HSIE Teacher

Organisation: Wollumbin High School

Job Title: HSIE Teacher

Word Limit: 500 words per response

Location: Regional NSW (Wollumbin High School)

Essential Criteria

1. Approval to teach business studies, commerce, history (Years 7-10), and modern history. Willingness to teach geography.

A fully qualified teacher, with more than 15 years of experience, I have demonstrated my ability to teach Business Studies, History, Modern History and Geography in a wide range of educational settings, with a proven ability to deliver exceptional student outcomes. In addition, I have extensive experience teaching Legal Studies and Commerce at a number of schools and across a variety of grade levels. I am an experienced teacher who values innovation and the implementation of up-to-date teaching practices that cater for the needs of 21^st Century learners. My New South Wales Department of Education and Communities approval to teach Years 7–10 is supported by;

• Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Geography and History) from the University of Newcastle and a Postgraduate Master of Teaching from the University of Sydney
• Teaching Stage 4 and Stage 5 subjects, including Ancient History, Business Studies, Commerce, Geography, History (Years 7–10), Modern History, Global Studies and Legal Studies
• Teaching HSC level Studies of Religion
• Teaching Learning Support Unit lessons

I base my teaching on the New South Wales Quality Teaching Model which identifies three key pedagogies that have been linked to improving student outcomes. The first is based on the intellectual quality of student’s work, the second on providing a quality learning environment and the third, developing a student’s sense of significance in their work. My ability to design and deliver innovative quality differentiated teaching is demonstrated through;

• Providing an environment centred on student learning by utilising a wide variety of teaching and learning experiences with appropriate resources to guarantee that the different learning styles of students are catered for and enables enhanced results. This has included supervising the online ASX Stock Market Game in several schools, which provides students with a real-world example of how Australia’s economy works.

 

• Holding the position of Business Studies Subject Coordinator which involved organising excursions, guest speakers, and study days, as well as developing subject programs and exams. I have also been a Subject Coordinator f History, where I was responsible for programming, exams and organising excursions, including medieval themed days, overnight excursions and study day trips to Sydney.

Utilising the Teaching Learning Cycle to ensure that all class programs are driven by student achievement. I continuously asses student learning and use this information to review and revise my teaching practice. My success in this area was evidenced when working at Oatley Senior High School where my students were achieving Band 6 results in the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

Through my practical experience and high-levels of sophistication in my knowledge of students and content, I am able to maintain the ambition that every child must succeed in an education worth having, which is in line with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. By constantly reflecting on the standards through my practice, I am able to maintain my focus on delivering high-quality teaching, aimed at the individual levels of students within my class.

2. Demonstrated knowledge and capacity to deliver high quality teaching practices for 21st Century learning.

My teaching experiences show my demonstrated knowledge and capacity to initiate innovative teaching and learning practices that improve student outcomes. I am an experienced teacher who values innovation and the implementation of up-to-date teaching practices underpinned by data and student learning needs. By developing individual learning goals and providing a variety of stimulus materials in a range of mediums, I am able to meet the needs of 21st Century learners. My knowledge and capacity is demonstrated through;

• Applying multiple teaching strategies in class. In order to ensure that students are working to their potential and are engaged in learning, I have catered for the wide range of interests exhibited by students. This has involved the implementation of excursions and questionnaires whilst working at Bellingen High School when students were researching a History Studies unit focused on the War Heroes of the town. This task fostered the students’ development of fundamental inquiry-based learning skills, including the ability to thoroughly research from a number of sources, seek relevant information and organise their work. It also assisted with increasing their confidence in speaking to members of the community and engaging them in an appropriate manner.
• The organisation of numerous extracurricular experiences for students at Bellingen High School in order to promote Geography, and to encourage students to explore and learn independently. I have facilitated this through excursions to view and assess the local beach environment where students gained a first-hand understanding of the process of erosion, poorly chosen coastal development plans, and the effects of the wind and tide. By providing out-of-the-classroom programming, I can profoundly impact how students learn and the nature of scaffolding they require at various points in the learning process. These kinds of enrichment and extension activities deepen my students’ knowledge, understanding and skills.
• ‘Modernising’ the curriculum. I recognise the significance of the needs of students to be extended and their learning enriched with modern technologies. It is important that content is incorporated with current issues and themes with which the students are familiar. In my teaching I regularly use student-centred activities such as internet research, web quests and online-based competitions such as the ASX Stock Market game. I have programmed units of work for various subjects using Microsoft PowerPoint and other multimedia. This not only puts a new spin on traditional ‘chalk and talk’ lessons, but also makes learning far more engaging and easier for 21^st Century learners to relate to.

Proven dedication to my profession and over 15 years of initiating innovative teaching and learning practices clearly reflect my motivation and capacity to be successful in delivering high-quality teaching practices for 21^st Century learning and improving student outcomes.

3. Ability to differentiate the curriculum to match student-learning needs and enhance learning outcomes.

My knowledge of teaching and learning styles is reflected in my ability to incorporate differentiated planning and programming into my lessons in order to consider students’ varying abilities, learning styles, interests and needs. I use teaching, learning and assessment strategies that are fair and flexible, provide an appropriate level of challenge, and engage students in meaningful ways. My ability is demonstrated through;

• Recognising students’ cognitive abilities, including students’ current level of understanding and ability in relation to a particular topic or skill. While working at Lismore High School, I taught the lowest level Year 7 class. During studies of Greek Gods and Mythology, I developed specific units of work that followed the curriculum program with adjustments for the level of these students by incorporating crosswords, find-a-words and basic comprehension-style ‘fill in the blank’ activities. I also engaged students by showing animated movies such as the Disney film Hercules and the television program Horrible History. These activities resulted in open discussions in regards to the portrayal of each historical character and how they compared to the real story. By utilising visual stimulation, followed by active discussions, the information became imbedded into the students’ minds and they were able to learn and reinforce their learning without finding it complex or difficult to understand.
• Catering for academically selective students. While employed as a Temporary Teacher at Alstonville High School, I taught the Gifted and Talented Year 7 History class. Utilising the Bloom’s Taxonomy method, I set assessed and non-assessable tasks so that the self‑motivated students could further challenge themselves beyond the normal curriculum. The additional projects were completed outside of the classroom and included research on historical leaders and warriors, and making miniature terracotta models. By engaging students in specific projects where they can showcase their academic and creative achievements, they effectively develop higher order thinking skills and gain a deep knowledge of the subject matter.
• Differentiating the learning environment by considering the physical, virtual and social context where learning takes place in regards to students’ individual learning needs. This was demonstrated through my consideration of a student while teaching at Bellingen High School. This particular student had Irlen Syndrome (also called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome) and was unable to read anything on a white background. To accommodate for this, I modified all learning materials and resources onto pink or purple coloured paper, and ensured that the student had access to a filter for the computer so it could be adjusted to a suitable spectrum for him to read in order to learn effectively.

By adopting a flexible approach to teaching, I am able to understand the nature of each of my students and ensure that I not only meet the learning needs of students at a variety of levels, but also facilitate an environment where they can master content that is relevant and interests them while developing self-awareness, confidence and independence as a learner.

4. Capacity to work collaboratively with colleagues.

I have highly-developed interpersonal skills with proven abilities in developing and sustaining constructive relationships with all stakeholders in the education process. Having 15 years of experience as a qualified teacher, I have worked collaboratively as an effective member of numerous faculties where I have been committed to putting students’ interests first, while creating a professional yet enjoyable workplace. My friendly and approachable nature, coupled with my personal drive, integrity and self-motivation, sees me as an organised individual who can be relied on to contribute actively within team environments. Further demonstrations of my interpersonal skills and capacity to work collaboratively with colleagues include;

• Encouraging the support and contributions of others when programming units of work. I have achieved this by fostering an environment of trust and respect where issues can be raised and constructive feedback delivered directly and appropriately. In previous roles I have held subject coordinator roles and have also been an active member of numerous curriculum committees, occupational health and safety committees and welfare teams. I have contributed to the development of units of work for gifted and talented classes, as well as creating and grading exams for assessments that have been moderated with colleagues.
• Fostering connections between schools by promoting collegial spirit to facilitate a sense of community. For many years I have liaised with colleagues at Coffs Harbour High School, Dorrigo High School, Macksville High School, John Paul College, and Sawtell High School. My colleagues and I teach the same subjects and we collaborate together with study days and professional development sessions. This has contributed to an environment that fosters closer links between schools and has resulted in increased student outcomes.

 Contributing to resource sharing at faculty and the North Coast Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) Collegiate meetings, including professional development days and presenting programs in regards to new national curriculum. Collaboration has resulted in improved programs and activities that differentiate the curriculum to suit different learning styles within a whole-faculty environment, as well as greater consistency when marking assessment tasks which benefits students’ outcomes and experiences.

• Mentoring Student Teachers from Southern Cross University and providing written and oral feedback on their performance and suggested ways to improve. At the completion of their practicum placement, I provide a detailed report to the student and the university about the student’s performance. This ensures an up-to-date knowledge of relevant pedagogies and further development of organisational and leadership skills.

My knowledge, skills and experience enable me to effectively communicate and work collaboratively with colleagues and the broader school community to achieve faculty targets and to continue to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

5. Willingness to contribute to whole school programs and strategic directions.

With over 15 years of experience working as a teacher, I have demonstrated my willingness to contribute to whole-school programs with the capacity to support improvement in teaching, learning and classroom practise and have an outstanding record of improvement in outcomes that has included students from a diverse range of backgrounds and abilities. At each school throughout my career, I have been involved in a number of committees, teams and projects focused on the welfare of students, development of curriculum and promotion of continual advancement in these areas. My willingness to contribute is evident in the following instances;

• Holding the position of Year Advisor at numerous schools where I have been actively involved in arranging events such as study days, excursions to university open days, offering advice to students, and providing feedback to parents. A particularly successful program that I have implemented has been the ‘Love Bites’ anti-bullying program for Year 10 students. This program runs over the course of two days and covers topics such as anti‑bullying, cyber bullying, relationships, and health issues as they relate to Year 10 students as they move forward toward the next phases of their lives. The students participate in interactive role-play and listen to actors talking through scenarios, and the program has promoted a more united school community.
• Participating in the Lismore Education Advisory Group (LEAG) to oversee the ‘Building our Capacity Project’. The aim of the project was to gather a broad range of community views about how we might provide improved outcomes for students at every stage of their education in the context of teaching and learning for the 21st century. Amongst others, I was asked to present what I thought the teachers and schools could be doing to present public education in a better light. As a result of these discussions was the implementation of The Rivers P–12 College Concept in line with the strategic direction of public education in Lismore and improving ways of providing high-quality education for students.
• Collaborating with colleagues to review Key Learning Area work programs. Whilst working at Bellingen High School I participated in the auditing of programs to ensure their compliance with the Department of Education and Communities and Quality Teaching requirements. The act of collaboration between colleagues resulted in the improvement of student outcomes through the provision of an enhanced curriculum experience.
• Coordinating Student Representative Councils (SRC) in order to promote the views of students and encourage them to become more active in the decisions that affect them. In this role I have organised events that have encouraged school spirit, including charity fund raisers such as Jeans for Genes Day, Red Nose Day, Legacy and Canteen. I have also organised school socials and end-of-year and term excursions.

 I recognise the importance of contributing to whole-school programs and strategic directions to support teaching and learning. I strive to continually collaborate on new programs and develop new resources to benefit students and staff within the school community.

6. Understanding of the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as learners.

I have a strong understanding of and sensitivity to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and I am committed to achieving high outcomes for them in partnership with the school and wider community. I understand that cultural issues need to be approached with support, knowledge and dignity. In line with education policies, I am a firm believer that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students should achieve equality of educational opportunities in order to improve learning outcomes. I have maintained this by:

• Locating and implementing resources related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. I am thoroughly committed to providing equality of educational experiences for all students by fostering a culture that encourages a positive sense of Indigenous student identity. I also seek to promote students’ cultural competence and awareness of cultural differences. I do this by supporting and educating all students to:
  • Develop skills for communication and interaction across cultures
  • Obtain knowledge of different cultures and world views
  • Develop a positive attitude towards cultural differences
• Incorporating the cultural contexts, values and practices of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities into the delivery of education and training. This is clearly demonstrated through the inclusion of excursions to areas with Aboriginal heritage and exposing students to Aboriginal history. Within the Lismore area I have taken students to the Jarli Local Aboriginal Land Council who has set up a History Unit facilitated by volunteers. By incorporating these excursions, all students gain hands-on exposure to Indigenous history and culture and have the opportunity to meet with tribal Elders and experience valuable cultural lessons.
• Providing opportunities that enable active engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through the development of programming that improves basic literacy and numeracy standards that reflect parity with their non-Indigenous peers. I have implemented and have observed the benefits of programs at Ballina High School and Lismore High School, including Lexia, Quick Smart and Fast Maths. By engaging students in computer-based programs, I facilitate their success and improve outcomes in a safe environment where students can work at skill-appropriate levels.
• Becoming a Mentor with the Aboriginal Support Centre at Dubbo South High School. The centre was established to mentor Indigenous students through a Homework Club at the school, as well as encouraging and leading them to develop a greater interest in their learning and taking pride in their achievements.

I am committed to closing the achievement gap for Aboriginal students. I strive to maintain and uphold standards that reflect my learning about, nurturing and valuing of the cultural identity of Aboriginal students in order to assist them to be successful learners.