18071434 Assessment One Jarod Leis

Appraise the importance of each of the following foundation concepts to the daily work of
Australian teachers:
 Teacher professionalism, incl. Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
(APST)
 Curriculum, incl. Australian national curriculum
 Pedagogy, incl. NSW Quality Teaching model
 Assessment, incl. National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy
(NAPLAN)

The importance of the four concepts to the daily work of Australian teachers are highly
significant as they act as a guideline to present and future teachers. The professionalism of
teachers includes possessing knowledge, skills and the ability to apply these in a wide variety
of scenarios. The role of the curriculum is to raise and guide successful learners who are
informed about specific content and themes. Pedagogy is particularly crucial to the daily
work of Australian teachers as it investigates what students should expect in a teacher and
also what makes a quality teacher. Finally, assessment is significant as it allows teachers to
obtain knowledge of their students in order to determine areas of their study which may
further need improving.

Example A – Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

The first foundation concept to take into consideration is teacher professionalism and in
particular the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). The term teacher
professionalism can be defined as “manifesting itself in teacher educators’ actions and
behaviours in practice” (Vanassche & Kelchtermans,2014, p.118). Actions and behaviours in
practice are crucial concepts that create a professional teacher and it was for this reason that a
set of national standards were produced by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership (AITSL). Nelson (2013) describes the purpose of the APST as a document that
will have continuous engagement with both teachers and educators and will produce an
ongoing conversation about what creates quality instruction. The document highlights three
domains of teaching which are “Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and
Professional Engagement” (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, p.3). The
importance of each of these three domains are significant and is an essential requirement for
all teachers. Professional knowledge encompasses knowing the students and also knowing
the best method they learn. Professional Practice involves effective planning skills along with
creating a safe and productive learning environment. The last domain focusses more on
external engagement as it involves members of the community and colleagues along with

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complying with ethical standards. Henderson and Jarvis (2016) combine these three domains
and also Nelsons (2013) idea of “continuous engagement” to state that once a teacher has the
knowledge and skills that they are able to continuously learn. Through continuously learning
teachers can therefore adapt their practice to suit any environment. Ultimately,
professionalism and the APST are an important foundation concept in the daily work of
Australian teachers.

Example B – Curriculum, incl. Australian National Curriculum

Curriculum is also a significant concept to the daily work of teachers and in particular the
Australian National Curriculum however, its implication nationwide needs improvement. The
concept of curriculum can be defined by Egan (1978) as a “study of any and all educational
phenomena. It may draw on any external discipline for methodological help but does not
allow the methodology to determine inquiry” (p.71). The Australian National Curriculum
was designed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
and Egan’s definition parallels with ACARA’s aims of having a set of standards and learning
outcomes that are consistent and endeavour to improve the current generation of learners.
The Australian Curriculum contains content from the majority of units that are offered from
K-12. The Curriculum acts as a framework for each state to follow as they each have their
own separate curriculum and syllabus. The goals are clear for the national curriculum
however its achievement and it being undertaken nationwide is less apparent due to the
inequalities between urban and rural schools. Drummond (2012) notes down some of these
inequalities which include further distance to travel which results in difficulty in obtaining
staff and also the significant cost that comes with reimbursing travel expenses (p.74). Due to
these inequalities in order for the curriculum and its standards to be achieved to its absolute
potential a larger focus has to be on promoting rural education. The importance of the
curriculum partners well with the APST as it develops quality teachers that cater for students
of all abilities and diverse backgrounds.

Example C – Pedagogy, incl. NSW Quality Teaching model

The foundational concept of Pedagogy involves the method and practice of teaching and the
NSW Quality Teaching Model contains information regarding how this can be applied within
schools. Pedagogy combines both professionalism and curriculum as it endeavours to sculpt
lessons that combine both content with student needs. A study in Brazil of the impact of

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structured teaching methods was compared to unstructured teaching methods and the findings
was that “more accumulated exposure to the methods obtained greater added value
proficiency in math” (Leme et.al., 2012,p. 859). The findings of this study demonstrates that
structure is needed within education however, as discussed through the NSW Quality
Teaching Model there is a wide variety of factors which makes up quality teaching. The
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) produced the NSW Quality Teaching Model
(2003) which incorporates three dimensions that contribute towards pedagogy which are
“Intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significance” (p.3). The term quality
teaching can be perceived as being “a concept of multiple facets centred on learning,
enthusiasm, interaction and student engagement, communications and practical relevance”
(Smimou & Dahl, p.22). Discussed by Wilson and Powell (2013) the teaching model aims to
increase motivation, engagement and interest without undermining the three dimensions of
the teaching model. The three dimensions are further expanded with six separate sub-
branches which narrows the focus for improvement. An example of this could be the level of
engagement of the class in comparison to the level of students’ self-regulation. Both of these
sub-branches are connected with Quality learning environment however have to be
approached differently. Pedagogy and the NSW Quality Teaching Model endeavour to
provide method and practice and also focus on structure within a classroom.

Example D – Assessment, incl. National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy

(NAPLAN)

The fourth foundational concept of Assessment is used by teachers in order to gain an

understanding on the knowledge of students along with providing feedback on how they can
improve. Assessment can be used for a wide variety of scenarios such as judging the
effectiveness of an educational program, certification and evaluation of students and reaching
their learning outcomes (Portelli, p.71). The National Assessment Program – Literacy and
Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for all students in grade three, five, seven and
nine. NAPLAN focusses on the basic skills of reading, writing spelling, grammar and
punctuation. Lingard (2010) mentions that the NAPLAN presence in schools displays “the
strengthened national presence in schooling” (p.130). These tests are not related to content
that is studied within the curriculum and syllabus however, it is used as a measure to compare
the nations numeracy and literacy skills against other countries. Unfortunately, the NAPLAN
results garner a large amount of media coverage due to the results of the schools being
published online. The importance of assessment is significant as it can highlight to both a

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student and a teacher some learning difficulties that are present. However, results that are
generated from standardised tests like NAPLAN should not be compared to previous results
and do not provide a complete accurate representation of all students as learning difficulties
and language difficulties are not taken into account.

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Evaluate the interrelationship between curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in addressing

the learning needs of one of the following groups:
• Gifted and talented students
• Indigenous students
• Students from a Non-English Speaking Background

Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment interrelate with each other significantly and this can be
seen in relation to gifted and talented students however further development is needed. The
curriculum provides a benchmark that students should strive towards and has requirements on
achieving poor and high quality results. A high quality pedagogy enables teachers to develop
the best ideal teaching method for not just gifted and talented students but students of all
levels of intelligence. Assessment is also important as it is a measure that can identify gifted
and talented students and also can be used to further test and increase their development.

Example A – Curriculum

Gifted and talented students benefit from the curriculum as it sets the standards to achieve at
different levels ranging from low to high. The curriculum and the syllabus covers content of
all six stages of school grading and expectations are outlined and are expected to be achieved
upon moving on to the next stage. This system is particularly beneficial to gifted and talented
students as if they are already exceeding their stage development teachers could implement
content from the next stage. An example from the Syllabus Outcomes and Content Mapping
Grids stage one from NESA (2012) states that a student studying science in stage one and
could confidently “describe some sources of light and sound that they sense in their daily
lives” (p.2) is meeting the expected knowledge and understanding. However, if the teacher
identifies that the student is exceeding this knowledge and understanding they may instruct
them to instead focus on the Syllabus Outcomes and Content Mapping Grids stage two
(2012) “identifying ways heat is produced and that heat moves from one object to another”
(p.3). Although this is an example of how Syllabus could be used to promote further learning
whether it exists within schools is a different argument. Studies exist that show gifted
students find working with the curriculum not challenging. Little (2012) states that “much of
the school curriculum is designed to articulate intended outcomes for “typical” learners of a
given age and grade level” (p.696). This can create an non challenging learning environment
for gifted students which does not offer opportunities for increased learning. Further
encouragement should be emphasised on widening the curriculum for both gifted and non-
gifted students in an attempt to continuously challenge and further the development of all

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students. Where curriculum may lack in providing challenging content for gifted and talented
students can be alleviated by implementing assessments that can challenge the thinking of
these students. These assessments can be altered so that there is an increased challenge for
gifted and talented students.

Example B – Pedagogy

An effective pedagogy is crucial to furthering the education of gifted and talented students
through a teacher’s ability to adapt their teaching methods. Teachers play a crucial role in
getting the best out of their students and this can come in the form of the teaching methods
that teachers practice. Students learn in different ways and an example of this would be that
some students are more visual learners whilst others prefer brainstorming and group projects.
Nash & Phillips (1927) in their case study use three methods of teaching: pupil method,
combination method and instructor method. Pupil method is self-taught and an unlimited
freedom as to how little or how much study is to be done. Combination method uses
recitation as a method of teaching and has a combination of demonstration and lectures. The
instructor method includes no recital and the instructor did all the work whilst the student
took notes. Ultimately it was the instructor method that proved to be the most effective in
results on average. What this result demonstrates is that a teacher’s guidance and their
pedagogy is needed in order for students to achieve higher results. Different subjects require
various multimedia which naturally may result in different teaching methods having to be
undertaken. For highly gifted and talented students a teacher should endeavour to identify
how they learn the best and continue to expand it. Schools can also structure their classes into
bands of difficulty so that way students who are highly gifted and talented are in an
environment with similar learning capabilities. This could further encourage student learning
and development. Curriculum and syllabus requirements can be fast tracked within gifted and
talented classrooms as once a teacher identifies their class has mastered the concept in their
relevant stage they could incorporate work from another stage.

Example C – Assessment

Assessment is also an important factor in addressing the learning needs of gifted and talented
students as it identifies these students and also can be used to further develop their
knowledge. Assessment can be presented in numerous forms such as an in class test and an
external test such as the NAPLAN. Feedback on these assessments can highlight student’s

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strengths and weaknesses. NAPLAN particularly focusses on basic skills of reading and
writing and can be a great indicator in identifying gifted and talented students or students
who are close to that definition and just needs improvement in one or two areas. Pedagogy
can be intertwined within assessment in relation to separating and grading classrooms into
bands of difficulty with the gifted and talented students being place in the higher class. In
these classrooms the in school assignments can be altered to best suit the skill of the
knowledge of the students. Changing a question from ‘describe’ to ‘evaluate’ is one example
of this however this can be applied through tests and also general class work. Classrooms
would have to be banded for this to work otherwise assessments would have to remain the
same to provide a level of consistency throughout the classroom in regards to grading and
marking.

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Reference List

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers / Organisation of the Australian Professional Standards
for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-
resources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf

Drummond, A. (2012). The Australian Curriculum: excellence or equity. A rural

perspective, Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 22 (3), 73-85.
Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=084540346613329
;res=IELIND

Egan, K. (1978). What is Curriculum? Curriculum Inquiry, 8 (1), 65-72. Doi:

10.1080/03626784.1978.11075558

Henderson, L., & Jarvis, J. (2016). The gifted dimension of the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers: Implications for professional learning. Australian
Journal of Teacher Education, 41 (8), 60-83. Retrieved from
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;res=IELAPA>

Leme, MC., & Louzano, P, Ponczek, V & Souza, AP. (2012). The impact of
structured teaching methods on the quality of education in Brazil, Economic of Education
Review, 31 (1), 850-860. doi: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.05.008

Lingard, B. (2013). Politics, Policies and Pedagogies in Education. Oxon, England:

Routledge.

Little, CA. (2012). Curriculum as motivation for gifted students. Psychology In The
Schools, 49 (7), 695-705. Doi: 10.1002/pits.21621

Nash, HB., & Phillips, MJW. (1927). A study of the relative value of three methods of
teaching high-school chemistry, The Journal of Educational Research, 15 (5), 371-379.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27523489

Nelson, J. (2013). The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: are they the
best drivers?. Australian Educational Leader, 35 (4), 21-23.

NSW Department of Education and Training. (2003). Quality teaching in NSW Public
schools/ A classroom practice guide. Retrieved from http://web1.muirfield-
h.schools.nsw.edu.au/technology/Programs/Template/Quality%20Teaching%20Guide.pdf

NSW Department of Education and Training. (2012). Science K-10 (incorporating

Science and Technology K-6) Syllabus Outcomes and Content Mapping Grids Stage One.
Retrieved from http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/sci_asm1_s1.pdf

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NSW Department of Education and Training. (2012). Science K-10 (incorporating

Science and Technology K-6) Syllabus Outcomes and Content Mapping Grids Stage Two.
Retrieved from http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/sci_asm1_s2.pdf

Portelli, L., & O’Sullivan, KA. (2016). Teachers’ Perceptions of the Influence of
Assessment on their Teaching of Year 9 English. English In Australia, 51 (1), 71-80.
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;res=IELAPA

Smimou, K., & Dahl, DW. (2012). On the relationship between students’ perceptions
of teaching quality, methods of assessment, and satisfaction. Journal of Education for
Business, 87 (1), 22-35. doi: 10.1080/08832323.2010.550339

Vanassche, E., & Kelchtermans, G. (2014). Teachers educators’ professionalism in

practice: Positioning theory and personal interpretative framework. Teaching and Teacher
Education, 44 (1), 117-127. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2014.08.006