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Dilpreet answered on
May 29 2024
Graduate Teacher Readiness 2
GRADUATE TEACHER READINESS
Table of Contents
Introduction
As a graduate teacher I have gained diverse work experience in various fields. My experience as a graduate teacher span across professional knowledge, professional engagement, and professional practice. As per the National Quality Standards (NQS) I have made an attempt to illustrate my expertise and preparedness as a graduate teacher. NQS sets high national benchmark for early childhood education. It ensures that the education and care being provided to the children are of high quality. By understanding these standards, I am of the opinion that education and care being provided to the children must cover various aspects and should be holistic. My adherence to these standards can be seen through my approach towards teaching, which involves teaching activities, planning lessons for children of different age groups, forming a friendly relationship with the children while focusing on the active and continual development of the children. By ensuring that I am able to integrate research work, theoretical concepts, the educational policies of the government and, the professional skills I have managed to develop over the years, I focus on coming up with an inclusive yet diverse learning environment for the children. Here I will reflect upon my skills, and practice as a graduate teacher while showcasing the professional knowledge I have managed to gain over the years.
Standard 1.1: Program
Program Based on Approved Learning Framework
As far as my educational programs are to be considered, they align with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Australian Cu
iculum. These frameworks suggest that early childhood is a vital period of an individual’s life. This also ensures that high quality and consistent education is being imparted to children in their early childhood. These have been assisting me to support and nurture the learning experience of children from birth to five years including their transition to school. These frameworks have been assisting me to plan well and ensure that the learning experiences are developmental and continual in nature. The outcomes of EYLF such as children must be active participants of the learning process guide most of my cu
iculum designs. My focus is on the holistic growth of children considering their academic and social growth.
Play-Based Learning
One of the most crucial aspects of my learning practice is to incorporate play-based learning. I follow Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory to ensure that the students learn through their social interactions and are active participants of their learning process. This theory focuses on the notion that the cognitive development and learning ability of the children is guided and mediated by their social interactions. Furthermore, the theory also asserts that learning is a social process of interactions, and is not an independent journey of discovery. I ensure that children learn through playing and my classroom is full of interactive play activities, which help to make children learn through observation. I also ensure that students indulge into role play activities and learn through the culture and behaviour of each other. This improves interaction and coordination.
Intentional Teaching
As far as my intentional teaching experience and practice needs to be considered, I deliberately plan the learning lessons to enhance the learning experience of the children. I focus on scaffolding, and increase the difficulty level of their activities as their self-confidence keeps on increasing. I personally focus on Bruner’s Constructive Theory, which suggests that learning is a continual active process, and learners do construct meaning and learn from their previous experiences. In case of teaching, this theory suggests that children construct knowledge from the experiences they have managed to gain from their environment. I encourage the inquisitive nature of the children by encouraging them to ask questions. My style of asking questions is open-ended so as to establish two-way communication channels. I do this with an intention to help children develop reasoning skills along with strengthening their critical thinking abilities.
Standard 1.2: Practice
Responsive Teaching
I consider my style of teaching to be collaborative and inclusive. I ensure that I am flexible, adaptable, and responsive enough to understand the needs and preferences of the children I come across. I ensure that I include scaffolding into my teaching practice to take on a developmental approach, while helping children build on their self-confidence. For instance, during the reading activities, the difficulty level of reading material keeps on increasing as the children move from one literacy lesson to another. When it comes to my practice, I primarily take into consideration Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory. The theory suggests that intelligence levels of children undergo constant changes as they grow. The theory further suggests that learning in early childhood should not only be based on encouraging children to acquire knowledge but they must be supported to develop a mental model of their su
ounding world. The theory suggests four stages of intellectual development including sensorimotor (birth-two years old), preoperational (two to seven years old), concrete operational (seven to eleven years old), and formal operational (twelve years and older).
Assessment for Learning
Assessment for learning refers to the process, through which assessment information is used by teachers to adjust and improve their teaching strategies. This also helps students to adjust their earning strategies. Assessment, teaching, and learning are strongly inte
elated to each other. In my teaching practice, I use formative assessment. Through this method of assessment, I am not only able to monitor the performance of the children, but I also ensure that I provide them with constructive and timely feedback. This ongoing feedback mechanism not only helps me to adjust my teaching strategies but also helps the students to adjust their learning strategies. This has been helping me and my students to identify our strengths and weaknesses, while discovering the scope of improvement. To be more specific I take on the Black and Williams formative assessment approach. They suggest that teaching activities provide information to the teachers as well as the students through feedback, which helps to modify the teaching and learning strategies, so as to make the process even more encouraging and interesting.
Learning Through Collaboration
My primary focus as a graduate teacher, is to foster an environment of open communication, interaction, and collaboration not only between the teacher and students but also among the students. I ensure that students learn from each other by sharing their ideas, by...