Standard 4 Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
Standard 4.1 Support student participation
Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
The Phase 3 Active Learning provides an exciting, engaging and suitably challenging learning experience for the year 8 Drama class at Oakleigh Grammar.
The modern use of stock characters make this activity meaningful to students as they create a performance using their favourite characters, the use of language enhances comprehension and the provision of a task for less confident performance students caters for all learning needs.
The hook activity caters for all learnings needs through group assistance, visual guides and written definitions and is appropriately challenging for the year 8 Drama class. This activity encourages learners in small groups to collaborate and discuss options to then arrive at a conclusion. The added interest was generated when the activity was made into a race to see who would match the correct picture to the correct title and definition first.
4.1 Critical reflection
For me as an educator, it is important to cater to the needs of all students within the learning environment, through selecting learning activities and teaching strategies that cater to a wide variety of learning needs and strengths.
It is therefore necessary to provide collaborative and engaging works where students may use their strengths to the benefit of others and the improvement of their own self-esteem. In such hook activities for example, I strive to provide a combination of visual and written stimuli and kinaesthetic activities to provide a diverse range of activities catering for students' strengths in group collaborative activities to provide social support.
Another way I have strived for full participation is to consider activities and topics students would most likely relate to and enjoy participating in which has always led to high levels of student engagement and participation, even those not typically interested in the subject itself. As such, I have considered how to incorporate current movies, TV series and computer games into learning content catering for students' strengths and interests.
Standard 4.2 Manage classroom activities
Demonstrate the capacity to organize classroom activities and provide clear directions
As the lesson plan shows, I have carefully considered which instructions to provide the class concerning effective group work, behavioural expectation, time limits and acceptable criteria for performances.
The instructions include clear rules for props and costumes as well as instructions not to distract other groups. While the PowerPoint slide provides these expectations and success criteria visually to the class to ensure full comprehension and capability.
2nd placement Oakleigh Grammar
4.2 Critical reflection
Classroom organisation and clear instructions regarding acceptable behaviour is of critical importance, particularly in Drama classrooms where student safety is a constant priority.
It is therefore necessary for teachers to not only establish rules and recommendations for group work such as providing every student a task and the necessity of group cooperation and collaboration, but to ensure all students when engaging in physical and high movement group activities take their own and other students safety into consideration. This is why in my management of classroom activities for drama, I establish a clear routine which begins with the placement of objects out of harms way before commencement of the lesson, with students sitting on the floor. The introduction will always consist of revision if required and the explanation of learning intentions and success criteria. All activities are explained and discussed with clear behavioural expectations, time limits per activity and rules to be provided before any activity commences, followed by feedback and a reflection task to conclude. In terms of a music class, these rules and expectations of behaviour are still just as important particularly when regarding the safe and proper handling of instruments and the safe production of sound, and it is my establishing a routine with clear directions that frequently avoids disruptions and confusion. The clear routine does much to reduce student disruptions and is frequently successful.
Standard 4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
Demonstrates knowledge of practical approaches to managing challenging behaviour
The lesson plan excerpt is from a Year 8 drama lesson plan undertaken at Oakleigh Grammar. The plan clearly demonstrates acknowledgement of Oakleigh Grammar’s behaviour management policy which instructs one warning then movement, if unproductive behaviour persists then the disruptive student will be instructed to sit out and not participate in the activity until a discussion has taken place
This lesson plan excerpt is relating to a year 8 music class undertaken at Balcombe Grammar in which restorative justice was the basis for behaviour management and any unproductive is resolved with discussion instantly. The lesson plan demonstrates a firm understanding an adherence to these rules.
The example below is an excerpt from a year 8 Melodrama performance where students were expressly told not to touch one another during fight scenes. The appropriate way to conduct scenes of physical conflict was then demonstrated for student understanding.
The lesson excerpt is an example of using Dreikurs ‘could it be’ techniques to determine whether the student was indeed displaying a sense of inadequacy in addition to encouragement with the disengaged student. Additionally, is the acknowledgement of respectful behaviour whilst using ICT.
4.3 Critical reflection
In terms of behaviour management, what I have learnt and aspired to do is maintain consistency in my dealings with disruptive students and to ensure students across all year levels learn where my boundaries are and when crossed, this will result in consequences. Whilst in my first two placements it was my supervising teacher who primarily spoke to disruptive students, I was able to listen and learn how to have meaningful conversations with them before retuning them to the activity. In my final placement however, I spoke with students directly about their concerns and found my own way to alleviate their concerns and cater to their needs allowing me to grow in confidence and learning the reasons for unproductive behaviour.
In many instances, I would refer to Rogers guides on behaviour management particularly in terms of non-verbal communication, a reminder of the rule and a clear cease and desist command. In addition, I frequently used Dreikurs use of encouragement as opposed to praise and found this to be quite effective, I also used Dreikurs methods of questioning to determine unproductive behaviour and take matters further as a diagnostic assessment.
Standard 4.4 Maintains student safety
Describe strategies that support’s students' wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system curriculum and legislative requirements.
2nd placement at Oakleigh Grammar
These excerpts sides are from my 2nd and 3rd placement and demonstrates how I have shown that I can identify risks applicable to both a drama and music class and take opportunities in both written and verbal communication strategies to remind students of appropriate and safe behaviour. Additionally, I have always made consequences of student misbehaviour regarding safety explicit and have ensured communicated consequences were fulfilled.
3rd placement at Balcombe Grammar
The lesson plan excerpt and the feedback from my supervising teacher was undertaken during my 1st placement and demonstrates my ability to offer students any additional explanation or time as necessary to achieve full comprehension of the activity requirements and the acknowledgement of student contributions.
4.4 Critical reflection
Student safety as a pre-service teacher is my highest priority, as I have a duty of care to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce the risk or harm to a learner in my charge whether within the institution or any out-side school activities.
In the circumstances of both music and drama, the chief causes of safety concerns lie in the practical element of the subject for which I believe I have taken every appropriate action to communicate clear expectations, rules and consequences both verbally and in written form. For example, in undertaking proper care for the safety of students, a drama classroom will include not only ensuring the minimization of risk in particularly physical scenes to be communicated in multiple ways and the proper handling of props and set elements but ensuring that all objects potentially harmful for student safety are removed before the commencement of the lesson ensuring accountable teacher preparedness and time management/organisation. In terms of a music classroom, the main concern is the proper handling of instruments, or any object used to create sounds, it is imperative that learners not use these tools to harm themselves, others or the object itself, again to be communicated in multiple means to avoid confusion and the claim of lack of awareness.
Applicable to all subjects is the concern an educator shows to student well-being, and this was demonstrated through multiple means as necessary to ensure student safety in terms of emotional development. Regarding student responses, I always have listened positively and acknowledged all student contributions as each learner should feel that my classroom is a safe environment where all responses are appreciated, additionally I have always spoken to my students with energy, warmth and kindness to ensure a strong developing positive professional relationship.
Lastly, I have always provided any student struggling with extra time or assistance if required. In many cases, this was in the case of homogenous grouping with less confident or students with disabilities within the same group and only used when heterogeneous group was deemed inappropriate.
Standard 5.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching
The use of ICT particularly within my first placement was all undertaken online and as such, I had to be familiar with all acceptable practices regarding ICT policies of the school. Chief amongst them was modelling and the communication of professional yet appropriate language for the students regardless of age as is demonstrated in all these examples, including the bottom left-hand side example undertaken at my final placement whether it was the use of email, the chat function in zoom or google docs.
4.5 Critical reflection
As ICT expressly falls into communication via technology, I made it my obligation to ensure the same standard of professional communication was undertaken in all forms of digital communicative means.
In alignment with school policies undertaken at my first placement, all communication between groups were monitored to identify inappropriate us of language or cyber-bullying. Thankfully, this was not applicable to any situations and the learners did not use any inappropriate language.
It was also mandatory for all pre-service teachers to model appropriate use of language when communicating both verbally or in written form. As leaders and the person of authority within the classroom, it was essential to model respect and effective communication in a warm positive tone of voice and to take care of any written instructions in which students may take offense. Therefore, all communications between myself and students used professional and appropriate language as instructed.