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Met Principal in the morning (Kylie) at the administration office and headed straight
across to the learning area office (Mathematics) briefly mentioned schools focus
Observed and participated in 5 classes; helped with checking students work, answer
worksheets, wander around class helping students out at times the teacher was not
then sent on home. Had been misbehaving in other classes, was exhibiting
Interesting day for a first start; subject matter is simple enough & carries across
wrap-up.
Learning materials: some have texts, others have handouts. Some students dont
working/leaving.
Classroom activities work well but are dependent upon the level of maturity of the
group. Bright students work well individually, in pairs or groups. Struggling students
work well on simple tasks individually, struggle to maintain task focus in groups
confident with handling behavioural breaches. Being quick, firm but fair and very
watchful (using the look!) the classes are working to the task throughout the lesson.
The troubling behaviour is easy to identify; though it is not always as easy for me to
tell whats going on in the mind of the student, in terms of the motivation leading to
indices), multiplication and division of fractions, surface area calculations with the
year 12 Essentials class. Tests are given with either a time or completion challenge,
Management for non-conforming individuals was swift and to the point; my mentor
has student services on her phones speed dial, who are able to assist in collecting a
student that refused to follow directions. She used many seat changes also, to break
The classroom environment is simple, fans create some noise & discomfort but are
better than still, stuffy room. Texts and some folders in the classroom cupboard;
materials not necessarily provided though. I leant a student my own pen; realising
later that this may have been a big mistake as its not reinforcing the idea that they
should bring their own pen or see student services for a loaned pen.
The head of learning held a meeting in the staff room today; the teachers are a close
group with very young graduates and senior teachers approaching retirement age.
This diversity is a strength; the voices of experience sound out their advice gently.
Day 2: Assembly, Class laptops, Teacher Meeting on School Review
First period today was a school assembly; ordered progression of senior teachers and
students taking seats at the front; summary of performance of 2016 year 12s
discussed, awards presented. Impressive that most classes were able to sit still for an
hour.
(PBS) item. Discussed options from the PBS matrix, choosing lining up at the canteen.
Class of year 8s with Dell laptops great setup but many IT issues.
Year 12 Essentials class great discussions, working with surface area and geometric
shapes. Relaxed presence helps work get done, a safe environment promoted.
After last period, teachers all gathered in the library for a discussion about the
schools report for the Independent Public School Review; noting the socio-economic
Behaviour management is a large issue; content delivery is important but I expect Ill
manage; managing the class is the big challenge. Students (even tough ones) are still
Assessment methodology had clearly laid out A, B & C level questions (reflective of
wondered if this would affect students motivation; advised this is a better approach
for low ability students and that high ability students not affected.
Day 2 Reflections:
With the presence of bright, enthusiastic students the challenges from the few non-engaged
students is less of an issue. For behavioural management actions, Ive noticed my mentor
The laptops were considered a treat for the class, but with a heap of IT issues they didnt
really deliver as promised. Around half the class could log on and use the Mathletics
program. One particularly impatient student continued to grumble, eventually losing his
computer time. This was not really a large penalty as his laptop was one of the ones facing
IT problems. Considering how this can be best managed, I believe it would be better to have
a lab, or have the laptops all ready to go as they walk in. Handling and plugging in laptops
repeatedly is risky; the machines risk being bumped, the screens and plugs damaged.
At the end of the school day the principal held a meeting for all staff that the other pre-
service teachers and I attended. It was interesting to see the school run as a business. The
meeting was called to go through a review paper presented by the school for an
independent schools review board. Many programs were mentioned that I had not been
entering the local band competitions and others aimed at getting students into various
outdoors activities.
One class of year 8s had been observed as misbehaving during the assembly; they were
required to stay back during recess to practice sitting still for an assembly some more. This
impacted on my mentor teachers plans, having to walk them to the gymnasium and stay
with them there meant that she missed a short section of the leadership form (year 10s)
thankfully, being a mature group and were able to progress with the work they had to do
without guidance, however it shows that sudden changes to plans have consequences.
Day 3:
Student received assessment sheet, refused to follow instructions & took sheet
Marked some assignments for Yr12 Essentials class all will do ok, but some basic
mistakes common to the class. Marking took a long time around 3 in one hour!
Year 7s good natured class, ran through basic exercises with them on handling
fractions (addition & subtraction, comparing) went well but was reminded to focus
Cooperation between teachers observed; all working to meet common standard for
assessments. One teacher had written the questions, the other would check and
provide comment the Head of Learning Area (HOLA) for Mathematics would also
check on the questions, making sure the learning objectives were being correctly and
fairly tested.
Discussion on structure of subjects for the year, with some content intended to be
taught before others to form a platform for learning (scaffolding). For instance,
Took my first hold of the class today; the experience went well in all, with the year 7s
completing an exercise sheet dealing with manipulating fractions. There was some giggling,
minor chatting but all up theyre a good natured class that was easy to manage.
I noted that any time the teacher isnt fully engaging some classes, the students have the
potential to stray off topic & chat. Mature classes (year 11s & 12s) can stay on task for much
longer even without the teacher in the room, even gearing conversations around the topic.
The different year group levels are streamed by ability level. The streams are handled in
very different ways. There are common threads, but the level to which the students are
As an example, the year 7 high ability class is given a great deal more leeway to chat and
discuss topics than the low ability year 9s, who are given firm directions and work better
alone. The Yr 12 Essentials course is a smaller class, so there is a far greater latitude in
current affairs issues rather than just focussing on maths problems. Where the opportunity
arose the mathematics would be tied back into real world situations.
I am working to understand in detail the arrangements made to set up the years teaching
plan to meet the requirements of the curriculum; there were some suggestions that the
approach to cover subjects may not be something agreed upon by all teachers. Some
subjects must logically be taught before others (area formulas before volume formulas,
algebra before linear equations) in this sense I can see the application of concept mapping
Joined in with an extracurricular activity (Band practice) on invitation from the music
teacher. Found this is a great way to meet the students in a formal but fun setting.
Attended Year 11 and 12 classes looking at more advanced topics (combination &
permutation choices, counting rule, differentiation rules and some maximising and
function handling).
Observed another teacher doing a revision class for year 8s prior to a test (next
Monday); using activities and a game as a reward for completing set tasks.
Started out on lesson planning for Thursday classes (year 7) will teach on areas of
Assisted with marking some assignments an investigation on surface area nets for
letterboxes. Stressed that process is important; to write the equation down, input
Noted that its clear to see errors where students attempt to use the process
Discussion with a student on motivation 1 on 1 chat to work out why he was not
engaged with the lesson; rewarding experience. The student was open to the
conversation, understood the content but had other interests over mathematics.
Day 4 Reflections:
I had one great moment with one of the year 7s who had not been engaged in the class, sat
at the back with his head on the desk, not continuing with the work. I found out from him
that he wasnt really interested in the work, always got As for the tests, was more
interested in music and languages. He showed me that he could complete the last questions
on the worksheet (without a calculator, though the question suggested using one), giving
me confidence that hell be fine with the material. I found this a rewarding experience; the
student openly shared his preferred subjects. Its hard to say if there was more going on, but
the conversation proved that disengaged students are not always of low ability.
The morning rehearsal was great fun, working with the students in the musical setting was
very rewarding and I believe they appreciated seeing me there too, as a fellow musician. I
received some good-natured challenging talk from a year 12 who was wondering why
another adult was joining them, but still I felt well accepted. I know not to take sass from a
string bass player! Students there are of very mixed ability levels which I find helps the
senior musicians bring the junior musicians up to a higher level and gain confidence,
From a discussion with a current Primary school principal, as a not-so-new graduate Ill
have experience to fall back on to add credibility to my status as a teacher and more
experience with task management. Id expect the parenting experience will help also, having
A primary focus of the assessment methodology is fairness; the options of having A, B & C
grade questions lets students know how theyre performing. I asked if this affects students
level of involvement, if they already hold an expectation of their best performance; from my
mentor this isnt a concern - all ability levels tend to give harder questions a go anyway.
Day 5 observations:
Two students having fun during sampling session, eventually with one getting the
other into a headlock. Stepped in with raised voice to direct the pair back on task,
then moved back to the content summarising what theyd just been doing.
story though! Important for her to know that I was both listening and teaching.
Lesson planning for Area of Rectangles, Triangles, Parallelograms lesson next week.
Content is fine, most of the discussion with my mentor was to work out what type of
activity would work well in the end and lead on to other topics or reinforce the
lesson content. Im advised against putting too much content into one lesson.
Staff meeting at morning tea with a Morro award; great to see the staff bonding
across different teaching area teams. The Science team put on a great meal!
Discussion on working activities for warm up tasks. Noted that this settles the group
in to a working mode, also starting with a quiet activity sets the ground level volume.
performance against different class groups to ascertain how their students are
performing, identify areas that need more work or students that need attention.
Depth of analysis takes time, but from what I observed the senior teachers do this
The disruptive behaviour in the sampling task was challenging not so much because it
interfered with the lesson, but that the students were (for want of a better term), happy.
They were troubling themselves and others nearby, but werent too concerned at first with
my attempt to convince them they shouldnt be putting each other into headlocks.
At the end of the activity one student was visibly panicking, stating that shed not
understood anything of the lesson. I briefly summarised what wed covered which she
seemed quite ok with. The real reason for her anxiety came out next she was concerned
about her family situation. No wonder the mathematics isnt getting through; everything
else in her world was getting shaken up. I listened, but felt that theres not enough time in
the classroom environment to effectively deal with this situation; I spoke to my mentor who
suggested student services can check in with her, providing someone she can talk with.
The staff group at the large meeting was an interesting mix; many younger teachers, mostly
very well presented and confident. In conversation, I found it very encouraging that I was
comfortable with the Mathematics and Science groups. They seem to hold similar values
and interests to myself, some even correctly identifying my musical instrument by its case (a
We had several discussions on segregated groups by ability; this allows teachers to structure
lessons differently, but also reinforces deficits of ability. The lower ability students know
who they are; the challenge becomes building their confidence up, taking simple steps and
The high ability classes need to be challenged, even brought down a peg or two in the
teachers words to ensure they take time to use the steps taught to clearly explain their
Year 12s went through a practice test, my mentor reassured them that though
some questions were hard a methodical process would keep them on track.
Discussion with another teacher on preparation time; she would ensure that 2-hours
per night was available, but also considered her family commitments (all things in
balance!) With mentor, ensure keeping less than hour to hour of teaching.
Went to the Engineering Class impressive challenges being set for the year 11
group, constructing a marble race requiring two motors, pipes, wood, set base area.
Class instructional method is much more open; students working on their designs.
received & appreciated! Class went relatively well, but had to rush at the end.
Discussion in the staff room about the curriculum content and progression of
Discussion on tests & sending them home its considered unlikely for all of them to
be returned; a good practice but the effort to chase up the test results was not
considered worthwhile.
There is some disagreement on what should come first in the years teaching plan for
years 7-10; discussed in the staff room. This relates again to concepts that are
My first lesson went well; I enjoyed the preparation and delivery, felt that the students were
doing what Id asked them to do and were appreciating the structure of the lesson that I had
set. I worked out with my mentor teacher that I could teach the formula for the areas of
triangles, rectangles and parallelograms using paper and scissors approaches to the
geometric formula. Grid squares as a first step to appreciate the area can be considered as a
multiplication, then halved to become a triangle, then using the offcut ends of the
As advised, there was not enough time with the activity included to complete all of the tasks
that I had set in my lesson plan. I consider this to be of benefit; it would be far worse to run
out of lesson content and not adequately challenge students who wanted more from the
activity, especially for this group. They were high ability year 7s, keen to participate and
The start of the lesson was a group activity was somewhat chaotic. I realise this was due to
the structure of my instructions; I had set information up showing the cuts to be made on a
PowerPoint slide, then provided further detail on the whiteboard. A better arrangement
would have been to do the activity with the task camera, checking in with their progress at
each step. While Im comfortable with computers I did not fully understand how to operate
the system; I am aware from this experience that I need to practice for a while with a new
application or unfamiliar equipment prior to delivering a lesson. Learning how the machine
works during the lesson would impede my awareness of how the students are taking in the
lesson content.
It is also vital to ensure that there is some time at the end allocated to cleaning up the
Mentor away this week watched & assisted with a relief teacher.
Covered probability with year 9 group, running through exercises on the board and a
worksheet. Relief teacher not from a strong maths background; had the lesson plan
appreciated!
Very different approach to classroom management; less familiar, more formal and
insisting on absolute quiet before proceeding with instruction all in a calm voice.
Observed another teacher male teacher, one troubling student, handled him well
Can see that the difficult students wear on the patience of teachers even for
experienced teachers; strategies to deal with difficult behaviour are vital, as well as
strategies to tone down to a good working level once undesired behaviour stops.
It is vital to get working once the expected behaviour level is reached (whether it is
PBS discussion what is appropriate to give PBS points for? Teachers are encouraged
Observed in staff office: Ranking of difficult students for each class as a coordinated
behaviour at a higher level; also ranked the students by ability different approach
The role of a relief teacher is a tough one; every time in a new classroom the working
relationship starts out anew it is very hard to build this up over a brief time frame such as
one week. The relief teacher I was observing has been doing relief work for some time, so I
observed carefully the way she sets the class up for success, finding these key points:
Set firm rules at the outset to establish the expected standards of behaviour.
Not too familiar, but still aim to get to know students names and learning styles.
Teaching effectively is about building strong relationships. I could see that the relief teacher
was cautious with the content as it was not necessarily her strongest subject, however she
made every effort to communicate clearly with the students and set the working
environment to be positive but controlled. My mentor has commented several times that
mathematical thinking is best done in silence; I can relate to this, having sat examinations
and completed tasks under stress or with external distractors present. The cognitive
I observed earlier an awkward situation for another teacher, where a student was
reprimanded, was silent for some time (as required by the reprimand) then the teacher
continued to comment on the behaviour that had already disappeared all still in the
classroom environment, with the whole class waiting even longer for the teacher to finish
be more appropriate to discuss this with the student outside the class, just to get on with
Plans made to teach two classes next week (short sessions) and one the week
afterward.
PBS discussion continued teachers are encouraged to give out as many PBS points
and awards as possible; I was curious to see if this was something that could be a
detractor from the PBS system, particularly if the students start expecting or asking
for PBS points to be allocated. HOLA and mentor consider this is less of a concern,
more important to get the system well used, valued and working at this stage.
Observed teachers setting up students outside with a desk, working alone. Can see
this would work in a situation where the student needs to work quietly without
monitoring the student. Not suitable for a test that requires invigilation.
Valuable conversation with the year 10s on where mistakes are made- importance
of following steps in a process, that mistakes are generally made in the earlier steps,
I expect that as a new teacher in a classroom where the trust relationship has already been
established its important to know where to pick up hopefully the future mentor teachers
provide good notes and feedback. Seating plan, class background would also be helpful to
know. Ill take this on in the event I become a mentor in the future; setting up new teachers
In the way of introduction; Ive noticed that in most cases Ive been invited to join in, then
not introduced to the class. It seems counterproductive to me, as having guests in meetings
(even as non-participants) I would have introduced them by name and explained why they
are attending. I was left wondering whether students are not expected to care?
At every instance where I offered help I would be accepted. This seemed an effective way to
divert off-task behaviour; ask how the student is going on the problem, check their results &
process. I also tried to engage them in off topic conversation (picking up wherever I
overheard them their basketball game or a recent injury for instance), then change the
The greatest challenge I faced today was considering a response to non-involved students,
who simply couldnt be bothered doing the set tasks. Disruptions can be addressed,
enthusiasm tempered, but how do you motivate a student who puts their head on the
desk?! I tried the conversational approach, advised them theyll need this for the tests, for
future problems or other subjects without success. I tried some bargaining, but the student
was convinced they would be fine in tests and wanted nothing from me. Possibly the lesson
that I can take away from this is that sometimes students may have a lot going on at home
or they cant see the point or they know it all already, but for whatever reason, they will be
First: Revision class for a group of mid-level year 10 students who had not done well
circles. I checked their tests and focussed on the most common incorrect responses.
Workshop with students, targeting questions they all had trouble with. Tests handed
back to the students to review, with an interesting effect students took ownership
Difficult to keep the information coming through on a level footing one student
wanted to hold the floor and talk only about the questions he had gotten wrong.
Others were silent, allowing him to dominate their side of the conversation.
Second: Year 9 students from a lower ability class, ran through expansion and
model to design a new concept car from. Scale factors applied to the template.
Year 12 group starting on the basics of trigonometry: sine, cosine and tan ratios
within a triangle. One particularly bright student was looking for more of a challenge
so I demonstrated how the triangular relationships can extend to a circle the next
than others? Advised that this is ok, but to proceed with caution! Easier to deal with
the class all together rather than having segregated instruction tailored for individual
students, also running the risk of confusing the brighter students if instructing on
I believe that both small group classes went well, with my students suitably challenged and
provided with an opportunity to learn. The test revision session was interesting; the
students took ownership of their mistakes. The discussion was focussed on what theyd
done, what they had trouble with and there was a good deal of enthusiasm towards
reviewing their mistakes, even a bit too much enthusiasm! I noted that the keen ones will
From the second small group session, the enthusiasm was also quite clear and well
controlled. The group were keen on the idea of designing the new model of Matchbox cars,
appreciating that a larger detailed design can be scaled down from a template. I like the
idea of bringing props into the classroom though Ill have to ensure they come back at
the end of the class! Some of the boys were keen on keeping my car.
Im aware that content must be delivered with a little grace and understanding. If progress
is too fast the content is not clear for everyone. Teachers still need to find effective ways to
challenge bright students while still engaging those that need time to absorb the content.
Options include worksheets which can keep extending knowledge or extension tasks.
Ive considered the possibility that individualised assessment may be a more appropriate
approach than structuring the progression of topics by classes. Even in the high ability
classes some students will catch on to a concept well ahead of the others.
feature of this professional placement, seeing her strengths and techniques in use. I expect I
will be strong with understanding the content, using applications and creativity in delivering
theory. I need to focus on classroom management methods, ways to achieve the results
with greatest efficiency and to bring everyone along, not just challenging the brightest.
Day 10 Observations
HOLA; make a note, but if not being disruptive, possibly no response required.
Delivered 2nd full length lesson Geometry: volume formulas for pyramids
(including cones). Delivered well with a great activity, however there were many
PBS system: saw a Year 12 helping another student whod fallen over, provided this
schoolyard.
Engineering class still involves very little direct instruction, students working on
their marble race designs. I helped source and discuss applications of magnets for
and with some preparation for a school review (setting up display robots). Enjoyable
Year 12 class looking at census information; mentor teacher worked to keep the
content fact based, providing information on how the census is used and making the
occupation, rent rises and the impact of mortgages as a means of saving money.
handle and appreciate much more mature conversations. They are actively involved
in matters concerning finances, budgets and practical design the teaching content
is best adjusted accordingly, to make the maths problems real world based.
activities. The classes with paper were a little harder to manage but yielded superior
results the activities are remembered more than a series of problems on paper.
Day 10 reflections:
I had a troubled feeling immediately after the second lesson, concerned that I had not
controlled the students behaviour as well as expected. My mentor did comment on this in
the feedback provided, however confirmed that the students will test boundaries for a new
activities and content it was hard to spot everything going on; one student was whistling
during a group activity for long enough to irritate nearby students who asked me to
intervene. Im aware that Ill have to be more attentive to distractions within the classroom
and set a base sound level so that students attention returns and everyone listens when
more information is being presented. I also noted that if a correction for an unwanted
behaviour is given that the teacher ensures it is followed and stays followed.
The group activity (cutting out a pyramidal shape, three of which form a cube) was regarded
highly by my mentor teacher Ive been advised to keep on doing these creative activities in
Technology was a distractor; as I did not have access to the classroom earlier it took some
time to set up the PowerPoint presentation I had planned to use; it would be better to
ensure there is some other activity the students can continue with such as revision while
I had a conversation with a teacher nearing retirement that works more with the indigenous
students. He emphasised the importance of being human, being the adult and having a
sense of humour when approaching students, especially those from a rougher background.
Once they see that you can be approached the trust relationship is easier to build.
As a final note, I have felt welcomed by the Newton Moore staff and students, gaining