Professional Learning Plan

EDFD452

Transition into the Profession

Assessment 1

Danielle Phillips

S00207085
 Rational

In the teaching profession there are many opportunities for professional learning and

development that enables teachers to meet their own personal and professional learning goals as

well as the goals and learning needs of the students they teach. When evaluating the need for

professional learning it is important to reflect on the learning needs of students and align

professional development with the current and relevant needs of the students, based on

assessment, that shows what students need to learn and the best pedagogical approach for

teaching.

The AITSL, Australian professional standards for graduate teachers outline expectations

and abilities of teachers at the graduate level, to achieve the next stage in professionalism, being

a proficient teacher, professional development is required to develop greater knowledge, skills

and attributes.

Professional learning is essential in developing teacher learning and transforming their

knowledge into practice to benefit student’s growth and development (Avalos, 2011) as much as

it benefits students, it also benefits families and communities and most of all teachers (Leading

Teacher Learning, 2019). Professional learning supports teachers in meeting the complex needs

and diversities of student populations (Goodyear,2017), in the current society students within a

class have varying cultural backgrounds, cognitive abilities and learning preferences (De Neve,

Devos & Tuytens, 2015). Especially important for graduate teachers, professional learning

allows teachers to be active in seeking and improving on their current knowledge, skill and

attributes, that is focused around the point of need of their students, supporting growth of

students within a class and on the whole school level. In developing quality teaching,
professional development meets the needs of all students, According to ​Leading Teacher

Learning​ “students taught by the most effective teachers learn in six months what those taught

by the average teacher in a year” (2019) supporting the importance of professional learning.

When engaging in professional learning it is important to use self- reflection and embed

learning into everyday practice to see and experience change. We know that professional

learning is effective when it meets students' needs, it becomes routine practice, teachers can learn

from each other and it meets the needs of teachers as professionals (Leading Teacher Learning,

2019). Reflection on the effectiveness of professional learning allows teachers to think critically

of strategies and skills and therefore benefits both knowledge and practice, as well as evaluating

the need for further professional development.

In developing a professional learning plan I choose to focus on: standard 1.5 differentiate

teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across a full range of abilities, standard

4.2 Manage classroom activities and standard 4.3 manage challenging behaviour. I believe that I

already have a strong understanding of meeting these standards, however I believe these areas

are especially important in the teaching and learning practice and require continuous professional

development.
 Professional Learning Action Plan

Focus Area 1 Domain: Professional Knowledge

Standard Know students and how they learn

Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of

students across a full range of abilities

Graduate descriptor Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for

differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of

students across the full range of abilities

Current Knowledge, Skills, Attributes and Strategies:

Throughout my university studies, I have developed a range of strategies that allow me to differentiate

teaching and learning in various ways to meet and address the goals of students with differing abilities. I

have learnt strategies for adapting the success criteria whilst ensuring the learning outcomes remain focused,

these strategies include differentiating the format of assessment or tasks, providing additional resources (e.g.

concrete materials), supporting students behavioural needs and varying the explicit teaching and scaffolding

to what students require to reach their full potential. Feedback from professional experience placement gives

evidence of my current skills stating that I am able to “adjust approaches of teaching based on the point of

need for teaching/ and learning” (Melanie, PEP experience, 2018)

I have gained knowledge and strategies for differentiating my teaching to support varying abilities through:

● Developing and completing unit plans both for university requirements and throughout professional

experience placement, that include prompts for both enabling and extending.
 ● Addressing the needs of different learning preferences by varying explicit teaching strategies and

resources throughout unit and lesson plans.

Furthermore, my employment as an Integration Aide, means that I have experienced the practical side of

adapting teaching to support various students in accessing and completing the required learning outcomes. I

have actively engaged in planning for and differentiating students learning to meet their specific needs, I

have also completed this for meeting the learning needs of small focus groups. During this experience I have

developed understanding and strategies for supporting students with varying conditions of ASD, ADHD,

Anxiety, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Down Syndrome and behavioural needs (including trauma

inflicted behaviour).

Rationale for Choice of Focus Area:

I believe that throughout my career as a teacher, I will need to further educate and develop my skill and

knowledge in the area of differentiating teaching and learning to support the various needs of students, In an

ever changing world and society the needs of students will evidently continue to change. I appreciate that it

is important for myself to be able to understand the needs of students, whilst I have been exposed to

differentiating for low level students and students with behavioural needs, I would like to upskill in

supporting gifted and talented students. ‘Implementing differentiation in the classroom requires skills that

enables teachers to adapt curriculum to the needs of individual students, which is especially difficult for

graduate teachers’ (Avalos, 2011). Given this, I believe that it is important to always continue developing

knowledge, skills and strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of a full

range of abilities, to enhance my teaching practice.

Learning Goals
 1. Have a meeting with a mentor teacher to gain an understanding of how they prepare and plan for

gifted and talented students to develop skills and strategies for supporting their learning needs

2. Increase my knowledge of highly effective differentiation strategies that I can use in my planning to

support students with varying abilities.

Barriers/ Concerns

● Having a broad spectrum of different learning abilities, making it hard to coordinate different

teaching and learning strategies that meet the needs of all students.

● Having outliers, for example, only one student who is well above standard as I feel it will be hard to

make them feel included in the class/ activity whilst ensuring the work is at their level.

● Managing the need for extending some students, whilst ensuring that the low-level students don’t

fall further behind as they require more time, support and scaffolding.

Plan of action/ Relevant Resources

Goal 1: A) Australian Government Department of Education ‘Gifted

A) Complete Australian Education Professional development package’ - Website/

Government Department of online module course

Education ‘Gifted Education https://docs.education.gov.au/collections/gifted-education-

Professional development professional-development-package

package’ (5 online modules)

Completion: 24/4/20
Goal 2:​. A) Teachers professional development services - online

A) Complete a Teachers course

professional development https://teacherprofessionaldevelopmentservices.com.au/dif

services course on ferentiation/

‘Differentiation Strategies that B) Victorian Education and Training, Note 16- website

Work’ https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teaching

Cost: $59 resources/practice/improve/Pages/ppn16.aspx

Completion: completed online at Professional Practice note 16 - pdf

anytime https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teach

(will complete by 24/4/20) ers/teachingresources/practice/professionalpracticenote16.

pdf

B) Refer to Victorian Education

and Training ‘Note 16:

excellence in differentiation to

increase engagement and

learning outcomes’ Read

‘professional practice note 16’

Completion: 24/4/20)
 Focus Are 2 Domain: Professional Practice

Standard Create and maintain supportive and safe learning

Focus area 4.2 Manage classroom activities

Graduate descriptor Demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities and

provide clear directions

Current Knowledge, Skills, Attributes and Strategies:

Professional experience placement has provided me with the opportunities to develop skills and strategies

for managing classroom activities to create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.

Throughout previous placements, I have ensured to build positive student- teacher relationships within the

first couple of days, to create an environment of respect and to support learning, doing so has allowed me to

focus on managing classroom activities for effective teaching and learning. My kills and strategies for

managing classroom activities that I have currently developed are:

● Setting clear and concise learning intentions and success criteria for all lessons, this ensures that

students know what is expected of them and more likely to show on task behaviours.

● Using strategies such as ‘fist to five’ or ‘traffic lights’ to gain an idea of students' understanding,

ensuring that I can manage the support students require for the activity, this may include organising

a focus group.

● Keeping students engaged and giving constructive feedback to support students focus and positive

behaviour for optimal learning.

 Rationale for Choice of Focus Area:

In my opinion, it is important to develop greater skills in managing classroom activities as this is an

important aspect of developing positive teaching and learning environments. There are many facets of

managing classroom activities and I believe it is an area that can also be reflected on to improve learning

outcomes as a graduate teacher. According to Avalos, ‘research suggests that teacher learning is important

to create change in classroom practices, including change in teaching techniques’ (2011). The graduate

descriptor for managing classroom activities is to ‘demonstrate the capacity to organise classroom activities

and provide clear directions’ being a broad focus, I believe there will always be new skills to learn for

managing classroom activities and strategies to provide clear directions, therefore an important focus for

myself in professional learning and development.

Learning Goals

1. Have a conversation with a mentor teacher on how they do literacy and mathematics rotations in the

classroom to practice and refine skills for managing literacy and mathematics rotations.

Barriers/ Concerns

● Undesirable behaviours that require significant attention, taking away time and attention from

managing effective classroom activities.

● Establishing a high work ethic, to ensure that students are independent in managing their own

learning.

● The level of students abilities preventing them from working independently, for example, during

mathematics rotations, where I need to work with a small focus group.

 Plan of action/ Relevant Resources

Goal 1: A) Illustration of practice Links

A) Watch each “Illustration of Sound Routines- video

practice” videos on the AITSL https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/sound-routines-il

website under standard 4.2 lustration-of-practice

(Manage classroom activities) Life cycle of silkworms- video

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/lifecycle-of-silk

worms-illustration-of-practice

Maths rotations- video

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/maths-rotations-i

llustration-of-practice

Sitting and listening- video

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/maths-rotations-i

llustration-of-practice
 Focus Area 3 Domain: Professional Practice

Standard Create and maintain supportive and safe learning

Focus area 4.3 manage challenging behaviour

Graduate descriptor Demonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage

challenging behavior

Current Knowledge, Skills, Attributes and Strategies:

As an Integration Aide, I have developed skills and strategies for managing challenging behaviour,

particularly challenging behaviour that is often common in students with ASD, ADHD, Anxiety,

Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Down Syndrome and Trauma. I have learnt and developed a vast range of

strategies that commonly work, however also understand that these strategies do not always support

achieving desired behaviours.

I have also acquired knowledge and strategies to manage challenging behaviour through university

requirements, including:

● Researching and developing understanding of Behavioural needs, specifically, Maslow’s hierarchy

of needs, “SEAT” behaviour managements, 4 functions of behaviour, behaviour prevention

strategies, reinforcement strategies and using consequences.

● Researching strategies of behaviour management, including; Bill Rogers behaviour management and

The Lyford model of classroom management

● Understanding theories of behaviour and behaviour management, such as, Goal Centred Theory,

Choice Theory, Cognitive Behavioural Theory, Assertive Discipline, Applied Behaviour Analysis,
 intrinsic motivation, Social Discipline Model and Operant Conditioning

● I also developed a Learning Engagement Plan that addresses my goals, philosophy and approach to

behaviour management as a teacher, it also includes strategies and approaches for addressing

behaviour in the preventative stage as well as low-level, mid-level and challenging behaviour stages.

I have also engaged in supporting students with learning to control their emotions and develop skills to

self-regulate using the ‘Zones of Regulation’ ​(The Zones of Regulation: A concept to foster self-regulation

& emotional control, 2020) ​I believe this has attributed to my skills in managing challenging behaviour.

Rationale for Choice of Focus Area:

I believe that there is an endless amount that one can learn about behaviour, reasons for specific behaviour

and managing behaviour and therefore believe that managing challenging behaviour is an important focus

for professional development and learning. According to William Glasser’s ‘Choice Theory’ behaviour is

needs based and students display explicit behaviours to meet their needs ​Theory (Harris, Thorpe, Yoo,

Gallagher, 2018)​, I therefore want to gain understanding of how I can meet students' needs to manage

challenging behaviour. Although I believe I have experienced and practised managing challenging

behaviour, I understand that as a graduate teacher I need further professional learning, where the whole class

is involved. In having the means to manage challenging behaviour, it will support a positive classroom and

learning environment that allows students to reach their full potential.

Learning Goals

1. Establish a positive behaviour support system for a class based on the behavioural needs of students

within the class.

 Barriers/ Concerns

● Numerous challenging behaviours that require different attention and strategies.

● Challenging behaviours impacting on the dynamic of a safe and supportive learning environment.

Plan of action/ Relevant Resources

Goal 1: A) Behaviour Support Plans

A) Revise Victorian Education https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/behaviour/

and Training ‘Behaviour student-behaviour/Pages/teachplans.aspx

Support Plans’
References

Armstrong, B. (2019). Leading Teacher Learning. Retrieved from

https://www.bastow.vic.edu.au/sites/default/files/2019-09/Leading_Teacher_Learning_09
.pdf

Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in Teaching and Teacher Education over
ten years. ​Teaching and Teacher Education,​ ​27(​ 1), 10-20.

Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009).
Professional learning in the learning profession. ​Washington, DC: National Staff
Development Council​, ​12​.

De Neve, D., Devos, G., & Tuytens, M. (2015). The importance of job resources and
self-efficacy for beginning teachers' professional learning in differentiated instruction.
Teaching and Teacher Education,​ ​47,​ 30-41.

Goodyear, V. (2017). Sustained Professional Development on Cooperative Learning: Impact on

Six Teachers' Practices and Students' Learning. Research Quarterly for Exercise and
Sport, 88(1), 83-94.

Harris, J., Thorpe, V., Gallagher, M. & Yoo, J. (2018). EDFX343: Education Studies and
Professional Experience 3: Creating Quality Learning Environment. South Melbourne,
VIC: Cengage Learning Australia

The Zones of Regulation: A concept to foster self-regulation & emotional control. 2020. ​the
zones of regulation: a concept to foster self-regulation & emotional control​. [online]
available at: <http://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html> [accessed 1 april 2020].