Reflection 2.1:

Note: This table will become critical in the second phase of this unit, leading to Assessment Task 2.

Although not teaching yet; I think (hope) my strengths lie within cultural knowledges/active citizenship – and learning that is real to students. These are the dimensions that I hope to bring to my delivery of teaching.

Strategy	Focus questions	When have I experienced this in the past?	How have I used this strategy as a teacher?
Deep knowledge and higher order thinking	Are higher-order thinking and critical analysis occurring?	I haven’t experienced this as a teacher. However, I believe I display this almost every day in the decision making process that undertake at work. I work for a major not-for-profit organisation; and am responsible for 100 employees, the delivery of over 25 contracts within the space of youth / training / homelessness / mental health and drug and alcohol delivery. I am daily called on to effectively manage the ‘end to end’ service provision from: program creation / tender writing / service model development / delivery / stakeholder management etc etc.	I haven’t as yet; but will aim to build in into my lesson planning; and also when ‘measuring the success’ of students and their grasp of concepts and their application – aligned to my curriculum area.
	Does the lesson sequence cover operational fields in any depth, detail or level of specificity?	TBA	TBA
	Do the work and response of the students provide evidence of depth of understanding of concepts or ideas?	TBA	TBA
Collaborative and social learning	Does classroom talk break out of the initiation/response/evaluation pattern and lead to sustained dialogue between students, and between teachers and students?	TBA	TBA
Knowledge as complex and linked to interests and experience	Are students critiquing and second-guessing texts, ideas and knowledge?	TBA	TBA
	Does the lesson sequence range across diverse fields, disciplines and paradigms?	TBA	TBA
	Is there an attempt to connect with students’ background knowledge?	TBA	TBA
Problems that are real and relevant to students	Do the lesson sequence and the assigned work have any resemblance or connection to real-life contexts?	TBA	TBA
	Is there a focus on identifying and solving intellectual and/or real-world problems?	TBA	TBA
Student direction	Do students have any say in the pace, direction or outcomes of the lesson sequence?	TBA	TBA
Explicit quality performance criteria	Are the criteria for judging student performance made explicit?	TBA	TBA
Cultural knowledges Active citizenship	Are diverse cultural knowledges brought into play?	TBA	TBA
	Are attempts made to foster active citizenship?	TBA	TBA

1.3

What are your challenges? How are you planning to engage with them?

I was first introduced to this painting when studying Philosophy at University (where this painting was proposed to adequately capture 'existentialism'). It came to mind as I have encountered 'challenges', not least managing full-time employment (and I am an elected local councillor); and spending two nights per week and each Saturday and Sunday studying.

However, once I have commandeered myself through this I can then start my own 'higher order thinking' around:

• What platform will suit the 'pedagogy' that I am thinking; when I get my opportunity
• What will be the most user friendly for me (what will not be; but how can I master this or slowly introduce it to my lesson planning; so my pedagogy is not a 'one trick pony'; but refreshing for the learners)
• Be therefore committed to continual professional development in the ICT space; my view is - it is rapidly changing so fast and a whole generation of learners are using ICT as part of their upbringing; as a responsible educator - how to make sure my lessons and therefore use if ICT is contemporary and relevant! But importantly with the view to 'optimising' learning and the learning experience for students.

Planning to Engage with them:

However, once this initial reaction dissipates; I approach the challenge: let me understand this and progress through; we are being taught this for a reason!

Reflection 1.1

Hello 'world'.

Well I must admit that I had been handwriting and typing these reflections down; whilst setting up my various platforms - with the view to 'getting to the nuts and bolts' of the various ICT platforms that we have been introduced to; and am now progressing to upload my reflections.

Now on a scale of 1 to 10; my mind initially was honestly cast to about a '3'. BUT I would say this working a pre-conceived notion of ICT and it's effectiveness to optimise learning; through my very narrow prism of ICT usage.

My paradigm of thinking was; 'I use ICT everyday in a contemporary workplace context' (with the hindsight of actually posting this - now in week 3); I can safely say that my application of ICT in a business/employment - is simply or merely that of substitution......

Hello boundless world of ICT (now as I am progressing; I am getting excited around it's potential use in a classroom setting. Particularly now having a mature understanding of the Australian Curriculum - appreciating that ICT capability is a 'general capability'.


I am now editing my original post; per reflection 1.2:


Present values and beliefs about ICT in the classroom:

(Again per above; am I writing this reflection - if you like as a 'hybrid', where I have written in part at the time of reading - however now 'posting' as I am reflecting and trying to 'capture' my beliefs with the benefit of another week under my belt.

My initial (over a week ago) thoughts around ICT were very one dimensional; by way of my own experiences of using ICT in the workplace. Believe it or not - I am often the 'go to' person in my office; around troubleshooting IT problems - wether we are using a range of software packages, or presenting presentations......and therefore, my thinking has been coloured to (what I note above) a substitution only in the classroom.

Being exposed to the full potential of the use of ICT / wether it is asking professionals to comment on student's work - including on  student's blog for instance, even watching (in my learning areas) Parliament live, or watching a Council meeting and reviewing council agenda's, to engaging with students in another part of the world....indeed is quite fascinating; and actually brings real meaning to a 'globalised world' for school students today.

And has even made me reflect that all my learning in High School was by simply by rote; and the thinking to 'bring the world' into the classroom was limited to an excursion....in my High School Legal Studies class we didn't even listen to parliament on ABC radio...

Approach to teaching and learning:

My learning style is perhaps a component of kinaesthetic learning (and by this I mean I learn by listening to others and then having to do a task myself.....in the world of work; this might take the form of writing a tender, being able to 'influence' others, chair meetings etc); however I also prefer time on my own to read through the material - to make sense of it; drawing on observing others and then refining through my own style.

I believe my approach to teaching; is and perhaps will be one of enthusiasm; and one which 'tries' to convey to students the relevance  of learning civics and economics and legal studies - and how by 'knowing' they are empowered to shape and craft their own future; within their own generation. For me, tyring to impart this; and explain the 'richness' and uniqueness' to the 'prosperity' and 'freedoms' we have in Australia; is a passion that drives me - and that I believe will underpin my approach to teaching.


Control of learners learn?

To a certain extent yes; but I'm conscious that I don't want to overwhelm learners; and want to meet the 'curriculum' aligned to the measurement of their success or failure.

and control of who learners learn from?

Yes, I feel more relaxed about this. As if they can learn through an authentic text or example; such as taking a note from watching a video of an expert - or receiving classroom mentoring from industry  and this can align to the curriculum and grading - then great.

Emotions to challenges:

I actually fell like quite a luddite; and frustrated with myself for not picking it up quicker. However, by being able to see how relevant and important this is to the Teaching profession and engaging a 21st century classroom; once my efficiency in use increases; I am feeling all the more better for it.

ICT in the classroom:

Really minimal; I must say that IT was introduced into the first year of my High Schooling - in 1996; I know ICT has advanced dramatically - but I am glad I was the generation that just were introduced to computers within High Schooling.