Professional

Portfolio
Madeleine Emily Kern
Primary School Teacher

Purpose of Professional Portfolio

The National Professional Standards for Teachers
(developed by AITSL) informs and organises this portfolio
into a dynamic and professional document.
This portfolio demonstrates achievement of the standards
at the Graduate Level.

Contents
Slide 4) Standard 1: Know students and how they learn
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

Slide 5) Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

Slide 6) Standard 3: Plan for an implement effective teaching and learning

3.3 Use teaching strategies

Slide 7) Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
4.1 Support student participation

Slide 8) Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.1 Assess student learning

Slide 9) Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.5 Report on student achievement

Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students
across the full range of abilities

No two children will learn alike.

Teaching methods and programs must be altered to suit the wide array of learning needs and preferences.
To differentiate means to have in mind a vision of how you are going to motivate, engage and teach each
student. It involves proactive planning and varied approaches to teaching.
We differentiate by way of student readiness which encompasses a students preparedness to advance from
one learning area to the next. It is up to the educator to make that professional judgment.
An example of a differentiated learning plan was during my final practicum at Flagstaff Hill Primary School. I
created a set of learning stations where students could learn about fractions in a group setting. Each station
presented fractions in a different context and thus allowed students to experience fractions in relation to at
least one of their strengths. This was effective because it didnt matter what prior experiences or knowledge
students had, they could still bring this knowledge to at least one of the stations and make a meaningful
connection with the content.
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\Maths T2\Stations Instructions.docx
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\Maths T2\Fractions Year 2 tuft.docx

Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

Help students become aware of the significance of literacy and numeracy in their daily lives, not just for

the future, but for the right here, right now.

If students are motivated to see the value of learning the basic concepts, then they will be more likely to
make meaningful connections with the content.
During my practicum, I was encouraged by my mentor to refer to, integrate and utilise resources from
Anne Baker, Sheena Cameron and Jenny Eather within the literacy and numeracy teaching programs.
For example, the topic EDUC3625 Numeracy and ICT provided opportunity to construct and execute a
lesson plan for any learning area. My learning partner and I constructed a lesson plan where student
would need to use numeracy skills in order to predict a scientific phenomenon. This lesson plan was
directed toward year 6/7 students and proved successful as students in the tutorial were able to complete
the investigation with relative ease. This lesson plan also relied heavily on ICT through use of the NASA
website.
*See E:\2015\EDUC3625 Numeracy and ICT\EDUC3625_2015 Assignment 3 lesson plan.docx
*See E:\2016\Sheena Cameron.jpg

Standard 3: Plan for an implement effective teaching and learning

3.3 Use teaching strategies

Teaching involves motivation and making learning meaningful and relevant. In order to do this, a range of teaching strategies are

necessary.
I experienced success with students reaching their learning goals through different forms of learning. For example, during a
science unit on water, I referred to Primary Connections and adapted the learning environment to suit the topic of investigation.
The lesson was conducted outside, since the topic of investigation focused on discovering water sources around the school. This
new context provided the motivation and educational excitement the students needed in order to complete the task successfully.
They understood the purpose of the learning activity and maintained concentration throughout the lesson.
Where there is interest, there is participation. In the context of the classroom and all its subsequent diversities, I found that as
long as student motivation levels are ignited with a preview of the learning soon to follow, interest would be the prime factor
pushing them towards striving for success.
Problematized learning was another teaching strategy used, because students had to work together in order to solve the issue.
Kathy Walkers text, Play Matters was a highly effective teaching strategy for junior primary because it enabled students to learn
through play. This method drew out a childs natural tendency to play, and fostered such imaginative exploration in a fun yet
structured manner.
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\Science T2\Water Lesson WATER WALK Wk 3.docx
*See E:\2014\EDUC 2322\Week 7 Critical Reflection.docx

Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

4.1 Support student participation

John Shindler (2010), in his book Transformative Classroom Management, draws upon the importance of getting to

know your students as individuals.

This assists students to open up and contribute their ideas, knowledge and experience, and thus engage and
participate in classroom practice. They need to feel valued and that their contribution will be meaningful to the teacher
and their classmates.
Although my time in classrooms during placements was limited, I know I developed strong relationships with students
both at metropolitan and rural sites. This assisted me in developing appropriate learning activities that were inclusive
and which demonstrated awareness of student diversity.
For example, a lesson I differentiated and ensured a measure of success was achievable for four particular year 2
students was a spelling lesson where I taught the different between a hard and soft c sound. They were given the
option to choose between two different activities and which they felt was more manageable. Further, through
permission statements to parents and regular weekly posts on the class blog, I was able to initiate contact with
parents, and involve them in the educative process.
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\English T2\Soft C lesson 3.docx
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\Weekly Highlights for Blog\Dear parents and care takers.docx
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\Weekly Highlights for Blog\Week 6 Highlights.docx

Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student

learning
5.1 Assess student learning

My understanding of the importance of assessment heightened as I had many opportunities to put the
theory I learned throughout various university topics (EDUC4720, EDUC3624, EDUC3620) into practice
in the classroom.
My experiences in assessing students ranged from pre-assessments at the commencement of a new topic
to identify students previous knowledge; formative assessments during a unit of lessons to understand
the particular concepts the student is grasping and which concepts they are having difficulty with; and
summative assessments that give insights into how much information the students have made a
meaningful connection with and thus stored in their long-term memory.
At the beginning of teaching an English writing unit on narratives, I did a pre-assessment with the
students to see how much knowledge they had from previous teaching experiences. Because the results
demonstrated that most students did not understand the basic structure of a narrative, I commenced the
unit by introducing them to narratives through breaking its structure into comprehensible segments i.e. I
gave them opportunities to explore the orientation, then the complication and finally the resolution.
*See E:\2016\Flagstaff 2016\English T2\Narrative intro lesson 1.docx

Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.5 Report on student achievement

The most common method of highlighting student achievement is through student reports which

are completed in terms 2 and 4. These give an accurate reflection of each students strengths
and weaknesses based on their overall performance in all curriculum areas.
The Art and Science of Teaching (ASOT) provides teachers other effective ways of providing
specific learning goals that both the students and teachers are aware of and that students can
work towards.
For example, ASOT provides WALTs (we are learning to), WILFs (what Im looking for) and
WAGOLLs (what a good one looks like) which direct the learning in a specific way so that
students are well aware of the expectations and how they can reach those expectations.
Parental involvement in their childs learning is easily accessible via tuft sheets in student work
books. These give students a clear indication of what they achieved through the lesson, and
what they still need to work on.
*See