Foundations of Teaching Exam Notes

Foundations of Teaching Exam Notes

Learning Outcomes

• Become familiar with key ideas about teaching and education.

• Understand your role as a future teacher.

• Recognise the characteristics of effective classroom teachers.

• Appreciate the importance of reflective practice.

Implications of Fear, Threat, and Anxiety

• Hooks (2001, p. 93): "Fear is the primary force upholding structures of domination… When we are taught that safety lies always with sameness, then difference of any kind, will appear as a threat."

• Threat: Brain and nervous system react (fight/flight).

• Fear: Conscious feeling of real or perceived threat; danger to my sense of self.

• Anxiety: Conscious feeling of a threat that is less identifiable and occurrence less predictable - expectation more than fact, can be imagined with low likelihood of it occurring (Low, 2024).

• What helps:

  • Conscious breathing

  • Conscious bodily movement

  • Mindfulness meditation

  • Cognitive reframing

  • Compassionate communities

Role of the Teacher

• Joyce, Weil & Calhoun (2004, p. 7): Successful teachers are not simply charismatic and persuasive; they engage students in robust cognitive and social tasks and teach them how to use them productively.

• Effective learners draw information, ideas, and wisdom from their teachers and use learning resources effectively.

• A major role in teaching is to create powerful learners.

Mindful Moment: What Makes an Effective Teacher?

• Think of one word that communicates your understanding of what makes an effective teacher.

• Reflect on why you chose this word.

The Complexity of Teaching

• Teaching is complex and multifaceted (Reference to ABC Education article).

What is a Teacher? What is a Teacher Supposed to Do?

• Use the KWL (Know, Want to know, Learned) framework.

• Reference to Covey’s habits of highly effective people and Sir Ken Robinson’s "Changing Education Paradigms".

Research Findings

• Hattie (2011): “It is what teachers know, do, and care about which, second to the student themselves, has the greatest impact on student achievement.”

• Professional Standards for Teachers.

Implications for You as a Teacher

• Killen (2009): “Good teaching is no longer about helping students to accumulate knowledge that is passed on to them by the teacher; it is about helping students to make sense of new information…, to integrate new information with their existing ideas, to be aware of their thinking and learning processes and to apply their new understandings in meaningful and relevant ways.”

Professional Identity

• Reference: Churchill, R. (2022). Teaching making a difference (5th ed.)

Teacher & Teaching Quality

• Research endorses that student achievement is influenced most by a great teacher.

• Teacher quality and teaching quality are inseparable.

• Teacher quality comprises:

  • Your identity as a teacher

  • Your knowledge and ability to develop skills in pedagogy, content, and theory

  • Your ability to plan for the learning of all students

Integrating Identity

• How is a teacher like…

  • An artist?

  • A gardener?

  • A lighthouse?

  • A doctor?

  • A tour guide?

  • An orchestra conductor?

  • A jazz musician?

• Identity, action, beliefs, response, reflection, awareness, noticing.

• Teacher identity is strongly shaped by the ‘story of teaching’ both the teacher’s own stories and those of colleagues, peers, and mentors.

• Sharing stories is important for developing teacher identity.

Integrating Identity (continued)

• The working lives of teachers are in perpetual motion between:

  • Teachers and learners (the who)

  • Subject matter (the what)

  • Instructional methods (the how)

• Interactions between these components lead to transformation of beliefs, knowledge, and practice.

Teacher & Teaching Quality (continued)

• Quality teaching is the most important variable in determining student achievement.

• Teaching quality is dependent on:

  • Personalising learning within a supportive environment

  • Implementing relevant curriculum

  • Monitoring and evaluating student learning

Something to Ponder

• (Prompt for reflection)

Mindfulness Exercise

• Engages awareness and presence, important for teaching and learning.

Sisyphus & Education

• Reflects on the repetitive, sometimes challenging nature of teaching.

• Implication: Teachers must find meaning and purpose in ongoing efforts.

Changing Role of Teaching (Killen, 2009)

• Good teaching: Not just passing on knowledge, but helping students:

  • Make sense of new info

  • Integrate with existing ideas

  • Be aware of their thinking/learning

  • Apply understanding meaningfully

Teacher & Teaching Quality

• Student achievement is most influenced by great teachers.

• Teacher quality and teaching quality are inseparable.

• Teacher quality includes:

  • Teacher identity

  • Pedagogical/content/theoretical knowledge and skills

  • Planning for all learners

Integrating Identity

• Teachers are like: artist, gardener, lighthouse, doctor, tour guide, conductor, jazz musician, chef. Key components: Identity, action, beliefs, response, reflection, awareness, noticing.

• Teacher identity shaped by personal and shared stories.

• Sharing stories helps develop teacher identity.

Perpetual Motion in Teaching

• Teachers move between:

  • Teachers & learners (who)

  • Subject matter (what)

  • Instructional methods (how)

• Interactions transform beliefs, knowledge, and practice.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

• Emphasized learning by doing.

• Children are active, inquisitive, and learn through interaction.

• Learning is social and cooperative.

Personal Beliefs

• Reflect on beliefs about being a teacher, children, teaching, learning, and schools.

Workshop Focus

• Key ideas about learning

• Learning theories

• Classroom implications

What is Learning?

• Both a product and a process.

• What is taught ≠ what is learned.

• Students bring diverse experiences/skills.

• Learning influenced by tools and implicit beliefs (Claxton, 1999).

Domains of Learning

• Reference: Churchill et al. (2025)

Learning & the Brain

• Learning changes the brain physically.

• Memories are encoded by physical changes.

• Brain is moulded by experience throughout life.

• Analogy: Brain as a field of tall grass; repeated learning creates easier pathways.

Mindsets: Fixed vs Growth

• Growth mindset: Challenges are opportunities (e.g., MrBeast example).

Teaching for How Students Learn

• Reference: AERO model (edresearch.edu.au)

• Teaching must align with how students learn.

Theoretical Perspectives on Learning

 * Behaviourist
 * Cognitive
 * Humanistic ("Ubuntu")
 * Constructivist
 * Social/situational

Cognitive Development Theories

 * Cognitive: Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner
 * Transfer of learning, prior knowledge, metacognition, learning styles
 * Direct instruction, discovery learning
 * Sociocultural Constructivist: Vygotsky, Piaget, Bandura
 * Social influence, context, ZPD, cooperative/scaffolded/peer learning
 * Social/Emotional/Moral: Erikson, Kohlberg
 * Identity, morality, resilience, independence, moral dilemmas

Social Learning Theory (Bandura)

• Learning shaped by environment, behaviour, and personal characteristics (triadic reciprocity).

Cultural Knowledge Systems & Learning

• Reference: Dr Tyson Yunkaporta (2009)

Learning Revolution (Sir Ken Robinson)

• Education needs a revolution, not just reform.

• Challenge conformity; education should be organic, not industrial.

• Create conditions for children to flourish.

• Diversity of talent and authentic selfknowledge are vital.

Maslow & Rogers: Focus on Student Needs

• Individuals have vast resources for selfunderstanding and change.

• Teachers can help by providing a facilitative psychological climate (Rogers, 1980).

Learning & Teaching Analogy

• Compared to a box of pencils: variety, potential, tools for creativity.

Reflection

• Something to ponder and an exit card to conclude.

Introduction

• Focus: Motivating students and understanding the role of motivation in learning.

• Review of Previous Weeks:

  • Week 1: What does it mean to be a teacher?

  • Week 2: Learning

This Week’s Workshop Objectives

 * Describe contemporary perspectives and issues related to 21stcentury learners.
 * Understand the term ‘motivation’ in relation to theoretical perspectives and research.
 * Describe the importance of motivation in learning and school environments.

Personal Reflection

• Questions to Consider:

  • What motivates you to learn?

Key Idea

• Motivated students generally have higher academic success, fewer behavioural problems, and more positive relationships with school.

Understanding and Motivating Students

• Why don’t kids learn?

• Quote:

  • “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.” – Rita Pierson

Motivation

• A process linking emotion to action.

• The emotional part of the brain energises or limits motivation.

Glasser’s Theory

• All behaviour is purposeful and made up of four components:

  • Acting

  • Thinking

  • Feeling

  • Physiology

What Motivates?

• Education with Purpose

Why is Purpose Important?

 * Provides direction and meaning in education.
 * Increases engagement and motivation.
 * Shows relevance to students’ lives, leading to deeper understanding and retention.
 * Develops critical thinking and reallife application skills.
 * (Gavin McCormack)

How to Make Learning Purposeful

 * A.R.C.S. Model (John Keller):
  * Attention
  * Relevance
  * Confidence
  * Satisfaction

Key Question

• How do we foster motivation?

What Happens When Learning Becomes Real?

• Learning Theories & Motivation

Interest (Intrinsic)

• Motivation from within, based on curiosity or enjoyment.

Goal Orientation

• Motivation driven by goals (self/taskfocused or ego/otherfocused).

• Climate: mastery (improving skills) vs. performance (demonstrating ability).

• Perceived ability: high/low.

Self-Efficacy

• Belief in one’s capability to succeed at specific tasks.

• Task/goalspecific confidence.

• Affects choice, persistence, and response to failure.

Attribution

• How students explain successes or failures (locus, stability, control).

Motivation

• Drive, effort, emotions.

• Can be situational or individual.

The Importance of Failure in Schools

Encouraging Self-Efficacy Strategies & Examples:

Student Agency

• AiTSL Illustrations of Practice:

  • Observe strategies used to motivate learners.

  • Consider how these strategies support students.

  • Reflect on the impact on students.

Classroom Environments

• Where to Start?

  • Constructing a learning community.

• End of Study Notes – Week 3

Workshop Outcomes

 * Understand principles for effective learning environments.
 * Describe key sociocultural factors and policies for safe, supportive, inclusive, and culturally sensitive classrooms.
 * Discuss ideas for challenging and engaging learning environments.
 * Identify pedagogical approaches to foster effective learning environments.

Clarifying Ideas About Discipline

 1. How should students behave at school?
 2. What is bad about misbehaviour?
 3. Why do students misbehave even when they know they shouldn’t?
 4. What is positive discipline?
 5. Does teaching method affect behaviour?
 6. Does the physical environment affect behaviour?
 7. Does the psychological environment affect behaviour?
 8. How can you help students work collaboratively?
 9. What role can parents play in discipline?
 10. What should you do when students misbehave?

Building Positive Relationships

 * Greeting students at the door helps build belonging and reduces poor behaviour.
 * Teacherstudent relationships are critical for a positive classroom climate.
 * People who care about each other greet each other.

Haim Ginott’s Perspective

 * The teacher is the decisive element in the classroom.
 * The teacher’s approach and mood set the classroom climate.
 * Teachers have the power to make students’ lives miserable or joyous.
 * The teacher’s response determines whether a crisis escalates or deescalates.

Educational Psychology Theories

 * Behavioural
 * Cognitive
 * Sociocultural (constructivism)
 * Humanistic
 * Understanding these helps explain and justify teaching methods and manage student behaviour.

Factors Influencing Learning

 * Learners
 * Teaching (pedagogy & instruction)
 * Praxis & Nexus

Effective Learning Environments

    Consider different behaviour approaches:
         * Behaviourism
         * Cognitive
         * Democratic
    Use proactive rather than reactive responses.

Behaviour Management Techniques

 * Preventive
 * Supportive
 * Corrective

Jacob Kounan’s Advice

 * Avoid:
  * Flipflops and dangles (teacher interruptions)
  * Adding teaching points while packing up
  * Midtask interruptions or sudden changes of plan
  * Stopping everyone because a group is inattentive
  * Assigning overly small lesson elements
  * Interrupting students who want to finish work before handing it in

Rights, Rules & Consequences

 * Focus on responsibility to avoid management problems.
 * Consider classroom climate as an indicator of management skills.

Climate Questions

 * Are students working and conferring?
 * Are they completing tasks or roaming aimlessly?
 * Are students scared to move, or selfreliant?
 * Are they working for rewards?
 * Are any isolated for misbehaving?

The Key to Classroom Management

 * Teacherstudent relationships are crucial, along with rules, procedures, and behaviour interventions.
 * Communication is key: show genuine interest in students as individuals and as a class.
 * Effective classroom management involves preparation, motivation, safety, and student agency.
 * Recognize that everyone is different:
  * Teaching styles
  * Personality/attributes
  * Context
 * No single strategy fits all situations

Week 5

 * Curriculum
 * Rita Tenorio – Rethinking Schools
 * Curriculum is everything that happens, not just books and lesson plans.
 * Includes relationships, attitudes, feelings, interactions.
 * If kids feel safe, inspired, and motivated, they learn important and positive things.
 * If these elements are missing, students still learn, but not necessarily what is intended.

Workshop Learning Outcomes

 * Part 1: Week 5
  * Explore the notion of curriculum
  * Look at models of curriculum
  * Explore learning cycles
 * Part 2: Week 6
  * Unpack and understand the APTS

Our Curriculum

 * Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
 * The Australian Curriculum
 * NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
 * The Australian Curriculum
 * NESA Syllabuses

Pedagogical views of curriculum

 * Pedagogical views of curriculum: the teacher
 * The teacher brings the curriculum to life (Pedagogy).
 * Teachers act as researchers, making judgments, decisions, evaluating, and reflecting.
 * Teachers may interpret and enact the written syllabus differently due to their world views, experiences, and values.
 * Questions to consider:
  * How do teachers make curriculum decisions?
  * How have you seen these decisions made in school experiences?
  * How might your own teachers have made these decisions?

Pedagogical views: the subject matter

 * Teachers use professional judgment, considering learners’ prior knowledge, context, and appropriate pedagogies.
 * Questions:
  * How do teachers decide on subject matter?
  * What advice have you seen or been given?
  * How might perspectives change over time?
 * Examples:
  * Enduring subject matter (e.g., adding numbers)
  * Subject matter that has disappeared (e.g., gendered skills like cooking/sewing for girls, trades for boys).
 * Teachers should match curriculum to student needs and lives; relates to motivation.

Curriculum as lived experience

 * Learners need to feel safe, inspired, and motivated.
 * Think: High Cognition, High Affect, High Opportunity (Head, Heart, Hands).
 * These are foundational for learning.

Curriculum as lived experience.

* What matters? The hidden curriculum Learning cycle

Outcomesfocused curriculum

 * KUD (Know, Understand, Do)
 * Explicit
 * Decisions

Is it all just futile?

* What is taught ≠ what is learned.
* Teaching does not guarantee learning.
* More than just facts

How to escape education’s death valley

• Pasi Sahlberg

• Phil Lambert – Curriculum Expert to the OECD Education 2030 Learning Framework project Quality learning informed by success criteria & explicit learning goals

• Play the first illustration:
  https://www.aitsl.edu.au/toolsresources/resource/usingsuccesscriteriaillustrationofpractice

• Consider benefits of explicit success criteria. Questioning techniques to support critical and creative thinking.

• Strategies for collecting formative assessment data.

Week 6 APST

• 5 Minute Meditation for Gratitude

• This Week in the News: Standard 4

• Students prefer teachers with strong classroom management skills.

• Key focus areas:

• 4. 1 Support student participation

• 4. 2 Manage classroom activities

• 4. 3 Manage challenging behaviour

• 4. 4 Maintain student safety

• 4. 5 Use ICT safely, responsibly, and ethically
  Accreditation in NSW

• NSW Teacher Accreditation overview.

• Video provides a highlevel snapshot for new and existing teachers.

• NSW Education Standards Authority.

Week 7

• Pedagogy and Classroom Practice

• Workshop Learning Goals

• Identify beliefs that inform and impact classroom practice

• Familiarise with key pedagogies

• Acknowledge the impact of the physical environment and the need for supportive classroom environments

• Understand dialogic pedagogy and frame questions for different dispositional thinking

• Learn classroom strategies

• Introduction to Pedagogy

• Pedagogy: Often called the ‘art of teaching’
  Effective Practice: Requires integration of subject knowledge (‘what’) and pedagogy (‘how’)

• Teacher Identity: Shaped by personal and professional experiences and theorising of practice

• SelfKnowledge: Essential to knowing your students and your subject (Palmer, 2007)

• Noticing: Helps shape teacher identity
  Integrating Identity

• Teachers’ working lives are in perpetual motion between personal and professional spheres
  Interactions between these components transform beliefs, knowledge, and practice

• Classroom Strategies

  1. Rise’n’shine

  2. Gradual Release Model

  3. Lesson Activity

  4. Illustrations of Practice

• Explicit Teaching

Group Work

• Effective group work: Requires ongoing training and practice

• Group membership: Social justice issue; may vary by context

• Goal: Make students selfregulate and monitor their learning

• Teacher’s Role: Significant in facilitating group work

• Balance: Not all learning should be groupbased

Questioning in the Classroom

• Questioning: Core teacher skill; takes time and practice to master

• Wait Time: Important for effective questioning
  *Central to Critical Thinking

Something to Ponder

*Reflect on how your beliefs, knowledge, and identity inform your classroom practice and student outcomes. End of Study Notes

Lesson Planning by Design (Week 9) and other concepts

The Importance of Lesson Planning

• Clarifies what you are trying to do.

• Helps you understand your learners.

• Supports better classroom management.

• Deepens understanding of content.

• Deepens understanding of pedagogy.

• Enables reflection and improvement.

The Teaching & Learning Cycle

• Requires knowledge of:

  • Students

  • Curriculum and pedagogy (including technology)

  • Assessment

  • Reporting and feedback

  • Evaluation

Assessment: APTS 5

• Informal Assessment

  • Most classroom assessment is informal.

    • Provides insight into the individual as learning occurs.

  • Informs pedagogical decision making.

• Formal Assessment

  • Planned and structured process.

    • Provides evidence required for a range of audiences regarding progress and achievement.

  • Part of the accountability framework for teachers, schools, and systems.

  • Information is accessible to others beyond the teacher.

Evidence-Based Teaching: The Gradual Release Model

• I Do: Teacher explains or models what students need to understand or how to do a process.

• We Do: Teacher helps students by providing scaffolds (prompts, partially completed procedures, ZPD).

• You Do: Students do the procedure or show understanding on their own (differentiate product).
  This is explicit teaching and involves gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student.

Enabling Prompts

• Scaffold learning and build student confidence and independence.

• Help students who struggle with processing information, recalling strategies, or knowing where to start.

• Guide students toward finding their own solutions.

• Techniques:

  • **Using cues and signals

  • Questioning (simplifying, breaking into smaller parts)

  • Encouraging use of concrete materials

  • Representing information in different ways**

Reflects a continuous improvement approach; student performance informs adjustments in curriculum and instruction

Avoiding Common Pitfalls Know your teacher why -connect decisions to class context, relevant APST, and theory.

• Effective communication by the teacher

• Student = LEARNING. Use ‘Active Listening’ and ‘I Messages

Assessment feedback (week 10)

*Assess is assessment in the assessment of learning out comes.
*What makes what learning matter.
*Guiding quesions of steps is to define to the methods to communicate the results, how to reflection to the assessment what means to do and not to show.

*Authentic Assessments -linking assessing curriculum,
*Formal and Informational Assessments.

Communication Week 11

### What the Principles of what makes the classroom of supports is an environment of support learning.
*Importance of effective communication -goals of communication.

*Speak between and understanding the core skills