Organisation: Gymea Bay Public School
Job Title: Classroom Teacher
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Location: Gymea Bay (Sydney Region)
Approval to teach Years K-6 using a variety of skills, including technology, to create classroom
environment conducive to 21 st Century learning and the individual learner
Having approval to teach Years K – 6, I have had extensive experience teaching all primary grades
with students of varying needs, abilities and socio economic backgrounds. I have adapted my
practice to meet the needs of 21 st learners by creating a student centred classroom environment
where the focus is on skill development. My students are challenged to take risks, think critically
and creatively, work collaboratively, communicate and reason. They understand they are both
responsible and accountable for their learning. Students’ positive self-reflections, teacher and
parent feedback and high attendance records are testimony to my effective teaching style.
I demonstrated my skills in this area through a unit on Energy which I worked on with the Year 6
students in 2014. During this unit, students were asked to brainstorm the idea of Energy and
create a mind map around the types of energy that exist as well as work out what they would like
to know about a particular kind of energy. Their research work was carried out using guided
enquiry strategies and they developed their own questions to further narrow their focus to a type
of energy. In groups of 4 students, they researched their questions using online search engine
technology and took responsibility for their own learning. In the meantime, I ran explicit classes
around the basic skills of using search engines for maximum efficiency, how to summarise and not
plagiarise among other skills. Students were asked to think critically as to the accuracy of the
information they found online and were to create their own ideas on how to present their learning
at the end. Students came up with numerous ideas including PowerPoint presentations,
experiments, models and posters. They were given an assessment rubric to ensure they
understood the requirements and all groups were successful at delivering their knowledge and
understanding at the completion of the project. A range of assessment strategies were used
including peer assessment, self-assessment and traditional teacher assessment and we reflected
on our completed projects afterwards.
I use and integrate technology as a tool to motivate, improve and embed new understandings
across the curriculum and I challenge students through guided inquiry using technology based
programs to promote student interactions, planning, decision making and problem solving. This
allows students to understand, utilise and recognise the importance of ICT in our world and
become more creative users of technology. Examples include:
– A year five inquiry into media; Students’ research, investigations, discoveries, footage,
questionnaires and data were embedded onto a Class Weebly
– A year two inquiry into Our Natural Surroundings. Students produced documentaries on a
specific environmental problem and shared it. Computers and iPads and were used to film
and organise the footage.
– A year six unit on Government. Students used computers to expand their knowledge and
produced a commercial reflecting their understanding of an election campaign and
presented them at assembly.
Within my teaching career, I have mentored colleagues in relevant technical programs and
modelled how to implement them effectively into a classroom environment in order to engage
and challenge students, deepen their levels of understand and increase academic proficiency.
The results of embedding technological use into my daily teaching have been highly rewarding.
Students have greatly improved their technological skills, they are more focused on set tasks and
creative in their use of software and they are more willing to take risks.
Ensure student’s education and well-being is my core business. I am driven by student success and
strive for students’ to reach their full potential. I use student conferencing, rubrics and summative
assessment to analyse and support student’s knowledge and understanding. I ensure students’
individual needs, strengths and learning styles guide my planning. My students are highly engaged,
demonstrate innovation and can connect their learning to the real world in order to make sense of
it.
