1

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

TEACHINGPRACTICUMREPORT
STUDENTTEACHER:

Lauren Edwards

PERIOD FROM

26/8/13

Mount Gambier High School

SCHOOL:

SCHOOLCOORDINATOR:

Bob Bamford

UNIVERSITYSUPERVISOR:

27/9/13
0

DAYS
ABSENT
MENTORTEACHER:

SUBJECT

TEACHINGPRACTICE
1
GRADDIPED

TO

Legal
Studies

Kristen Tunbridge
YEARLEVELS
TAUGHT

TEACHINGPRACTICE2
BMUSED(4THYR)

BTEACHING(4THYR)

11

X
X

PLEASECOMPLETEASEPARATEREPORTFOREACHSUBJECTAREA.
Ifthereportcannotbetyped,pleaseuseblackink.Ifspaceforthedescriptivecommentsisinsufficient,pleaseuse
additionalpages.Studentteachersfindthesecommentshelpful.
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Pleasereturnthecompletedandsignedreportbymailto:ProfessionalExperienceOffice,
SchoolofEducation,UniversityofAdelaide,SA5005
Ratingsandopencommentsarebothneeded.Ratingsshouldbemadeintermsofwhatmay
reasonablybeexpectedofstudentteachersduringeitherthefirstorsecondexperienceinasecondaryschool.

U
A
G
VG
O

Unsatisfactory

performedbelowanacceptablestandardforthisstage

Acceptable

performedataminimallevelforthisstage

Good

soundperformancefromastudentteacheratthisstage

VeryGood

abovethatwhichcouldreasonablybeexpectedfromastudentteacheratthisstage

Outstanding

wellabovethatwhichcouldreasonablybeexpectedatthisstage

PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCECONTEXT(e.g.coeducational,R12school)

Mount Gambier High School is a co- educational, 8 to 12 Secondary School situated 450kms south-east of
Adelaide. The school has a student population of approximately 1000, with 18% being school card recipients. Mt
Gambier is a large country town. Our students are drawn from the city of Mount Gambier, surrounding areas of
long established farming communities, small hobby farms and rural townships. A comprehensive curriculum across
a range of learning areas is the feature of the Year 8 to 10 curriculum and the school offers language studies in
Japanese and Italian. In the senior years, students can choose from a broad curriculum designed to support a wide
variety of career pathways. Four accredited specialist sports programmes, an automotive skills centre on site,
access to a range of VET programmes, a specialist performing and creative arts centre, and sister schools in Italy,
Japan and the United Kingdom, encourage a diverse range of learning opportunities. Classes are generally of
mixed ability; extended classes are conducted in Music, English and Maths.
TEACHING/LEARNINGCONTEXT(yearlevels,classsizesetc.)

Stage 1 Legal Studies is an elective chosen for a semester or full year. There are 24 students within this class.
Lauren and I team taught for the 5 weeks of her practicum. We took turns with the theory element teaching from an
interactive program by Blake Publications. There was a practical element to this class as there was a two day
camp to Adelaide in which students participated in Youth Parliament at Parliament House and attended court
proceedings in the Magistrates, District and Supreme Court of South Australia. Supervision was required for the
full two days including 10 hours return on the bus. Students completed one assessment task from the excursion
which was pre prepared.

PERSONALQUALITIES,PROFESSIONALRELATIONSHIPS,
ANDPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT.

VG

Students should demonstrate: (a) Commitment and enthusiasm for teaching. (b) An ability to develop personal and professional relationships with students e.g.
positive responses from students; approachability; willingness to listen to students; respect for and from students. (c) An ability to develop personal and
professional relationships with colleagues e.g. accepts responsibility for assigned tasks; assumes initiative; identifies classroom, school and government policies;
attends meetings; maintains confidentiality; becomes involved in extra-curricular activities; participates as a team member. (d) An ability to identify teaching
strengths and weaknesses and respond constructively to feedback.

Lauren attended the Legal Studies camp to Adelaide with year 11 students, two staff members and an SSO bus
driver. She developed high quality student and staff relationships on the camp, getting respect from and showing
respect to both students and staff who attended. Lauren was able to help with the running of the Camp including
helping students with their speeches they were to perform in youth parliament. Lauren and I used a team teaching
approach for her time with the year 11 Legal Studies class, which consisted of one lesson demonstrating how I
taught students, and the other double lesson Lauren teaching independently. Lauren worked hard to consolidate her
knowledge and understanding of concepts covered in Legal Studies, and was successful in teaching the theory
component to the students. Lauren conscientiously sought feedback on each lesson and used it well to improve her
teaching.

PLANNINGANDPREPARATION

Students should demonstrate an ability to: (a ) Consult with mentor teacher about the syllabus
U A G VG O
and the nature of the class; (b) Identify appropriate objectives of units and lessons; (c) Take into account different student abilities and be responsive to student
needs; (d) Prepare adequate lesson plans, with a logical sequence of learning activities; (e) Show imagination and initiative in identifying, accessing, and
incorporating resources; (f) Incorporate opportunities for feedback to students; (g) Allocate time effectively.

Lauren conscientiously met with me to collaboratively plan learning experiences for the class. She used my already
programmed SACE assessment plan and unit plan to organise lessons. Lauren spent most of the time using an
interactive program to teach students legal studies theory in preparation for their end of year exam. She was
organised and had resources ready for students each lesson. She also attended our Legal Studies Camp to Adelaide
while on her practicum. This was a fantastic learning opportunity for her to see how a two day camp runs and to
see the responsibilities such an activity entails. She also helped to prepare students for their Youth Parliament
speeches in the week leading up to the camp. She helped to plan an assessment task about the camp namely a court
and youth parliament response, which is part of their assessment plan. She also planned an assessment task for
students who did not attend the camp so that their learning needs could be met and differentiated the curriculum to
suit their needs.

CLASSROOMPRACTICE.

Studentsshoulddemonstrateanabilityto:(a)Incorporatearangeofstrategiestocaterfordifferent
U A G VG
needs/learning styles; (b)Engage students; (c) Communicate interest and enthusiasm for the subject; (d) Give clear directions and explanations, and question
pertinently. (e) Work with individual students, small groups (if applicable), and with a full class; (f) Interpret lesson plans flexibly. (f) Select and use a variety of
resources and approaches; (h) Present the lesson effectively, i.e. voice, eye contact, manner, suitable language level.

Lauren used an interactive white board program to teach Legal theory to students. It consisted of a three part
program with a theory, practical and written element to check students understanding of the topics. Legal Studies is
a new subject area for Lauren and the way she prepared for these lessons was commendable. Using the interactive
white board and this particular Legal Studies program helped to cater to a wide variety of learning styles. Direct
teaching, interactive and then cloze questioning and discussion were used to deliver the program. She was clear in
giving directions, and always wandered the room to make sure students were on task, and understood the work set.
She worked with small groups at tables to give explanations when students did not grasp concepts, she also started
whole class discussions on questions students were answering. Lauren also demonstrated her understanding that
teaching students in senior school sometimes requires a different approach in terms of expectations and language to
that used in the Junior School.

KNOWLEDGEOFSUBJECTANDRELEVANTCURRICULA

Studentsshoulddemonstrate:(a)Thoroughknowledgeofsubjectarea;(b)Knowledgeofcurrent
U A G VG O
(c) Ability andAbilityandwillingness
willingness to research additional background knowledge. (d) Knowledge of various teaching approaches, resources, and technologies in
curricula;
currentcurricula
their area.

Although Legal Studies was not a major of Laurens she developed a good understanding on some of the main topics
in the subject area. She was already very interested in the topic and had a background in learning legal studies within
her high school education. She keenly researched and asked questions to clarify her understanding before teaching,
which helped her confidence and skill level greatly. She also practised using the interactive whiteboard program
before lessons which made lessons run smoothly and effectively. Students responded well to the interactive lessons
and learnt a lot of theory from Lauren. She explained definitions and processes well and constantly checked for
understanding of the topics covered. She did this through quizzes, interactive activities and checking over worksheets
to make sure students were correctly answering questions.

LEARNINGENVIRONMENTMANAGEMENTANDDISCIPLINE

Studentsshoulddemonstrateanabilityto:(a)Organiseandmanagetheclassroomtoensure
U A G VG O
a positive, supportive and appropriate climate for learning. (b) Establish and maintain appropriate behaviour management strategies; (c) Develop sound
professional and personal relationships with students. (c) Deal appropriately with minor interruptions; (e) Manage general organisation and administration.

Lauren developed a safe and positive learning environment in the classroom early on. Attending the Legal Studies
Camp to Adelaide (Courts and Youth Parliament) helped her to get to know the students in the class and this helped
with the classroom environment and behaviour management. Lauren made herself available at lunch and after school
for students if they did not understand the theory content or assessment tasks. There were few behaviour management
issues within the classroom as the class was well managed by Lauren. Minor interruptions were dealt with quickly
and quietly to keep students on task.

ASSESSMENTANDREPORTING.

Studentsshoulddemonstrate:(a)Theabilitytodevelopandapplyarangeofassessmentstrategies;
U A G VG O
(b) An understanding of the importance of the clear presentation of assessment criteria to students; (c) The ability to complete marking/grading in a reasonable
time period and report back to students in a clear and supportive way. (d) Appropriate recording procedures; (e) A knowledge of assessment policies, practices and
proformas; (f) An ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning program.

Lauren assessed students following the SACE performance standards for Stage 1 Legal Studies. The assessment
criteria and relevant performance standards were given to students at the beginning of the assessment period and
explained well by her. She spent consultation time with me to develop her skills, checking to see if she was on track
with grades and performance standards. Students appreciated the quick feedback and marking. She was supportive
and clear in her marking, and happy to have a conversation with students around why the grade was given.

GENERALEVALUATION

The Mentor Teacher's evaluation of the general performance of the student teacher during placement.

VG

Undertaking a practicum is daunting enough, let alone moving to the country and a town where everyone is a stranger,
as well as leaving home and living independently. Lauren coped extremely well with all of these challenges. She
showed great maturity, confidence and flexibility in her developing of relationships and learning programmes. She
demonstrated a strong desire to learn, her willingness to ask for and act on advice and her excellent work ethic will
stand her in good stead. She is organised, manages her time well and thinks about what she is teaching and its
purpose. She takes a genuine interest in the students and treats them with respect. They also appreciate that
expectations are made clear and that the classroom is well managed.
Lauren has shown that she has the potential to be an excellent teacher and a valued member of staff. She is motivated,
committed, uses her initiative and possesses both the professional skills and personal qualities to be an effective and
respected teacher. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with her and wish her all the best in gaining employment upon
the completion of her course. We would happily have her back as a member of our staff.
Signed
Date
ClassroomSupervisingTeacher
Signed

Date
SchoolCoordinator/Principal