ACU Professional Experience Visitor (Douglas Hemming)

Pre-Service Teacher Feedback Form

EDFX316
Pre-Service Teacher
Sinead OMara

Year Level: 4/3D

School: Ithaca Creek State School
Date of Observation:
21.10.2014

Criteria

Comments

Responsibility for
Personal
Development (Selfreflection, identifies
challenges, goal setting,
implements change,
responds to advice)

Sinead, upon my arrival, your associate teacher was quick to inform me of

how very pleased she is with your valuable contribution to her class. By all
accounts, you have melded into the classroom routine of 4/3D very well
indeed. It became immediately obvious to me that you had been most
receptive to the support and mentoring that Susan has provided, as one
would have been forgiven for having thought that you had been teaching for
quite some time. Having your students sitting quietly in front of you as you
had, is in itself a challenge, and you have obviously jumped that hurdle
without too many complications.
I must congratulate you on your immaculate dress sense. Teachers who are
well attired are professionals who are well respected - not only by their
students but by their parents. Personal pride in the way one presents oneself
makes communicating within the school community just so much easier. I
was very pleased to hear from Susan that you have been involving yourself in
extracurricular activities, and that you have demonstrated a firm commitment
to your future role as a teacher.

Professional
Attitudes and
Practices
(Commitment to
teaching/learning,
respects differences,
behaves ethically, dress
standards, flexible and
shows initiative)
Professional
Relationships within
the School
Community
(Team member, positive
work relationships,
appropriate
communication)
Planning
(Content knowledge,
planning, organisation
and prep, motivation,
inclusive and flexible)
Using Knowledge
(Applies learning
theories, applies
curriculum, use of ICT
and resources, decision
making and problem
solving)
Monitoring and
Assessing Learning
(Monitors student
progress, uses
appropriate assessment
strategies/instruments,
feedback quality, and
records student
progress)

Your communication with the children is controlled, relatively quiet, but at the
same time - firm. The transition from your initial activity where you explained
exactly what was going to be expected of each and every student, was very
well executed indeed. Your Simon Says technique, whilst quite new to me (in
that context at least) was most successful in having small groups of children
return to their respective places quietly, without fuss and with purpose.
Your Q & A period prior to the childrens return to their desks was thorough
as it allowed each and every child to clarify any misconceptions they may
have had. No child appeared to be in doubt about what was to be expected of
them during the next lesson and what they needed to be achieved in order to
gain reward stickers.
Your planning was meticulous to the letter, and your exposure to the teaching
of drama is going to be an absolute bonus for you in the future.
During our talk, I was comforted to hear that you had already developed a
signalling technique to quell one of the students over anxious interruptions
during lesson time. Some children become so overwhelmed with everything
and anything that is going on around them, so this special communication
between you and him becomes most important, for both of your sakes.
Keeping up with assessment and the constant marking of childrens work
certainly takes up a lot of your time, but try to keep up with all of that
whenever you are able, as it is a valuable means of knowing when and where
you have to adjust your daily planning in order to cater for the immediate
needs of specific students. Some children reach frustration level very quickly,
and if we are not making provisions for these children, they will find it difficult
to experience the feeling of success at the end of every day. That is our aim
for each of our students.

It was a great pleasure to have been able to spend a little time with you today
Sinead, and I came away feeling that you had chosen for yourself the right
profession. I consider that you are going to be an asset to the vocation of
teaching.

ACU P.E Visitor

Signature
Douglas I. Hemming