Teaching standards as a framework
AITSL, the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, states:
The ability to articulate what it is that you actually do as a teacher on a daily basis, and the capacity to reflect on your practice, are learned skills. Effective teachers are able to do this objectively which allows them to continually improve their practice, continue to develop and grow as professionals and continually improve outcomes for students.
The Standards
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) advises that the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) provides 'a framework which makes clear the knowledge, practice and professional engagement required across teachers' careers'.
The standards provide beginning teachers with a framework to:
- demonstrate the essential attitudes of reflection: open-mindedness, responsibility and wholeheartedness
- put the different modes of reflection into action
- apply multiple lenses when reflecting on their practice.
Induction and accreditation processes provide the ideal opportunity for beginning teachers to develop the 'learned skills' of reflective practice as a teacher.
A quality induction embeds processes in order to:
- support teachers to develop the skills and gather evidence of effective teaching practice to gain their accreditation as a proficient teacher, and
- use the standards for structured induction into the profession of teaching.
Refer to the Guide for reflection using teaching standards which outlines how the teaching standards can be used to reflect on teaching practice.
References
- AITSL (2014) Learning from practice - workbook series.
- NSW Education Standards Authority Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.