• Critically evaluate in relation to teaching practice relevant contemporary knowledge about pedagogical practice for relevant curriculum specialty learning area(s)
• Critically evaluate in relation to practice teaching approaches, learning, assessment activities and the skills necessary in application for effective teaching, including curriculum specialist learning area(s)
• Critically reflect on the application of contemporary pedagogical approaches in curriculum area, and with peers, collaboratively devise and coordinate solutions applied in teaching practice
• Critically reflect on teaching approaches, learning, assessment activities in a variety of curriculum and educational contexts
• Identify and critically self-evaluate the range and depth of pedagogical knowledge, learning and capability, including subject specific content knowledge in the context of teaching practice
• Critically review their own learning to identify its significance, and potential for transformation of teaching practice and identify actions with the potential to improve future practice
• Develop collaborative professional relationships and communicate effectively in education environments to implement learner-focused solutions

1.X Portfolio Reflection

You will need to include evidence from your portfolio in which you critically evaluate the skills that your learners need for effective learning, the knowledge that your learners need for success, and teaching approaches, learning experiences, learner assessment activities and the teaching skills necessary to create learner-focused solutions within your curriculum specialty area. These portfolio excerpts should include examples of your teaching approaches, student responses and assessment activities relating to the identified skills. You will then evaluate your existing knowledge and capabilities of how to develop these skills, knowledge, and solutions within learners in the context of your teaching practice in your curriculum area. This evaluation needs to be supported by current research. Finally, you will demonstrate the development of your own learning progression with regards to the skills, and knowledge your learners need, as well as how you have implemented learner-focused solutions - how have your thoughts changed through this reflective process?

1.1 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: We really like the way you have explored this subject by sharing your own professional experience and then applying it to your subject. You have included some excellent critique around the relevance of important skills for your subject area, it would have been great to apply a similar critique to your practical experience. You did look into why the groups did not work that well on your second implementation of the activity, this was an opportunity to dig a bit deeper beyond the chance that they did not know or like each other - what were their cultural backgrounds, did this influence how they interacted, what supports could you have put in place to encourage better collaboration in relation to relevant cultural and professional knowledge. Overall you have really shown a well-considered approach to the skills your learners need, and the use of your reflective portfolio really emphasizes your own critical reflection, well done Jess - keep up the awesome work!

1.2 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jessica. You identify your bias for an “I do, you do” teaching style and your report provides reflection on your development of a flipped classroom and how this has expanded your pedagogical knowledge. You have also reflected on how you have introduced Māori concepts to your internal assessments. You have demonstrated a good understanding of how these reflections link to the subject curriculum and Graduating teacher standards. You state that you asked for feedback from you learners and it would have been good to include examples of student feedback from your portfolio. It would have benefited your report to have included a wider range of pedagogical literature and resources.

1.3 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jessica, you utilise multiple extracts from your portfolio to demonstrate the shift in your practice over the course of the year from a unidirectional approach to a more collaborative, student centred model with opportunities to self-select based on interest. You make links to the research of Carol Ann Tomlinson and how you have tried differentiation. However, you don’t critically evaluate the various strategies you discuss and this submission could be improved with more specific reflections on the impact of these changes on student outcomes. It is implicit that you are critically reflecting but you need to make this more obvious in future submissions. It was interesting to read about the strategies you are using in your classroom, ka pai to mahi!

2.X Feedback Reflection

You will need to include feedback from your lesson observations and your reflections in which you critically evaluate the skills that you need for effective teaching, key pedagogical knowledge, and key teaching approaches, learning, assessment activities within your curriculum specialty area. This evaluation needs to be supported by relevant cultural and professional knowledge. Your submission should include examples of your teaching approaches, student feedback and assessment activities relating to your own learning of the identified skills you need, key pedagogical knowledge, and key teaching approaches, learning, assessment activities for effective teaching. You will then develop and reflect on your plan to improve your professional practice within this identified area which will include curriculum specific teaching, learning and assessment activities.

2.1 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jessica and thank you for your submission. This was a very good reflective piece of writing. As you identified, a teacher’s job is a highly complex one and there are many aspects to focus on for further development. What we liked about this reflection is that you selected core aspects of practice to focus this reflection on based on feedback given to you from your mentors and LAA. Your reflection described the feedback given and proposed specific actions to to address the identified areas for improvement - which were informed by a range of relevant literature and specifically related to your curriculum area - nice work! A great critical approach to the reflective process. Through this approach you will gain key insight that will result in you being a more effective practitioner. Keep up that focus on cultural knowledge/responsiveness. You have made a great start, further reading and connecting to ‘experts’ (professionally and personally) will continue to inform this area and will give you key insight that can be applied to all your students. Keep up the great work!

2.2 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jess! You reflect on several different types of feedback when discussing the importance of questioning in the classroom. You have considered the existing knowledge of your students and their needs and literature including Ka hikitia and the GTS and reflect on how this knowledge has helped you improve your practice around questioning. In particular, how to support students when they have many questions in an assessment situation. I enjoyed reading your submission as it was specific and critically reflective in developing a plan to improve your questioning skills.

2.3 Formative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jessica, this submission clearly outlines how you have taken feedback from your mentors on board. From this feedback, you have demonstrated that you could improve learning outcomes through differentiation - and not just focusing on the middle of the class. We like that you have come to the realisation that the top of the class needs extension as much as the bottom. You have infused literature cohesively to support your arguments. You have identified for future planning that not all learners are the same, and, that you need to include prior knowledge into your planning for the unit. You have also mentioned the need to use learners to support. To strengthen this assessment including more detail about the unit plan that you have developed to identify areas of change. This would further explain how you will continue to develop your teaching and learning strategies through content specific examples.

1.4 & 2.4 Portfolio & Feedback Reflection

1.4 & 2.4 Summative Assessment

Marker's Notes: Kia ora Jessica. Your report is coherent andthoughtful and clearly articulates a transformational year in the classroom. You have made a concerted effort to meet certain criteria and where you have done this is clear. Your discussion also makes reference to additional criteria in what is a convincing and synthesized analysis of your year. In your discussion of professional collaboration for example, you also mention the development of learning and assessment activities and further consider opportunities for transformation in your reflection and in looking forward to next year.