S.I.

D: 17876490 1

This essay evaluates the interrelationship between key teaching and learning concepts in

education - curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. In Part A, each concept is evaluated, with

the Teaching Professionalism concept as the precursor. Part B appraises the interrelationship

between the three aforesaid concepts while addressing the learning needs of Pacific Island

students, a cohort of Non-English Speaking background students.

Part A

The Teacher Professionalism concept is designed specifically to ensure that high quality

standards of teaching are maintained in the teaching profession. Thus, the Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), established by the Australian Institute for

Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), inaugurated a set of Standards as guidelines for all

Public and Private School teachers. (Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014, p. 412). The APST

provides a reciprocal framework of standards to improve teachers’ “Domains of teaching”, as

well as advancement in their careers. While the process involves collaborative teamwork,

domains of teaching entail individual teacher’s “professional knowledge”, “professional

practice” and “professional engagement” (Marsh et al., 2014, p. 412).

However, while the APST explicitly outlines expectations for teachers, discrepancies have

been identified in the APST model. Alarming results in a survey for learning and teaching

progression, conducted by the Organisation for Economic and Development, show that in

Australia more than 90% of teachers are afforded with neither financial rewards nor non-

financial accolades for improvement in their teaching innovative (OECD Report, cited in Hay

Group, 2012, p. 5). The report further highlights that over 60% of teachers believe that the

appraisal system is done for the sole purpose of “administrative requirements”, and has “little
 S.I.D: 17876490 2

impact” on their teaching practices (OECD, cited in Hay Group, 2012, p. 5). While Ingersoll

and Strong’s (as cited in Marsh et al, 2014) 2011 report identify a plunge in professional

teaching (p. 10), Ringlet (2012) on the other hand identifies the lack of direction from

management and poor communication between the teachers.

Nevertheless, the professionalism status of the teaching profession is highly dependent on

teachers’ commitment and overall attitude towards their teaching profession. Marsh et al.,

(2014) and O’Brien (2008) believe that finding passion and enjoyment in teaching motivate

teacher participation in intellectual development programs to progress through “Graduate”,

“Proficient”, “Highly “Accomplished” until they are in the “Lead” level (APST). At the same

time teachers’ increasing level of professionalism complement the Standards’ aim to develop

professional teachers who positively inspire students. Teachers’ professionalism therefore,

will be evident in their overarching approach to teaching the curriculum, pedagogies used,

and the assessment outcome.

The Curriculum is central to all Australian Schools. In High Schools the curriculum is a set of

guidelines for teachers’ specific teaching areas. For example, Year 7 English has its own

curriculum which Year 7 English teachers will use for their lesson planning, activities and so

forth. Teaching pedagogies and assessments will also be tailored to meet specific curriculum

expectations. Therefore, teachers must follow the Australian National Curriculum (Marsh et al.,

2014, p.89), formulated under the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards

(BOSTES, 2015). But the curriculum is not all about following rigid didactic structures; the

curriculum is also “hidden” in teachers’ actions and mannerisms (Marsh et al., p.91).
 S.I.D: 17876490 3

A few issues currently faced by the Australian Curriculum however is first, the curriculum is

not officially recognised and accepted by all other states and territories. This will greatly

disadvantage students who move interstate as they will likely have to either do catch-up

lessons or they will lose interest in their learning, because they had already covered the

content in their former state of residence (Marsh et al., 2014, p. 78 – 79). Secondly, there is

an assumption that there are significant differences between the private and public curriculum

even though both are under the BOSTES umbrella. Such notion is evident in school status

and popularity based on academic achievements.

On a brighter note, expectations of the Australian Curriculum have motivated English

teachers to expand their knowledge in grammar. Further, the requirement for teachers at all

levels to be highly competent in Literacy has encouraged many teachers to improve on

specific areas of weaknesses in English. In turn, teachers incorporate grammar and sentence

structure in conjunction with the curriculum content (Love, Macken-Horarik & Horarik,

2015, p. 171).

Pedagogy refers to classroom teaching methods that teachers use to engage with, and

influence students’ learning. In conjunction with the APST, the NSW Quality Teaching

model promotes stimulating environment for autonomous intellectual, practical and creative

learning as well as an appreciation for diverse cultures and different learning abilities.

Essentially, pedagogy apprises the curriculum while “pedagogy supports and reflects on the

principles of, and outcomes” of teaching (NSW Quality Teaching).

 S.I.D: 17876490 4

It is believed that a contributing factor to one’s pedagogic style is the influence of former

teachers. While it can be true for some, many adopt pedagogies that are unique to

themselves. Marsh et al., (2014) and O’Brien (2008) believe that being passionate about

teaching can also influence teachers’ pedagogies, and is recommended that a variety of

different, but effective pedagogies are used to suit the class environment of the time.

I elaborate further in the following scenario: there is a common assumption that many

students do not like to study Mathematics, so many students tend to avoid attending this

class. To effectively change this behaviour, and to engage the students in active learning, the

teacher may use a constructivist pedagogic approach. These may include creative tasks,

provide multiple representations of the task, scaffolding, and encourage engagement from

students (an ideal way to find out what they already know). However, the constructivist

approach can be problematic in some ways because the amount of energy needed to be active

throughout the day to engage students, can be physically and emotionally draining (Mitchell,

2013, p. 51-52). In any case, as Mitchell (2013) concedes, “good teaching makes a difference

in student achievement” (p. 51).

The desired outcome of the curriculum, as well as the effectiveness of teaching pedagogies is
determined by the Assessment system. It is a meticulous strategy to determine students’
academic level of achievement. At the same time, it is a monitoring system for schools’
performance in terms of what has been taught in the curriculum. (Marsh et al., 2014, pp. 98 &
308). The Australia Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) are responsible
for the national curriculum and assessment programs like NAPLAN.
 S.I.D: 17876490 5

Three commonly used types of assessments that Marsh et al (2014) highlight are one, the

“diagnostic assessment” which allows teachers to assess students’ prior knowledge. Second, is

the “formative assessment” type, crucial for curriculum modification. Third, is the “summative

assessment”, a process of comparing students’ achievements against each other (Marsh et al.,

2014, p.313). The NAPLAN Program is an obvious example of this assessment system, and a

controversial one at that.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy exams are designed to determine

students’ competency level (Australia-wide) in Literacy and Numeracy for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9

(My School, 2016). At the same time, the outcome of this national assessment program is

reflective of participating schools’ level of excellency in Literacy and Numeracy. A problematic

aspect of the NAPLAN is that teachers tend to focus particularly on the end results of the exam,

rather than the curriculum content. This is because “the results are easily accessed on My School

portal” (My School, 2016) by the Australian wider audience, therefore, open to public and

media unwanted attention. Nevertheless, NAPLAN testing assures that teachers’ basic literacy

and numeracy skills are of high quality - after all, students mirror what they teach. For example,

if a teacher continues to write “there” ball, instead of “their” ball, students assume that this

grammatical error is correct.

Part B

This part of the essay is a critical evaluation of the interrelationship between the previously

discussed education concepts - the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment – with particular

focus on the learning needs of Pacific Island students in New South Wales. This cohort of
 S.I.D: 17876490 6

non-English-speaking-background students includes students from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa –

“the three largest Pacific cohorts in New South Wales” (Ravulo, 2015, p.4).

There is a need for Pacific Island student learning to be taken seriously. With a population of

only less than quarter-of-a-percent of its total 1% in NSW, it is clear that there is a huge

imbalance in terms of academic achievement and progress amongst Pacific Island students

(Ravulo, 2015). There is a general misconception that Pacific Island students only excel in

physical and visual activities, the outcome therefore, is that it is highly possible that they will

not succeed academically (Cuthill & Scull, 2011, 8). This means that Pacific Island students

will be interested in learning only arts, music, dance and sports. As a result, according to

Cuthill & Scull (2011), teachers continuously reinforce this stereotype mentality on Pacific

Island students in the teaching community. The affects do not end in the school environment

because, as Ravulo’s (2015) research reports, at the other end of the scale, Pacific Island

students are “over” represented in criminal activities and anti-social behaviour. In addition,

Cuthill & Scull (2011) highlights a general default expectation that Pacific Island people are

predominantly from low socio-economic background and can only get low paid, hard labour

jobs (p. 9).

There is a need for the inherent talents of Pacific Island students to be utilised in pedagogic

teaching methods to better engage them in subject areas like Mathematics, History, English,

even Legal Studies just to name a few (Cuthill & Scull, 2014). More often than not, Pacific

Island students are disengaged from a didactic curriculum. For the most part, like the

Indigenous Australian students, Pacific Islanders learn best in activity-based learning. A

simple example to further elaborate is, the Performance & Creative Arts can be taught in
 S.I.D: 17876490 7

conjunction with Fractions. A demonstration of hand movements in a Samoan, a Tongan or a

Fijian traditional dance can pin point certain fractions (quarter, half, three quarters etc.) using

the distance between the outstretched hand/s from the rest of the body. In this instance,

students build confidence, articulate well when they are given opportunities to know their

strengths and weaknesses. (Steele & Cohn Vargas, 2013, p.23). The same can be said and

done with other ethnic group of students. But it is also about teachers finding the balance

especially in dealing with diverse students and in different dynamics of learning abilities.

(Ringuet, 2012, p.34).

Indeed, there is nothing wrong with Pacific Island physical attributes and extra curricula

activities. But, rather than focusing on being entertained by Pacific Island students’ sporting,

musical, artistic and cultural dance talents, these natural talents may be incorporated in

pedagogies for effective teaching. This will align with the Teacher Professionalism concept: a

primary intention to appreciate students’ autonomous learning; to maximise their creative

learning abilities; to inspire students with valuable knowledge and proper skills to become

effective leaders themselves in the future (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers).

Clearly there are discrepancies in the Education system with regards to Pacific Island

students’ academic outcome. If the current trend continues across the Pacific Island students,

the stigma and stereotype labels also continue. With the Australian Curriculum well

established encompassing all ethnic students, it can be said that it is then left to the teachers

to make a difference in Pacific Island students’ academic achievements. Despite the many

challenges Pacific Island students face, they “do achieve exceptional academic outcomes at

school” (Cuthill & Scull, 2011, p.8). Many Pacific Island Academics such as Dr Jioji Ravulo
 S.I.D: 17876490 8

– from Fiji and Dr Mary-Anne Pale – from Tonga are both lecturers at Western Sydney

University; Western Sydney University Tutor, David Lakisa – from Samoa (Western Sydney

University Staff Directory), and a Samoan medical practitioner Dr Paniani Patu are the

embodiment of Pacific Island students’ inherent academic capabilities.

Concluding this essay, the overall achievements of students, such as the Pacific Island

students, are solely dependent on, and influenced by teaching pedagogies as well as teachers’

professionalism in articulating the National Curriculum.

 S.I.D: 17876490 9

References
My School. (2016). My School: Home. Retrieved from https://www.myschool.edu.au/

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited. (2014). Statement of Intent.

Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/board-of-directors-

resources/statement-of-intent-july-2015-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2

BOSTES Board of Studies, Teaching & Educational Standards NSW. (2015). About

BOSTES. Retrieved from http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/about/

Cuthill, M., & Scull, S., (2011). Going to university: Pacific Island migrant perspectives.

Australian Universities Review, 50(1), 5-13.

Love, K., Macken-Horarik, M., and Horarik, S. (2015). Language knowledge and its

application: A snapshot of Australian teachers' views. Australian Journal of

Language and Literacy, 38(3), 171-182; Retrieved from

http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/fullText;dn=209003;res=AEIPT>

Marsh, C., Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (Ed.). (2014). Teacher Standards. Marsh's becoming a

teacher. NSW, Australia: Pearson Australia.

Mitchel, L. (2013). Everyone teaches and everyone learns: The professional development

school way. Plymouth, UK. Rowan & Littlefield Education.

O'Brien, L. (2008). Portfolios and Professional Development. Teacher: The National

Education Magazine, 8, 4-6.

 S.I.D: 17876490 10

Quality teaching to support the NSW Professional Teaching Standards. (n.d). Part A –

Linking the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and the NSW Quality Teaching

model. Retrieved from

http://dei.eduone.net.au/ashford/DEPASCSCURRICULUM/HSIE%20UNIT/Quality

%20Teaching%20Framework.pdf

Ravulo, J. (2015). Pacific Communities in Australia. Western Sydney University. Retrieved

from:

https://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/923361/SSP5680_Pacific_Com

munities_in_Aust_FA_LR.pdf

Ringuet, T. (2012). Transforming teachers: The role of leadership in promoting a culture of

extended professionalism in Australian schools. Australian Educational Leader,

34(1), 34-37.

Western Sydney University. (2016). Staff directory: David Lakisa. Retrieved from

http://apps.westernsydney.edu.au/teldir/personprocess.php?15186

Western Sydney University. (2016). Staff directory: Dr Jioji Ravulo. Retrieved from

http://apps.westernsydney.edu.au/teldir/personprocess.php?11864

Western Sydney University. (2016). Staff directory: Dr Maryanne Pale. Retrieved from

http://apps.westernsydney.edu.au/teldir/personprocess.php?id=14909&a_label=off