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AUTHENTIC TEACHER ASSESSMENT

Task 2
Jillian Berchtenbreiter
211 310 272














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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: Professional Identity .............................................................................................................. 3
Section 2: Planning and teaching ............................................................................................................ 7
2.1 2.2 Planning & Teaching ................................................................................................................ 7
Section 3: Teaching students and Supporting Learning ........................................................................ 25
Section 4: Assessing Student Learning .................................................................................................. 27
Section 5: Reflecting on Teaching and Learning ................................................................................... 35
Section 6: Appendices & reference List ................................................................................................ 37
Reference List .................................................................................................................................... 37
Appendix 1: School Context .............................................................................................................. 37
Table 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 37
Appendix 2: My Class ........................................................................................................................ 38
Table 2: My Class ........................................................................................................................... 38
Appendix 3: Task 1 ............................................................................................................................ 38
Critical Incident: .................................................................................................................................... 38
Date: Thursday 16
th
May 2013: Year 9 & 10 Physical Education .................................................. 38
Action Taken: .................................................................................................................................... 38
Introduction to the theory ............................................................................................................ 38
Classroom management and the Dilemma .................................................................................. 39
How i could have handled it better............................................................................................... 40
Critical Reflection .......................................................................................................................... 41
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 41
Assignment 1: Appendix 1: Journal ............................................................................................... 42
References .................................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix 4: Assessment. .................................................................................................................. 44
Table 3: Assessment Task Criteria ................................................................................................. 44
Table 4: Whole Class Assessment ................................................................................................. 44
Appendix 5: Journal .......................................................................................................................... 45
Year 7 Mathematics .............................................................................................................................. 45
Year 7 PE ............................................................................................................................................... 46
Year 8 PE ............................................................................................................................................... 47
Year 8 Health ......................................................................................................................................... 48
Year 9 PE ............................................................................................................................................... 49
Year 10 PE ............................................................................................................................................. 50
Year 11 Health ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Year 12 VCE PE ...................................................................................................................................... 52
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SECTION 1: PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY













Image 1: Developing a Person
As a teacher I endeavour to not only create a knowledgeable student, but also develop the individual
as a person to assist within their community and develop and continuously learn throughout their
lifetime.





6. Engage in professional learning
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers in identifying professional learning needs.
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and
the implications for improved student learning.
7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in
broadening teachers professional knowledge and practice.
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Image 2: Building Teamwork
As a teacher I promote productive classroom discussion and class co-operation. This teamwork not
only benefits me as an educator but also within teaching departments where it is essential to work
together to benefit students.










Image 3: Student-Teacher relationships
This a big focus. I feel the more approachable I am, the more at ease students will be in saying that
they do not understand the content. I am conscious that my professionalism comes first, but
creating that balance is essential to me.


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Image 4: Challenging Students
Students should always be challenged and kept engaged within and outside of the classroom. This
can be achieved by innovative and continual support from technologies and the educator.











Image 5: Continual Development
I am a person of change, teaching methods and resources should be ever changing. No only should
they be tinkered to suit the class, they should be improved, modified and reflected upon for the
benefit of future years.


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1.2 COMMENTRY OF PHOTOS: TEACHER I DENTI TY
Throughout my professional experience there have been many different opportunities to develop
students as individuals and as students. As I have the opportunity to get to know students in physical
education department and within the classroom through mathematics and health classes. I feel
having a variety of experiences with students is beneficial to myself as an educator as the students
feel more comfortable to discuss issues with school work and is also in assistive in building a
productive rapport (Image 3).
Not only do I as an educator want to scaffold students academic learning I would also like to work
with students to become positive influences on the society and within their community. I have to
opportunity to develop individuals with Leadership skills, positive morals and values, individuals
whom have a passion for learning and a passion for an active lifestyle (image 1).
From research and student feedback it seems that school students feel more productive in an
environment where they are comfortable to be a part of. Therefore many tasks which I have set in
the past allow students to collaborate ideas and respond to questions posed by myself or by a team
mate. Building a productive for students to be a part of is of upmost importance as an educator
(Image 2).
To ensure a productive environment is created students need to be challenged and whilst also
having a positive attitude towards learning. Both image 4 and 5 are interrelated. An educators
resources need to be consistently kept up to date and reflected upon to ensure this resource is
effective within the classroom. For these resources to be effective students understanding also
needs to be challenged to ensure for continual development.

The final image is in relation to student learning and assessment. As the students grow and develop
in age so does their learning. Students should undertake continual effective assessment to ensure
they know what areas as individuals
they need. I feel Blooms Taxonomy
is fantastic pyramid to reflect this
learning off.

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SECTION 2: PLANNING AND TEACHING

2.1 2.2 PLANNING & TEACHING
Mathematics is a core discipline throughout Foundation to Year 10 in the Australian Curriculum. The
mathematics domain consists of specific content descriptors such as: Number & Algebra,
Measurement & Geometry and Statistics & Probability.
The following sequence of lessons places a focus on content descriptor of Number & Algebra with a
key focus on Patterns & Algebra and Linear & Non Linear Relationships at the year seven level with
some year eight challenge questions incorporated throughout. Throughout the eight lessons
students will create and evaluate algebraic expressions, expanding and simplifying operations, apply
substitution and extend and apply laws of arithmetic expressions.
Within this lesson sequence students should have the opportunity to gain a reasoned understanding
in the Number and Algebra focus area. Each individual should be able to successfully expand and
simplify like terms. Students need to have a sound understanding of this topic for their end of unit
test, further years of maths study and also in their everyday lives.
Algebra is about generalised mathematical thinking arising from seeing patterns an relationships. It
is about expressing those patterns in words, symbols, diagrams and graphs, and interpreting what is
observed. The important patterns are those that are not just particular to one situation, but are
generalisations that apply to many different situations that have underlying similarities (Cooke,
2007). This concept seemed to confuse those students who were not capable of expressing numbers
as letters, therefore the pedagogy used to explain this to students needed to be adjusted to suit the
students.
1 Know students and how the learn
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual
development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
1.2 Understand how students learn
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the
implications for teaching.
2 Know the content and how to teach it
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of
the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
2.2 Content selection and organisation
Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting
Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and
lesson plans.
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I have ensured throughout this sequence to cater for students of all learning abilities. Students in
Australian classrooms have multiple, diverse and changing needs that are shaped by individual
learning histories and abilities as well as cultural language backgrounds and socio-economic factors
(AusVELS, 2014). As I have observed within this school there numerous students who have come
from china to attend school. This has created an added pressure on the teachers and myself as these
students work very hard to attain the best outcomes, however, are not strong in speaking the
English language and are often therefore an added challenge to the teachers.
Students within the classroom are often trying to develop their own social identity. Students who
form their own identity find their sense of belongingness in the classroom are often the more
motivated students in the classroom and are therefore the ones who have a greater academic
achievement (Wentzel, 1999). Wentzel continues to specify that the lower achieving students often
have non-task related goals and tend to focus more other types of social goals such as having fun in
class and creating and retaining friendships. Having an understanding of this I ensured each student
had the opportunity to contribute to class discussion however, I also had an understanding of the
ethos and academic achievement focus of the school and tried to covert these students who had a
social goal of achieving friendships by altering the seating plan to ensure students with cognitive
social goals were sitting next to those who were more friendship driven. This seem effective within
the class as then meant that students were balancing each others strengths, this then made for
more cohesive in class discussion.
Tracking or streaming classes is a strong force of discussion and was a topic in interest in this
planning of this sequence of lessons. there is now growing awareness that being placed in lower
achieving groups may actually enhance aspects of students (Trautwein et. al. 2006) motivation, such
as domain-specific self-concept researchers argue that students tend to use their peers in the class
or school as a reference group to form their self-view.
Mathematics in year 7 at Camberwell Girls Grammar School is not streamed into ability levels the
class I taught had a vast range of understanding and ability. This posed a large challenge for myself
to keep all students engaged throughout each of the lessons.
After my first lesson I noted those students who were able to easily understand certain topics and
those students whom were going to need more assistance when moving through areas of focus.
From this I created a booklet of extension worksheets which was given to each student at the start
of the topic. This ensured the students whom finished early were able to move on with these, and if
other students wanted some extra work from home, they also had this option. This was effective for
my period of time with these students as I was able to further explain particular components to
those students who were a little slower in their understanding and the fast students knew what to
continue working on.
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CGGS- YEAR 7- ALGEBRA OUTLINE
Monday 11
th
August Day 6 Period 1 Equations what is equivalence?
Number Sentences Ex 7.1
Tuesday 12
th
August Day 7 Periods 1 and 2 Intro to Equations Ex 7.2 and Manga High
Wednesday 13
th
August Day 8 No Class No Class
Thursday 14
th
August Day 9 Period 6 Equations using backtracking Ex 7.3
Friday 15
th
August Day 10 Period 2 Equations using the balance method Ex 7.4

Monday 18
th
August Day 1 Period 3 Solving problems with equations Ex 7.5
Tuesday 19
th
August Day 2 Period 1 Catch up lesson
Wednesday 20
th
August Day 3 Periods 6 and 7 Revision of Algebra and Equations
Thursday 21
st
August Day 4 No Class No Class
Friday 22
nd
August Day 5 Period 3 Revision of Algebra and Equations

Monday 25
th
August Day 6 Period 1 Test on Algebra and Equations Ch 5 and 7
Tuesday 26
th
August Day 7 Periods 1 and 2 Activity
Wednesday 27
th
August Day 8 No Class No Class
Thursday 28
th
August Day 9 Period 6 Cartesian Plane or Measurement
Friday 29
th
August Day 10 Period 2 Cartesian Plane or Measurement

Monday 1
st
Sept Day 1 Period 3 Cartesian Plane or Measurement
Tuesday 2
nd
Sept Day 2 Period 1 Cartesian Plane or Measurement
Wednesday 3
rd
Sept Day 3 Periods 6 and 7 Cartesian Plane or Measurement
Thursday 4
th
Sept Day 4 No Class No Class
Friday 5
th
Sept Day 5 Period 3 Cartesian Plane or Measurement














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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 1
Lesson number
1
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Number Sentences

Learning Objective/s:
- Gain an understanding of balancing equations eg. LHS= RHS
- What is an equation?
- What do the symbols mean? > < = or greater than or equal to

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chapter 7 7.1
Questions 1-3: LHS
4, 6, 9 & 10

Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
5-10
Mark the Roll

Hand out & explain work booklets.

Today in the caf, I asked for change for my $5 note.
- What might they have given me?
- How might I write this down?
If they gave me $5=2+2+1+1
- What might be wrong here?
- Too much- how do I write that? 5<6
** Explain the symbols

$5= 2+2+1
5=5

I will have
5=6
Stage 2
Body
10-15
Questions:
If I had:
a. 6+?=17
6+11=17
b. 5+?=9
5+4=9
c. 23+?=41
23+18=41
Re write the following to balance the equation:
a. 7+4=15

Students have the ability to
work as a class to gain
confidence in their answers
prior to working on their
own.
Giving students a real world
understanding of the
application which algebra can
take everyday.
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=11 < 15
= 7+8 = 15
b. 8 +6 = 20
= 14< 20
= 8 + 12 = 20
c. 2* 8 3 = 11
= 13> 11
= 2 * 7 3 =11
d. 24/4 *2 = 18
= 12< 18
= 24/4 *3= 18
Stage 3
Conclusion


Exercise 7.1
Q1 LHS
Q2 LHS&RHS
Q3
Q4- Be cautious how to re write the questions
Forty three added to five is equal to forty-eight= 5+43 = 48
b. 3*7= 19+2 c. 50/5= 5*2 d. 20- (6+8) =12/2
Q6-10

Stage 4
Closure

Homework: finish off this chapter
Resources BOB pg 662
Pearson Mathematics- Chapter 7













Students work on their own
to gain self-confidence and
have the opportunity to ask
questions.
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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 2
Lesson number
2
Duration of Lesson
90 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Introducing Equations & Solving Equations using backtracking

Learning Objective/s:
- Substitution
- Definitions- Pronumeral, Unknown, Substitution,
- Checking your answers (Backtracking)


Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chapter 7 7.2
7.3 Quiz
Race around the track

Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
5 mins
Define:
Coefficient: The number written infront of a pronumeral
Equation: Two expressions either side of an equals sign

Pronumeral: A letter or symbol representing a number

Substitution: to replace a pronumeral with a number

Unknown: A number that is not known

Term: Parts of an algebraic expression that are added or
subtracted to make up the expression, consisting of one or
more pronumerals multiplied together

Constant: A number by itself is a constant.
Eg1.



This is an equation because it has an equals sign
x, y, z are the pronumerals
3 is a coefficient of xy and -7 is the coefficient of z
2
3xy, -7z
2
, 5, 16, x are all terms
5 and 16 are constants



These are common terms
used in algebra lessons
students need to have a
sound understanding of
these before moving on.
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Eg. 2.


What is the constant?
What are the co efficient?
What are the pronumerals?
Is this an equation?
What are the terms?


Stage 2
Body

Introducing Equations: Solving by inspection
Does the Bracket value make the statement true?
(x=5)

b) (m=9)

LHS=RHS
c) (a=30)


Solving Equations using backtracking
*****


Stage 3
Conclusion

7.2
Q1 LHS
Q2 1
st
two columns
Q3

7.3
Q1
Q2

Stage 4
Closure

If finished:
Manga High
Algebra worksheets.
Boardgame

Resources



Activities for those early finishes to
continue with.
For those who wished to be further
challenged I had some extra challenge
sheets and some individuals I gave the
option of a fun activity.
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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 3
Lesson number
3
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Worded Problems
Learning Objective/s:
- Solving problems with equations

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chp 7.5 Working towards a quiz Workings
Responses to prompts

Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
15
Mark Roll
What did we do last lesson


Formative Assessment:
Number Tree Game



Stage 2
Body
10
Worded Example Questions:
Phil has 70 cents. He buys a pear and has 25 cents remaining.
If x represents the cost of a pear, form an equation and solve it
to find the cost of the pear.
Focus Questioning:
1. What are the key
words
2. How do we go
about solving this?
3. What is our
unknown?
Erica has bought 2 movie tickets and one bucket of popcorn
for a total of $21. If the popcorn costs $5, how much does one
movie ticket cost? Let t =equals the cost of the movie ticket.
Lets assume both tickets are the same price.

Number Tree Activity
Stage 3
Conclusion
Work through 7.5
Ask questions

Stage 4
Closure
Home work will be what they are yet to finish.
Resources
Students here were explain
how to work through
lengthy worded questions
and find what it actually
looking for.
Focus questions for
students to follow each
time a worded question
is presented.
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Number Tree

To ____________________ an expression you ______________________ the value of the
unknown into the ___________________.


(Remember: in number you multiply before you add, so in algebra you multiply before you
add.)

Play substitution four in a line with a partner.

Game 1
Choose one of the numbers on the ladder by the tree and substitute it into the expression of
your choice from the tree. If the answer is on the board and not already claimed, you win that
rectangle. The first person to get 5 in a row is the winner.

Game 2
Throw a dice marked 1 to 6 and substitute that number into the expression in the tree. If the
answer is on the board and not already claimed, you win that rectangle. The first person to
get 4 in a row is the winner.
substitute expression evaluate
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Substitution Four in a line

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1
0 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19



A game presented at the start of the
lesson which required students to get
out of their chairs on a Friday
afternoon and refresh their algebra
skills

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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 4

Lesson number
4
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Checking for understanding
Learning Objective/s:
- Students have a sound understanding of topics which have been covered across the week.
- Formative Assessment


Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chapters 7.1-7.5 Quiz Formative Assessment


Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
9.35am
Mark Roll

Students to move tables into test conditions.

Explain process of the quiz.


Stage 2
Body

Quiz is handed out.
Have answer sheet ready ensuring an ability to answer
questions.
Checking students on
task.
Stage 3
Conclusion


Algebra Line Activity- if students finish early.
Noting the pace
students are moving
through.
Stage 4
Closure
10.20
Where students tend to
be stumped.
Resources Quiz Sheet
Algebra line activity

Formative assessment check where
the next week of lessons needs to be
focused prior to students being
tested.

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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 5
Lesson number
5
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Checking for understanding (catch up lesson)
Learning Objective/s:
- Students reflection of quiz results

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chapters 7.1-7.5 Quiz review An understanding has been shown
Year 8 Math book Chapter 4 Students ability to move through
at their own pace.


Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
10.50am
Mark roll
Refresh memory from last lesson


Explain how the quiz went
Explain to Katie number 7.2 Q8
10 b. 4 c.11

Stage 2
Body
15
Quiz is given back to students.
Students work through answers to those where most students
struggled an talk through the thought process.
Showing certain
questions on the board.
10 Students are asked to complete any unfinished work from last
week.
Work through with students who may find difficulty

Stage 3
Conclusion
10
11.35am
Activity: Loop Card Game
Like terms!

Stage 4
Closure

Homework from the homework book.
Resources Secondary Mathematics Units- Activity.
One of the students asked a
question which I was unable
to answer. This was a
reminder to explain this to
her.
No student had finished off
all requested work. This was
a lesson for me to move
around and assist all
students.
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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 6
Lesson number
6
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7
Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Collaboration lesson
Learning Objective/s:
- Students to gain confidence in Linear Algebra.
- Three key things to think about
- Working on creating a chant routine and know what to look for.

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Pg 412- 413 Ability to complete the
puzzle
Show workings
Probing Questions Ability to Answer

Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
10.50am
Mark Roll
Last lesson revision




15mins Introductory questions.
Examples found on the
worksheet.
1. 3(m+2)
3m+6

2. 3m(m+2)
3m
2
+6

3. 3(m+2) (m-4)
3m+6 m+4
Let m=2
3(m+2)
3(2+2)
6 + 6
= 12
Three things to think
about:
SADMOB
Last Thing
How they were joined
Furthest from x
Stage 2
Body
30mins
Activity: The case of confusing clues house
Explanation of how to do this
- Complete practice questions and then travel through
the maze.
CHANT:
What is the unknown?
What is joined to it?
How is it joined?
How do I undo that?
Stage 3
Conclusion
Early finishes continue with worksheets


Stage 4 What was covered today?
Students were able to go
through these examples
and find areas of focus to
work on throughout the
activity.
This chant was fantastic,
and I really should have
placed more focus on this
as students were able to
use this in their test.
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Closure What is the Chant?
Resources

7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 7
Lesson number
7
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Revision for Test
Learning Objective/s:
- Students should have a solid understanding of the content for the test.
- Ensure they ask questions
- In-still the chant

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Chap 5 & 7 Review Mondays Test




Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction

Test on Monday

22/08/14

ALGEBRA REVISION


Stage 2
Body


Simplify the following:
3f + f= 4f
11y+5y- y= 15y
-6p + 7t + 3p +t = -3p +8t

Expand and simplify:
7(t 3)= 7t-21

2(t+3) -(t+2)
= 2t+6-t-2
= t-4

What is the
unknown?
What is joined to it?
How is it joined?
How do I undo that?
Placed greater focus on this
chant whilst working
through the revision
questions.
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7p(5q-3) +2q(3-8p)
=35pq-21p+6q-16pq
=19pq-21p+6q




If m= 3 and n= -2, Solve the following
2(3m n)
= 2(3*3- -2)
= 2( 9 +2)
= 18+4
= 22

2m+n/5
2*3 + - 2/5
= 4/5

6m-n/4
= 6*3- - 2/4
= 18+2/4
= 20/4
= 5

Jan sent 45 texts from her phone over the last month. Each
text is 0.50cents each.
What is the total cost for the text over the month?
45*.05
= $22.5

If Jans phone bill came to a total of $105.5, how much did Jan
spend on phone calls? Let x equal the amount spent on phone
calls.
X= 105.5 22.5
X= $83

Pete has b blue pens and r red pens. Sue has three times as
many blue pens as Pete. She has two fewer red ones than
Pete.
These questions were
placed on a revision sheet
to allow students to work
through in their own time.

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a) Write an expression to show this information
b+r
b) Is Pete has 16 pens to start with, write this in an
equation.
b+r = 16
c) Write an expression to say how many blue pens Sue
has
3b
d) Write an expression to say how many red pens Sue has
r-2
e) If Sue has 28 pens altogether, write this in an equation
3b+r-2 = 28
f) If Pete loses four of his pens, write this in an
expression showing how many Pete has now.
b+r- 4


Stage 3
Conclusion

Ask those students who havent started the practice test to
work from the back to the front.
Now is the time to ask questions.


Stage 4
Closure

Answering questions, One which was tricky to understand?
Resources










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7W- MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA- LESSON 8
Lesson number
8
Duration of Lesson
45 mins
Class Size
22
Level
7

Topic: Linear Equations
Focus: Summary Test
Learning Objective/s:
- Students complete summative assessment

Assessment criteria and method of evaluation
Textbook Assessment criteria Evidence
Summative Assessment Test Answers and workings

Stage/Time Tasks Teacher Action
Stage 1
Introduction
8.30
Students are given a detailed explanation as to what is required
from them during the test.

What they are to do if they are finished early- Stay seated
quietly

Tables are moved


Stage 2
Body

Time is written on the board
8.30
8.40
8.50
9.00
9.10

Student whom need to be assisted are.
Stage 3
Conclusion

Students will be notified of approximate return time of the
test.

Stage 4
Closure
9.15
Explanation for next lesson.
- Topic will move into Cartesian plane
- Bring 30cm ruler and pencils

Resources

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2.2 TEACHING
AusVELS level 7 and 8 informed my teaching to ensure I was not only challenging my students, but
that I was also giving the students the required level of information which was required. Within in
this area of study I undertook a teacher directed pedagogy as this is a very important topic for
students future years to come. However, I did adapt an inquiry lesson when undertaking Cartesian
planes and also a co-operative model when students undertook their measurement unit which was
very exciting to see.





















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SECTION 3: TEACHING STUDENTS AND SUPPORTING LEARNING

Within each of my subject areas I have become less reliant on my lesson plans and started to focus
more on assessment procedures and independent learners. My critical incident which occurred late
in 2013 proved that at that time of my learning process I was unable defer from my planned lesson,
and did not know my students all that well.
Ryan, Gheen & Midgley, 1998, conducted research into why some students avoid asking for help. It
becomes rather apparent that those students with high self-efficacy are more than capable of asking
for assistance as they do not worry that others will attribute it to their lack in ability. However,
students with low self-efficacy think in direct contrast. I have learned the importance of making a
significant effort in learning students names and making that extra effort to gaining an insight into
their personalities and home life. Had I had the opportunity to gain an insight into the students of
interest in the critical incident, I may have been able to avoid his outburst in class.
Within this new classroom setting, I quickly learned all students names in the class and also
questioned my supervisor asking she thought there were any students which I needed to be weary
AITSL Standards
3 Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and
characteristics.
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective
teaching strategies.
3.3 Use teaching strategies
Include a range of teaching strategies.
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs
Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching
programs to improve student learning.
4 Create and maintain and supportive and safe learning environments
4.1 Support student participation
Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom
activities.
4.2 Manage classroom activities
Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and provide clear directions.
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.
4.4 Maintain student safety
Describe strategies that support students wellbeing and safety working within school
and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
Page | 26

of their personal lives or prior class issues in this particular class. I quickly learned that one of the
girls in my class had her dad pass away from a severe and terrible cancer. Not only was the dads one
year anniversary during the time which I was going to teach this student, she also has two younger
siblings and her mum is still in serious grief, this places unnecessary stress on the student and could
lead to understandable but unexpected behaviour. This understanding allowed be to have more
patience with this individual and an extra willingness to spend more time with this student whilst
she was in the classroom. Not that I believe this individual should have extra special treatment,
however, having an understanding that she may be required to have added days away from school, I
was able to plan ahead and email through to her any class work which was missed.
I have very consciously built relationships with each individual students, working hard to remember
their names. Throughout this time, I have taken notes when individuals are away from class and
ensured that prior to the end of the day I have emailed them directly to their school inboxes, what
was undertaken in class that day.
I have also found it easier to adjust my classes to cater for differing ability, and this has become
more noticeable when undertaking assessment for students. When I have the ability, not to
necessarily grade work, but look through an individuals work it gives me a greater idea of how
students learn, what the individual has learned and where I can place a bigger focus on for the
following lessons.












Page | 27




SECTION 4: ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING
THE AUSVELS:
Patterns and algebra
1. Introduce the concept of variables as a way of representing numbers using letters.
2. Create algebraic expressions and evaluate them by substituting a given value for each variable
3. Extend and apply the laws and properties of arithmetic to algebraic terms and expressions.
(AusVELS,, nd)
TYPE OF ASSESSEMENT:
There were both formative and summative forms of assessment which took place during the Algebra
area of study. A quick quiz was used to determine when my teaching needed to place focus on the
lead up towards the test. From these class quiz results, I was able to adjust my focus to worded
problems, expansion of brackets and multiplication and division.
CLASS PATTERNS ONE OUTCOME:
Students tended to perform fairly well throughout this test. One area where students found difficult
was the focus questions on simplification. Many more students tended to lose at least one, or two
marks from this question.

This was one of the simplification questions where students got confused.
The main issues were:
Students did not rebuild the question to make it look like this:

those students who did


format the question like this were able to better understand how to then simplify this.
AITSL Standards
5 Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.1 Assess student learning
Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal,
diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate
feedback to students about their learning.
5.4 Make consistent and comparable judgements
Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support
consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.
Page | 28

The a
2
also caught many of the students off guard as they tended to think of this as one a
and not two.
Other students remembered to cancel the letters but then forgot to cancel the numbers also.

ANALYSIS:
As Camberwell Girls Grammar School is within the private sector they are not required to follow the
AusVELS. However, the Mathematics department still make a significant effort to accomplish each of
the achievement standards.
Due to the vast array of students within this class the results from the algebra test results ranged
from 20%- 100%. There are 2 or 3 students whom received marks below 40%Majority of the
students found questions related to solving for the unknown. These questions requested that
students would have an unknown value and either need to substitute in a different value or be
required to change the equations to find the unknown value and then specify this value.
These three examples of work show the differentiation of strengths which are apparent in this
particular mathematics classroom. Where common mistakes were made throughout the whole class
I ensured that these questions were re-explained in class and given in good detail to ensure that all
students gained a better understanding of the Algebra topic and students could then also explain to
me where they were confused.
Lucy was one student who was of interest for me throughout my time at CGGS. She appears to
understand the topic in class, however put her in test conditions and she seems to go blank. She is
an individual who is also very competent on the sports field and therefore loses a significant amount
of class time to this passion. I worked hard to ensure that I kept Lucy involved and enaged
throughout her time in class and was happy to stay behind on the Friday afternoon prior to the test.
Maddie is an example of a student who immediately understands the content and was happy to
move onto other worksheets instead of activities. She was an individual who was very quiet in class
and sometimes found it hard to draw her attention towards the class procedures and challenge her
as a student as she already had a thorough understanding of the content.
Imogen is a student who was located in my middle band. She learnt as we were moving through the
content. She was often found chatting and building friendships in class, however once drawn back to
the content focus she was able to perform.

Page | 29

EXAMPLE #1
Did not complete any on this question
Did not complete any on this question
Page | 30


Did not complete any of this question
Did not complete any on this question
Did not complete any of this question
Did not complete any of this question
Example #1:
Lucy is a beautiful student and it
broke my heart when I marked this
test. Within a classroom setting she
is more than capable of asking all
the right questions and answering
any question directed to her, but
this does not reflect on her test
results. One thing which I noted
when under test conditions she is
concentrating and working away
trying to answer the questions,
however just seems to come up
blank.
My supervisor and I sat down with
her and another student after
school on the Friday before this test
to ensure that they both had a
sound understanding before the
weekend and before the test.
Although they both portrayed an
understanding in this revision
session, come Monday they both
had difficulty on the test and their
scores did not seem to reflect this
understanding unfortunately.
Within this feedback I have given
the student the worked answers.
Page | 31

Example #2




Example #2:
Maddie is a fair contrast to Lucy as she
received almost full marks for this test. She is
a hard working student in the class and sped
through this test. The one mistake which she
did make was checking her answers, which is
an easy mistake to make, however a habit
she should get in pre- VCE exams.
I didnt need to give Maddie any written
answers as she didnt make written errors,
she did however not checking her answers
and therefore lost marks.

Page | 32

Page | 33


Example #3:
Imogen is a chatterbox in class and her
test results reflect this. I have explained
in detail to Imogen how to complete
the questions which she has done
incorrect. Most answers which she
gave we definitely on the right track
however, there was much confusion
with cancelling out and a
2
.

Page | 34

LUCY FEEDBACK:
Lucy needs to complete more examples and place a greater focus on her academic outcome as having
an understanding of basic math concepts earlier on in her education will help her down the track.
Lucy needs to understand that she uses algebra every day without realising, and can be very beneficial
to her in her future.
MADDIE FEEDBACK:
Maddie should be reminded she needs to be checking her answers. As she did finish with a significant
amount of time to spare she should have utilised this time wisely by double checking her written
answers and she could have avoided some mistakes.
IMOGEN FEEDBACK:
Imogen should ensure she has a sound understanding of BODMAS as she got this confused in question
3 and could have gained her some added marks. Remembering the chant would also be assistive in
solving equations in questions 5. She should also ensure she is double checking her answers this would
be of assistance. Imogen should work through some extra example questions as getting having this
added knowledge would assist in Imogens outcome.
4.1. Commentary
Most students lost 2 or more marks in the following areas of criteria:
Substitute and Solve
Expand and Simplify
Solving for the unknown
Simplify
From this I can see that most students need more examples and a basic rule of how to complete these
questions.
In many of the double lessons I incorporated an interactive activity for the students to complete in the
90min lessons. This time might have been better used to check their homework books and mark off
that their homework has been done. I feel this would have assisted with their learning and then would
have performed better in their test.
Throughout numerous Mathematics classes there was a significant amount of irrelevant in class
discussion. After this test, I ensured there was a significant change to their seating plan, as many
Page | 35

students we in deep conversation throughout many of these lessons. I feel this was an effective change
and there was a reduction in inappropriate class discussion.
SECTION 5: REFLECTING ON TEACHI NG AND LEARNING
Throughout the last year there has been such a significant growth in myself as an educator. I initially
described my teaching experience as, a whirlwind. Teaching is a whirlwind of emotions, of planning, of
different students and subjects in such a short time. This year I placed at a girls school. I have
experienced all different personalities of students and teachers. I am in once classroom then running
down to the oval then running back to a classroom and then back to the gym. My day starts at 7am and
then the end of school bell is suddenly ringing. I love being busy, but amidst all my planning and
running around the school, and the state of my desk, I feel like I am stuck in a whirlwind.







This feeling continued for the first two or three weeks of my placement. Once I was settled into the
school rush, I was able to think clearer and focus on the students and their progress throughout my
time. I have moved from being a teacher who feels compelled to become friends with students, to an
educator who knows where to say no, and where to say yes, an educator who loves to try new
initiatives and who loves to be challenged. I feel the diagram summarises this fantastically.
AITSL Standards
6 Engage in Professional Learning
6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers in identifying professional learning needs
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers.
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching
practices
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning
Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and
the implications for improved student learning.
Page | 36















Throughout my future teaching I am going to place a strong focus on being planned and organised. I
have now had the opportunity to know the importance of starting reporting for each student early and
also having a consistent assessment process. Not only is this important, but often students are out of
the classroom for excursions, sporting events, drama rehearsals or public holidays, I will need to ensure
that my planning and teaching caters for these unexpected events.
I am an individual who loves to continue to grow and challenge myself whether this be via Personal
Development [PD] sessions or further coaching courses to ensure my teaching practice is always up to
date and consistent with national requirements.





Figure 1: Myself as a teacher: Visually represent your readiness to teach
Page | 37


SECTION 6: APPENDICES & REFERENCE LIST
REFERENCE LIST
Cooke, H 2007, Mathematics For Primary And Early Years, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications,
eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost, viewed 30 September 2014.
Ryan, A, Gheen, M, & Midgley, C 1998, 'Why do some students avoid asking for help? An
examination of the interplay among students' academic efficacy, teachers' socialemotional
role, and the classroom goal structure', Journal Of Educational Psychology, pp. 528-535, viewed
15 Septemeber 2014.
Trautwein, U, Ldtke, O, Marsh, H, Kller, O, & Baumert, J 2006, 'Tracking, grading, and student
motivation: Using group composition and status to predict self-concept and interest in ninth-
grade mathematics', Journal Of Educational Psychology, 98, 4, pp. 788-806, PsycARTICLES,
EBSCOhost, viewed 10 October 2014.
Wentzel, KR 1999, 'Social-motivational processes and interpersonal relationships: Implications
for understanding motivation at school', Journal Of Educational Psychology, 91, 1, pp. 76-97,
viewed 12 September 2014.
APPENDIX 1: SCHOOL CONTEXT
TABLE 1
School Name Camberwell Anglican Girls' Grammar School
Traditional Owners of the land St Marks Church
Location Torrington Street, Camberwell
School Type Independent Girls School
School Motto Engage, Inspire, Empower
Enrolment 736 Girls
Socio-Economic Factors High SES
High Language background other than English
% Born in other countries 64% Language other than English
Diversity
Special Programs GSV (Girls Sport Victoria)
Other Features of importance





Page | 38


APPENDIX 2: MY CLASS
TABLE 2: MY CLASS
Year Level 7
Learning Area/Subject/Topic Mathematics
Number of Students 22
Ratio of Gender All Girls
Cultural Diversity Chinese
Languages Spoken Chinese and English
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander
N/A
% EAL 50%
APPENDIX 3: TASK 1
CRITICAL INCIDENT:
DATE: THURSDAY 16
TH
MAY 2013: YEAR 9 & 10 PHYSICAL EDUCATION
I had an incident last year which I will never, ever forget. Mistakes were made by everyone,
bus especially me, as I did not ask the questions. In the middle of a year 7 Physical Education
lesson a student screamed insults at another Deakin teacher who was on rounds with me.
When I turned around I saw her in complete shock then the student storm out of gymnasium.
This students who stormed out never returned to our class. The teachers who were with us
were sub teachers and did not even notice the student storm out as they were engrossed in
their laptops for the duration of our class. We later found out this is a common occurrence.
ACTION TAKEN:
Students who were in this class I also worked with in a health lesson later on in the week. This
lesson I focused on respect and friendship between peers. We undertook team bonding
sessions and standing continuums. I created options of outcomes to choose from certain
scenarios, such as, strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree and the students would
place themselves in the room this would be their answer, then I selected students to explain
why. Because within this class I wanted to focus on a certain group of students I asked them to
answer my prompts as to why they chose answers which they did,
INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY
The Personal theory analysis (Tripp, 1993) is represented by your own set of beliefs. These set
of beliefs are formed by experience, upbringing, training, and mentors, anything which may
have shaped you in your development as a teacher and how you see yourself in your
Page | 39

professional practice (Ayers 2013). Although I entered my degree with pre-existing ideals as to
how I wanted to educate my students, throughout my teacher training numerous incidences
have influenced beliefs and progressed the development of my teacher identity (Yksel, 2014).
I therefore felt this theory was appropriate in analysing my incident.
I believe teaching is about creating students into the best forms of themselves. As an educator
I value, students enjoying their time at school and becoming involved in all aspects of their
schooling, including many extracurricular activities such as, after school sport, athletics, music
or art. School should be a safe, fun and inclusive environment for all, including the staff.
When using the personal theory to analyses my critical incident, I will discuss my thoughts on
why the student might have felt the need to react in this manner. How this incident has
shaped my development as a teacher and looking back how this situation could have avoided
this outcome with better classroom management.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND THE DILEMMA
There is an obvious dilemma in this situation. I didnt know this students name or what
the procedure and responsibility was for pre-student teachers, I wasnt sure how to report this,
I wasnt sure why our supervising teachers were not paying attention, I couldnt think how we
move forward with this difficult student, Why was this student so enraged?
The ability of a teacher to manage a classroom has long been acknowledged as a major
skill necessary for effective teaching (Jones & Jones, 1995). However, in this instance I was
unsure how to manage the class, primarily this one student but also the rest of the group.
Majority of the class thought it was hilarious that this individual had just stormed out of the
classroom and sworn at the teacher, I knew re-gaining their attention and respect for the
remainder of lesson was going to be an incredible challenge, but it needed to be accomplished.
This incident came as complete shock to myself and the other Deakin pre service
teacher. Although this student was known for breaking the rules and for swearing at teachers,
however, in this instance his rage propelled him to walk outside of the school grounds. All
students have personal reasons for acting in a certain way and this student was obviously
having some personal or family issues, this may be, friendship troubles; family anger;
attention seeking or might have an undiagnosed issue, whatever the reason may be there
needed to be some consequences for his actions.
As this was one of our first lessons with this group of students we were yet to assert
our authority within the classroom, after this incident our authority was obviously undermined
and needed to be gained to further our relationship with this group of students. (Meadows,
Melloy & Yell 1996).
On the larger scale, Curwin et al. (1998) found that fellow students cannot be
motivated to learn if there are distractions interfering with the learning process or when the
classroom feels unsafe because the teacher cannot maintain control. As an educator I needed
to re ascertain control of the group to ensure future learning can still take place in this
environment. I need to also ensure all students feel safe to continue learning in this
environment, especially those students who were very quiet throughout this incident.

Page | 40


HOW I COULD HAVE HANDLED IT BETTER
Although at this point in my teaching experience I had very little expose to students with
behavioural issues such as this, I saw this incident as a learning opportunity. In my head, at the
time I remember undertaking the why challenge, as I was unsure why this happened,
Why?
Because he is bored, he does not enjoy this game.
Why?
Because other students are bothering him.
Why were they bothering him?
Because he was reacting to these students.
Why?
Because he wants attention.
Why did he leave?
Because they pushed him too far

This questioning then continued; how do I report this? How do I continue this lesson? Do I
continue this lesson? Do I send a student after him? Do I go after him? How will I regain
control?
All these questions in my head, whilst some students were standing there in shock and others
laughing and disrupting the class. Students always seem to assume that their teachers have all
the answers, in this instance I was not sure what to do, I had no answers. I went with what felt
right, I continued the lesson as if this individual had not left, I stopped the students and
discussed the remainder of the lesson I had planned.
However, what I should have done. I should have taken better care in learning all the students
names from the beginning. I should have asked my supervising teacher, do any of your
students have any anger issues? If knew this particular student had some anger issues I could
have taken better care in removing any aggravators from the class, I could have created the
teams and ensured these students were separated. I also could have introduced myself and
discussed the lesson with the substitute teachers.
I also could have made alterations to my lessons and changed my pedagogy as this would have
assisted in regaining all students attention. Clearly the game of volleyball was compromised,
and was causing issues with student relationships. However, due to being a novice teacher at
this point, thinking on my feet was not a strength of mine. I had a lesson plan and I was going
stick with it (Emmer & Stough, 2001).
From this experience I have learned, when walking into a classroom I always ask if
there are any students which may have difficulty focusing in this class also if there any
students that tend to over excel, as these students often get bored and distract the classroom
also. I have also become more flexible with my lessons being planned, as I have become more
confident I find I am more able to think quickly on my feet and adapt too many more situations.
Page | 41

7.1. Meet professional ethics and
responsibilities
Understand and apply the key principles described
in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching
profession.
7.2. Comply with legislative,
administrative and organisational
requirements
Understand the relevant legislative, administrative
and organisational policies and processes required
for teachers according to school stage
Figure 2. (Australian Institute School of Teaching and Leadership, 2014)
CRITICAL REFLECTION


After having many further experiences within schools my
teacher identity has developed and changed my reflection on this incident. In this time my
knowledge and understanding of the Australian School of Teaching and Leadership [AISTL]
Standards.
This incident created interest for me to gain a better understanding in the code of conduct,
and what my responsibility in this situation was.
Administrative requirements were better understood, as for this student in particular, each
teacher who is involved with his learning is required to write a formal review of this student
and his behaviour within the classroom. Every fortnight, these teachers and the principal have
a meeting with his parents to discuss his progress and what may need to change at home to
assist in his learning.
What I didnt think to ask for whilst on placement at this school was their student engagement
policy and ask what their mandatory reporting policy was. These are two key documents which
I should have enquired about after this event. Although this individual may have just been
having a bad day, if I had reason to believe that this child may be in need of protection due to
abuse at home, I would need to report this to a registered teacher (DEECD, 2014). Not only is it
mandatory I report these reasonable grounds, it is also my duty of care as an educator that
individual remains safe.
The Student Engagement policy, is another policy which is applicable in this situation. This
student obviously wasnt engaged in my lesson, this may also be applicable in a number of
different subjects. Due to this schools engagement policy, they have needed to work with the
parents to encourage their child to change their attitude towards his education (DEECD, 2014).
Teachers are required by the code of ethics to maintain a set of values including, Integrity,
Respect and Responsibility (VIT, 2013). Although I didnt know these students all that well I
was still required to maintain opportunities for all students to learn, to maintain
professionalism and if this incident occurred in my graduate year I would need to make
contact this students parents creating a working relationship to resolve this issue.
CONCLUSION
After looking back on this incident, although at the time I was so shaken and slightly turned off
the idea of teaching, I am now able to say I have experienced this and it has made me a better
teacher today. I am able to handle these situations with much greater professionalism, I have a
Page | 42

much better understanding of my requirements as an educator, this student has also re
assured my teacher identity, that every student deserves the right to an education, I want to
work with these difficult students and give them an opportunity to find who they are and how
they would like to be involved in the community for their future.
ASSIGNMENT 1: APPENDIX 1: JOURNAL
DATE: THURSDAY 16TH MAY 2013: YEAR 9 & 10 PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Positives of the lesson:

Need for improvement
Good Voice projection Define what the whistle means; Whistle, Stop,
Speak
Well prepared lesson When Instructing:
What are students about to do, Who does what,
and what do they do once this is complete.
Most students were involved Speak Slower
Great attitude Prepare for extra challenges.
Today a very shocking moment happened in class. Both Alice and My regular teachers were
away on a PD session which made the situation even more confronting. One of the students
who was working with Alices side of the courts, stormed up to Alice and began screaming in
her face. I could not believe it. We were in the Gymnasium with approx. 40 students. We had
one indoor basketball court to teach these students Volleyball. We decided to work separately
and then towards the end of the 120min period we would join together and play a Volleyball
round robin. Obviously, this student was becoming very aggravated, by something. We
continued on with our lessons as we saw our supervising teachers had not lifted an eye off
their computers and we both assumed this must happen often and they knew where he has
run off too. As remaining students couldnt stop laughing at what they had just seen, it took us
both to raise our voice to regain the classs attention. I dont like having to raise my voice to
students, however I was completely lost as to how to proceed with the lesson. We decided
that we shouldnt send another student to follow him as we didnt trust that both students
would return, we also didnt feel there was any purpose to that, if he wanted to return to
school then he would.
Once the teachers that were supervising teachers realized that a student was missing from our
class, they were infuriated. They didnt realize till after our lesson had concluded however.
After receiving the very negative of an angry, worried, unsure what to do teacher, I am now
incredibly worried about returning to work with this class.
TO DO:
- Debrief with Stuart about the incident
- Find out how to approach this next time
- Improve my instructions
Page | 43

REFERENCES
1. Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership, 2011, National
Professional Standards for Teachers.
2. Ayers, D, 2013, .Critical Incidence,
Retrieved 1 Aug 2014,
<http://danieljayres.blogspot.com.au/
2013/12/critical-incidents.html>
3. Curwin, RL, Mendler, AN, 1998,
Discipline with Dignity, Association
for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, Alexandra.
4. Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development [DEECD],
2014, Child Protection- Mandatory ,
<http://www.education.vic.gov.au/sc
hool/principals/spag/safety/pages/chi
ldprotection.aspx>
5. Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development [DEECD],
2014, The Student Engagement Policy,
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/sch
ool/principals/participation/Pages/en
gagepol.aspx
6. Emmer, E, & Stough, L 2001,
'Classroom management: a critical
part of educational psychology, with
implications for teacher education',
Educational Psychologist, 36, 2, pp.
103-112, Education Source,
EBSCOhost, viewed 6 August 2014.



7. Jones, V., & Jones, L. (1995).
Comprehensive classroom
management, (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn
& Bacon.
8. Meadows, N, Melloy, K, & Yell, M
1996, 'Behavior management as a
curriculum for students with
emotional and behavior disorders',
Preventing School Failure, 40, pp.
124-130, Education Source,
EBSCOhost, viewed 29 July 2014.
9. Tripp, D, 1993, Critical Incidents in
Teaching: Developing Professional
Judgment, Taylor Francis, pp 44-54
10. Victorian Institute of Teaching, 2013,
Read the Code of Conduct, <
http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/conduct/vi
ctorian-teaching-profession-code-of-
conduct/Pages/ReadtheCode.aspx>
11. Yksel, H 2014, 'Teachers of the
future: Perceived teaching
competences and visions of pre-
service English language teachers',
International Journal Of Human
Sciences, 11, 2, pp. 27-39, Academic
Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed
6 August 2014.

Page | 44

APPENDIX 4: ASSESSMENT.
TABLE 3: ASSESSMENT TASK CRITERIA
Assessment Task Type of
Assessment
Links to Curriculum
outcomes
Assessment Criteria
Algebra end of
unit Test
Summative At the end of year 7
students should:
Represent numbers
using variables
Connect the laws and
properties for numbers
and algebra
Students solve simple
linear equations and
evaluate after
numerical substitution.

(AusVELS, n.d)
Successfully answering
questions in relation to:
Writing expressions
Collecting like terms
Substitution
Expand and Simplify
Solve for the unknown
Simplify
Worded and solve
Worded equations
Finding patterns

Marked Out Of: 60

TABLE 4: WHOLE CLASS ASSESSMENT





Page | 45

APPENDIX 5: JOURNAL
PLACEMENT @ CGGS
11
TH
AUGUST 12
TH
SEPTEMBER 2014
YEAR 7 MATHEMATICS
3X45MINS LESSON AND 1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK 22 STUDENTS
Topic Focus: Algebra, Cartesian planes and Measurement
I loved walking into the year 7 maths class, the girls were so eager to learn but I found them also
easily distracted. Initially I responded to their personal questions, where do you work? How many
pairs of runners do you own? And so on, I quickly learned however, that if they are talking to me
about this, what are the girls actually learning? My first few lessons I taught I was very much over
prepared. There were lots of notes on the board and little activity, it was a very dry lesson and many
of the girls didnt have much written down. So I decided to run a bit of a more interactive lesson I
moved into using PowerPoint presentations which teaching Cartesian planes. This worked really well
as I could have a Cartesian template prepared and students could follow along with the PowerPoint
and I did not have to wait for each student to have rules their x and y axis. However, although most
of my group found I common knowledge that x was place on the horizontal axis and y on the vertical
axis, the weaker students of my group found this difficult to grasp. This was where the PowerPoint
let me down. I continued using the projector in the measurement unit of work, this allowed time
saving so students and myself didnt waste time drawing diagrams again there were positives and
negatives to this. As much as I wanted to get through the content before the test students were also
getting into bad habits of not understanding how to draw diagrams.
In the double lessons I tried to create activities for students to do, this may have been a form of
bingo, a mapping activity or something where students are able to get up and out of their chairs to
move around the classroom. The students absolutely loved these activities. I found these useful to
get those students who may find general classroom content difficult to really involve themselves in
the class discussion.
Key things to take away:
Mixed ability classrooms work well
Seating plans work if students are sitting with appropriate people
Always have a back-up task
Mathematical games are good to keep students engaged
o Cartesian partner plotting
o Battleship
o Number tree
Quiz to check for understanding
Keep students on task




Page | 46

YEAR 7 PE
1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK 22 STUDENTS
Topic Focus: Speedball and AFL
Throughout my five week placement I had the ability to teach four different year 7 classes. This was
a fantastic opportunity to trial numerous different approaches to educating the students within
classes.
I found that with this year 7 group I needed to ensure clear but concise instructions were given and
consistent changing of activities to keep these students engaged and on task.
The Speedball unit was effective and I felt was of great success. This students were very eager to get
involved and play a full game of this sport as it was something different and they had not played this
sport before. The task cards which were created were assistive for students to follow and have an
idea of what they were required to do. However, some students were lazy and didnt use these.
When adjusting the lesson in later lessons I; shorten the station time, explained each station before
sending students out and gave demonstrations, increased the competition on the bean bag station
(this station needs to change) and ensured those who were injured or unchanged were involved.
The AFL unit was heaps of fun and student students were so excited to play. I encouraged students
to wear the AFL jerseys on top of their sports top and this encouraged students to get involved and
excited about the unit. There was a massive variety of skill difference between all students and it
often became difficult for all students to consistently become involved. I ensured that I reiterated 3
key points to remember when kicking or handballing the football and this worked really well when
summing up or starting each lesson. There were many safety issues which came with teaching AFL
especially since many of the students were unable to control the ball. Spacing between students
when kicking was especially of focus. Assessment was also very difficult to be undertaken when
doing simple games, it became very apparent that PE classes need to be planned around assessment
and something which I have taken away with me from this placement. When planning the term the
assessment needs to be planned before lessons.
I had one student in particular which was of interest. She was disliked by many of the classroom
teachers as she often refused to do any work. She was a very odd student compared to many of the
students which were found in this school. Often these students from year seven onwards come to
CGGS to learn and they often were happy to. I found this students to be perfectly acceptable in my
PE classes and outside of school in coaching. Although, I did agree she was an interesting and very
different student, however she did not make a major effort to distract any of the other students, and
I did notice her to be less accepting of instruction towards the end of my time, however, she was not
causing any danger to any of the other students learning.
Key pointers:
Ensure all students are listening before giving instruction
Spacing of students
Plan for both indoor and outdoor
Assessment planning comes before lesson planning
Demonstrations are extremely effective for year 7s and also EAL students
Gradually develop students skills and use different equipment as challenges
Using tackle bands instead of physically tackling
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YEAR 8 PE
1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK 40 STUDENTS PER CLASS
Topic Focus: Soccer and Gaelic
I found the year 8 students were often wanting to me more independent. Unlike year 7s who
needed detailed instruction the year 8 students were often happier completing a task themselves.
Reflecting on these lessons, these students could have been given these task cards to work on their
own skills. The Soccer unit was a difficult as there were over 40 kids and only 18 soccerballs so it was
difficult for the students to develop their ball skills independently. Although team teaching is often
easier for class management I found it difficult in planning classes when we were either teaching 5 or
6 on days.
Gaelic we had the same equipment problem and also a limited time to have students understanding
the rules of Gaelic. This a unit which might have be taught better with stations or co-operative
learning.
Much like the year 7s, my assessment needed to be planned around the lessons. With up to 45
students in these lessons, to have detailed assessment of each student is very difficult. Therefore
more time is needed for assessment and a speedy learning of names needs to take place.
Key pointers:
Focus points for soccer and Gaelic rules
Set up time needed
Round robins are good but difficult when assessing
Sometimes relays need to be planned in lessons
Ensure students are not playing with equipment when assessing
Make significant effort to learn students names quickly







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YEAR 8 HEALTH
1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK
Topic Focus: Body Image & Healthy Eating
I thoroughly enjoyed taking each one of these health classes and I feel this portrayed through to the
students. I feel this content was essential for the students to understand and really allowed myself
to get to know the students and give them advice. In comparison to the first lesson I taught where I
found it rather difficult to maintain class conversation, by the end of the 5 week period I really grew
and understood where I wanted the lesson to go and how to ensure the students reached this point.
I was able to incorporate activities into the class discussion and into the content which needed to be
covered. This ensured that all types of learners whether they be visual, auditory or kinaesthetic, they
would gain something out of my classes.
Body Image was a difficult topic to cover in class filled with very different female personalities. It is a
touchy subject and difficult to keep on topic when I felt uneasy to discuss in the chance someone
may be offended or misinterpreted. To counter this I showed YouTube clips and used magazine
images to make my point of sex sells.
Students in this class loved commenting and telling stories. They always felt open to share their
thoughts or stories and I loved this, Id like to hope that I can re-create this in future classes.


Key points to remember:
Give advice- respond to students stories.
Keep students on task
Students appreciate a mix of tasks
Let the students run the conversation
Planning ahead numerous lessons would have made the direction of conversation easier
Keep everyone involved- use names
TED talks are fantastic






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YEAR 9 PE
1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK
Topic of focus: Rhythmic Gymnastics & Skipping
The year 9 had some sports which really challenged me to teach. I had very low first-hand
experience teaching or even undertaking rhythmic gymnastics and also Aerobics. We worked as a
team to plan these lessons are all three of the associates were taking this topic and year level.
The first lesson we had task cards which required to the students to download these cards using
their iPads and follow along using these. As the iPads were connected to the internet, I found this
fantastic and the students loved being able to use this in class. For those students who were unable
to connect to the internet I had printed copies to ensure these students could still be on task. The
task cards required students in pairs to create different static holds. Many of the students completed
these much quicker than what I expected and therefore had to add some challenges and time limit
to how long they needed to hold these positions static for. Once students had completed this
successfully, students were asked to complete rhythmic moving actions. Many students found
difficulty in completing these actions and this made up time in the lesson. Students however
responded well to being able to work on their own and we very active in their learning.
When students were asked to combine the movements to create a routine some of the students
whom actually compete in rhythmic gymnastics were able to help those students who were unable
to complete some of the tasks. I found that utilising these students skills was effective in benefiting
the learning of other students in the class.
Throughout my time at CGGS, I was also able to teach these students some skipping skills. The girls
were happy to have some free time utilizing the skipping ropes and I was able to complete some pre
assessment of their skills. Skipping cards were then used to add some challenge their abilities.

Key Things to remember:
If students are more experienced than teacher, make use of their skills
Some students find this topic more difficult, be prepared for this
Have filler games
Challenge the students.






Page | 50


YEAR 10 PE
1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK
Topic of focus: Fitness
Loved the idea of this topic. Fun Fitness!
Year 10 is a difficult year level to work with as they love their independence. There were a few girls
who I found from day to day difficult and some days not so much. I found it very difficult to find a
warm up for these students that wasnt too young but also not laps and this is a resource I will have
to continue to develop.
Students seemed to really enjoy the Concentration and Fitolpoly games which were played. There
was also Deal or No Deal game which ran really well. However, this game not only needs to be
extended and adjusted, it also needed to be run in a way which students would not remember the
card on the other side. It tended to work well as a warm up game where the class was split in two.
Fitopoly was a fantastic way for the students to get active and moving. This ran for about 25-30 mins.
The game set up which I had could have been spread out a bit further and also a bigger focus could
have been placed on students completing the exercises correctly and timely. So students decided
that their water break would go for 5minutes when it really should have been 30secs. This activity
takes a fair bit of set up time and this should be taken into consideration when running the activity.
The students at start of term undertook fitness testing and this unit revolved around half the class
having half the session in the weights gym and the other half doing the activities and then swapping
over. This meant that girls who may not get very much exposure to gym equipment were able to
learn how to correctly use this equipment and also gain more healthy muscle. My though
immediately revolved around how we may be able to also dual this unit with healthy eating and this
could be a link to health education which is not undertaken in year 10.
I made the mistake of doing a balloon activity with the girls as I thought this may be a bit of fun and
the students would be active whilst also focused on the task. I say this was a mistake as it went
chaotic. And a mental note has been made to not do this again. I segregated students who couldnt
handle hearing the balloons pop, it was indoors and I lost control of the girls. They were not causing
any physical harm to other students or the building, but this was not a productive activity and the
time could have most definitely been better spent.
Key pointers to remember:
Always be adjusting resources
Keep control and respect from the students
Plan well ahead and know the equipment availiable
Check the weather
Have cool down games as backups




Page | 51

YEAR 11 HEALTH
3X45MINS LESSON AND 1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK
Topic Focus: Adult Health
I was very nervous walking into this class, as this was a new experience and I was yet to have full
understanding of the content. The first lesson ran smoothly, as I was still focused on getting across
the content and how the lesson was going to run I did not pick up on a group of girls who were
sitting sideways and talking for most of the lesson. After this was noted future lessons which I taught
a focus was keeping these girls engaged and on task. Another point of feedback which was given was
to give students a timeframe in which tasks must be completed and engaging students in class
discussions.
These are two key teaching points which I will need to continue to work on. As although students
may work on tasks, some days they were not engaged as others therefore, I need to find numerous
different effective ways of individual work, and a key structure and focus questions for class
discussions.
PowerPoint slides which were created because very effective with short clips also being enjoyed by
the students.

I found the longer I took these students and the more work I corrected the more confident I became
with the content, student names and with answering students questions. The booklet which was
adjusted by me from using Kaths resources was a fantastic way to set the week up. Students and
myself always knew exactly where to look and now have this and a revision tool for the future.
Key Points to take away:
o Discussion structure
o Timing of lesson
o Pace of speech
o Kahoot- Very effective, but need to check internet connection
o Booklet work for the week
o Ensure students are paying attention
o Set Boundaries Early
o Learn names early to assist with the discussion progress






Page | 52


YEAR 12 VCE PE
3X45MINS LESSON AND 1X90MIN LESSONS A WEEK
Topic Focus: Chapter 12 and 13
This was a fantastic experience to have in my final year of placement. I had the opportunity to take
two weeks of year 12 PE. This put pressure on me to have a detailed understanding of the content at
hand and the students names.
There were a group of girls that sat chatting for the entirety of my first class. I learnt these students
names very quickly but not because I spent the lesson telling them off, but because I found that they
responded better if I walked over to these students once I had set them on task, and assisted them
through this, I found I developed a relationship with these ladies, I found in future lessons a retained
their concentration for longer periods of time.
These students were very eager to learn the content and love to ask many many many questions
about everything and anything. My first lesson it completely overwhelmed me. I wanted to answer
the questions and I knew the answers however, I was not prepared in how to explain these answers
to the degree which they needed to know, and I was put on the spot completely. So I went home,
prepared for any possible answers and went back the next day with these to respond to.
This is something which I have taken away from this experience. Of course in year 12 the students
are nervous and love to over think the content required, it is fantastic, but they may also overwhelm
themselves too so a balance needs to be met.
One incident which shocked me incredibly was the returning of SAC to the students. The students
were returned their SAC after my first lesson. I remembered back to when I got my SAC back and I
would look at the mark accept it and leave the room. The girls all sat there and examined their
results and look through and find where they might be able to argue for more marks. After class into
lunch time, there were 4 or 5 girls which were still in the class arguing for more marks from the
teacher. All I could think was they cannot do this come final exam time. I will always endeavour not
to allow this to happen and stick with my original results given.
Prac classes are invaluable in VCE PE. Students gaining and understanding in the purpose for certain
fitness tests is a major requirement and these lessons take preparation time. Students should always
complete a warm up prior to moving into these activities. Students responded well to these classes,
however, students do need to be notified when these classes are occurring.

Key take away pointers:
Plan for the whys, hows & whats.
Be Stern
Content knowledge is key when in VCE
Be confident in what youre saying
Prac is necessary to be planned in these classes

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