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Professional and Community Experience

(PCE) program

2014

Classroom Induction Program

2014

EDFX506Matt Sexton

(PCE Primary Coordinator)

ACU PCE staff

Matt SextonPCE Coordinator (Primary), Mathematics Education

and Education Studies Lecturer

Liz RimesPCE Team Leader (Melbourne)

Fiona EbdonMelbourne PCE Placements Officer (Primary Courses)

Some acronyms

• MTEach – Master of Teaching

• PCE – Professional and Community

Experience

• AT – Associate Teacher

• STC – Student-Teacher Coordinator

• EDFX – a prefix used for all professional

and community experience units

Classroom Induction Program

• First and only time when you have a sustained period of time in the one classroom to support your field work in an EDFX unit

• Embedded in your placement school for seven (7) Wednesdays during Semester 1 (2014 only)

Classroom Induction Program

• To develop relationships within the school community

• To prepare for the supervised teaching round in June

• To refine observation skills

• To practise and develop strategies for behaviour management, planning, teaching and engaging with staff and parent/caregivers

Designed to set you up for success with your first supervised teaching placement in the

primary school setting

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Classroom Induction Program

• Aspects of some academic units that are studied this semester link into your engagement with the Classroom Induction Program

• Read Unit Outlines carefully so that you are fully aware of the expectations of tasks, especially those related to assessment

• For example, AT1 of EDMA504 relates specifically to interviewing students in your placement school

Correspondence• Your placement school will be sent a letter explaining aspects of the Classroom Induction Program. This letter will be sent to the STC from the PCE office

• You are to access, download and hand a letter for your AT via the LEO site of the unit that is directly linked to the Classroom Induction Program– For example, EDMA504 LEO site has a section devoted to PCE and the Classroom Helpers Program

‘Making up’ days• Any days that are missed during the Classroom Induction Program must be made up if you are absent because of:– illness

– family bereavement

– important scheduled medical appointments

– school closure due to extreme weather

– pupil free day due to report writing, parent/teacher interviews, teacher professional learning day

Illness• If you are unwell on a day of the Classroom Induction Program, you are professionally obligated to:– contact the placement school at 8 am by phone, informing a staff member that you will be absent;

– arrange to make up the day with the placement school;

– contact Fiona Ebdon via email that you will not be attending the Classroom Induction Program on that particular Wednesday

Missing days

You may not miss a classroom induction

day because of:

– An assignment due date

– Time to complete an assignment

– A work commitment

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EDFX506 dates 2014

EDFX506 takes place officially from

Tuesday June 10th – Friday June 27th

2014

This leads you to the final day of Term 2 in primary schools

This is a three (3) week block placement

Emergency contact form

• Important for aspects

related to ‘duty of

care’

• Downloaded from

the PCE webpage on

the ACU website

PCE website

You can access the PCE website using

the friendly URL:

www.acu.edu.au/pcevic

Emergency contact form

• Download the emergency contact form and print a copy for your placement school and one for the PCE Office

• Complete the forms with up-to-date information (ideal if two numbers can be given for your emergency contact)

• Place forms in two separate envelopes

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Emergency contact form

• Mark the envelope using the example

as a guide

CONFIDENTIALOnly open in case of emergency

Emergency contact form

Matt Sexton

ACU preservice teacher

Envelopes• You will prepare the envelope which will only be

opened in the case of emergency

• You will have one for your placement school and one for the PCE Office

• Please hand one envelope to the PCE Office before the end of Week 3 (Friday March 14th 2014)

• Collect the envelope at the end of the teaching round from your placement school in June

Working with Children Checks• Any person working with young

children and school students must

carry a valid Working with Children

Check. This is Victorian legislation.

• You are not permitted to participate in

PCE until you have received your

WWCC card and it is on file with the

PCE office

• When working in schools, you must

carry this WWCC card with you at all

times

First visit advice• Introduce yourself to the school administration

person and ask what are the protocols for school visitors

• Meet with the STC (and principal if available) and your AT

• Ask for a copy of the school’s Staff Handbook (if they have one)

• At morning tea, ask if there are any ‘special mugs’

• Take your own lunch and eat in the staff room

Professionalism

• Dress professionally

– Check if the school has a staff dress code

– Some schools say ‘no jeans’

– Careful with short tops and short skirts

– Be mindful of open-toed shoes (no thongs)

• Professional attitude, commitment,

enthusiasm and show initiative

• Professional speech and courteous

responses

Important advice

• Take notes regarding:

– Classroom organisation/layout

– Classroom routines

– Behaviour management strategies

– Teaching strategies that enable effective

learning, including ICT use

– Documentation practices (lesson/unit

planning, assessment, etc.)

– Ways teachers/staff interact with

parents/caregivers

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Important advice• Ask permission for copies of materials, samples of teacher work, references and resources

• Store these materials and start a ‘teacher resource portofilio’

• Ask permission to take photos of displays that you create or images of you working with students (without the faces of the children showing)

Important advice

• Be proactive and get involved in the life

of the school

• ‘Be friendly’ but not friends with the

students and staff

Important advice• You cannot do yard duty without a qualified teacher by your side

• If asked to work with a group of students away from the rest of the class, ensure that you can be seen at all times

• LEGAL LIABILITY – No PST should be left alone in a classroom. This is especially so with a child or group of children

Time at the school

• Punctuality is VERY important

• If you are running late, contact the school office and give an estimated

time of arrival (ETA)

• Timeframe: 8.30 - 4.00 pm minimum

(please confirm these times with the AT and STC)

Be mindful with your mobile

phone use on PCE

Many schools have policies

regarding their use

Check with the STC if any

policies exist at the school

If you are waiting for an

emergency phone call whilst

on PCE, let your AT know

Social mediaBe mindful of your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

Set all to highest privacy settings possible

Do not accept requests from students at your placement school

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Queries, questions and concerns

• Email: EduPEPMelbPrimary@acu.edu.au

• Room 5.63, Level 5, 115 Victoria Parade

– Exit lift on 5th floor, take right hand corridor,

PCE window is 1st on right hand side.

• Tel: 9953 3251

Enjoy yourself

• The Classroom Induction Program is an exciting part of your preparation for EDFX506

• See this experience as one long job interview…schools will remember how well you engaged with the experience!

• Keeping contacts and making good impressions in schools can be advantageous for you in the future