Proficient Teacher evidence example 5

Samples of effective documentary evidence

The following evidence item is an effective sample of documentary evidence at the Proficient Teacher level of the Standards. While the item covers a specific stage of learning and subject content area, it can help any teacher applying for Proficient Teacher accreditation.

It includes:

• details about the item, including the stage
• the Standard Descriptors achieved
• the annotation.

NESA comments outline how each item meets the characteristics of effective documentary evidence.

The sample is not definitive and should not be applied in a prescriptive way or used as a checklist or template.

Evidence example

 Standard Descriptors achieved

1.4.2 – Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

6.2.2 – Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.

7.3.2 – Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/carers regarding their children’s learning and wellbeing.

Teacher’s annotation

This evidence provides an example of how I followed my school’s policies and processes to build a relationship of trust and respect with a student and his family. It resulted in an ongoing three-way partnership between the school, the student and his parents, in which we all shared a voice in the student’s teaching and learning, resulting in improved learning outcomes for the student.

Firstly, I attended professional learning at my school in Aboriginal Education. I learnt about the importance of building relationships with the families of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and working together to set SMART goals for learning. I learnt that student voice was paramount in goal setting, followed by parents/carers’ voice, and I applied this learning to my practice when meeting with the student, his parents and the school’s Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer to create his Personal Learning Pathway (PLP).

I followed the school’s processes for creating a PLP including listening to the student, working with families and the Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer to collaboratively set SMART goals, using the PLP template, meeting termly to celebrate successes and revise the PLP. The example of the PLP in my evidence shows how the student recorded information about his family, the supporting people in his life, his strengths and his dreams.

The PLP also specifies a literacy and numeracy goal. The evidence includes staff meeting notes that identifies students need to extend the strategies they use to solve subtraction problems. This informed the content area of the numeracy goal in the student’s PLP and the pre-assessment data informed the student’s explicit numeracy goal. The corresponding Mathematics lesson plan and observation of my teaching shows that I use a range of strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

The PLP also includes a cultural goal. The Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer of my school participated in the PLP meetings to help set the cultural goal of learning language. She was integral to building the student/family/school relationship and supported us to find appropriate resources for learning language. Screenshots of the student playing the word matching game in the Dharawal Language App is included in the evidence.

Each term, I met with the student, his family and the Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer to review the PLP, celebrate the student’s successes and set new goals. The evidence includes a student work sample and post-assessment data that shows he met his numeracy goal to learn a range of subtraction strategies problems. We collaboratively set a new goal to learn multiplicative strategies. In the review, the student also extended his cultural goal to include teaching other students his language.

The principal received feedback from the parent of my student commending me and the school for our responsiveness to the Aboriginal community. Student and parent feedback was also published in the local newspaper commenting on the connectedness they feel the school and their learning demonstrating the positive impact of following the school’s policies and processes to build an ongoing relationship of trust and respect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families.

NESA’s comments

Accurate reflection of the Standard Descriptors

The teacher has shown responsiveness to the student’s needs by following their school’s process to implement a Personalised Learning Program through which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families collectively set learning and Cultural goals relevant to the student’s needs. The PLP, Mathematics lesson plan and observation of the applicant’s teaching practice demonstrate a range of strategies that were used to support the student. (Standard Descriptor 1.4.2).

Engagement in professional learning has been demonstrated in the notes recorded by the teacher that highlight the importance of three-way relationships between students, parents and school community. The implementation of each step of the student’s PLP confirms the teacher’s updated knowledge and practice (Standard Descriptor 6.2.2).

The ongoing involvement of the student’s family and Aboriginal Wellbeing and Education Officer in developing and reviewing their PLP demonstrates the respectful and collaborative relationship the teacher has built. For example, the PLP meeting notes include input from the student, their family and the Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer (Standard Descriptor 7.3.2).

Visible demonstration of teacher practice

Application of the teacher’s practice is visible in their professional learning notes and implementation of the school’s PLP process model to review student learning.  The teacher has included meeting notes, learning goals and lesson plans developed in response to their engagement with families and the Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer. (Standard Descriptors 1.4.2, 7.3.2).

The teacher has worked with student learning data and the student’s SMART goals to identify, plan for and use strategies that will support achievement of numeracy goals in a culturally appropriate way (Standard Descriptor 1.4.2). Their understanding is shared through the lesson observation where their coaching buddy identifies student engagement in response to the strategies used (Standard Descriptor 6.2.2).

Impact on child/student learning

Impact on student learning is demonstrated through the achievement of the numeracy and cultural goals in the student’s PLP. For example, the sample of student’s work in using a range of subtraction strategies and the post-assessment data show the growth in student learning (Standard Descriptors 1.4.2, 6.2.2).

The parents are involved in their child’s learning and feel respected because of the ongoing relationship with the teacher and school. For example, the parent’s email to the school principal communicates how the family feels connected and supported by the school community. (Standard Descriptors 1.4.2, 6.2.2, 7.3.2).

Effective annotations

The annotation provides the context for evidence. It explains how the teacher engaged with the school’s policies and PLP Implementation Process Model to build partnerships with her student and their family (Standard Descriptors 6.2.2, 7.3.2).

The annotation clearly describes how the teacher worked with an Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer and the family to support the student to create their personalised SMART goals.  The teacher explains how the student goal to learn different subtraction strategies and their review of pre-assessment data informed a need to develop a lesson plan that implemented a range of strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Standard Descriptors 1.4.2, 6.2.2, 7.3.2).

The annotation also identifies opportunities to support the student’s achievement of their cultural goals. The teacher describes how the Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer supported the identification of appropriate resources for the student to learn the Dharawal Language. There is also specific accounts of planned meetings with the student, Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Officer and the family to review the achievement of goals, set new goals and build trusting and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their families (Standard Descriptors 1.4.2, 7.3.2).

Reflective practice

The teacher’s annotation and evidence demonstrate reflective practice.

The teacher’s evidence includes the initial student SMART goal. Reflective practice is demonstrated through the example of a lesson plan that responds to the goals outlined and the pre-assessment data.

The teacher has included notes that show reflection on professional learning they have attended. The notes are used to reflect on the school’s PLP Implementation Process Model and outline the steps taken by the teacher to support their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student. Each stage of the PLP Model is visibly represented by correlating evidence.

The teacher has initiated a process where their teaching practice is observed by a coaching buddy. The evidence provided demonstrates a process where the teacher reflects on the strategies used to improve their own teaching practice and student engagement.

Further evidence of reflective practice is visible through the inclusion of the new student SMART goal. The teacher has encouraged the student to reflect on their achievement of the goal set before and, to set new goals collaboratively with their family.