Standard 6.3
Standard 6
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
'Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.'
I regularly seek the feedback and constructive criticism from my supervisors and mentor teachers in order to improve my teaching practices. This has come in the form of verbal feedback and written feedback. Feedback helps to ‘reduce the discrepancy between current understandings and what is desired’ (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). An example of written feedback can be seen in the report pictured. I have benefitted greatly from the input of the six mentor teachers I have had over my degree, receiving feedback from teachers that employ different teaching styles and as such have different points of view. My mentor teachers, supervisors, principals, professors and other teachers in my practicum schools have provided a rich breadth of experience that I actively draw from by asking questions and seeking feedback which are crucial tools to help improve my practice (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Feedback is one of the Assessment Principles in the Western Australian Curriculum and is a crucial part of helping students improve their work (SCSA, 2014).
During a practicum in a Year 6 class, I had a fellow pre-service teacher record my teaching for my own reflection- a useful process for all teachers (Larrivee, 2008). This allowed me to look back on my practices and critique myself, combining this with the feedback I received from my superiors. This gave me a starting point in making changes in my verbal and non-verbal communication, and helped me to improve the focus and clarity when articulating learning goals in my lessons. This reflection helps me to look back on past experiences, think about current situations, and plan future actions to continue to develop and grow as a mindful and effective teacher, using my reflective learning journal as an inspiration for growth (Thorpe, 2004). Critical reflection involves the ‘conscious consideration’ of teaching practice and prevents teachers from being ‘trapped’ in unchallenged judgements and interpretations (Larrivee, 2000). I think it is important to be challenged by colleagues and superiors in order to be in a state of constant growth and learning, and being self reflective is a key to expert teaching (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1998).
References
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of educational research, 77(1), 81-112.
Larrivee, B. (2000). Transforming teaching practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective practice, 1(3), 293-307.
Larrivee, B. (2008). Development of a tool to assess teachers’ level of reflective practice. Reflective practice, 9(3), 341-360.
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.). (1998). Self-regulated learning: From teaching to self-reflective practice. Guilford Press.
Western Australian Curriculum. (2014). K10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au. Retrieved 18 October 2016, from http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/p-10-curriculum/curriculum-browser/english-v8
TED,. (2013). Bill Gates: Teachers need real feedback. YouTube. Retrieved 21 October 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Ub0SMxZQo
Thorpe, K. (2004). Reflective learning journals: From concept to practice.Reflective practice, 5(3), 327-343.
Written feedback helps me to develop and improve my practice.
