Key AITSL Standards

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

My placement school is extremely diverse with multiculturalism and there are a variety
of different cultures represented in the classroom. There are many students that come
from EAL/D backgrounds and therefore it is important I am able to research and
understand a variety of different learning strategies to ensure I support these students
to the best of my ability. My mentor teacher and myself have discussed some of the
strategies that help specific individual students within the class as well as what other
general strategies have worked well in the past. It is paramount that I do not presume
all students within the class understand what I consider to be common English phrases
and terminology; I need to ‘unpack’ the language for these students. I will continuously
conduct a self-assessment on my language, word choice, and pronunciation to ensure I
avoid potential confusion for EAL/D students. Having discussions with the EAL/D
support teacher has also helped me to gain further insight and knowledge. Also,
experiencing the EAL/D support teacher work in small groups with students has been
beneficially in understanding strategies and the students’ learning processes.

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
There is an Aboriginal student in our class and therefore it is important that I am aware
of and apply teaching strategies to support this student. The student often misses
periods of school due to travelling for cultural reasons. It is vital I understand how
important this is for the student and his family and I am respectful of this. I must ensure
that when the student does return to class I am able to support him so he can integrate
back into the class and catch up on any missed curriculum. It is also important that I am
mindful and respectful when incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people’s views and perspectives into my lessons.

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

The class has a diverse range of abilities and therefore differentiation is vital. My
mentor and I have discussed multiple strategies that can be implemented to ensure my
lessons cater to the diversity of the students. Such strategies include; tiering of
lessons/activities, group work – students working with mixed abilities together to
support one another and students requiring extra support working together with a
teacher or S.S.O., using tools such as pre-assessments and exit cards, and assessment is
also differentiated for students.

4.3 Manage challenging behaviour

My mentor and myself have discussed that although there are no significant behavioural
issues within the classroom, students’ behaviour still needs to be managed. Specifically
there are some students that become off task and distract others around them.
Strategies we have discussed in managing such behaviour include; encouraging
students to make sensible decisions when choosing their seating arrangements;
ensuring students understand the consequences of being off task (such as additional
home learning); giving warnings to students followed by separating students if they are
still not on task; encouraging students to be accountable for their actions and take
responsibility for their learning. If behaviour persisted other strategies could include;
having further discussions with students regarding their behaviour one on one;
students may get sent to a buddy class; limiting students’ choice of seating; and/or
student behaviour contracts could be developed for students to sign.

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

I feel it is important that I practice analysing students’ assessments, both formative and
summative so that I am able to provide students with feedback that is specific and
supportive for them in developing their learning. My mentor will aid me with my
analysing of a variety of assessments and ensure my feedback is specific, identifies
students strengths, the areas they could improve, and goals that the students can set for
themselves. My mentor has explained to me the importance of students setting goals
and our role of supporting them so that they are able to meet these goals.