teaching portfolio

 

Clusters: 1 (Standards 1 - 5) | 2 (Standards 6-9) | 3 (Standard 10)

Standards: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

 

Standard 7 - Create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments

 

I believe learning environments must be based on respect. By emphasising respect my aim is to involve students in the creation of a safe, supportive learning environment where they feel able to reach their potential without fear of ridicule. Respect promotes a person’s basic needs of survival including safety, connectedness and control of their learning (Jones & Jones, 2007). Students need to feel valued within the learning community and feel confident that they will receive support in the face of threats to their wellbeing (Education Services Australia, 2011). Part of ensuring that this happens is by managing and instructing student behaviour in a sensitive way so it is appropriate and positive.

 

As part of EDS2401 I was asked to address an issue impacting on the teaching and learning of students in the middle years. As an ICT teacher I felt it appropriate to research Cyberbullying and how it impacts students and schools. As part of the project I interviewed three schools to discover what appeared to be good practice for Cyberbullying (artefact 1 p2).

 

The first school was a catholic all boys secondary school who had a well structured plan for addressing bullying and in particular Cyberbullying. Students were educated on the forms of Cyberbullying, its effects and ramification for all roles whether victim, bystander or bully. The second school, a catholic all girls secondary school had a bullying process very similar to school one, without an explicit Cyberbullying policy. They were in the process of developing a specific Cyberbullying policy. The final school was an international school without any bullying policy. As part of student education for all grades they ran a subject known as “Character Development” aimed at creating community minded citizens.

 

As a result of the research I created a brochure aimed at schools and teachers about Cyberbullying. As well as educating readers on the forms of Cyberbullying and the different roles (artefact 1 p1), it suggested some best practices at school and teacher level (artefact 1 p2). School two were particularly interested in the findings and I discussed with the principal the issues I had discovered, offering solutions to aid them in their new Cyberbullying policy.

I personally learned a great deal about the influence of Cyberbullying on teachers and students. By educating students and teachers as well as having a well structured policy, the chances of creating respectful, safe and supportive environments for students and teachers were most likely to be achieved.

 

As a teacher I need to be aware of the students under my care. In the future I would like to undergo professional development in identifying symptoms of students who are struggling emotionally from the effects of bullying. If I am able to reach a student before the problem gets out of hand, they are more likely to come to me for help in the future (Epstein & Kazmierczak, 2007).

 

References

Education Services Australia. (2011) National Safe Schools Framework. Retrieved on 29th September 2011 fromhttp://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/NationalSafeSchools/Documents/NSSFramework.pdf.

Epstein, A., & Kazmierczak, J. (2007). Cyber Bullying: What Teachers, Social Workers, and Administrators Should Know. Illinois Child Welfare, 3(1,2), 41-51. 

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2007). Comprehensive classroom management: Creating communities of support and solving problems . Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.