Section+D

=The learning environments I have created are safe, challenging and involve the use of effective classroom management strategies that meet the identified needs of the students. =

I believe that it is my use of a number of different classroom management strategies that create the safe and challenging learning environment for my students.

I am fortunate to work in a school that is able to care for its students. The high school has about 480 students and it has a strong Pastoral Care program. We have junior classes under 24 ~ more usually with around 20 students, so we have the opportunity to get to know our students well. Because we have a reputation for caring for the individual, we do have a number of students who do have specific learning difficulties, or who pursue sporting or artistic careers, or who are really quite bright. We have a significant number of international boarding students who come to our school to be submerged into western society and learn English and we have an active indigenous bursary scheme. Clearly we have a wide range of individual needs and we have systems in place to identify those needs and some support to help deal with them.

In my practice I also try to analyse the needs of my classes by asking for feedback. I used to do this through [|written feedback sheets] sheets but now I use Survey Monkey to set up a [|Course Evaluation Survey] as the students can fill out the surveys quickly and easily and they are assured of anonymity ~ as I do not see their writing!

Last year, it was through analysing [|Year 11 Biology Course Survey] that I decided to flip my year 12 Biology class. This has been very successful, to date. My students are fully engaged, highly focussed and they are finding Biology purposeful. [[|NSWIT Observation Yr 12]].

My younger students all work in collaborative groups based around either using self paced units of work or meaningful, authentic explorations and investigations [iSchool [|examples of activities] Yr 7]

The use of diagnostic tests e.g. [|Astronomy Diagnostic Test] yr 8, [|Life on Earth Pre Test] yr 11 are very informative. I give them a few weeks before I start a unit, as I look at the students’ prior knowledge and particularly at their misconceptions before finalising the content of a unit of work. I have also used Wordle effectively in gauging my students’ understandings e.g. [|Biotech Wordle]. I ask the students to write down no more than 10 words or phrases that come to mind when I mention the topic to be studied. The results shown in the word cloud formed; often provide a great starting point for discussion and they can also show up misconceptions.

By understanding the identified needs of my students by using the resources available in the school and regularly pre-testing, evaluating and surveying my students, I am able to set up pedagogical models that enhance my students engagement with the subject and provide me with the class time to interact productively with my students as I do not have to ‘conduct’ a structured class based around my being the imparter of knowledge. My students gather the factual information. I guide them to fully understand it, appreciate the implications of it and; hopefully, develop a love of learning.