Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

What they mean to me and how I’m achieving them. Click the headings to expand the boxes. If evidence is missing, then I haven’t had the opportunity to gather it yet. I’m only going to display meaningful evidence.

1) Know students and how they learn

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

My interpretation: Able to passively detect student understanding, capabilities and real-time engagement and adapt an appropriate teaching strategy to suit the students.

Evidence:

 

1.2 Understand how students learn

My interpretation: Know that there are different preferred learning styles in a cohort of students. Know that differing levels of scaffolding are required for different skill levels. Basically know the education research into how students learn and incorporate that into your lessons.

Evidence:

 

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds

My interpretation: Similar to the above, except that the differentiation is based on linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. I.E, you can come up with an activity that works on the strengths of students with these backgrounds.

Evidence:

 

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

My Interpretation: Similar to the above, but more specific to the local aboriginal community. I.E, you can design activities that include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. You also understand the sensitive issues in their cultures and address them appropriately in classes.

Evidence:

 

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs across the full range of abilities

My interpretation: You can design or select activities that are suitable for a class with a diverse range of skills. You’re also able to teach in different styles to support the students in the lower end of the spectrum.

Evidence:

 

1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

My interpretation: If there are any students with disabilities, tasks are designed such that they are able to participate in an effective way.

Evidence:

2) Know the content and how to teach it

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

My interpretation: Understand your teaching area to come up with engaging activities for students and interesting methods of delivering new ideas.

Evidence:

 

2.2 Content selection and organisation

My interpretation: You’re able to look at learning outcomes for a lesson and select appropriate content and activities to deliver in a logical sequence.

Evidence:

 

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

My interpretation: Similar to the above, with a focus more on choosing appropriate assessment tasks to measure learning progress against the curriculum.

Evidence:

 

2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians

My Interpretation: Provide opportunities in your classes to respectfully involve indigenous culture and history. E.G. a math class could teach mapping in an Aboriginal context.

Evidence:

 

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

My interpretation: You successfully incorporate tasks to increase literacy and numeracy skills in your lessons.

Evidence:

  • I found on placement that year 8s had a very short attention span for science in the last lesson of the day. I made my lessons very short in content but gave them find-a-words and crosswords on the topic we were doing. It’s very basic but it helps their spelling and their vocabulary. They’re completely engaged with the task and they think it’s fun.

 

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

My interpretation: You can use ICT in lessons in a way that promotes learning, not just for the sake of using it.

Evidence:

3) Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

My interpretation: Be clear in your learning goals and ways students can demonstrate success in learning. Make these goals challenging AND achievable.

Evidence:

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

My interpretation: You can create a unit plan that will allow students to gain all the skills and knowledge they need and be able to demonstrate them at a high level against the achievement standards.

Evidence:

 

3.3 Use teaching strategies

My interpretation: Emphasis on the plural. You’re not locked to one style of teaching and can provide different delivery methods and tasks to develop different skills (problem solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, etc.) whilst all being relevant to the topic.

Evidence:

 

3.4 Select and use resources

My Interpretation: You find and incorporate appropriate resources into your classes and can create these resources if necessary.

Evidence:

 

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

My interpretation: You can use use multiple communication modes to support student learning and understanding in classes. E.g physical demonstrations, board work, videos, etc.

Evidence:

 

3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs

My interpretation: You can reflect on your teaching and the results achieved by your students to make improvements to your unit plans, content and delivery strategies.

Evidence:

 

3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process

My interpretation: You can create activities related to the current topic that provide opportunities for parents to get involved with their child’s learning.

Evidence:

 

4) Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

4.1 Support student participation

My interpretation: Establish a positive learning environment where student participation is encouraged and welcomed.

Evidence:

 

4.2 Manage classroom activities

My interpretation: Establish routines and set expectations for behavior to streamline the managerial work and allow more time for learning activities.

Evidence:

 

4.3 Manage challenging behavior

My interpretation: Manage challenging behavior in a way that works for you and the rest of the class. The strategies will differ for different students and teachers but establishing good relationships with students will work for all teachers.

Evidence:

 

4.4 Maintain student safety

My interpretation: You implement all rules required by the school or governing organisation and look out for the physical and mental well-being of all students. You discuss risks in practicals and safety measures taken to mitigate them.

Evidence:

 

4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically

My Interpretation: You understand the issues surrounding the safe use of ICT and demonstrate responsible and ethical use of ICT.

Evidence:

5) Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.1 Assess student learning

My interpretation: You can create or find relative assessments (formal or informal) to measure student achievement against the achievement standards.

Evidence:

 

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

My interpretation: You provide time appropriate and useful feedback to students. This means a quick turnaround time for assignment drafts and tests. Your feedback should outline how to improve.

Evidence:

 

5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements

My interpretation: Be objective and consistent when grading assessments.You participate in moderation with your colleagues to increase the level of consistency.

Evidence:

 

5.4 Interpret student data

My interpretation: You can look at your assessment and attendance data to identify students who need help, teaching strategies that aren’t working, etc. and make changes that hopefully bring attendance and achievement up.

Evidence:

  • Placement Report (I participated in faculty meetings where we looked at traffic light data on students to find areas for improvement)

 

5.5 Report on student achievement

My Interpretation: You take your assessment and attendance data and write clear and respectful reports to parents and carers on the learning progress of their child.

Evidence:

6) Engage in professional learning

6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs

My interpretation: Through your own self reflection and feedback from colleagues, you identify areas ares of improvement and make plans to improve on them.

Evidence:

 

6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

My interpretation: From the requirements of APST 6.1 or new skills required by the school, you undertake professional development to improve your teaching practice.

Evidence:

 

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

My interpretation: APST 6.1 and 6.2 with a focus on the cohort of teachers.

Evidence:

  • First placement report (I participated in faculty meetings where we were rewriting assessment tasks to better suit the Australian standards)

 

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

My interpretation: APST 6.2 says “undertake professional learning”. APST 6.4 says “use your new skills in school”.  There’s a subtle focus on “student learning needs” but I would say that all professional development in one way or another is there to address student learning needs.

Evidence:

  • First placement report (My whole degree is a form of professional learning and my only application of it so far has been my first placement).

 

7) Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities

My interpretation: Follow the code for ethics and responsibilities imposed on you by your school and other regulatory authorities

Evidence:

 

7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

My interpretation: You do what’s required by the TRB, DECD, etc. and your school to gain and maintain your job as a professional. Understand the implications of non-compliance.

Evidence:

 

7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

My interpretation: You create and maintain respectful and constructive relationships with parents and carers to increase the flow of information and work together to increase the learning and wellbeing of their child.

Evidence:

 

7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

My interpretation: Be a professional. You engage with other professionals in community networks and forums to broaden the knowledge of the profession and keep the profession moving forward.

Evidence: