Sally-Anne Willcox-Smith's ePortfolio

My Professional Statement

My philosophy on teaching and learning draws predominately on sociocultural and behaviourist theories. I believe that children are capable and competent learners and I ensure I have high expectations of all students. I respect and respond positively to diversity and acknowledge that children have a variety of skills and learning styles and benefit from learning experiences that cater to multiple intelligences.  The students I will be teaching are digital natives therefore, I am aware of the importance of integrating ICT’s and ensuring my students are aware of cyber safety. I believe the purpose of teaching in the 21^st century is to work collaboratively with students, parents and the community to give students the process skills of critical thinking, problem solving and deductive reasoning to assist them in becoming life-long learners. Learning and teaching should adopt a holistic view of the child and encompass social, emotional and physical development. I will incorporate smart moves in my classroom to increase student participation in physical activity.  I believe teachers should model and scaffold learning experiences, however still allow students the opportunity to investigate and participate in intellectual risk taking. When planning learning experiences, I will ensure I cater to the diverse range of students and acknowledge the fund of knowledge and cultural capital of each student. I adopt a strengths-based model of teaching and learning and value specific praise and encouragement, as successful positive behaviour management techniques. I support and embrace The Australian Curriculum in all areas of teaching and learning. I ensure my assessment technique is a cyclic process, inclusive of assessment of learning and assessment for learning.

I am committed to establishing and maintaining positive relationships with students, parents, the community and my peers as it enables me to understand and respond appropriately to my student’s needs. As mentioned, I base my practice framework on a sociocultural perspective and this theory supports the importance of family and cultural influence on child development. By establishing a mutually respectful relationship with parents, it ensures I can develop learning experiences that are meaningful to individual children, as well as having current knowledge of their home life. I will create a classroom culture that is safe and supportive and I believe successful classrooms have established routines and expectations that are co-constructed by the students, teacher and parent. I will be an active member of the schooling community, as I value the importance of collegial relationships, as it allows me to engage in peer review of my own practice and align my own teaching and learning with whole school priorities.

Through my experiences completing the Ba of Education and the Ba of Child and Family studies, I recognise the importance of critical reflection. I believe teachers need to reflect constantly and engage in professional development opportunities.  As a pre-service teacher, I utilise reflection tools such as the 5R’s framework and The Macfarlane, Nobel and Cartmel Circles Of Change, as it assists me to identify exactly what needs improving in my practice. I believe that teachers must engage in ongoing professional renewal, to ensure they are up to date with the ever changing globalised world in which we live. The priorities in regards to children’s education will continue to change and adapt and as a professional, I am willing to learn and respond to these changes.