Day 14

25 Oct 2024

DAy schedulE

Junior Assembly / WAVE / Year 10 Engineering / Year 9 Design

OBSERVATION / DAILY LOG

Junior Assembly

Welcome to Country
National Anthem
Acknowledge of World Teachers Day
House notices
Principal's Address
Dismissed

Period 1 – Year 9 WAVE (Wellbeing and Values Essentials)

Despite the unexpected change in plans due to an exam in the neighbouring room, the students' adaptability was commendable. They utilized the free time given to them by the teacher, maintaining a quiet environment and behaving impeccably.

ECMS 1: Establishing a Positive Learning Environment: Encouraging students to adapt quietly and responsibly to unexpected plans and changes helps maintain a positive and respectful classroom environment.

ECMS 4: Managing Classroom Discussions Effectively: Commending students' adaptability and behaviour in response to altered circumstances supports a culture of respect and responsibility.

APTS 4.1 (Support student participation): By recognizing the need for a quiet environment and allowing the students to manage their behaviour during this unexpected change, I supported student participation in maintaining a respectful classroom environment.

APTS 4.3 (Manage challenging behaviour): Managing the students' free time effectively and ensuring they remained quiet and respectful demonstrated my ability to maintain a calm and supportive learning environment despite planned changes.

Period 2 – Year 10 Engineering

Today, I took the class in the welding bays. However, first, I needed to set the class up for a successful welding experience. I broke the lesson into stages.

Stage 1: The students' enthusiasm for the practical welding experience was palpable. Their engagement in the theory lesson exceeded expectations, and they demonstrated a firm grasp of the theoretical knowledge, which they were eager to apply in the welding bays.

From there, I discussed how we would check the welding bays for safety and, if necessary, reset the bay so the student could experience the sequence for activating a bay ready for welding. Following that, I advised on the welding technique using the DAM acronym.

ECMS 2: Communicating Expectations and Task Requirements: Structuring the lesson in stages, including safety checks, setup, and the DAM technique, communicates clear expectations and fosters an organized learning experience.

ECMS 3: Providing Individual Support and Encouragement: Guidance, demonstrations, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities in the welding bays support individual engagement and reinforce collaborative learning.

ECMS 6: Managing Challenging Behaviors: Maintaining a structured environment in a practical setting, including peer mentoring, helps manage potential disruptions and keeps students focused.

ECMS 5: Reflecting on and Adjusting Practice: Reflecting on the lesson's flow and anticipating supervisor feedback demonstrates a commitment to improving classroom management and instructional techniques.

APTS 2.1 (Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area): By explaining the safety checks and introducing the DAM acronym, I demonstrated the effective use of content knowledge and teaching strategies to prepare students for practical welding.

APTS 3.2 (Plan, structure, and sequence learning programs): Structuring the lesson in stages (theory, safety checks, and practical application) ensured the learning was sequential and effectively supported student understanding.

APTS 3.3 (Use teaching strategies): Breaking the lesson into stages and using the DAM acronym as a mnemonic device showed my use of effective strategies to help students retain critical information.

APTS 4.2 (Manage classroom activities): Managing the classroom activities through structured stages and ensuring all students were prepared before moving to the welding bays demonstrated effective classroom management.

APTS 4.4 (Maintain student safety): Emphasizing the safety checks and correct use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) reinforced the importance of maintaining a safe learning environment.

Once students suited up, they were guided to reset and activate the welding bays. I supervised all welders, demonstrating the setup and offering dry-run demos.

APTS 5.1 (Assess student learning): By having students repeat the safety procedures and the DAM acronym before proceeding, I assessed their understanding of essential concepts before allowing them to engage in practical work.

After the first session, the round 1 welders shared advice with round 2 welders. This peer-to-peer interaction was encouraged to promote learning from their experience.

APTS 1.5 (Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities):
Encouraging peer feedback and advice differentiated the experience, ensuring all students felt supported and prepared for the practical task.

The lesson concluded with the successful completion of two rounds of welding, and I reflected on the lesson, anticipating feedback from my supervisor.

APTS 6.3 (Engage with colleagues and improve practice): Reflecting on the lesson and looking forward to supervisor feedback indicated my commitment to continuous improvement and professional development.

Period 3 - Year 9 Design (HOD Class)

The class started with the next step of the design process, which involves considering the environment and its impacts on the structure being designed. Work avoidance and lack of attention behaviours were observed, including using ear pods and laptops for non-schoolwork purposes. A particular group of four boys caused the most disruption.

ECMS 2: Communicating Expectations and Task Requirements: Redirecting students to focus on the design process and clarifying acceptable classroom conduct reinforces behavioural expectations.

APTS 4.3 (Manage challenging behaviour): Managing disruptive behaviours involved strategically deciding where to position students to minimize disruption. The teacher's approach demonstrated an understanding of behaviour management strategies.

The decision was made to move these students out of the class for the next lesson and buddy them into other courses. Two boys used time-out cards, and their absence temporarily calmed the classroom environment.

ECMS 6: Managing Challenging Behaviors: Addressing work avoidance and disruptive behaviours by moving sure students out of the class for the next lesson demonstrates proactive management of challenging behaviours.

ECMS 7: Following School Policies and Procedures: Utilizing time-out cards and reassigning disruptive students to other courses reflects adherence to school procedures and behaviour policies.

APTS 4.4 (Maintain student safety): I aimed to create a safer and more conducive learning environment by allowing students to use time-out cards and separating the disruptive group.

APTS 7.2 (Comply with legislative, administrative, and organizational requirements): Management ensured compliance with the school’s legislative and administrative requirements by following school policies regarding time-out cards and student behaviour.

This period highlighted the need for consistent strategies to effectively manage and support student behaviour and ensure minimal disruption to the learning environment.

Period 4 - spare (class profiling)

I worked on the class profile of the previous class. I have taken this class for all my lessons, whether furnishing or engineering, and I have learned the class broadly. I only have them for three hours a week. In some classes, I have taken the opportunity to go to other year and subject area classes to observe different cohorts of students and classroom management techniques that I've been advised would be worthwhile. My class profile will reflect this overall experience.

ECMS 1: Establishing a Positive Learning Environment: Observing different cohorts and classroom management techniques to refine your approach demonstrates a commitment to building a supportive, positive environment across varied class settings.

ECMS 5: Reflecting on and Adjusting Practice: Developing a class profile based on observed behaviours and management strategies highlights reflective practice, allowing for effective adjustments to support student needs.

Comments/questions for follow-up discussion and reflection (I thought…)

Surprisingly, my lesson plans had gone as expected. I'll add more to this shortly.

Artifacts