During my EPT330 Professional Experience I was able to collect high quality evidence to support my demonstration of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2014). This evidence demonstrates my current understanding of and ability to practise these Standards more than evidence from previous Professional Experiences, and I have therefore used it for five evidence samples in this portfolio. I have retained one evidence sample from my EPT329 placement and added one evidence sample which proves attendance at a Professional Education workshop outside a placement.
In my goals for the EPT330 Professional Experience I identified several focus areas to improve my teaching. These included planning effective learning sequences, developing skills in assessing and reporting on students' achievement and engaging professionally with colleagues. During my EPT330 placement I was able to plan for and teach full days which allowed me to plan consecutive lessons and implement my supervising teacher's feedback and my own evaluations. I was also offered opportunities to develop formative assessment and deliver summative assessment, as well as collaborating with my supervising teacher in formally assessing and reporting on students' work. Finally, I was supported in my placement to attend regular staff meetings, including Stage 1 planning meetings, and to engage with a range of staff and professionals within the school. As a result, the goals I identified for EPT330 were achieved well over the course of the Professional Experience. N.B. Due to technical difficulties a copy of the EPT330 Goals could not be included as an Appendix.
In my previous Professional Experience reports, strengths were identified in recognising and planning for individual student needs, recording and interpreting student data in Stages 1-5, and in engaging professionally with colleagues and external professionals. However areas for development were highlighted in providing clear and explicit instructions and using positive management strategies for managing challenging behaviour. I have also identified a lack of opportunity for engaging positively with parents/carers in my previous placements. I have drawn on these areas for improvement when developing goals for EPT436, particularly Goals 2 and 3. Although I am confident in assessing students' achievement in Stages 1-5, I have included assessment as a focus of Goal 1, as I do not have any experience developing assessments from the Stage 6 curriculum, or supporting students to achieve in assessment in the Higher School Certificate.