WEEK 9:

Good Morning, as I have had just one teaching experience at my school I thought I would reflect on the readings throughout the unit, the National Professional teaching Standards (domains) and some thoughts about successful educational practice used in other countries.
The domain I choose to examine is 'Commitment' (6+7)which 'encompasses the capacity of teachers to reflect critically on their own practice'

 http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards/national-professional-standards-for-teachers/

Teachers can fulfil this commitment by engaging in professional development and through 'personal and collegial professional learning'. This standard/domain recognises that teachers do not operate in a vacuum/isolation but are part of a network that values the links between school, the home and the wider community and considers the impact and influence of these links as part of the make up of the social and intellectual development of the student.
I thought it would therefore be interesting to compare the Australian system of professional development with that of other leading Education stakeholders in different countries.
Below I have added a few links to the Finnish Education system, some give a broad overview and others are more specific.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/?no-ist
 
This link provides information and an overview of why Finland’s schools are so successful. A range of practices from providing free school meals for all secondary students, free transport and assistance for rural areas, strong links to the home and community the students live in, autonomy for teachers to implement good curriculum, based on the needs of the student, that can be tweaked for the individual if necessary.
This has not always been the case, historically Finland lagged behind other countries but a reform of the system has seen Finland climb to the top, along with Asian countries, to gain international status as a world leader
http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm

The key elements of reform are as follows:

Resources for those who need them most.
Qualified teachers.
Evaluation of Education.
Balancing decentralisation and centralisation (Laukkanen, 2008, p.

I find this really interesting for a variety of reasons, education in Finland is fully funded by the government ( including all transport and meals for secondary schools) schools are well resourced and funded. Unlike the USA and other Western countries, Finland has moved away from the centralised system of testing that many western societies still use. Instead a system is in place in'  which highly trained teachers design curriculum around the very lean national standards'.
http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm

Although the Australian Education system is different to that of Finland in that our system is a more 'centralised system' based on the industrial 'prepare the worker for work' mind set and our system is a mix of public, private and independent schools with differing levels of funding, I see similarities in examples of highly trained teachers who 'use' curriculum to meet national standards whilst preparing students for further study and 'life skills' aspects of their learning.

The example I am using is 'Oriana' the Biology Teacher (LEO: Teaching Example) who in a logical and structured delivery breaks down specific syllabus requirements and outcomes/aims in order to prepare HSC students for the language specific criteria they will face in their exams. Using a clear visual format (smartboard) and textbooks, ipads and class discussion she clearly models (guides, prompts and repeats) the information in real time, allowing students to adjust work (using class examples on board) whilst discussing validity of sources, comparison and evaluation of data. Students immediately share work on edmodo and receive feedback, from the teacher and from each other. Peer learning is evident, the class is small and focused and on task, there do not seem to be any behavioural issues at all.

This teacher is well prepared and organised, she is developing crucial skills the students can take into everyday life, analysing and understanding a text, recognition of key instructions and terms, higher order thinking skills (thinking conceptually).
This teacher meets standards:3.3.5.
Design and use highly effective teaching strategies linked to assessment outcomes.
4.2.5
Create, select and use a variety of appropriate teaching strategies and
resources including ICT and other technologies to make content meaningful to students.

 http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards/nsw-professional-teaching-standards/       

This teacher also shows a high level of personal and professional commitment to her students and her profession, she is an excellent model teacher for new graduates to observe. The level of engagement in her class is high, although these students are HSC level and have chosen Biology as an obvious area of key study, they seem genuinely interested and engaged. If the class consisted of disruptive/disengaged students the lesson would have possibly not have been as successful.

The video below is a humorous look at a classroom where an intelligent but disruptive student takes over the class, this would be far less funny in a real life classroom situation. To deal with behavioural issues there seem to be key themes/elements a constructive classroom should try to achieve. The first is to establish an environment that is 'positive and conducive' to learning. LEO: (lecture 8), studies into behavioural issues in Australian classrooms show that most issues are minor, however these if left unchecked can escalate into more disruptive events.

The recommendation is to intervene as soon as problems arise, try to diffuse the situation and move on.
One recommended strategy is to logically assess the situation, to try to remove personal feelings/bias from the situation (Leo. Lecture 9) by applying the A_B_C method a teacher can (A) examine what happens directly before the incident, (B) describe the behaviour (Jane threw the book..) and then (C) find the consequence, what would the student gain/loose from this action ( did they 'not complete task' waste time until lesson end, attention...)
Once the teacher has followed this method they can design a management plan based on factual, rather than emotive information.
In the analysis of 'good' teaching strategies, exemplified by 'Oriana' the Biology teacher it is obvious that this teacher is reasonably strict, fair, has a sense of humour and has taken time to build relationships with her students, crucial element required by students of teachers if they are to succeed, in the case below, the new/sub teacher has not built relationships, loses his humour and vastly underestimates the intelligence of his disruptive yet clever student.
Both teachers are committed to their teaching area, one has a much better grasp of how to create, maintain and grow a learning environment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A&feature=share&list=PLB15A4C3DF937FB67&index=13

The article below gives the views of an American teacher who now teaches in Finland and has had somewhat of a mind shift regarding 'western teaching practice' it is interesting to me to read a different perspectives as I try to prepare for the huge responsibility of a young persons education

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/11/26/ctq_walker.html

 http://www.weareteachers.com/hot-topics/special-reports/teaching-around-the-world/finlands-a-plus-schools