Professional Goal Setting

Goal 1 Teaching Standard 1 – Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Increase my use of te reo and te ao Māori in my lesson plans

Steps

To be able to introduce myself in te reo
To use te reo names of plants and animals in my lessons
To emphasise connectivity to culture in science lessons

How can my outcome be measured? How will I know if I have been successful?

I will introduce myself in class using both te reo and english
I will use te reo names of plants and animals in my powerpoints, handouts and in discussions during lessons
Where possible, I was include cultural significance and connectivity of the lesson to Aotearoa

Goal 1 – Critical Reflection

I asked staff about the incorporation of te reo and te ao Māori in their lesson plans. While they acknowledge it is important, I was told that they were waiting for feedback from local Iwi as to how to do this appropriately. For this reason, I felt a little uneasy taking an independent approach to incorporating cultural knowledge in my lessons. In so much, I did introduce myself to my class in te reo, but my incorporation of te reo and te ao Māori in my science lessons was limited. I also struggled to show the value of the added knowledge within the lesson plans. For example, in chemistry, I introduced the Māori version of the periodic table of elements but, given it was one of their first lessons on elements, it felt underappreciated and overwhelming. I definitely need more guidance on how to incorporate te ao Māori into my lesson plans. Specifically, how to link achievement standards to te ao Māori in subjects like chemistry. While I was able to substitute many English names to te reo for reference, I don’t think it reached any depth of context.

Goal 2 Teaching Standard 4 – Learning-focused Culture

Create a safe place for students to explore new information and relate to the subject material.

Steps

Plan and deliver lessons that allow active participation during class time
Discuss the benefits of getting the ‘wrong’ answer in science
Celebrate at the end of each activity with examples of how that information can be used in their community

How can my outcome be measured? How will I know if I have been successful?

Every lesson will have an activity associated with it.
Each lesson will discuss how this information came from many ‘wrong’ answers
Each lesson will be paired with an example of an application that is valuable to their community

Goal 2- Critical Reflection

Although I carefully planned every lesson, I found that 55 minutes was often not enough time to include an independent lab activity. For this reason, I leaned heavily on class participation in games like Kahoot!, BINGO and WheelDecide as activities. Junior classes loved it, while seniors preferred more self directed games such as Gimit. As I gained teaching experience, I found that creating a safe place for students to explore new information was taking the shape of providing as many ways for students to learn and test their knowledge as possible. Essentially, it meant keeping instruction short, practicing new knowledge through reading, and writing, and then providing multiple ways to test this knowledge through participation exercises. While I did emphasise the importance of learning over getting the ‘right’ answer, I do not think it resonated with them. Once engaged in the lesson, there was a sense of competition that took over the learning activities. For example, during one chemistry lesson the students stayed after class to finish a game of chemistry BINGO just to see who would win. Finally, I often found it difficult to connect lessons to the community, without feeling it was stretching the lesson out of context. I think perhaps not every lesson will be able to have an immediate application but rather it should be included when appropriate.

Goal 3 Teaching Standard 6 – Teaching

To be well presented, prepared and engaged with students

Steps

Have appropriate clothes for each lesson that reflect the role of a science teacher
Greet students at the door (if possible)
Learn student names and use them correctly when guiding them through each lesson
Give positive feedback to each student during the lessons

How can my outcome be measured? How will I know if I have been successful?

I will have science appropriate shoes, lab coat, hair pulled back for each lesson
I will be early to class to ensure set up is done before students arrive

Goal 3- Critical Reflection

I believe I achieved most of the goals I set for myself. I was always early to class, which allowed me to chat to students before class started. In this way, I was able to check in with them prior to lessons to gauge how they were doing. Regarding attire, I always dressed in laboratory appropriate clothes and kept a professional look to my appearance.

Behavioural Management

My Behaviour Management Tools

Give positive instruction –> What I would like for them to do

Praise and reward good behaviour –> Attention and bonuses when tasks are completed

Set them up to succeed –> Give clear, easy to achieve instructions, direction, guidance

Ensure all tools for any task I am asking them to perform is available to everyone

Use humour and calmness to deescalate tension

Allow time for student to change behaviour after a corrective instruction has been given

Look and wait, in the direction of the student(s) whose behaviour needs to change

Ask them what the rule is for the behaviour that requires change (good for cell phone usage and non-uniform issues)

Redirect focus by asking them about what they have been doing or are about to do. End with positive reinforcement/ encouragement

Give the student options/choices and allow them to take control of their time by becoming more responsible for what they do.

Don’t engage in arguments about rules or expectations. Shut down the interaction and re-iterate what is expected.

Behave in the manner expected of the students. Be the role model.