Organisation: Westall English Language Centre
Job Title: ESL Teacher
Location: Clayton South, Vic
Demonstrated understanding of initiatives in student learning including the Standards, the
Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 and Assessment and Reporting Advice and the capacity
to implement curriculum programs consistent with their intent
In my teaching, I always strive to ensure that students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and
interests are reflected in the learning program. My teaching experience has been diverse,
spanning two countries and accommodating students from a range of different ethnic
backgrounds. In addition, I am an experienced university lecturer as well as holding extensive
Primary and Secondary school teaching experience, which has provided me with exposure to
students of varying ages and life stages. This diversity in my teaching career has allowed me the
opportunity to refine my ability to target my teaching in a way that will be engaging, interesting
and appropriate for a particular group of students.
In my teaching activities, I develop strong rapport with my students, learning about each individual
so that I can respond to their needs. This allows me to create a supportive and productive learning
environment taking account of my students’ backgrounds and interests, allowing me to
differentiate programs where appropriate to provide achievable challenges at each student’s zone
of proximal development. In my teaching at the Mykola Zerov Centre for Ukrainian Studies School
of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics within the Faculty of Arts at Monash University for example,
my students are mainly undergraduates who will be moving in to a range of professions, such as
law and engineering after graduation. Finding out about the interests and experiences of these
students allows me to relate my course content to their everyday lives in a way that increases
engagement and comprehension of the material.
Recognising that students learn best when learning connects strongly with communities and
practice beyond the classroom, I for many years held a voluntary position as an English as Second
Language (ESL) tutor at the Geelong branch of the Ukrainian Women’s Association. In this role, I
planned and delivered theoretical and practical ESL tutorials, prepared assessment guidelines, and
assessed learning progress. Over more than a decade, I have maintained a strong involvement in,
and commitment to, the activities, events and programs in the local Ukrainian community, and I
incorporated this connection in to my teaching. This in turn facilitates connection between my
students and their community beyond the classroom setting.
Demonstrated high-level classroom teaching skills and the capacity to work with colleagues to
continually improve teaching and learning
My long experience in a range of classroom environments has enabled me to develop a high
standard of teaching skills, which I have demonstrated in various contexts. My work at Monash
University has included designing curriculum programs for students, planning and delivering
educational programs, preparing and administering student assessment tasks and designing
assessment rubrics and tools. In all of my teaching environments, I design engaging lessons and
monitor the progress and understanding of my students. Able to differentiate my teaching
activities for students of differing abilities, at high levels of ability, I focus on providing students
with the opportunity to become involved in setting the direction of their own learning, while at
lower levels of ability my focus is on providing appropriate support and giving opportunities for
attainable achievements.
Capable of building enduring and productive relationships with colleagues, for the past 15 years I
have worked collaboratively with Professor Marko Pavlyshyn, lecturer at the School of Languages,
Cultures and Linguistics within the Faculty of Arts at Monash University. From contributing to
research projects and published materials through to delivering educational projects, my work
with, and learning from, this professor has led to the continual improvement of my own teaching
practice. This improvement has been further facilitated through other strong collegial
relationships with my fellow academic staff at Monash, where we engage in discussion and
collaboration around strategies to improve learning.
Undertaking relief teaching at Mac Robertson Girls’ High School over the past three years, I have
relied heavily on the support and advice of the permanent teaching staff at the school to allow me
to adapt and refine my teaching to the needs of the individual students of the school. This
knowledge of the students and their needs has allowed me to improve my teaching as I am able to
more successfully target activities, discussion and teaching at the appropriate ability level for the
class that I am teaching at any given time. In all of my teaching roles, I work to develop a good
rapport with my colleagues, sharing information and experiences in order to increase my learning
and improve my teaching practice.
Demonstrated ability to monitor and assess student-learning data and to use this data to inform
teaching for improved student learning
Possessing extensive experience in assessment of student learning, I have for the past nine years
held positions with the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). In my role as Chief
Assessor of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Ukrainian Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Examination, I have prepared assessment guidelines for assessors in conjunction with the project
manager, conducted training meetings for assessors, implemented assessment procedures as
required by VCAA, and attended briefings and provided feedback on the assessment process via
administration and assessment reports. As Study Specialist Vetter of Ukrainian LOTE Examinations,
I have attended the panel chair’s briefings and provided advice to the panel chair, as well as
revised the theoretical and technical content of the Ukrainian LOTE examination paper.
I hold extensive experience in the design of assessment tasks, including written and oral
examinations, class tests and assignments. In designing different assessments, I take account of
the fact that individual students respond differently to various assessment methods. With this in
mind, I structure a range of assessment activities to allow each student the best opportunity to
demonstrate their learning. In line with the aims set by the Victorian Department of Education and
Training, as well as using assessment of learning by utilising evidence of learning to judge progress
against standards, I utilise assessment for learning, enabling information about student progress
to inform my teaching. Additionally, where possible I incorporate assessment as learning, allowing
students to reflect upon their own progress and use their knowledge of their progress to inform
their future learning goals.
Following assessment of my students, I review the assessment data to monitor student progress,
which makes me aware of any areas where students are performing poorly. This enables me to
intervene early with additional support if there is an indication of a student falling behind. In
addition, it can provide me with broader information about areas in which my students are
struggling, allowing me to examine my own teaching practice and methods and where necessary,
make adaptions to meet student-learning needs. It also allows me to devote additional classroom
time and learning support toward the areas of the course or curriculum that assessments show are
the most difficult for students to master.
Demonstrated high-level written and verbal communication skills and high-level interpersonal
skills including a capacity to develop constructive relationships with students, parents and other
staff
As a lecturer, tutor and teacher, it has been essential that I demonstrate well-developed verbal
communication skills in order to clearly and concisely explain information to my students. Given
that my teaching of languages other than English and English as a second or additional language,
requires me to regularly switch back and forth between English and Ukrainian or Russian, it is
especially important that I am able to provide clear communication in well-structured verbal
format.
In the academic environment I also write lectures, which are uploaded to the Moodle software for
student viewing, and examination materials which necessitate the use of very concise and
unambiguous written communication. My skills in the area of written and verbal communication
have also been demonstrated through my writing and delivery of conference papers at
international conferences hosted by Monash and Melbourne Universities.
Working within the Ukrainian Studies School of Languages at Monash University, the faculty
including myself, is very connected to the Ukrainian community. I build close and constructive
relationships with the parents of my students and facilitate events and functions that encourage
parents to support and become involved in student learning. In my former Primary and Secondary
school teaching, I have also built and maintained strong relationships with parents and caregivers,
encouraging parents’ contributions to the school community and providing them with regular
feedback about their child’s progress through formal parent-teacher conferences and informal
conversations.
Through showing genuine interest in their experiences and views, I develop a rapport with my
students, which leads to productive working relationships. This rapport allows me to build and
maintain an attitude of respect and cooperation in my classroom, encouraging each student to
perform at their best through incorporating ideas and information relevant to their interests into
my teaching.
With my colleagues, I demonstrate highly developed interpersonal skills to build productive and
constructive working relationships for the benefit of the learning and teaching environment. At
Monash University and at the schools I have previously taught at, I have formed strong and
supportive networks with colleagues, allowing the sharing of ideas, information and experiences.
In this way, I am able to continue to learn new ideas and gain new perspectives, contributing to
the ongoing improvement of my teaching practice.
Demonstrated commitment and capacity to actively contribute to a broad range of school
activities and a commitment to ongoing professional learning to enable further development of
skills, expertise and teaching capacity
With a broad range of personal interests and skills, I am able to contribute widely to school
activities, which extend student learning and enjoyment of the school experience. I hold interest
and experience in drama, and would enjoy the opportunity to use this skill to the benefit of my
school through extracurricular or classroom activities. As School Coordinator (Primary) of the
Russian Ethnic School ‘Pushkin Lyceum’, I coordinated and implemented extracurricular
educational and recreational activities for students, including for example, the staging of a school
concert.
Fluent in Russian and Ukrainian, and holding a conversational knowledge of German, Polish and
Serbian, I possess a strong interest in reading and learning about other cultures and enjoy sharing
this knowledge with others. My longstanding voluntary activity at the Ukrainian Women’s
Association, demonstrates my commitment to making contributions to the community through
providing learning opportunities.
Working as the Chief Assessor of LOTE Ukrainian VCE Examinations for the Victorian Curriculum
and Assessment Authority, I have undergone continuing and substantial professional
development, involving the training of others, including facilitating training meetings, developing
the marking skills and assessment strategies of assessors, and training assessors in the correct
performance of their roles.
I am committed, not only to accessing and undertaking continuing professional learning and
development opportunities, but also to incorporating the new skills and insights that I develop in
to my teaching practice. At Monash University, I have undertaken frequent professional
development opportunities designed to advance my teaching practice and strategies, develop my
preparation of learning materials, and educate me about advances in technology that can be
incorporated in to my teaching practice.
In 2014 at Monash, I undertook professional development training in the ‘Google Classroom’
program, which had recently been introduced to the University. This technology helps teachers
create and organise assignments quickly, provide feedback efficiently, and easily communicate
with their classes. Demonstrating my ability to develop my skills and expertise through ongoing
professional learning, after undergoing this training, I commenced using the application to
communicate with my overseas students, and for the past year and a half I have successfully
delivered my teaching program online to students outside of Australia.
