Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
Focus area: 7.2 - Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
Reflection
As Whitton et al. (2016) state, teachers must uphold professionalism at all times, including the many responsibilities and obligations beyond that of face-to-face teaching.
The New South Wales Department of Education (2016) requires teachers to attend all staff meetings at the discretion of their principal. As seen in my final report, I attended every staff and stage meeting each week. This allowed me to achieve a grade of ‘demonstrated’ for Standard 7.2.1, as I complied with professional obligations. Furthermore, these meetings gave me the opportunity to engage with and build rapport with other teaching and non-teaching staff members. As Duncombe and Armour (2004) |
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add, staff meetings can also provide opportunities for professional learning, something I found beneficial as a pre-service teacher. Such meetings allowed me to develop my knowledge of a range of topics, such as meeting the needs of students who have been identified as gifted and talented, supporting EALD learners and reporting requirements.
My attendance also reflects professionalism. In New South Wales, teachers are required to arrive at school at least 30 minutes prior to when classes begin (NSW Department of Education, 2016). As seen on my daily attendance sheet, most days I arrived 1 hour before the beginning of school. During this hour, I gathered and prepared the resources I needed for the day and set up the classroom for our first lesson of the day. This hour also gave me time to discuss my progress with my mentor teacher and plan with her which lessons I would be teaching the following week. As mentioned in my final report, organisation was one of my key strengths, something that was aided by my punctuality.
My attendance also reflects professionalism. In New South Wales, teachers are required to arrive at school at least 30 minutes prior to when classes begin (NSW Department of Education, 2016). As seen on my daily attendance sheet, most days I arrived 1 hour before the beginning of school. During this hour, I gathered and prepared the resources I needed for the day and set up the classroom for our first lesson of the day. This hour also gave me time to discuss my progress with my mentor teacher and plan with her which lessons I would be teaching the following week. As mentioned in my final report, organisation was one of my key strengths, something that was aided by my punctuality.
References
Duncombe, R., & Armour, K. (2004). Collaborative professional learning: From theory to practice. Journal of in-service education, 30(1), 141-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580400200230
NSW Department of Education. (2016). The School Day: Fact Sheet. https://beta.dec.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/264795/The-School-Day-Fact-Sheet-October-2016.pdf
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Humphries, J., & Sinclair, C. (2016). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.
Duncombe, R., & Armour, K. (2004). Collaborative professional learning: From theory to practice. Journal of in-service education, 30(1), 141-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580400200230
NSW Department of Education. (2016). The School Day: Fact Sheet. https://beta.dec.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/264795/The-School-Day-Fact-Sheet-October-2016.pdf
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Humphries, J., & Sinclair, C. (2016). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.