology provides teachers with a field of study to give meaning to their practice. It has lead the practice of being a teacher to becoming a science and an artform.
The following is a diagram looks into the characteristics of what makes a good teacher and a bad teacher. Without research and the foundation principals of educational psychology then there would be no standards to clarify what makes an effective teacher.
It has therefore lead to research in the classroom, which explains the science behind teaching.
Information that is collated from research can be used to improve teachers practice and classroom management. students, schools, communities can benefit from this as it keeps us informed. with new technologies emerging, it is inevitable that teachers must change their practice to accommodate to students needs. it is therefore important that teachers understand the social development of how students learn and develop physically. Understanding the science behind psychology and how students learn will help influence and benefit teachers practice and students learning.
In this section I would like to provide and overview of the differences between Piaget and Vygotsky. These two theorist have influence my teaching practice in many ways. It has helped me to understand the learning and social development of a child, it gives me a framework of how I should base my teaching practice and manage my classroom. It broaden up my perspective that students do not just learn in the classroom, but in the playground and beyond the school. Life long learning is what i'm trying to instill into every student.
I would apply the learning aspect of the two theorist in my constructive approach to teaching. I see that students learn effectively when they learning within their zone of proximity development. I would use Piaget stages of development to look at the physical well being of my students.
I have travelled oversees and see Vygotsky theory proven. I was walking down the markets in Vietnam and saw a six year old girl selling another person fish. She understood how much it weighed, she understood the cost, how to cut, slice and dice the fish. When you go into the Australian classroom a typical six year old would not be able to do that. their motor skills are not so advanced, they cannot cut in a straight line. They are still measuring with informal units. this just goes to show that children are capabable of many things if given the opportunity.
The primary curriculum has several KLA's that must be covered for every stage.
Maths
English
Science and technology
HSIE
Visual Arts
Teachers would have to allocate time and create lesson plans that would accomodate to the KLA's and ensure that the curriculum is being covered. I have mentioned before the importance of the curriculum in the curriculum section.
Here is a typical timetable for a stage 3 class.
Created by Steven Austen Sutherland P.S
When I was on my prac it was very important to have this document at hand because it provided me a scope and sequence on how I should deliver the lessons. I did a literacy block which included comprehension, spelling, and assessment. You can see the mathematical blocks and on occasions I would use the math lessons to apply it to real life situations that way I was integrating HSIE and Maths together.
As a teacher I think that it is very important to understand and know about the students as unique individuals. As I mentioned before, students do not come to school as empty shells ready to be filled up. They all have something that they need to be fostered out of them. Teachers need to polish their students for a better tomorrow. One of my prac teachers have mentioned before that although she has her students in Kindergarten, she would know her students so well as their parents because for the first five years of the students lives, they were with their parents from birth and till present.
While teaching her students, there were behaviour problems and I know that it was not attributes to their age, but because of the way they were raised. I considered the area that the students have came from. Their socio economical back ground and and social development.
Consider this, it is a Kindy class, some have came overseas, some have had pre school experiences, whilst others have not. some students know how to read, others do not know any pre alphabetical knowledge at all. Understanding how to differentiate in the classroom and knowing the students social and physical development would equip you with the best knowledge to deliver lessons and manage the classroom more effectively. A good teacher is one who knows and understand their students. Interaction with your students would be heavily influenced by how open and understanding you are as a teacher.
The following is a diagram on Erikson's Psychosocial stages.
A brief back ground on Erikson (Please click to read more)
I'd like to end my portforlio with a poem
http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/2010/DegreesDiplomas/Degree/Bachelor+of+Arts+with+the+Diploma+of+Education
The following link goes into detail on the mandatory subjects that students must do in order to satisfy the requirements of the degree.
www.educ.mq.edu.au/public/download.jsp?id=10890pdf
Identification of the major theories and themes presented in the program
When reflecting on this aspect of the program, there were a list of words that came to my head.
Throughout the list the main themes and theories I would identify are the following themes and theories as listed. Each theme and theory has a link that everyone can read more into detail about each one.
Themes
In this aspect of education, it is good to have an understanding of the policies and how policies are formed. In Australia the schooling system has adapted a western approach to education (Katjivena, 1999 page 259). In this approach education is seen that the individual is to be educated so that they can serve society and become informed citizens (Katjivena, 1999 page 259). Education has always been influenced by the forces of politics and the economy. Currently in every state of Australia, the government is trying to implement a national curriculum. This has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that nationally, the learning goals and standards of all the states in Australia would be lifted. A disadvantage would be that educators do not see how it will benefit indigenous people and their education. How will the education be relevant to all students in Australia.
Understanding the social changes and practices in society would help shape teachers perspective on education and practice. As a teacher it is important to understand the society and social values in the community.
There has always been extreme views on education that has shifted and shaped education in Australia. There is the Liberalist and Neo Liberal view on education.
Liberalist view on education sees it as "a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement ... characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study" by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Neo Liberal view on education is to privatize education in order to suit the economy and provide for its needs. This would mean that education will be heavily influenced by what the market needs, students will not have the opportunity to freely study and be exposed to the many learning experiences that the curriculum has to offer.
Having an understanding of both views is beneficial because as teachers we want students to be independent learners and well informed citizens. The following diagram provides an overview of what skills and knowledge that students should have once they have finished school.
Understanding the social changes and practices in society would help shape teachers perspective on education and practice. As a teacher it is important to understand the society and social values in the community.
There has always been extreme views on education that has shifted and shaped education in Australia. There is the Liberalist and Neo Liberal view on education.
Liberalist view on education sees it as "a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement ... characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study" by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Neo Liberal view on education is to privatize education in order to suit the economy and provide for its needs. This would mean that education will be heavily influenced by what the market needs, students will not have the opportunity to freely study and be exposed to the many learning experiences that the curriculum has to offer.
Having an understanding of both views is beneficial because as teachers we want students to be independent learners and well informed citizens. The following diagram provides an overview of what skills and knowledge that students should have once they have finished school.
On a global perspective, throughout history teachers have always been persecuted for their knowledge and skills. One example is the period of when Vietnam was unified and ruled its country under communism. Teachers although did not held a very high position in society, they would be target to ensure that students and future generation of students would learn about communism. If the teachers did not comply then they would be seen as traitors or conspirators. Already we can see the forces that influence the education in this contexts.
It is a set course and content that is presented out to students in schools and university. Currently in Australia there are 6 primary education curriculum for each state. Generally the curriculum undergoes several processes. The following image is an overview on the background work that is involved when creating the curriculum and for its purpose.
Purpose of a curriculum is to ensure that teachers are teaching the right content to students so that there are clear expectations and learning standards of where each student should be progressing at. The curriculum are influenced by politics, economics and geographical factors.
It is a powerful texts because political and economic power plays an important role over the curriculum. Teachers must deliver the content within the time. We can see this movement happening right now in the National curriculum. One of the main purpose of having a national curriculum is ensure that the new generation of students become innovative learners. They will gain a broader global perspective and understand the relationship and perspectives of other countries. This is the result of Globalization. According to Mitchell and Boyd (2001) ''Globalization, we argue, is fundamentaly changing the parameters of political deliberation throughout the industrialized world, raising the stakes for education policy and changing the ground rules for its adoption and implementation'' (p.60). The policy forces the students to be the people who could fulfill social needs, not to be the one who they want to be as an individual. As a powerful group, which are the ''curriculum experts'' (Apple, 1997), are they really experts? There is therefore a debate on who should really be creating and inputting what should be in the curriculum.
As a result of polictical involvement in the curriculum some of the disadvantages that have unfolded is the neglect of other subject fields. For example there are the debates that are surrounding the role of CA (creative arts) and PDHPE that play in the education of the students are that teachers find that it is hard to find the time to engage the students in these KLAs (Anderson and Gibbs, 2004). There are limited resources to help the students in these KLAs and as well as the numbers of students that participate in these KLAs in secondary education are often low (Anderson and Grabs, 2004). Teachers would find it hard to make these two KLAs to be seen as relevant and essential for students as part of their learning and growth development. These two KLAs have not always been valued and seen part of the learning experiences that promote long term learning for the future (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). Society changes rapidly economically and technologically. PDHPE may not be seen as a valuable learning experience for students because dominantly in Australia because we have a shortage jobs that require people to have high intellectual qualities for that role for example, engineers and doctors, physical qualities therefore are not as valued (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). Similar to the last point, school is like a microscopic society. If students do something wrong, they would face the consequences. In a society it is important to conform. It is a survival skill. Artist in society often find it hard to earn income and support for their work. This is due to the lack of support from the government and society to see art as a worth job profession that benefits society (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). In a recent research it has been found that 80% of Australians found that it is important for students to learn art (Anderson & Gibson, 2004). The problem seems to be that policy makers find it hard to see art as an essential part of the learning experience in schools for students. The art sector should work closely to students and teachers if the CA is to succeed to be seen as important in playing a valuable role in students learning experience (Anderson & Gibson, 2004). One of the greatest achievements that these two KLAs have seen is The Education Act 1990 being pushed through which sets out the minimum requirement that each primary KLA must be taught (Board of Studies: Creative Arts, 2000 pp 5). Just like in school students may find it hard to be creative and unique as being different would lead to discrimination and to being a social outcast (Anderson and Gibbs 2004). There is also the issue about student’s participation in the KLA. The issue is that depending on the gender of the students, boys tend to find it hard to participate in dance. The girls find it hard to participate in sports. Teachers also find it hard to be good role models for students in all form of the arts as well as being good physical role model for the students. This is hard for the teachers as they themselves find it hard to lead a good active lifestyle that would benefit their health. It is hard to be mentally and physically healthy when you are in a profession that time consuming where the focus and emphasis is more on the student’s development than on for the teachers (Anderson and Gibbs 2004).
The limitations of having such a structured curriculum would limit students ability to be imaginative thinkers and learn what they want to. It is essential to be critical thinkers, explore reality to solive problems in life. Therefore teahcers must utilise ways to deliver the curriculum in a way to make it relevant to the students.
This section is very broad. To be a teacher, then the teacher must have gained some form of qualification in which they have studied the science, pedagogy practice to become a teacher.
Macquarie University teaching program ''is widely acknowledged as one of Australia's finest. The program is distinguished by the emphasis it attaches to the concept of the scholar-teacher, its promotion of reflective classroom practice, and its innovative, school-based, professional experience program. A focus on the application of information and communication based technologies in educational settings is integrated across our programs.''
Teachers teaching in a formal education environment facilitate students learning. In this sense, teachers are equipped with the following knowledge in order to deliver the curriculum to the students.
- Know the curriculum
- How to deliver the curriculum
- Understand the learner and learning process
- Assessment to assess the learner
- Reporting
And essentially this whole process is started again. The following image is a guideline on how the curriculum should be taught. This provide a teacher a perspective on the standard and the delivery of the curriculum.
The following website discusses more into detail about each of the three dimensions.
http://athene.riv.csu.edu.au/~lflynn/EMR491_backup/topic2/topic2_b.htm
For example, when delivering a HSIE lesson about culture, you could incorporate a lesson into it with visual arts. Exploring visual artsworks from different cultures. students will find the lesson more significant.
The impact that this has for teachers is that it will make the lessons more meaningful and save time in the classroom. it makes the lessons more enjoyable and lessons are more rich in task.
The following article looks into the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom.
http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
Why do teachers need to assess?
Teachers assess students work because it provides a guideline to see where students have developed and where they have progressed. It helps teachers reflect on their teaching practice to further improve the learning experience for future and present students. It is also a significant document to provide for the principal, teachers, students and parents. Teachers generally assess what they have taught to students to see what they have learnt.
The following diagram explains the steps and processes that teachers go through in order to implement a successful assessment task to the students.
There are different forms of assessment tasks.Diagnostic assessment is used to determine where instruction should begin and usually occurs at the beginning of the school year or before a unit of instruction. Its main purposes are to identify students who lack prerequisite knowledge, understanding, or skills, so that remedial help can be arranged; to identify gifted learners to ensure they are being sufficiently challenged; and, to identify student interests.
Formative assessment is an ongoing classroom process that keeps students and educators informed of students' progress towards program learning objectives. It provides teachers with valuable information upon which instructional modifications can be made. Analysis of work samples, observation, interviews, checklists, and teacher-made tests are ways of collecting data for formative evaluation. Students are provided direction for future learning and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own progress.
Summative evaluation occurs most often at the end of the unit of study. Its primary purposes are to determine what has been learned over a period of time, to summarize student progress, and to report on progress to students, parents, and educators.
It is a formal evaluation and students are informed in advance of the timing, method, and specific knowledge, skills, or behaviours being evaluated. Evaluation techniques include testing, analysis of work samples, interviews, checklists, and projects.
Typically all three are essential and should be integrated together to reinforce and reflect on the students learning.
It is important to understand that while assessment is very important it is also important to remember that as teachers we should provide students with a rich learning environment that also reflects societies values. Life is not always a test. It a learning field and teachers should be condemned to teaching in a way where classroom lessons are based on teaching to the test. With the NAPLAN and my school website coming up, it puts pressure on teachers and schools to improve results rather then worry about students well being and social development.
On a final note however, assessments can also be fun for students as it provides a rich and significant lesson for the students. it challenges and stimulates their mind and helps students become motivated and self regulated learners. The above diagram are examples on what teachers could use to to use assessment for learning.
Theories
Educational Psychology (Please click here for more details)
One of the main foundation units to study for the education program at Macquarie University was EDUC 105. On the website it states
'This unit is intended as an introduction to the field of educational psychology. This field of inquiry combines major theories from the disciplines of psychology and education, and applies these to the context of teaching and learning. The central focus of this unit is on human development. Development and learning are influenced by a range of factors, such as language, cognitive, personal, social, emotional, and physical development. Social and cultural influences also play a significant role in students' learning experiences, as do school based factors including teachers' classroom management practices and their skills in motivating students to learn.'
Gennerally it is a branch of psychology that specializes in understanding teaching and learning in educational settings. Without it we would not improve our teaching strategies. Educational Pyschology provides teachers with a field of study to give meaning to their practice. It has lead the practice of being a teacher to becoming a science and an artform.
The following is a diagram looks into the characteristics of what makes a good teacher and a bad teacher. Without research and the foundation principals of educational psychology then there would be no standards to clarify what makes an effective teacher.
It has therefore lead to research in the classroom, which explains the science behind teaching.
Information that is collated from research can be used to improve teachers practice and classroom management. students, schools, communities can benefit from this as it keeps us informed. with new technologies emerging, it is inevitable that teachers must change their practice to accommodate to students needs. it is therefore important that teachers understand the social development of how students learn and develop physically. Understanding the science behind psychology and how students learn will help influence and benefit teachers practice and students learning.
In this section I would like to provide and overview of the differences between Piaget and Vygotsky. These two theorist have influence my teaching practice in many ways. It has helped me to understand the learning and social development of a child, it gives me a framework of how I should base my teaching practice and manage my classroom. It broaden up my perspective that students do not just learn in the classroom, but in the playground and beyond the school. Life long learning is what i'm trying to instill into every student.
I would apply the learning aspect of the two theorist in my constructive approach to teaching. I see that students learn effectively when they learning within their zone of proximity development. I would use Piaget stages of development to look at the physical well being of my students.
I have travelled oversees and see Vygotsky theory proven. I was walking down the markets in Vietnam and saw a six year old girl selling another person fish. She understood how much it weighed, she understood the cost, how to cut, slice and dice the fish. When you go into the Australian classroom a typical six year old would not be able to do that. their motor skills are not so advanced, they cannot cut in a straight line. They are still measuring with informal units. this just goes to show that children are capabable of many things if given the opportunity.
This means that you definitely have to consider the fact that students do not just come to school as an empty shell, they already have something in them that needs to fostered further. As teachers it is important that we polish them and help them become the best unique individual as they can be.
Maths
English
Science and technology
HSIE
Visual Arts
Teachers would have to allocate time and create lesson plans that would accomodate to the KLA's and ensure that the curriculum is being covered. I have mentioned before the importance of the curriculum in the curriculum section.
Here is a typical timetable for a stage 3 class.
5A Winter Timetable
Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
9:10 10:00 10:40 11:00 12:30 12:50 1:40 3:00 | Roll/ Money/ Notes Silent Reading Weekly Puzzle (Hand Out) Spelling Comprehension | Roll/ Money/ Notes Silent Reading Spelling (in context) Music BAND Grammar 20 Min Writing Task Fitness | Roll/ Money/ Notes RFF – Computer Room (Mrs Hunter) | Roll/ Money/ Notes Silent Reading Literature Block | Roll/ Money/ Notes Silent Reading Spelling Test/Dictation Homework Marking PD/H/ |
CC Release – Computer Room | Silent Reading 20 Min Writing Task Fitness | Library (Mrs Hunter) | Assembly | ||
Spelling Buzz Fitness | |||||
Recess | |||||
Maths Mentals Mini Exam HSIE Homework run through | Maths Mentals Worksheet Recorder (Mr Hall) Circle Time/ Philosophy | Sutherland Shire Library (Even Weeks) Maths Problem Solving HSIE Senior Dance | Maths Mentals Hands On BTN | Catch up/Marking | |
Lunch | |||||
RFF – Computer Room (Mrs Hunter) | HSIE | Visual Arts (Mrs Gibson) | Scripture | School Sport | |
Computer Room/ KM Buddies | |||||
According to the Board of Studies the rationale behind Integration of KLA's is as followed:
Rationale
Curriculum integration enables teachers and learners to identify and utilise the connections between syllabuses. Its primary purpose is to enhance and maximise learning both within and across the key learning areas of the primary curriculum.
Through curriculum integration, teachers plan for the development of key skills and understandings that transcend individual strands and syllabuses. In practice, curriculum integration enables students to acquire a unified view of the curriculum, broadening the context of their learning beyond single key learning areas.
Curriculum integration is an important aspect of learning because it enables the student to:
- identify both the distinctive qualities and the related elements of the key learning areas
- utilise acquired skills and prior knowledge in different contexts
- demonstrate their skills and understandings in a variety of learning contexts
- make connections more easily between the content they learn in school and their out-of-school experiences.
Curriculum integration is an important aspect of primary curriculum organisation because it enables the primary teacher to:
- identify the connections within and between the content of the key learning areas
- provide a relevant context for learning based on the needs of students
- assess students skills and understandings in a variety of learning contexts
- manage comprehensive programs covering all key learning areas.
An integrated approach better reflects the way children learn at home and in primary school. Through planning and programming integrated learning experiences, primary teachers enable students to make connections and to understand relationships within and between learning areas.
An important task for teachers from Kindergarten to Year 6 is to maintain and enhance the integrated nature of primary education.
Integrating different KLA's also changes the way lessons are taught and delivered. As seen in the following table. DBL stands for Design Based Learning. It is a different learning approach that students can adapt.
2-D and passive; teacher is absolute authority. Teacher conveys a basic level of information about a subject through speaking, discussion or a reading assignment. In succeeding weeks and months, more complex levels of information build on the basic level, according to the lesson plan. Students are supposed to synthesize information on their own and develop original ideas about the subject. Many students tune out long before the “synthesis” phase, because the information has no relevance to their lives. In one year, students forget 50 percent of what they’ve been taught. In two years, they forget 80 percent. | Teacher presents concepts by posing a challenge that is based on a 3-D model of a community, and then facilitates shared decision-making. Teacher sets criteria at the beginning of a challenge, so that the finished project has a reference point for evaluation. Students learn to solve challenges using inexpensive materials. To find answers that arise from the challenge, students consult books, other media and/or experts. Students talk to one another about their ideas. Over an extended period of time, students learn to deal with more complex organizations and social relationships. They learn to organize their ideas into models and charts, and to evaluate, justify and refine their thinking about a concept. Student skills—in language, reading, math and other curriculum subjects—improve markedly, especially for pupils at the lower end of the scale (including (including those with learning disabilities). |
Integrating lessons creates a more meaningful classroom environment and learning. I have adapted to create my lessons in this way because it makes the lesson more fun and meaningful for me to teach. It helps me create teach the curriculum in a more interesting and creative way.
As a teacher I think that it is very important to understand and know about the students as unique individuals. As I mentioned before, students do not come to school as empty shells ready to be filled up. They all have something that they need to be fostered out of them. Teachers need to polish their students for a better tomorrow. One of my prac teachers have mentioned before that although she has her students in Kindergarten, she would know her students so well as their parents because for the first five years of the students lives, they were with their parents from birth and till present.
While teaching her students, there were behaviour problems and I know that it was not attributes to their age, but because of the way they were raised. I considered the area that the students have came from. Their socio economical back ground and and social development.
Consider this, it is a Kindy class, some have came overseas, some have had pre school experiences, whilst others have not. some students know how to read, others do not know any pre alphabetical knowledge at all. Understanding how to differentiate in the classroom and knowing the students social and physical development would equip you with the best knowledge to deliver lessons and manage the classroom more effectively. A good teacher is one who knows and understand their students. Interaction with your students would be heavily influenced by how open and understanding you are as a teacher.
The following is a diagram on Erikson's Psychosocial stages.
A brief back ground on Erikson (Please click to read more)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I'd like to end my portforlio with a poem
| Children Learn By... | |||
 | | | |
| If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world. | |||
