MSS FINAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REPORT

2019
Student ID
Pre-service Teacher Molly Hunter 2166154

School Plympton International College

Learning Area
Mentor Teacher(s) Aaron Brown Science/Maths

School Co-ordinator Sharon Illingworth

Coordinator
University Liaison Jane Garrard Lou Pike Pyman

Please delete those not applicable Please select

Teaching Days 10 introductory days + 30 day block: 40 days 
8 week Country/Term 2 Placement: 40 days 
Extended Placement: Up to 65 days 

CONTEXT Please add brief context statements about the school and class:
School sector; size and composition of campus (R-12, Area, Primary); particular
features or unique characteristics; index of disadvantage.
School
Plympton International College is a government Reception to Year 12 school. It is located between
the Adelaide CBD and Glenelg. Plympton International College is the first Chinese bilingual school in
South Australia, and has been since January 2017. The college values are respect, responsibility,
innovation and excellence.
Plympton International College is currently experiencing growth in enrolments. At the beginning of
2019 there were 470 students from R-12, 30% school card and approximately 40% with English as
an Additional Language. The index of disadvantage for Plympton International College is Category 5.
In 2019 the STEM building was officially opened, with four modern, open-planned learning spaces.
The college has further building developments in the planning phase. Plympton also has a laptop
program, with all students in the secondary school accessing a personal device. The school uses the
Sentral learner management system for communication with students and families.
Class (including children with special needs)
Throughout the placement, Molly worked with four classes: Year 7 Science, Year 10 Mathematics,
Stage 1 & 2 Biology. The Year 7 Science class was Molly’s most complex group, with 32 students in
the class. Within this class, 2 students were on Negotiated Education Plans (ADHD and Autism),
there were 2 international students and 7 students with English as an Additional Language. This was
the first semester that this class studied within a high school, laboratory setting.
The Year 10 Mathematics class was made up of 29 students. Within the class, there were 5
International students, 8 students with English as an Additional Language and 1 student with
diagnosed learning needs.
As Stage 1 and 2 Biology is not a compulsory subject, students in these classes selected to be
enrolled. As such, many students are on pathways for STEM based tertiary studies and careers.
Within the Stage 1 class of 23, there were 8 students with English as an Additional Language and 1
student with diagnosed learning needs. Molly team taught the Year 12 Biology class; comprised of 11
students completing Stage 2 Biology and 2 students completing STEM and the Community. The
Biology class included 5 students with English as an Additional Language.
ASSESSMENT AGAINST THE AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS
Please place an ‘X’ at the point along each continuum that best represents the development of the pre-service
teacher towards each of the standards at this time.

PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Standard 1 Know students and how they learn

I I I X I __
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

Standard 2 Know the content and how to teach it

I I I X__
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Standard 3 Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

I I I X I__
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

Standard 4 Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

I I I X__
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

Standard 5 Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

I I I X I__
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT

Standard 6 Engage in professional learning

I I I X__
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient

Standard 7 Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

I I I X I __
Complete Novice Emerging Graduate Proficient
SUMMARY STATEMENTS (You may choose to comment on both personal and professional characteristics)

School Coordinator/Principal
Molly presented as an enthusiastic, intelligent young woman with excellent subject knowledge and teaching skills.
She has a quiet engaging manner and is able to command attention to introduce concepts and ideas to the whole
class as well as conferencing individually with students who have questions and need clarification. Students found
her approachable, well organised and willing to personalise the learning so that all students could access and be
successful in their learning. She has met all expectations of the College throughout her placement to the highest
degree. She has used her initiative to volunteer and create extra curricula opportunities which have been of greatly
valued to the College. Molly has demonstrated her commitment to developing her skills as an educator and has
taken every opportunity to participate in, and contribute to staff meetings and also Professional Development
sessions. We wish her well in her future.

Name: Sharon Illingworth, Director Secondary College Date: 25/06/2019

University Liaison
Molly has performed strongly in her 6 week practicum. She is well on her way to being a valued
member of the teaching profession and this is partly due to her willingness to look at all aspects
of her performance in a critical manner and find a way to do better! The need to strengthen her
voice projection is a case in point, but this has already shown improvement. Students have
warmed to Molly’s genuinely caring manner – they are excellent judges of someone they trust to
have their best interests at heart! Molly clearly has the necessary subject knowledge and is also
very adept at catering for different learning levels. It has been a pleasure to support Molly
throughout this placement and her success as a member of the teaching profession seems
assured.

Name: Jane Garrard Date: 28/06/2019

SUMMARY STATEMENT (May be used as a referee statement)

Classroom Teacher/Mentor
Student Name: Molly Hunter Learning Area: Science and Mathematics

Professional Knowledge
Molly demonstrates understanding of research related to how students learn. In mathematics lessons she
uses language of growth mindset when supporting students as they solve unfamiliar problems. Molly also
demonstrates a sound understanding of curriculum content for both SACE Biology and Australian
Curriculum Science and Mathematics. She independently accesses and applies key features of both
curricula, including assessment standards and general capabilities. As the college has 40% enrolment of
students with English as an Additional Language, Molly has had the opportunity to develop strategies to
support this group of learners. Molly displays knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies,
including differentiation through scaffolding and modifying of tasks, explicitly teaching key vocabulary and
skills. She also understands the need to provide extension opportunities to stretch learners, and has
demonstrated this on her placement.

Professional Practice
During her practicum, Molly has developed supportive and safe relationships with students in all of her
classes. She builds a positive classroom environment with both middle and senior school students. Molly has
shown great initiative and proactivity when planning units and lessons. She independently sources and
develops engaging units that are logically sequenced to allow students to make connections between ideas.
This planning has encompassed a broad variety of lessons, including both theoretical and practical
experiences. Within these units, Molly uses strategies to explicitly teach literacy and numeracy; for example
analysing and interpreting data in mathematics and science.
Providing feedback is a critical aspect of a teacher’s role. Molly promotes further learning by providing
feedback in a range of formats. This feedback includes in-class conferencing, the effective use of assessment
rubrics, online formative quizzes and written feedback. Molly makes use of the college learner management
system and school email network to correspond with students, for example providing detailed and timely
feedback through the drafting process. Through her degree, Molly has made online video content, using
screen casting software. She has also accessed and made use of video content as a strategy to support
learning in some of her lessons. On this placement, Molly has worked with some large classes and has
successfully developed her voice projection and non-verbal communication strategies. She has high
expectations of learning and manages behaviour effectively, including in practical lessons in the laboratory.
She engages parents and caregivers, initiating communication to discuss student learning. This
communication includes email contact and entering tasks and homework into the college learner
management system for parent access. Molly also took the initiative to promote and organise student
participation in an extra-curricular science competition.

Professional Engagement
Molly takes on feedback well; continually reflecting on and improving her practice. During this placement, she
has delivered content to the Stage 2 Biology class, using a team-teaching approach. Molly has demonstrated
the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively when working in a team environment. She has engaged
positively in staff meetings and whole staff training throughout her placement, including professional learning
on supporting students with English as an Additional Language and effective report writing practices. Molly
shows understanding of contemporary educational matters. Her conduct throughout her placement reflected a
professional and ethical approach, aligned with departmental values and protective practices. Throughout her
practicum, Molly demonstrated the ability to make effective connections between her tertiary training and
practical applications within the school environment. She has also commenced building broader professional
networks, for example with a SACE online teacher community.

Written by: Aaron Brown Date: 11/6/2019

SUMMARY ASSESSMENT (To be agreed by the School Coordinator and the University Liaison)

In our opinion Molly Hunter

has demonstrated the following overall level of performance in this final professional experience:
(Please click on appropriate box below)

☐ Unsatisfactory

☐ Satisfactory

☒ Competent

☐ Outstanding

NOTES FOR COMPLETING THIS REPORT

The pre-service teacher may wish to submit this report with an application for employment. Please avoid the use of
acronyms as student reports are often viewed by interstate and international employers who are not always familiar
with South Australian nomenclature.

Please keep an electronic copy of this report and submit the report to the University Liaison for
completion.

If this is not possible then please email it directly to: mssprofexp@flinders.edu.au