Organisation: The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C)
Job Title: Teacher
Word Limit 2 Page Statement of Claims
Location: Rockhampton Region
I cater for the diverse needs of students by providing a supportive learning environment based on what I know about my students and how they learn. I conduct Pre and Post Benchmark tests to target improvements in student achievement levels and to identify starting points for teaching. Through prior observations, data analysis of prior work samples and collaborative consultations with the classroom support staff, I identify where students are at and how they needed to learn. I am passionate about teaching and thrive on challenges with teaching children of many diverse cultures and backgrounds. As an example, I have been working in a prep class in a rural and remote area of Central Queensland in a state school for the past year. My experience, expertise and academic training have afforded me the ability to plan and prepare teaching and learning programs for individual students in a class of 34. Many of these come from a diverse and wide range of cultures, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes low socio-economic, sole-parent, step and blended families as well as high socio-economic families employed at local coal mines.
My planning sequence of lessons in the basic key areas of English, Mathematics, Science, History, Technology, Geography, Arts, and Media uses the Whole-School Curriculum Plan and the CQ Region Adopt and Adapt Unit Framework in consultation with the CQ Region Curriculum Advisor. I ensure the lessons are in alignment with The Australian Curriculum and differentiated to accommodate the diverse educational needs of individual students. This is illustrated where I collaborated with a teaching team to devise a prep program to bridge the gap between the higher and lower achieving students in order to transition to year 1. I took responsibility for the curriculum planning, resource allocation and effective implementation of teaching and learning. Both literacy and numeracy levels were assessed and students were grouped according to their level of ability and I selected and prepared literacy and numeracy resources to match the ability levels of the students adjusting where required. As a result, effective teaching and learning occurred in the classroom which assisted students to achieve their learning goals in a supportive, fair and inclusive environment.
Being very experienced in ICT and understanding the uses to which technology can be used to advance curriculum learning in and out of the classroom, I make good use of interactive whiteboards, IPads, computers the internet and ICT in general resulting in an effective teaching process that is well accepted by the students and improves their learning rate. I plan and implemented effective and inclusive teaching and learning processes during my 12 month teaching appointment in a Prep class in a rural/remote Central Queensland State School. This includes interactive whiteboard teaching programs where students interact with the whiteboard during lessons so the lessons are more engaging. For example, the interactive whiteboard was used during our WritetoSpelltoRead Program with students practicing their letters on the interactive white board. During my teaching career I have always embraced technology and I have fortunately had many opportunities to include it in my classroom practice and other duties. I am a strong advocate of appropriately incorporating technology into my teaching methods in the classroom. As technology is now embedded in our daily lives, it is essential that our students be adequately equipped to survive in the outside world. My lessons have utilised a range of ICT strategies and software including use of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, One Note, email, internet, Edmodo, Moodle, notebook and interactive whiteboards. This has allowed me to create interesting and relevant lessons for students which cater for their varying needs.
As an open and effective communicator, I am driven to provide clear information to my colleagues about completing deadlines within designated timeframes. My organised approach in any environment makes me accessible to colleagues and assists me to monitor personal workload deadlines. In addition to my experience and personal qualities, I have a solid educational foundation and a passion and commitment for teaching students. I employ whole school program expectations and routines using behavioural charts, rewards and consequences to as tools to assist in ensuring learning outcomes. I work to establish a positive and supportive communication with parents and carers, reporting on students achievements by conducting parent-teacher interviews on a regular basis to ensure the parents or carers are appraised of the student’s educational performance and progress. In addition I engage professionally with colleagues, parent helpers, counsellors, peers and external early childhood educators.
With a demonstrated record of building and strengthening parent and community ties with my schools, I facilitate open communication and am able to take effective action to address concerns and focus efforts on issues that matter to them. Bringing this ability to Wentworthville Public School will see me foster positive relationships with the school’s parents and with its local community.
My work with specialist and support staff, such as speech pathologists for example well illustrated my understanding of the need to work collaboratively with the school staff in order to improve the learning capability of our students and achieve positive educational outcomes and ensure each student achieves their full potential.
For example, whilst teaching our Writetospelltoread program, I got the students chanting a rhyme relating to the letter of the week. With over 30 students in the room, it became very loud. It then became quite apparent we had a student who was highly sensitive to the noise and became very distressed. I immediately spoke to a special education teacher and his parents to discuss why this student was reacting in this way and got a visiting special Education Teacher to assess the student over a period of about a week to try and diagnose any underlying symptoms. As a result of taking action for this student, he was referred to a specialist, and to immediately assist with the noise level we provided him with earphones during this activity.
My knowledge of teaching and learning styles is reflected in my ability to implement differentiated planning and pedagogy that considers students’ varying abilities, learning styles, interests and needs. I have successfully led, supported and mentored staff through strategic planning, curriculum change, current educational reforms and innovative pedagogy that meets the needs of all learners. As a highly organised professional and effective leader, my ability to maintain a strong rapport with staff, while meeting their needs, as well as students’, results in the provision of effective support through various educational processes. As a qualified classroom teacher, I have shown a commitment to incorporating targeted strategies to teach literacy and numeracy to various stages of learning development.
Being passionate about teaching and committed to providing the best possible learning environment I will always contribute positively to the educational outcomes of the school in which I have the privilege to work. Thank you for your time and effort in considering my criteria responses.
