EDFX348 Assessment Task 1 Outline

My Teaching Philosophy

I believe that a classroom environment should build and foster the idea that each student is unique,
and that each should therefore be treated with respect, dignity, and care in their educational and
personal needs. I will strive to provide my students with a safe and functional learning environment,
where students can develop and build upon their own learning needs and styles in a space where
they feel comfortable and confident to express themselves, and their ideas, in the presence of their
peers. By enabling students to develop their own personal learning styles, I will be allowing students
to thrive in their personal development, learning to tackle challenges that lay before them, and learn
to overcome difficulties with the support and care that developing adolescent minds need to ensure
substantial and integral growth for their social, mental, and physical well-being.

Through an in-depth exploration of differentiated learning, I will provide my students with a greater
range of learning tasks to ensure they are all able to work towards learning goals that not only push
their personal development through challenging tasks, but also provides learning tools for students
to further scaffold their learning ability across all subject areas.

I strive to have my classroom operate as an open forum, where students feel safe and comfortable
to share their ideas and build upon one another’s learning through scaffolded tasks that rely heavily
on student conversation and peer learning. Its well known and documented that collaborative
student learning has a substantial effect on increase in student learning (Pratiwi, 2020), it therefore
becomes imperative to implement collaborative learning tasks for students as often as the
curriculum allows. Students teaching and learning from one another provides such a great depth to
the classroom dynamic, because students no longer rely on teacher lectures to gain their
information, they seek it out, and teach one another through collaborative practices.

The most important thing for my practice is to ensure the learning environment is a safe place for all
my students. It is important for them to understand that they will always be treated with decency
and respect, and it is expected that they treat their peers, myself, and the classroom itself with the
same ideals. When students are in my classroom, they should never be made to feel in danger,
threatened, unsafe, or scared to speak their mind, to me, or their peers.

Pratiwi, Veronika Unun. Improving Student’s Writing Skills through Collabhorative Learning: A Case
Study of Senior High School Veteran 1 of Sukoharjo, (Vol. 10, Iss. 5). Theory and Practise in Language
Studies: London.
3.5 Verbal and Nonverbal

A teacher’s voice in the classroom is such an effective tool in the control and engagement of
students, particularly when students become restless and distracted, both during conversation and
work times. It therefore becomes imperative for all new teachers to establish a means of
communication that allows for easier control of a classroom, without the need for negative
engagement around yelling or screaming.

The sample of a running classroom included in this page, highlights the strategies I have
implemented into my communication with students, and the importance I place on respect and
engagement in a classroom. I am very fortunate in that I have a naturally strong voice, so projecting
and being heard by all students comes very naturally to me, as I can engage them with relative ease,
and gain control in a professional and clear manner.

Within my classroom pedagogy, I have implemented a range of techniques, many of which have
been outlined by Dave Foley, and are all evident in the audio recording, including pausing what I’m
saying, lowering my voice, and involving students in the class (p. 9-10). These practices allow me to
engage students in a way that maintains a student’s dignity, without the need to single out students,
and creates a class wide understanding that they are working for one another in the creation of an
inclusive classroom.

The effectiveness of these strategies is evident in the recording, as students refocus on the
discussion, engage in the learning, and participate effectively in the class, asking relevant questions
that the whole class can absorb. Through reflection of my classroom experience, I find this form of
engagement to be very successful in the scope of my pedagogy, as I continue to develop my skills
around student management and cooperation within the classroom environment.

Foley, D., & Stewart, L. (2006). Ultimate Classroom Control Handbook [E-book]. Jist Works.

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/acu/reader.action?docID=270527&ppg=29

2.6 Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for
students.

The use of ICT in education changed dramatically with the shift to remote learning during 2020,
where most of, if not all learning occurred through computer programs and online video links.
Teachers were required to adapt learning strategies for online use and develop ways to engage
students through the use of computer technologies.

A brief setback through my professional placement saw a temporary lockdown, allowing me the
chance to implement online learning tasks for students, who, according to Churchill, can be
considered “digital natives” (p. 122), to prepare them for work upon returning to school. The
execution of the online learning task could have benefitted from further planning and preparedness,
as well as further student engagement, an area of improvement that I have identified.

Upon reflection, the online lecture and introduction to students was executed with great success,
with students engaging with the task, and using their computers appropriately. The ICT component
of the task did direct students to begin developing research, and engage with the design process, but
could have been further developed to lean more on the curriculum requirements of Year 8 art and
the integration of ICT.

The arts present a unique opportunity for students to engage with ICT practices, as described by
Phelps and Maddison, stating that “ICT presents unique opportunities for supporting creativity and
extending visual arts” (p. 2) beyond pencil and paper. Further exploration into the integration of ICT
within an arts classroom is at the forefront of my coming practice, to ensure I can continue to
develop my personal ability around the integration of ICT to develop my teaching strategies and
expanding curriculum opportunities for students.
Phelps, Renata, & Maddison, Carrie. (2008). ICT in the secondary visual arts classroom: A study
of teachers' values, attitudes and beliefs. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(1).
https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1226

As already stated, the importance of differentiated teaching within a classroom can not be
overstated. Is serves as a fundamental necessity for students with special learning needs, both
behind the standard, and students who are excelling. By differentiating learning tasks, students of all
abilities can engage in work that is both interesting and challenging for their level of learning, whilst
still providing a tangible connection to the curriculum and learning requirements at certain year
levels, that is “students can take different pathways to the same destination.” (Churchill, p. 242)

The lesson plan featured shows my approach to differentiated learning within an arts classroom,
which is heavily reliant on individual engagement with students. The task required students to
research an artist (during the 5-day lockdown) and to respond to their work by creating their own
collage. The task itself allows for a great level of self-directed work, with students undertaking their
own research and development into their own interests. Upon the development in class, students
were given the creative freedom to develop the collage in their own direction and interests, with
guidance and reflection through one-on-one engagements with me.

This level of engagement within an arts classroom is fundamental in my pedagogical development,

as I view the importance of each student’s direction and ideas to be of upmost importance in
ensuring their enjoyment and adaption of class and curriculum content. By engaging students
individually, it creates a sense of investment and belief in the student’s ability to create individual
and meaningful work, developed to their needs and ability in an arts classroom. This form of
differentiation is identified by the Department of Education as being “Differentiating a lesson by
adjusting the process” which includes employing different learning and instructional practices to
best engage a range of students.

Through reflection of my practice however, I have identified the need for further differentiation,
particularly through initial class tasks and worksheet-based activities and allowing more time to
develop relevant and engaging tasks for a variety of student learning needs.

Victorian Department of Education. High impact teaching strategies in action: Differentiated

teaching. (2021). Education and Training.

 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/classrooms/Pages/approacheshitsdif

ferentiation.aspx

Seeking and applying feedback that will help to further personal teaching philosophy and pedagogy
is a fundamental component of teaching that I want to continue to develop throughout my career
going forward. From only a small sample thus far through professional experiences, the
development I have seen within myself due to constructive feedback from supervising teachers has
elevated my practice exponentially, and have learnt so much more about myself, and effective
learning strategies through this method.

As described by Churchill, creating an environment where a peer or critical friend can observe your
practice, creates a sense of accountability, proving that “teaching is a public act worthy of peer
review” (p.497). The sense of peer review and constructive feedback provides a great level of
confidence to the accountability of a teaching cohort within a school, broadening a person’s
perspective of their own work, through realizations of their peers. My experience has been greatly
impacted by this sentiment, having had a handful of teachers observe and provide feedback on my
particular approach to classroom management and pedagogy.

Through the feedback provided to me, I have been able to further reflect on my practices, and
implement new strategies that have taken effect in later classes. This implementation has proven to
be more successful, particularly based around intuitive task implementation, and adapting to
spontaneous classroom events, that otherwise may have severely impacted my lesson plan, without
anything to fall back on. Through constructive feedback, however, I have learned to manage
different situations, and implement new strategies that greatly benefit my own teaching practice,
and aid in the development of student learning.