Standard Seven:
Engage Professionally with Colleagues, Parents/Carers and the Community
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities
Meet codes of ethics and conduct established by regulatory authorities, systems and schools.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to maintain a high level of professionalism and ethics at all times.
This means complying with state and school codes of conduct and by developing relationships with colleagues and students that are professional, respectful and appropriate.
Complying with this code of ethics is a requirement of the Teacher Registration Board and in addition most schools will ask you to sign a Code of Conduct during induction.
Teachers are highly visible figures in the community and as such there is a certain level of behaviour that is expected of them, even outside of school hours. It is important to keep strict boundaries between personal and professional interactions and this certainly extends to use of ICT and social media in particular.
During my employment at both Gleeson College (2014) and Pedare Christian College (2015) I have signed and complied with school Code of Conduct documents as well as use of Responsible Use of IT contracts . I have also worked with the TRB SA to comply with teacher registration requirements such as keeping RAN and First Aid documentation up to date and engaging in professional development hours.
Below are comments from mentor teachers from my practicums which reflect on my professionalism from the earliest stages of my entering the classroom.
Meet codes of ethics and conduct established by regulatory authorities, systems and schools.
This standard addresses the need for teachers to maintain a high level of professionalism and ethics at all times.
This means complying with state and school codes of conduct and by developing relationships with colleagues and students that are professional, respectful and appropriate.
Complying with this code of ethics is a requirement of the Teacher Registration Board and in addition most schools will ask you to sign a Code of Conduct during induction.
Teachers are highly visible figures in the community and as such there is a certain level of behaviour that is expected of them, even outside of school hours. It is important to keep strict boundaries between personal and professional interactions and this certainly extends to use of ICT and social media in particular.
During my employment at both Gleeson College (2014) and Pedare Christian College (2015) I have signed and complied with school Code of Conduct documents as well as use of Responsible Use of IT contracts . I have also worked with the TRB SA to comply with teacher registration requirements such as keeping RAN and First Aid documentation up to date and engaging in professional development hours.
Below are comments from mentor teachers from my practicums which reflect on my professionalism from the earliest stages of my entering the classroom.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group ( 19 February 2015)
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group ( 19 February 2015)
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7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
Understand the implications of and comply with relevant legislative, administrative, organisational and professional requirements, policies and processes.
This standard refers to the need for teachers to be aware of, familiar with and compliant with the policies and procedures that outline their required duties and obligations. These can include
Understand the implications of and comply with relevant legislative, administrative, organisational and professional requirements, policies and processes.
This standard refers to the need for teachers to be aware of, familiar with and compliant with the policies and procedures that outline their required duties and obligations. These can include
- State and federal legislation such as the Teachers Regulation Standard Act of 2002 (South Australia)
- Standards and requirements from professional bodies such as Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership and the Teacher Registration Board
- School Policies including ICT use, behaviour management and reporting requirements.
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/ carers regarding their children’s learning and wellbeing.
This standard addresses the need to foster strong relationships between school staff and parents/carers. In order to do this open, regular two-way communication is key. There are a myriad of ways to do this of course, including:
Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/ carers regarding their children’s learning and wellbeing.
This standard addresses the need to foster strong relationships between school staff and parents/carers. In order to do this open, regular two-way communication is key. There are a myriad of ways to do this of course, including:
- Correspondence - via letter for formal situations, or via email for more informal information.
- Group Correspondence - group emails to parents are sent regularly to inform them of key activities and upcoming assessment. These have been commented on as a useful approach by a number of parents during my time at Pedare (see below)
- Class Website. This allows both students parents to log on and keep up with class activities at their own discretion. At Pedare I use the missreidsclassroom.wix.com stub for each of my classes. One example can be found at http://missreidsclassroom.wix.com/year11english
- Phone Calls - for conversations/discussions that are more important than could be written in an email or which are time sensitive.
- Face-to-face - This can include Parent-Teacher interview nights and other one on one discussions that are of a formal or sensitive nature and also group meetings such as Welcome Nights and School Community meetings.
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.
Standard 7.4 addresses the need for teachers to engage with the broader professional community in order to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and resources and to grow as a teacher. For this reason I have become a member of three professional associations relevant to my own teaching areas, specifically the South Australian English Teachers Association (SAETA), the History Teachers' Association of South Australia (HTASA) and the Geography Teachers Association of South Australia. I have also participated in workshops run by the South Australian (IB) Middle Years Program Co-ordinators Group to support my teaching in an IB context and by Debating SA in my role as an extra-curricular debating coach.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
SAETA Stage 1 and Two Refresher Course (7 February 2015)
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group ( 19 February 2015)
Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.
Standard 7.4 addresses the need for teachers to engage with the broader professional community in order to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and resources and to grow as a teacher. For this reason I have become a member of three professional associations relevant to my own teaching areas, specifically the South Australian English Teachers Association (SAETA), the History Teachers' Association of South Australia (HTASA) and the Geography Teachers Association of South Australia. I have also participated in workshops run by the South Australian (IB) Middle Years Program Co-ordinators Group to support my teaching in an IB context and by Debating SA in my role as an extra-curricular debating coach.
Professional Learning relating to this standard:
SAETA Stage 1 and Two Refresher Course (7 February 2015)
IB Training: South Australian Middle Years Program Coordinators' Group ( 19 February 2015)
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.