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Assessment 1: Essay on the Foundation of Teaching and Learning

Pham Thanh Bao Nguyen

Student ID: 18798122

Course: 1714 Master of Teaching (Secondary) - Western Sydney University

Unit: 102086 Designing Teaching and Learning

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There have always been expectations for teachers since the first school was opened.

When defining a teacher, society usually trusts that he or she must have a (large sum of)

knowledge to be able to teach learners. To the author, in a simplified occupational description,

“teacher” refers to a group of people who apply their knowledge by passing them in the

classroom. Elliot (1892) recognized teaching as a “newly recognized profession…” and noted

that it is required for teachers to keep on researching and, to obtain higher level of education in

order to keep themselves in the profession. In a survey in 2010, it is concluded by 91 percent of

the participants that teaching is a profession (Martinez, Desiderio, & Papakonstantinou, 2010).

On the other hand, it should be noted that all 100 percent of those who were asked are teachers.

In other words, different cultures reflect different perception and standards for educators.

According to international norm, teachers would receive training to gain suitable methodology to

be able to deliver a set of knowledge, and have to follow certain social expectations. Throughout

the history of Australia, it has been proven that different time also require different outcomes

from the national education system. Schools first started as a privilege that only available to the

ruling-class in the 18th century, and since then has developed into a compulsory academic

program for all children age from 5 to 17. Teaching was first seen as a general occupation of

passing experiences and information. Overtime it has evolved into a challenging knowledge-

shaping career, with clear boundaries between various social and scientific subjects in a well-

designed curriculum. The result of teaching and learning process is also tested systematically and

periodically to evaluate both teachers and students’ ability.

In Australia, teachers are tied to certain Standards, regulated by the State where they are

practicing. In New South Wales, the NSW Education Standards Authorities (NESA) has
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published the Teacher Accreditation for the year of 2018. Teachers are now ranked in 3

obligatory stages, including Conditional/ Provisional to Proficient to Maintenance Cycle, and 2

voluntary higher levels: Highly accomplished and Lead teacher.

The accredited system is provide a detailed rubric of teaching experiences level, but more

importantly, it points out milestones for teachers in delivering knowledge, which is listed in the

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). APST is regulated by Australian Institute

for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). The document clearly states the educational

targets, performance and goals for teachers to follow. It classifies 3 main domains of teaching,

and set 7 standards within them (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, 2018).

Additionally, teachers are obligated to follow other laws and rules, such as the code of conduct of

the schools, to have Work with Children Check, to ensure a safe and pleasant environment for

children and young adults.

In order to deliver the above-mentioned standards, teachers usually consult a curriculum.

Educational curriculum is a framework for fundamental school subjects and timeline to deliver

them, from starting level up to students’ senior years (age 5-17). Nonetheless, there are

underlining elements of the curriculum that teachers have to pay extra attention to, including

essential cultural and social values, social habitus and expectations, physical and mental

healthcare… Occasionally, teachers need to cover the role of a personal development coach to

guide their students to become better people.

In Australia, national curriculum is updated quite often so that our future generation can

gain necessary skills to compete academically and economically globally (Savage & O'Connor,

2015). The national curriculum are designed by Australia Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting

Authorities. It is a compositions of 4 discipline-based learning areas (English, Mathematics,

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Science and History), and 2 dimensions sets of 7 contemporary social skills (or general

capability) and 3 cross-curriculum cultural priorities. NESA interprets the national curriculum

into 6 smaller stages, by grouping similar years of age students in Primary and Secondary

schools, and lists out 8 key learning areas. The learning outcomes and contents of each stage are

listed in an official Syllabus.

In general, curriculum composes facts and figures that students are expected to

understand and able to implement through educators’ instructions. It is essential to have a

national study program for specific school years, to guarantee a stable, clear and continuous

learning process between stages, and/or from one school to another (Egan, 1978). A detailed

syllabus would act similarly to a guideline for what teacher should teach and at which stage it

can be educated. Teachers need to be highly skilled workers to be able to understand, follow and

distribute curriculum and syllabuses’ composition appropriately.

The interaction between teachers and learners also plays a key role in pedagogical

practice. In America, teachers’ performance is evaluated based on a system called Value-added

measures. Teachers are said to have “extra values” contribute to their students’ learning process,

which reflect in their tests’ result (Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2012). Putting it differently,

with the same syllabus contents, it is the teacher who signify students’ achievement. Depends on

students’ learning capacity and needs, educators would apply teaching methodology accordingly.

The application of suitable pedagogy justify the teachers’ ability. For the writer, this is the

most important value to make a great educator. NSW Department of Education and Training

presents a guide for teaching style, known as Quality Teaching model. The model is considered

as a “pedagogical reform” by one of its authors (Gore, 2007, p. 16), to reinforce teachers’

performance. It highlights 3 key elements: intellectual quality, quality learning environment, and
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significance (Gore, 2007). Each elements emphasize 6 qualities to be implemented in lesson

planning. As a reflection of those qualities, modern pedagogues’ activities involve making lesson

plans relevant to and integrate from students’ backgrounds, as well as create an open-minded and

safe classroom setting. They are able to identify any incurring problem in the classroom, adapt

changes and adjust their teaching plans responsively. Additionally, by using appropriate teaching

method, teachers also promote creativity. It is crucial that students can think critically, logically

and independently. Class activities have to be designed not only to involve students but also to

engage them actively. Teachers are considered as class conductors, and students are to contribute

and perform their part to gain understanding and the application of new contents. To achieve

such harmony, the connection between the instructors and the learners must be built and

strengthen every day in the classroom.

Last but not least, students demonstrate their newly gained knowledge within a certain

timeline (term, semester, mid-course) during tests or/and essays. Teachers use assessments to

examine the effectiveness of teaching and learning process. As part of the teaching standards,

teachers would develop assessment strategies and grading system which would reflect students’

knowing. Furthermore, following marking exams, teachers need to update the students with

feedback from their results, to moderate outcomes between all students, and to communicate

their achievement to related individual and department (Australian Professional Standards for

Teachers, 2018). Teachers may carry out assessment in the classroom formally or informally.

There are different classifications of test, serving different purposes: to diagnose potential

misunderstanding or misinterpretation of knowledge during learning process, to help generate

student’s perception between selective topics or in collective range of knowledge. Formative

assessment also play an important role in students’ learning perception, to stimulate students’
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studying motivation, and increasing their efficiency and focus during the schooling process

(Crisan & N., 2017). Assessment is also importance to contrast learners’ ability with their peers

or with the standardized outcomes. Grading system (rubric) should reflect clear expectation

from students’ work on distinct levels of comprehensive and proficiency use of a set of skills

and/or knowledge.

National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy was introduced 2008 as a

standardized test for children in Year 3, 5, 7, 9. Literacy testing area include: Language

convention, Reading, Writing and Numeracy. The goal of the assessment is to revise the learning

outcomes of students in different states of the country, to criticize the common practice of

teaching and learning. Nonetheless, over the year, NAPLAN’s results continuously show

disconnection from its original purpose, and display the lack of unification between testing area

and the curriculum’ learning outcomes. The design of the test is misleading and uninformed to

the educational syllabus (Lingard, 2010). In 2018, NAPLAN is planned to convert from written

test to computer-based test, which is a good improvement in order to prepare kids to better

technology development globally, as well as to give out the best testing experience.

It is undeniable that assessment is essential for both teachers and students to form and

develop learning standards. Testing does not happen periodically but progressively. Testing can

help classify student’s level, to determine teaching quality and pedagogy, as well as identify

problems in academic standards. It is a reflection of the teaching profession as a whole, between

teachers and students, educators and academic policy makers.

It is important that teachers can differentiate lesson plan to students’ needs; and to adjust

their curriculum and pedagogy accordingly. Teachers must be able to identify gifted and talented

students, evaluate their learning capacity and ability, and provide them with suitable teaching and
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learning materials, physically and mentally. Children are deemed gifted if they have certain

traits, including: curiosity, originality, visualization of relationships, rapid learning, superior

vocabulary, imagination,… (Ibn Bari, 1994). They would be the ones who continuously

challenge their educators until they satisfy with the response, or those who distractive to

comprehensive knowledge and engage in problem-solving class activities.

Teacher’s conception of giftedness is the first and one of the most important steps. In

realistic classroom context, despite having different recognitions of gifted characteristics, most

teachers are proved to be able to identify the special needs of talented students in their classroom

(Kaya, 2015). There is a lack of national educational planning for talented learners, department

like NESA provides teachers with little instruction and leave the school leaders to set their own

strategic approach and standards. Nonetheless, in teaching talented students, educators needs to

perform higher educational standards to match with gifted students’ perception, such as: having

deeper and wider foundation, applying and combining different teaching methods, performing

higher level of individual interaction with special oral and written communication skills,

instructional planning in blended class room environment (teaching the talent with the norm),

and designing additional assessment requirement (Vanassel- Baska & Johnsen, 2007).

Differentiated curriculum for gifted students should consists elements that allow them to

accelerate, gain deeper knowledge in complex contexts and to develop their interests into unique

learning experiences (Dobron, 2011). Students may show advancement in one learning area and

less interest in other ones. Applying suitable pedagogy can satisfy students’ needs, motivate their

interests, and promote their best ability. Lesson planning can rotate between creative problem-

solving activities, multiple talents approach, or applying cognitive-affective model (Ibn Bari,

1994)… Assessment for the talented should be carried out constantly to have updated
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understanding of students’ improvement and new exploration. Teachers should employed

alternative testing formats, such as performance-based assessment, portfolio, computer- based

stimulation tests, or project-based learning and assessment… (Vanassel- Baska & Johnsen,

2007).

On the other hands, it is recorded that students with higher learning abilities would

achieve better results in academic self-concepts when placed in a mix-ability classroom setting.

However, in NSW, there are not a lot public school which promote blended studies approach. In

the normal class room context, it is required that teachers include all learners, to inspire not only

the talented one but also support all pupils with various ability. To accomplish such goals,

teachers have to invest tremendous amount of time and effort in strengthen both their academic

and profession skills, and to do intensive research to be resourceful in intellectual and material

preparation.

Teaching requires advanced sets of skills to perform high teaching standards, to deliver

from simple to complex learning content to different level of students’ cognitive and perception,

and to perform self-reflection as well as assess accurately about the learner’s outcomes. The

impacts of teaching profession is significant to the society. The connection during teaching and

learning process can change the life of both teacher and learners. Lastly, in argument to the

heading statement of the assignment, the writer of this essay would give out the following

response: We only need one who could teach right to have hundreds of those who could do right.
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References

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. (2018). Retrieved March 26, 2018, from NSW

Education Standard Authority:

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/8658b2fa-62d3-40ca-a8d9-

02309a2c67a1/australian-professional-standards-teachers.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Chetty, R., Friedman, J., & Rockoff, J. (2012). Great Teacher. Education Next, 12(3).

Crisan, & N., A. (2017). Case study on the importance of formative assessment in stimulating

student motivation for learning and increasing the efficiency of the educational process.

Journal of educational sciences and psychology, 7(1), 20-25.

Dobron, K. H. (2011). Gifted students' perceptions of the differentiated curriculum. University of

Southern California. Proquest Dissertation Publishing.

Egan, K. (1978). What is curriculum? Curriculum Inquiry, 8(1), 65-72.

Elliot, C. W. (1892). Educational changes and tendencies. Journal of Education, 35(4), 21.

Gore, J. (2007). Improving Pedagogy- The challenges of moving teachers toward higher levels of

quality teaching. The University of Newscastle.

Ibn Bari, M. (1994). Gifted students: Acheivement and need for structure. A study of the Taxas

gifted program. Unniversity of Minnesota. Proquest Dissertation Publishing.

Kaya, F. (2015). Teachers' conception of giftedness and special needs of gifted students.

Education and Science, 40(177), 59-74.

Lingard, B. (2010). Policy borrowing, policy learning: testing times in Australian schooling.

Critical Studies in Education, 129-147.

Martinez, D. M., Desiderio, M. F., & Papakonstantinou, A. (2010). Teaching: A Job or a

Profession? The Perception of Educator. The Educational Forum, 74(4), 289- 296.
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Savage, G., & O'Connor, K. (2015). National agendas in global times: curriculum reforms in

Australia and the USA since the 1980s. Journal of Education Policy, 30(5), 609-630.

Vanassel- Baska, J., & Johnsen, S. (2007). Teacher Education Standards for the Field of Gifted

Education- A Vision of coherence for Personnel Preparation in the 21st century. The

Gifted Child Quarterly, 21(2), 182-205.