Edition #2

HOW DO I BUILD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS?

This second edition of the Graduate Teacher Learning Series is designed to give you practical, topical advice on your graduate teaching journey. In this edition you will find new articles on our three focus areas, new content for the The Teaching Year and Toolbox Articles as well as the addition of Top 10 links as well as the first two videos in the Graduate Teacher Focus Area Video Series.

PUBLISHED DATE: 6 March 2019

THE TEACHING YEAR

In this edition Belinda talks about the importance of establishing effective relationships with parents, and how to grow this into a partnership that you, the students and their families can all benefit from.

FEATURE ARTICLES:

In each edition we will feature articles written by various authors around three key areas.

1. Student Engagement as a Behaviour Management Strategy

2. Teacher Wellbeing & Resilience

3. Using Formative Assessment to Improve Learning

The three feature articles for this edition can be accessed from the links below.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS

FOCUS AREA: Student Engagement as a Behaviour Management Strategy

By: Jane Langley – Leading Teacher, Hamilton North Primary School

“In this article Jane Langley focuses on strong and supportive relationships between teachers and students and how they are fundamental to student success at school.”

ESTABLISHING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS

FOCUS AREA: Teacher Wellbeing & Resilience

By: Belinda Webb, Leading Teacher, Broadmeadows Special Development School 

“In this article Belinda Webb focuses on the notion of ensuring the involvement of parents that drives teachers to build effective partnerships with families, and those teachers who do this well, have will generally have success with the education and learning of the children in their classroom..”

ASSESSMENT FOR GROUP & INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

FOCUS AREA: Using Formative Assessment to improve student learning.

By: Chris Allen, Graduate Teacher in the Primary Education Sector.

“In this article Chris Allen focuses on the data you have gathered and explores how use it to form personal learning goals for your students. By analysing the data to identify what skills your students still need to focus on, you are catering for the individual needs of your students and maximising the time spent in the classroom. In this article I will provide an example of the data I collect and how I analyse it to create learning goals.

MAKING THE MOST OF MENTOR CONVERSATIONS

Susan Vissenjoux (AP Noble Park Primary School) explores examples and practical tips for graduates and their mentors.

UNDERSTANDING THE EDUCATION LANDSCAPE

Kate Chinner (Project Officer TLN) helps you navigate the first few weeks.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME

Noah Kim (Featherbrook College) is beginning the 2nd year of teaching after graduating from RMIT Brunswick in 2017

Professional Identity:

GRADUATE TEACHER
FOCUS AREA

Over the next couple of weeks we will share a series of videos which have been commissioned around the various induction focus areas to assist you in your first term of teaching. 

Orientation:

Victorian Institute of Teaching

The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) is an independent statutory authority for the teaching profession, whose primary function is to regulate members of the teaching profession.  It is a legal requirement for all teachers to be registered with VIT in order to be employed in a school or early childhood education and care service or Victorian children’s service.

 

The VIT specifies the requirements for moving from provisional to full registration on their website. After graduation, graduate teachers register with the VIT as provisionally registered teachers. To achieve full registration by the end of the second year of teaching, graduate teachers must provide the VIT with the evidence that they:

  • have met the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching at the proficient teacher level using the inquiry approach, and
  • have taught for a total of at least 80 days in one or more Australian or New Zealand schools or early childhood services.

Teacher mentors work with graduate teachers to undertake professional learning, which may include peer observation to continuously improve their teaching, collect evidence of their work and apply for full registration.

For further information see: www.vit.vic.edu.au/registered-teacher/moving-to-full-registration

eduPay

eduPay is the Department’s HR and payroll system. You can apply for leave and check your leave and pay information using eduPay Employee Self Service (ESS).

 You can login to eduPay System via your school internet connection at: https://edupay.eduweb.vic.gov.au/

 If you wish to access eduPay and ESS from an external location, such as from home, you can login at:  https://ess.sras.eduweb.vic.gov.au/

Edumail

Edumail is the Department’s email system system. You can access your emails and digital communications using Edumail.

You can login to the Edumail System via the following linkt: https://www.edumail.vic.gov.au

Australian Education Union

The Australian Education Union (AEU) represent and advocate for all teachers, principals and support staff working in government schools, early childhood, TAFE, disability and adult education.

The AEU note that “graduate teachers face specific challenges at work” and have developed a specific resource for graduate teachers which includes a New Educators Network (NEN) and information about pay and conditions.

For further information see: https://www.aeuvic.asn.au/your-job/graduate-teachers

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) provides high-quality curriculum, assessment and reporting advice for all Victorian students. Engagement with the resources will depend on the learning area and level being taught.

The following links will provide graduate teachers with further information regarding:

The VCAA also implements Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunities for senior secondary students and celebrate student achievement through excellence and awards programs, such as the Season of Excellence.

 

For further information see: https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

FUSE

FUSE is a Department portal with a wide variety of teaching resources.  You can use FUSE to:

  • DISCOVER: filter, browse and discover resources for learning and teaching
  • ENGAGE: immerse yourself in content with a range of great resource types, as a teacher you can even create groups and personalise resources
  • SHARE: connect your learning and teaching with others by using the sharing features on all FUSE resources

You will need your eduMail details to access some features of FUSE, such as uploading your own content and sharing packages of resources.

For further information see: https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/

In Our Classrooms

In Our Classrooms is an online space for teachers to find best practice approaches, evidence-based classroom resources, professional development opportunities and stories that celebrate the education profession.​ New articles are sent automatically in a newsletter each fortnight to all Victorian government school teachers, but In Our Classrooms is open to anyone interested in best practice in education and evidence-based teaching approaches.​ 

For further information see: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/classrooms/Pages/default.aspx

To subscribe to In Our Classrooms: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/9DC75686B8867D58

The Victorian Teaching and Learning Model

The Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) brings the framework for improving student outcomes (FISO) into the classroom. It creates a line of sight between the whole-school improvement approach and classroom practice.

The Victorian teaching and learning model consists of four components:

  • A Vision for Learning helps create a unified set of values and beliefs to drive a high performance learning culture.
  • The Practice Principles for excellence in teaching and learning (Practice Principles) are nine signature pedagogies which make the difference in improving student achievement and motivation.
  • The Pedagogical Model describes what effective teaching looks like in the classroom and helps teachers apply the practice principles.
  • The High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) are ten instructional practices that reliably increase student learning wherever they are applied.

For further information see: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/Victorianteachingandlearningmodel.aspx

The Literacy Teaching Toolkit

The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides practical advice and high impact teaching practices that improve outcomes in reading, writing and speaking and listening.  It includes specific resources for teaching literacy in Primary and Early Childhood as well as a guide to designed to support school leaders and teachers to understand and use the toolkit.

For further information see:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/Pages/default.aspx 

 

School Term Dates

You can access the School Term Dates and Holidays in Victoria through the following link:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/datesterm.aspx?&Redirect=1

 

Feedback?

The Learning Series is designed for you, the Graduates and it is important that you provide feedback and share your ideas so that we can continue to develop and improve the content for our future issues.

Your feedback drives the ways in which we plan and present the content in each edition so please take the time to share your thoughts and ideas and play a role in driving this program.