Written Statement Addressing the Selection Criteria
Schools must respond to the needs of a rapidly changing society (Queensland State Education, 2010). Traditional family structures are breaking down. Students are increasingly staying at school due to government policies that students either earn or learn; a decline in unskilled jobs and employer requirements for higher education qualifications. Our society is becoming more diverse and multicultural. Technology is constantly changing domestic and work environments. People will increasingly change employment many times during their work life, requiring greater portability of skills, and career management. Schools need to respond to these social and economic changes to meet the increasingly diverse needs of their clientele.
SC1 Application of knowledge
The roles of teacher and teacher/librarian are similar in many ways. Both involve setting goals or outcomes based on learning needs, collaborating with others, selecting and locating resources, organising learning experiences, and then presenting and assessing outcomes.
Currently I work with students from 4th Year University to Year 1. With this wide range it is firstly necessary to determine what students already know and understand. This can be done through discussion, and various evaluation activities. Secondly there is a need to provide motivation. Learning and behaviour management improve when students are engaged. The structure of learning experiences must allow students to achieve and progress at their own levels. Learning needs to be meaningful to students.
Students
need to have clear understanding of the expectations of the learning context,
both in terms of clearly explained tasks and assessment criteria, and behaviour
management, and these need to be consistently applied (Management of
Behaviour in a Supportive School Environment Schools and Discipline,1997-2003,
Managing Behaviour in a Supportive School Environment Plan & Appendices). Students
need choice in terms of how they demonstrate learning to reflect their different
abilities. There needs to be flexibility in terms of learning experiences
to meet student needs and interests.
Year 7 and 8 LNB classes exemplify these principles, especially because classes are only seen one lesson per week for 35 minutes. It was found that students did not respond strongly to whole class lessons based on teacher direction. Lessons were implemented where students worked on the computers to develop skills using the Alice catalogue or to use email attachments. These were successful. They used a structure of brief teacher instruction. Then students were able to work in pairs to complete set tasks. Evaluation was based on successful completion of tasks. These lessons involved literacy skill development, interactive learning, a high level of structure and students were able to proceed at their own pace. It also enabled me to focus on individual student learning needs (Literacy and Numeracy, 1997-2003).
As, Teacher-Librarian I have engaged in a variety of teaching activities in response to teacher needs. I have engaged in team teaching with Year 8 SOSE teachers which has allowed better use of computer facilities. I have endeavoured to maximise staff use of existing resources and supplemented these by providing Internet resources. Reviewed Internet sites have been added to the Alice catalogue to supplement other resources.
I have spoken to many of the Middle school classes in relation to promoting reading, assisting them in finding resources and reading material in the Resource Centre, and endeavoured to promote reading by contributing to planning and encouraging teachers to bring classes to the Centre.
SC2 Challenging Learning
Environment
The issue of motivation and individual learning needs is particularly applicable with Year 11 English Communication. To improve outcomes with the Picture Book module a variety of strategies were implemented. Firstly, the Year 11’s spent a lesson reading Picture Books with a Year 6 class. It was originally planned to do this with Year 1 students which related better to the assessment task, but behaviour issues were of concern. The students learnt a great deal about the features in Picture books that appeal to younger readers from reading with Year 6 students. It was also useful for Year 11s as a socialisation experience and to consider the concept of writing for a younger audience.
A guest speaker, Cathy Grant, spoke about Picture Books that reflect the Aboriginal culture and also on the use of visual techniques. This lesson revealed how books need to consider audience and how they reflect society. A data projector presentation was given using an Internet site that showed the range of Picture Books and construction techniques. A wide variety of picture books were sourced and read or shown to students to promote understanding of the genre.
In addition, school policy was implemented where students who did not complete sufficient work were given detentions and parents contacted. Efforts were made during detentions to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning. These efforts were designed to convey that both behaviour and work application were required.
SC3 Communication
It was found that consistent
application of the behaviour management policy and explicit discussion of
classroom rules and consequences, especially in relation to the Year 11 class,
produced improved behaviour with time. The structure of the learning
environment such as controlling the seating arrangement, removal of privileges,
and removing some students from peer contact also reduced behaviour problems.
An effort was made to regularly provide each student with a positive comment.
It was also found that speaking to students about issues, individually, away
from their peers was more effective.
SC4 Working Collaboratively
During the term, efforts were made to assist staff with their teaching by providing resources, and to share ideas, experience and expertise. I taught various classes such as Year 8 Internet search skills, Year 12 Truth in Media, Year 7 Bibliography skills and promoted reading resources to Middle school classes.
Technology has been used in various formats where it promotes learning outcomes. The data projector has been widely used to increase access to Internet resources (Information and Communication Technologies for Learning, 2002-2003).
The teachers here are very experienced in the personal and educational learning needs of this school community. Their advice has been invaluable with continual improvement in the provision of instruction that meets the particular learning needs of this school. Working collaboratively not only improves the quality of instruction, but also improves communication and morale. Teaching and learning needs to be fun, challenging and meaningful, not only for students, but for teachers as well.
References
Earnshaw State College: Managing Behaviour in a Supportive School Environment Plan, Second Draft, Earnshaw State College.
Earnshaw State College: Appendices to Managing Behaviour in a Supportive School Environment Plan, Earnshaw State College.
Education Queensland: Anti-Racism, The State of Queensland (Education Queensland) 1997–2003,
http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/curristu/cs-17000/sections/preface_.htm (Accessed September, 2003)
Education Queensland: Cultural and Language Diversity, The State of Queensland (Education Queensland) 1997–2003,
http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/curristu/cs-16000/sections/preface_.htm (Accessed September, 2003)
Education Queensland: Information and Communication Technologies for Learning, State of Queensland (Department of Education), 2002–2003, http://education.qld.gov.au/itt/ (Accessed September, 2003)
Education Queensland: Literacy and Numeracy, The State of Queensland (Department of Education) 1997–2003,
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/literacy/index.html,
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/ (Accessed September, 2003)
Education Queensland: Management of Behaviour in a Supportive School Environment Schools and Discipline, The State of Queensland (Department of Education) 1997–2003,
http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/studeman/sm-06000/sections/procedur.htm (Accessed September, 2003)
Education Queensland: Queensland State Education 2010, Office of Strategic Planning and Portfolio Services, Brisbane, 1999. http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/qse2010/pdf/strategy.pdf (Accessed September, 2003)
Glasbergen, R. : Education Cartoons for Teachers
http://www.borg.com/~rjgtoons/edu.html, 1996 -2003