Student: Chelsea Lemon Mentor Teacher: Phillipa Cosgriff Associate Lecturer: Vicki Robinson University Liaison Lecturer: Anthony Fisher Date; 22/9/2015 Class Level: Year 5/6 Chelsea’s enthusiasm and commitment to teaching is evident in her warm manner and her ability to build strong learning focussed relationships with students. This has allowed her to gain an understanding of each student individually and to use this knowledge to inform her teaching practice, setting high expectations for all students in the class. She is highly reflective, considering a range of alternatives before selecting one that fits her and the students. She endeavours to understand situations from the child’s perspective in order to make sense of the resulting behaviour. Empowerment of students is important for Chelsea and where needed she will scaffold the skills required to enable students to problem solve. She is flexible and responsive to student needs which ensures she also adjusts her practice to meet the students’ needs or situations as they change. She actively seeks constructive feedback and will often present with relevant and well thought out questions, which are based on her own reflections. She accepts all feedback and feed forward in a positive manner, willingly acts on any suggestions that have been developed in collaboration with her mentor teacher. Strengths: Chelsea has developed excellent professional relationships with staff, respecting and demonstrating a good understanding of the Professional Ethics required of New Zealand teachers. Her contributions are thoughtful and she is able to work effectively with a wide range of people. Chelsea has a strong but warm teacher presence and at appropriate es incorporates firmness in her instructions to students. She incorporates a range of proactive management strategies and has demonstrated a working knowledge of the Restorative process. This has enabled her to successfully manage the class as the ‘lead teacher in the room’. She is willing to share the learning with the students, allowing them to take the lead at times. Her communication with the students is appropriate and demonstrates a respect and genuine interest in their views. Her interactions with students are calm and the frequent use of a positive language set ensures all students understand what is required of them. Chelsea’s planning is at a high level, is based on a thorough collection of evidence, and reflects a clear understanding of the teaching learning cycle. Her awareness that evidenceinforms teaching decisions has ensured her lessons have targeted student's needs. By making explicit links to prior knowledge Chelsea has been able focus on next learning steps. Over the time she has spent in the classroom she has developed a depth of knowledge of student needs. She has a fluent use of learning intentions, success criteria and has gained confidence in wording these in a child friendly way. Her use of modelling books allows her to make links from previous learning to the current learning intention, providing clarity and allowing for student agency to develop. Her reflective aspect of her teaching practice has allowed her to consider approaches for both this context and situations beyond. Having an attitude that is open to learning enables her to identify areas to seek clarity, advice and support on. Her reflections focus on the learning needs of the students and her own learning needs. She is accepting of any constructive feedback she receives and this is acted upon, which is evident in her teaching practice. Also Chelsea's practice reflects the links she is making between the theory she is presented with and the adaptation of this into classroom practice. Areas for development: Chelsea is continuing to refine her understanding of effective practice so that she is able to prioritise approaches more effectively based on her knowledge of the students. Chelsea transfers the strong foundation she has laid into a range of whole class situations she will enhance her proficiency in planning and teaching for a variety of learning needs. Congratulations on a very successful final placement. We wish you all the best for your future development. Vicki Robinson, Phillipa Cosgriff Anthony Fisher 22/9/2015 Vahl gf ffm