Standard+5.3.5

=Develop, apply and share with others a flexible repertoire of strategies for managing student behaviour and promoting student responsibility for learning and for appropriate conduct. =

Over many years of teaching I have found that my main strategy for managing student behavior is by providing the students with relevant and engaging activities that help students develop the skills necessary for them to take responsibility for their own learning. [I am very fortunate in that for several years I have taught in schools where the students are highly motivated, or in my current case, are generally well behaved, so they are open to the different teaching and learning strategies that I employ. Also being an experienced teacher who has developed a good professional reputation within the school, I rarely need to deal with extreme behavioural problems.]

In my role as convenor and occasional presenter at the STANSW [|Early Career Teacher's Course]I ensure that the participants are exposed to a number of different ideas from a number of highly regarded Science educators, with a view to providing these teachers with a wide and flexible repertoire of teaching and learning strategies. I make sure that we have sufficient time to discuss issues and share different techniques so that these new teachers are able to find a teaching and learning path that works for them in their different environments.

In my own teaching and learning, research and experience have lead me along the path of creating a [|collaborative learning environment] for my students. I am achieving this largely through the introduction of self paced units e.g. [|Year 12 Biology] or [|Origins]. As students learn the skills necessary for success in these units, they build confidence both in their own abilities and in the fact that I am there to support and guide them in this venture, I introduce the framework for the students assimilating the factual content part of the course (a substantial proportion of most Science based courses) on their own, often at home. I provide PowerPoints, readings, videos, podcasts and interactive online resources to access this material. During class time the students know that I will discuss their work with them, often individually. By the students dealing with the factual material they become more honest with themselves when determining whether or not they understand things. They can take as long as they need or repeat e.g. parts of videos, as they need until they really understand the material. This means that class time is devoted to deep practical investigations e.g. [|OEI], discussions dealing with current issues relevant to the topic and developing deeper understanding.

By using these teaching and learning strategies I find that students develop responsibility for their learning and have increased their engagement with the subject thus dealing with behavior issues is a rare event. If students have not done their homework i.e. consolidated their factual knowledge they do that in class but are unable to participate in discussions and practical work. They quickly decide that it is better to do their ‘homework’ at home and they generally enjoy it because it is varied, technology rich and personalized.