Standard One:
Know Students and How They Learn
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1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students’ physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.
This standard requires teachers to acknowledge that each student in the class is an individual with their own physical, social and intellectual strengths, weaknesses and characteristics. Taking a " one size fits all" approach to teaching will mean that only a few of the students in the class (at most) will have full access to the potential teaching and learning opportunities of that subject. Teachers must get to know their students on an individual level and formulate their pedagogy to ensure that all students are able to learn.
Flipped or partially flipped classrooms, that rely on internet learning resources, online tutorials, and differentiated work booklets allow students to work at their own pace and sometimes to concentrate on areas where they need more help. They also free up the teacher who, no longer having to chalk and talk for large parts of the lesson, can move around the classroom and give individual attention where needed. This undoubtedly helps students develop intellectually as the approach can be tailored to each individual, enhancing their learning.
I have tried this in my own classroom in a number of ways. One example of this was in my Year Nine Geography Biomes and Food Security Unit which required students to create a PowerPoint presentation that collated all of their learning. While this unit required students to learn about and practise a range of research skills such as note-taking and summarising, they were all so called upon to learn collaboratively. Students were each allocated to a group of five that was allocated a specific biome. Research was then conducted with reference to that specific biome before "jigsawing" to share information with members of the other biome groups. This peer teaching approach allowed students to convey information the way they understood best and also allowed me to spend one on one time with students who needed it most.
Another example of this is the To Kill A Mockingbird unit for Stage One students which split students into three "book clubs" that allowed for easy differentiation based on each students abilities and learning background. Resources for this unit can be found at http://missreidsclassroom.wix.com/year11english#!mockingbird/c1he6
Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students’ physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.
This standard requires teachers to acknowledge that each student in the class is an individual with their own physical, social and intellectual strengths, weaknesses and characteristics. Taking a " one size fits all" approach to teaching will mean that only a few of the students in the class (at most) will have full access to the potential teaching and learning opportunities of that subject. Teachers must get to know their students on an individual level and formulate their pedagogy to ensure that all students are able to learn.
Flipped or partially flipped classrooms, that rely on internet learning resources, online tutorials, and differentiated work booklets allow students to work at their own pace and sometimes to concentrate on areas where they need more help. They also free up the teacher who, no longer having to chalk and talk for large parts of the lesson, can move around the classroom and give individual attention where needed. This undoubtedly helps students develop intellectually as the approach can be tailored to each individual, enhancing their learning.
I have tried this in my own classroom in a number of ways. One example of this was in my Year Nine Geography Biomes and Food Security Unit which required students to create a PowerPoint presentation that collated all of their learning. While this unit required students to learn about and practise a range of research skills such as note-taking and summarising, they were all so called upon to learn collaboratively. Students were each allocated to a group of five that was allocated a specific biome. Research was then conducted with reference to that specific biome before "jigsawing" to share information with members of the other biome groups. This peer teaching approach allowed students to convey information the way they understood best and also allowed me to spend one on one time with students who needed it most.
Another example of this is the To Kill A Mockingbird unit for Stage One students which split students into three "book clubs" that allowed for easy differentiation based on each students abilities and learning background. Resources for this unit can be found at http://missreidsclassroom.wix.com/year11english#!mockingbird/c1he6
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1.2 Understand how students learn
Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.
This standard addresses the need to underpin teaching practice with a solid understanding of current educational research and theories. In order to understand what will work best with any individual student or class it is necessary to know how students learn. During my Graduate Diploma of Education I completed a Digital Handbook (pictured) that linked leading educational research with practical classroom strategies.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group
Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.
This standard addresses the need to underpin teaching practice with a solid understanding of current educational research and theories. In order to understand what will work best with any individual student or class it is necessary to know how students learn. During my Graduate Diploma of Education I completed a Digital Handbook (pictured) that linked leading educational research with practical classroom strategies.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group
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1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Teachers must be aware of and sensitive to the different social, cultural and religious backgrounds of their students and modify their teaching accordingly. In today's multicultural society, teachers are almost guaranteed to have students in their class with a whole range of different first languages, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and religious beliefs and practices. The classroom must be an inclusive place where all of these students have access to learning opportunities.
One key issue can be language barriers and these don't just occur with ESL students. Especially when using ICT tools or in higher grades where more subject specific language is used, it is possible for even many English speaking units to be unfamiliar with the terminology used in the classroom for a particular unit. Creating a glossary for students can be hugely be beneficial and even better is when this glossary becomes a collaborative effort using programs such as Padlet (pictured).
Students do not have the same cultural exposure as each other and consequently their referential knowledge pools tend to vary also. Video and music clips (easily found on Youtube or Clickview) as well as photographs and museum exhibitions (virtual or real-life) can help bring other places and other times alive for students which is something completely essential to teaching well in the Humanities subjects because it provides a deeper, more multilayered understanding than can be grasped from a textbook. This understanding in turn promotes a sense of empathy and connection with peoples and places outside of the classroom. When teaching in the Humanities though, it is important to be aware of cultural or religious attitudes to issues such as ways of remembering the deceased and recent or contentious histories such as World War Two where students who have been schooled in other countries may have been taught from a very different school of historiography.
Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Teachers must be aware of and sensitive to the different social, cultural and religious backgrounds of their students and modify their teaching accordingly. In today's multicultural society, teachers are almost guaranteed to have students in their class with a whole range of different first languages, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and religious beliefs and practices. The classroom must be an inclusive place where all of these students have access to learning opportunities.
One key issue can be language barriers and these don't just occur with ESL students. Especially when using ICT tools or in higher grades where more subject specific language is used, it is possible for even many English speaking units to be unfamiliar with the terminology used in the classroom for a particular unit. Creating a glossary for students can be hugely be beneficial and even better is when this glossary becomes a collaborative effort using programs such as Padlet (pictured).
Students do not have the same cultural exposure as each other and consequently their referential knowledge pools tend to vary also. Video and music clips (easily found on Youtube or Clickview) as well as photographs and museum exhibitions (virtual or real-life) can help bring other places and other times alive for students which is something completely essential to teaching well in the Humanities subjects because it provides a deeper, more multilayered understanding than can be grasped from a textbook. This understanding in turn promotes a sense of empathy and connection with peoples and places outside of the classroom. When teaching in the Humanities though, it is important to be aware of cultural or religious attitudes to issues such as ways of remembering the deceased and recent or contentious histories such as World War Two where students who have been schooled in other countries may have been taught from a very different school of historiography.
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/2/7/24274892/2854044.png)
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students into the classroom in an equitable and respectful way. This is in line with the stated goal from the 2008 Melbourne Declaration to work towards:
Improving the educational outcomes for Indigenous youth and disadvantaged young Australians...
One important step towards achieving this goal is by acknowledging the way that A&TSI students have unique cultural backgrounds including ways of formulating individual and group identify and of transmitting information. Including Aboriginal historiography, discussing and utilising different ways of telling stories and using language (including oral and pictorial traditions) and acknowledging and explaining cultural and spiritual connections to the land are all important focuses that are relevant to teaching in the humanities fields of English, History and Geography.
Classrooms are becoming increasingly reliant on ICT and as was pointed out in the video, students who are not computer-literate are entering the classroom at a disadvantage similar to students who may have difficulties reading or hearing. As a consequence, when using ICT tools and resources in your classroom it is important to be mindful that not all students have the same abilities or familiarity when it comes to computer technology. A&TSI students may have different cultural and home backgrounds to many of the western students in the class and consequently different ways of knowing. It may be necessary to explain more thoroughly, go back to computing basics or just explain in a different manner for these students when using ICT tools in the classroom. This will not be the case for every student with an A&TSI background though, so the key is to adapt to the individual student, not make generalisations.
It is important to be aware of cultural customs and beliefs. For example a history teacher must be mindful of not showing pictures of videos of Aborigines who have passed away as this is considered disrespectful in Aboriginal culture.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IEUSA Training: ATSI Histories and Cultures - English
Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students into the classroom in an equitable and respectful way. This is in line with the stated goal from the 2008 Melbourne Declaration to work towards:
Improving the educational outcomes for Indigenous youth and disadvantaged young Australians...
One important step towards achieving this goal is by acknowledging the way that A&TSI students have unique cultural backgrounds including ways of formulating individual and group identify and of transmitting information. Including Aboriginal historiography, discussing and utilising different ways of telling stories and using language (including oral and pictorial traditions) and acknowledging and explaining cultural and spiritual connections to the land are all important focuses that are relevant to teaching in the humanities fields of English, History and Geography.
Classrooms are becoming increasingly reliant on ICT and as was pointed out in the video, students who are not computer-literate are entering the classroom at a disadvantage similar to students who may have difficulties reading or hearing. As a consequence, when using ICT tools and resources in your classroom it is important to be mindful that not all students have the same abilities or familiarity when it comes to computer technology. A&TSI students may have different cultural and home backgrounds to many of the western students in the class and consequently different ways of knowing. It may be necessary to explain more thoroughly, go back to computing basics or just explain in a different manner for these students when using ICT tools in the classroom. This will not be the case for every student with an A&TSI background though, so the key is to adapt to the individual student, not make generalisations.
It is important to be aware of cultural customs and beliefs. For example a history teacher must be mindful of not showing pictures of videos of Aborigines who have passed away as this is considered disrespectful in Aboriginal culture.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IEUSA Training: ATSI Histories and Cultures - English
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
This standard addresses the need to tailor pedagogy to meet the needs of students with a range of learning needs and abilities including students with intellectual or learning disabilities and students who are gifted in a particular subject area. There are three key types of differentiation
(Information from Times Education Supplement [TES] website was used in this reflection)
http://newteachers.tes.co.uk/content/using-differentiation-mixed-ability-classes
I have been privileged enough to work in the Flexible Learning Centre (Gleeson College) and the LEAP program (Pedare Christian College) and gain experience providing support for students who may be struggling in the ordinary classroom environment. This has also given me access to training, most notably from Alex Daw and Dianne Deptula of Gleeson College. This taught me that even simple techniques like using large sans-serif fonts and boxs on task sheets, providing scaffolding in steps and using exit cards to check for learning can easily help me to cater for student needs.
Of course students who excel academically also need to have their learning differentiated for them so that they can continue to be challenged. I have modified and provided extension activities for students in a range of different units as is discussed in Standard 1.1
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group
Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
This standard addresses the need to tailor pedagogy to meet the needs of students with a range of learning needs and abilities including students with intellectual or learning disabilities and students who are gifted in a particular subject area. There are three key types of differentiation
- by task: which means setting different tasks for different students based on individual activity, for example you may be setting an six hundred word history research essay task for some students but adapting that task into a series of ordered dot points covering key issues for a student with language difficulties and a eight hundred word essay with a greater focus on primary source use and analysis for a student who needs extension).
- by outcome: which means setting the same task for all students but expecting or allowing students to to produce a different product - for example you may ask students to create a multi-modal presentation on a particular topic and some students will present a speech, others will create a podcast, movie file or PowerPoint and others still will create a physical display such as a diorama model or poster.
- by support: which means that all students complete the same task with the same outcomes but some students are given extra help (either by the teacher or by an SSO), extra scaffolding (for example a paragraph by paragraph essay plan) or extra/alternative resources (such as audio-books, transcripts, graphic novels, extra notes or background information).
(Information from Times Education Supplement [TES] website was used in this reflection)
http://newteachers.tes.co.uk/content/using-differentiation-mixed-ability-classes
I have been privileged enough to work in the Flexible Learning Centre (Gleeson College) and the LEAP program (Pedare Christian College) and gain experience providing support for students who may be struggling in the ordinary classroom environment. This has also given me access to training, most notably from Alex Daw and Dianne Deptula of Gleeson College. This taught me that even simple techniques like using large sans-serif fonts and boxs on task sheets, providing scaffolding in steps and using exit cards to check for learning can easily help me to cater for student needs.
Of course students who excel academically also need to have their learning differentiated for them so that they can continue to be challenged. I have modified and provided extension activities for students in a range of different units as is discussed in Standard 1.1
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/2/7/24274892/1777044.png)
1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Design and implement teaching activities that support the participation and learning of students with disability and address relevant policy and legislative requirements.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to implement strategies that allow for the full inclusion into the mainstream classroom of all students, including those with physical, intellectual or other disabilities and impairments. There is no one solution that will help "students with disabilities" and even two students with the same disability may require different types of assistance. The key question as a teacher shouldn't be "how do I modify this lesson for a student with a disability?" or even "how do I modify the lesson for a student with dyslexia?" (for example). Rather, you should ask what tools can I use to help this particular student achieve to the best of their ability.
Continuing on with the example of a student with dyslexia, and placing that student in an English class currently studying The Merchant of Venice (a unit I have recently taught), there are a number of ways that the issue of reading the play could be got around. One of film versions of The Merchant of Venice could be shown, either to the individual student or the class as a whole. The student could use an audio-book version such as this free rendition found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBCPeqla5bE). The student could use a graphic novel version such as the ones found here http://www.amazon.com/The-Merchant-Venice-Graphic-Campfire/dp/9380028598. These are three quite simple solutions that allows the student to grasp the content of the play while remaining integrated in the class. You would select the solution (or combination thereof) based on your knowledge of that student and the rest of the class, to decide what would produce the best outcomes. When creating generic unit plans (without knowing the class first) I have always included suggested alterations to to the pedagogy which would make the content/curriculum more widely accessible for a range of different students.
Design and implement teaching activities that support the participation and learning of students with disability and address relevant policy and legislative requirements.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to implement strategies that allow for the full inclusion into the mainstream classroom of all students, including those with physical, intellectual or other disabilities and impairments. There is no one solution that will help "students with disabilities" and even two students with the same disability may require different types of assistance. The key question as a teacher shouldn't be "how do I modify this lesson for a student with a disability?" or even "how do I modify the lesson for a student with dyslexia?" (for example). Rather, you should ask what tools can I use to help this particular student achieve to the best of their ability.
Continuing on with the example of a student with dyslexia, and placing that student in an English class currently studying The Merchant of Venice (a unit I have recently taught), there are a number of ways that the issue of reading the play could be got around. One of film versions of The Merchant of Venice could be shown, either to the individual student or the class as a whole. The student could use an audio-book version such as this free rendition found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBCPeqla5bE). The student could use a graphic novel version such as the ones found here http://www.amazon.com/The-Merchant-Venice-Graphic-Campfire/dp/9380028598. These are three quite simple solutions that allows the student to grasp the content of the play while remaining integrated in the class. You would select the solution (or combination thereof) based on your knowledge of that student and the rest of the class, to decide what would produce the best outcomes. When creating generic unit plans (without knowing the class first) I have always included suggested alterations to to the pedagogy which would make the content/curriculum more widely accessible for a range of different students.