Designing Teaching and Learning Essay

By Ella Smith

"Not just anyone can teach, I know from personal experience that many people have
given it a go, but frankly they just can' t do it. Teaching is a vocation and a profession.
Through the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, teachers and leaders in
Australia have set very high standards about what someone needs to achieve to
teach in an Australian classroom" (Rogers, 2019).

A teaching career in Australia is an honorable role, which involves passion and

professional status. A teacher should not be based only on having knowledge
because the ability to impart knowledge is just as significant. For instance, a teacher
may be highly intellectual in their field but that does not confirm their ability to
share the knowledge with others. There is a relationship between curriculum,
pedagogy and assessment. Teaching is both a vocation and a profession.

Teaching incorporates the ideologies and facts set by an authority (Pennanen,

Bristol, Wilkinson & Heikkinen, 2015). To teach is to instruct another to become
more aware about what to think or do and this can be done through a large scale of
methodologies. Perhaps one teacher may have a different ideology to what teaching
is compared to another teacher (Pennanen, Bristol, Wilkinson & Heikkinen, 2015).
Some may agree with this however, thankfully, others might have a different
ideology. A teacher needs to guide students to be informed and to provide a
classroom environment encouraging them to think for themselves. Therefore, the
definition of teaching can mean different things due to the different interpretations.
However, there are set expectations for teachers who wish to teach in a NSW school
environment. These are guidelines set by the Australian Curriculum and Reporting
Authority, the NSW quality teaching model, Council of Education and Profession
Standards of Teaching Council.

Mentoring is a positive approach to any teaching strategy. Traditionally, the term

'mentor' was described as "the relationship between two persons" (Pannanen,
Bristol, Wilkonson & Heikkien.p.4). In today’s modern era, a new social
constructivist approach defines the term 'mentor' as peer related, highlighting the
significance of social interaction (Pannanen, Bristol,Wilkinson & Heikkien, 2015).
Similar to teaching, the definition of mentoring is open to interpretation as is the
complex standard for teaching. The standard is current and it is necessary to adhere
to the requirements stated.

The term 'profession' has been a challenge to clarify (Professional Standards

Councils, 2015). To generalize, a profession is made up of a group of employed
individuals who comply with ethical standards (Professional Standards Council,
2015). This symbolizes a group of qualified people who promote honesty, decency
and integrity towards a public group. This could apply to teachers in a classroom
setting (Professional Standards Councils, 2015). A good teacher needs these
qualities. The professional standards are part of teacher accreditation.

According to the NSW Education Standards Authority, teachers require a mandatory

amount of high quality professional development (PD) in order to maintain
accreditation (NESA 2019). Schools and teachers can access NESA registered PD
courses online. For example, to teach Sport in Primary School, a five year approved
qualification is required in order to be accredited (NESA, 2019). An accreditation
standard is compulsory for teachers, which prepares their teaching practice for the
classroom context. A teacher can then focus on inspiring their students, as well as
deliver the classroom context and encourage skills of the learner.

According to the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching, teachers need high
quality skills in literacy to be able to develop meaningful lesson content. Some
students might speak a language other than English at home and in their
communities. Designing appropriate lessons is necessary. Teachers need to have a
good understanding of issues experienced by students from a disadvantaged
background such as Aboriginal, non-speaking English and students with special
needs. Understanding adolescent development and key policy documents will help
teachers manage student behavior. In this century, teachers are required to know
how to integrate technology as a learning tool in the classroom environment.
(Australian Institute For Teaching and School Leadership, 2011)

A teacher’s professional life is diverse and can be identified as a laborious process.

In the classroom, the teacher can evaluate the daily work in order to see how much
the students have learned, as well as making a personal connection with the class. A
teacher can keep order in the classroom by, "dealing with conflicts between the
kids; having a joke with them from time to time and building up some personal
contact; discussing work with them individually; planning sequences of lessons" and
showing empathy towards the kids (Cornell, 2013 p.263). An effective teacher must
take a vocational approach to their profession in order to connect to the class and
teach more effectively. 
A good teacher needs to be able to impart knowledge and
have good communication skills, patience and empathy.

The school and classroom context is an ever-changing environment. Sometimes a

teacher may have students they know well, and students they don't know as well.
When skills are passed down, some might grasp an understanding and some may
not. Teachers often need to vary their methodologies and present content more than
once. Complex classroom context include the integration of creative, critical thinking
strategies, conducting collaborative activities, integrating technology and evaluating
the effect of a program (NSW Department of Education, 2018). There are plenty
more challenges a teacher may come across in the classroom context and they all
require different types of learning interactions.

The developmental appropriateness of a learning activity can vary according to the

learning outcome. Activities including textbook work or PowerPoint presentations
do a great job explaining a concept but should not occupy the whole of class time.
Perhaps a peer related discussion or a mini game would be more appropriate to
demonstrate a concept, contrasting well with theoretical facts in the textbook. By
varying the learning strategies to fit the classroom context, it enables the learner to
absorb more skills through multiple perspectives. The lessons are to be planned
according to the Australian Curriculum, and for the National Assessment Program,
determining whether students are meeting educational standards (ACARA, 2019).

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is a

statutory authority, which takes a national educational approach. ACARA provides
the expectations for what is taught to every young Australian and applies to every
government school in Australia. (ACARA, 2019). An example of sustainability would
be through the ongoing clarifications of the Australian Curriculum, which aims to
improve the equity, quality and learning by providing high standards of
accomplishment in Australian education. (ACARA, 2019). A guideline as such
requires the teacher to have a high quality professional approach to what they are
teaching and assessing.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills. This is not enough because there
is little consideration for creative thinking, problem solving and other areas of study.
However, the purpose of this assessment is to identify schools that might need
further assistance, qualifying them for further government funding. NAPLAN is a
useful tool but it is just one of many.


The work is settled and determined by the Council of Australian Governments

(COAG) Educations Council (COAG, 2019). The COAG consists of intergovernmental
agreements and adjustments to change the future of Australia for the better.
Meetings such as a communiqué take place to report various issues including
NAPLAN results, findings, institute development and ACARA appointments
(Education Council Communique, 2019). Here, the COAG Education Council holds
the responsibility to decide what is best for education in Australia (Education
Council, 2019). Every state in Australia collaboratively works to structure the
Australian Curriculum. This results in the encouragement of a diverse and effective
teaching pedagogy.
Teachers are to provide a professional learning environment in order to deliver the
curriculum successfully. However, when a class is being 'taught to the test' there is a
lack of purpose and vocational education (Zadkovich, 2010). The curriculum
remains open to interpretation therefore teachers can choose how they teach it. By
supplying all young people a chance to pursue a standard education more students
get a fair opportunity to reach their full potential.

The NSW Quality Teaching (QT) Model brings together the multiple meanings of
'quality' and provides a broad guideline for quality teacher development (NSW
Department of Education, 2019). The content covers thirteen elements of quality
teaching divided into three dimensions. These areas include

• Intellectual Quality

• Explicit Quality Environment

• Significance

In order to meet the needs of all learners, we must raise the intellectual quality of
the classroom activities we provide (NSW Department of Education, 2019). This can
be done through the use of metalanguage, high-order thinking, substantive thinking
and problematic knowledge (NSW Department of Education, 2019). Every student
is different and teachers need to be aware of this in order to be effective. For
example, a good teacher will assure students' correct use of language, share
knowledge in a constructivist and expository way, provide students the definitions
of key terms and focus majorly on the curriculum themes (NSW Department of
Education, 2019). To achieve this, the teacher needs to provide appropriate
resources in order to give students an opportunity to become active and
autonomous learners. Challenging the students is important in the classroom
because it can give students the opportunity to think critically and creatively.

In an explicit learning environment, students are encouraged to take a role in their

own learning (NSW Department of Education, 2019). An explicit environment
heavily impacts the students' learning and engagement. For example, team
formations such as mentoring circles have proven to be an effective tool for a
modern classroom environment due to the increase of community interaction
(Pannanen, Bristol, Wilkonson & Heikkien.p.4). Balancing peer related mentoring
with individual tasks contributes to an explicit learning environment.

By being creative and illustrating how the students' learning is significant, teachers
can pass down a life-long learning attitude to their students. For example, when a
teacher can apply what is being taught to a real life situation, it captures more
attention and creates a spark of purpose. The 'significance' dimension in the NSW
Quality Teaching Model represents a vocational approach to education, shedding
light on the original question on whether teaching is a vocation or a profession, and
it is indeed both (NSW Department of Education, 2019).

The idea of pedagogy deals with the theory and teaching practices of assessment
and curriculum. The majority of students in Australia will be taught according to the
curriculum followed by an assessment to ensure learning standards have been met.
Instead of educating in a "literacy and numeracy vacuum," teachers should use the
"rich, broad, comprehensive nature of Australian curriculum and pedagogy" and
relate their profession area with others such as problem solving and creative
thinking. (Zadkovich, 2010 p.5-7). Students can work individually and in groups.

Assessment is ongoing. Good teachers assess skills by asking open-ended questions

and constant student observation. Problem solving and social interaction are
important skills that need to be assessed ongoing. Effective teachers also evaluate
their own teaching practices.

As a whole, education is important because it gives students a fair opportunity to

achieve and be successful in the community. It can provide the skills and perhaps
ambition. When people don’t receive a meaningful education, they can become
marginalized and powerless. They may not be able to take part in the community
and, at worst, they may become angry or aggressive. Giving students the skills to
become life long independent learners it is more likely they will be good citizens.
Teaching is a profession and a vocation. A teacher needs to be enthusiastic about the
subjects they teach. They need to provide appropriate activities for their students
and ongoing assessment. It is vital that teachers reflect on their own teaching
practice. Not everyone can beat the challenging teaching profession. It requires
empathy, creativity and patience and commitment.
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