Teaching Hints and Tips

3 Tips For Completing Your AITSL Teaching Standards Portfolio

aussiestarresourcesau · Jun 30, 2018 · Leave a Comment

What’s your Super Power? Mine would have to be procrastination. Yes, the force is strong in this one. I can find a million other things to do before completing tasks that need to be done. This blog post is the perfect example. Here I am on a Sunday morning, there’s washing that needs to be hung out, school uniforms that need ironing, dishes that need to be done and a four year old somewhere in the house still in his PJs. BUT because they are not very appealing tasks I’ve decided that writing a blog post is FAR more important so here I am. Could the blog post have waited? Probably but that’s the power of procrastination, it clouds your judgement, why fight it?

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Are you procrastinating when it comes to your AITSL Teaching Standards Portfolio? I bet you are, everyone does! When it comes up in the staff room you can hear the groans for a 1km radius as teachers bemoan the AITSL Portfolio. Collating your teaching experience into one folder is HARD, reminding yourself to record details, take pictures and enter them in to your portfolio is easy to push down the list of priorities. Unfortunately, this usually means that we end up putting something together in a rush when a deadline such as a review is hanging over our heads. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you stay on top of your portfolio, update it regularly and ease your workload in the process.

Hold a Portfolio Party!

You won’t be the only staff member who is dragging their feet on your portfolio. Set aside time each month (or fortnight if you can manage) to come together with your colleagues to collate your evidence. You could meet at a local café, order in coffee and nibbles or bring afternoon tea to share. This kind of collaboration will allow you to bounce ideas off each other, gain clarification on the Standards and share stories and inspiration. It will also help set up a regular time for you to work on your portfolio.

Take photos and videos

I really wish I had done more of this in the classroom and organised it better. If your school permits it, use your phone to quickly snap examples of student work and activities, classroom displays and your planning. Save these in a separate album called Portfolio or AITSL so you know where they are for your Portfolio Party. If you are unable to use your phone keep a small digital camera on your desk charged and ready to whip out during a lesson or when you’re marking to take pics. Save these to a specific folder so you know where they are when you’re collating your evidence. If you have older students you could even ask them to remind you take photos – they love to have their work photographed and reminding the teacher to do something is an added bonus.

If you’re looking for an online portfolio that’s quick and easy to use check out our AITSL Teacher Standards Portfolio.

So that’s three ideas to help get you started. Oooh! One more! Factor your portfolio in to your planning, so that when you’re writing your plans you identify those lesson and activities that will meet a Standard and make a note of it in your planning to help you remember to document the lesson and add evidence to your portfolio.

I could add more but I think three (plus a bonus) is a good number to get you started and I’m sure you’ve already thought of some more while reading this post.

Good luck with your portfolio! I’d love to know if you have a Portfolio Part at your school or if you have helpful ideas and tips for collating your portfolio. Feel free to comment below.

Happy teaching

Amy

3 Essential Resources for Casual Relief Teachers

aussiestarresourcesau · Jun 24, 2018 · Leave a Comment

3 Essential Resources for Relief Teachers

Previously I picked the brain of Nikki Tester from Oceanview Resources to find out the best ways to get started relief teaching and some hints and tips to manage behaviour and tricky situations. Now we're ready to get set up with a relief teaching kit that will ensure we're armed and ready to take on a day of teaching at short notice.

What’s in your CRT kit? What are the top 5 items in your kit and why are they so essential?

I look like I am running away from home when I go relief teaching lol I have a craft bag on wheels which I find easy to manage. I have spare pencils, paper etc, and try to be as self sufficient as is realistic in this regard. I have 4 thumb drives- one for kinder, stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3. Stickers (I am not a bit fan of reward boxes-I think the expense is not worth the result to be honest), award cards, notes for the teacher (I have pre-prepared ones in a folder)

This YouTube video I made recently may be helpful.

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I like to plan my units of work (if nothing is left) around a theme, and picture books. Eg if I am looking at the Ocean for stage 1, I have a collection of great books eg Whale And A Snail, One Is A Snail Ten Is A Crab, Tiddler The Story Telling Fish, and I link all of my daily or weekly activities around that theme. It really is easy to do. In a SMART Notebook presentation I have all the links to great websites on the theme hyperlinked so that I just need to click and go. Any worksheets I have that relate are kept in a folder to go with those books so at any time I have up to a month if need be.

My thumb drives are great, and keeping them organised is vitally important too. I have backups of everything on my Dropbox account just in case!. There's nothing worse than losing all of that hard work

My personal care items are also included in my kit.

water
Panadol
food
tea
tissues
sunscreen
hat
whistle
anything that I may need but the school is unable to provide.

I keep my thumb drives and my whistle on my lanyard.

Do you have any funny or poignant stories about relief teaching?

Hundreds of them!!! But one of the funniest (although not funny at the time) was when I planned an excursion to the beach…….but didn’t check the tide chart. Unfortunately it was a king tide and there was very little beach when we arrived. To make things worse there was a wave surge and we sat and watched as about 4 back packs got taken out to sea!! Luckily the bus driver was a legend and dived into action and rescued them all!!!! Note to self…..always check the tide chart!!!.

Promo time – tell us about your resources for Relief Teachers!

I have created 3 major teacher reference books for teachers as well as a wide range of resources that are aimed at supporting teachers to create units of work with minimum effort and maximum results

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My Survival Kit for Casual Relief Teachers is over 100 pages of links to websites across all subject areas as well as a range of activities that you can implement easily as I have endeavoured to include as many no prep ideas as I can- the images are all hyperlinked to some of the most amazing websites for teachers, which again I have chosen non-subscription wherever possible

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My Substitute Teacher Bundle - Planner Binder and Ultimate Sub Pack has been my biggest passion project/ resource taking over 6 months of constant work to compile and publish. It includes over 300 pages of printable master sheets you can use in the classroom for a variety of reasons from feedback, planning, number games and a whole host of ideas. I have also collaborated with some fantastic resource makers to compile this resource and they have generously allowed some free resources to be included in the kit. The remaining 270 pages are website links across ALL aspects of teaching from report writing, resume writing, finding resources and all subject areas. I have included everything I thought that an elementary/primary teacher might need as a basis for building a relief teaching kit.

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Have you bookmarked, pinned and saved hundreds of links?
Do you promise that one day you will sort them out?

This fabulous Relief Teacher Website Reference Guide may be the answer to your organisational dreams. It is designed to be an easy to use, interactive resource. It has been sorted into categories with links to provide answers and help for frequently asked questions posed in posts on Facebook and other social group forums.
400 hyper-linked web pages and PDFs! This small investment will save you hours of your precious planning time and money. By investigating the comprehensive list of websites and links to free resources you can inexpensively build on your vital pool of resources. It is estimated teachers spend $2000 annually on resources. Let this book help to keep some of this money in your pocket

I'd like to thank Nikki for sharing her wisdom with me and providing invaluable help to relief teachers to make it a little less daunting and a whole lot easier. You can follow Nikki's TPT store by clicking here and you can click here to follow her on Pinterest where she has even more helpful ideas.

Happy Teaching

Amy

Essential hints and tips for successful Casual Relief Teaching

aussiestarresourcesau · Feb 13, 2018 · 2 Comments

Are you a casual relief teacher or starting out as one this term? It can be a bit nerve wracking to get going but never fear Nikki Tester from Oceanview Resources has some amazing hints and tips to get you started. Nikki is such a wealth of information that I have broken up her interview into three separate posts. Here is part one.

Hi Nikki! Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom and experience with us. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself so we can get to know you and your experience in education and as a casual relief teacher?

Hi Amy, thank you so much for inviting me to share my insights and ideas.
A little about me….

I began teaching back in 1976 when classrooms looked incredibly different than they do today. Spirit duplicators and some fancy chalkboard work were about the extent of our resources. We worked mostly out of workbooks and lots of chalk and talk where students copied down pages of notes from the board. My how things have changed!!!! Photocopiers were the first big change to schools, and overhead projectors (I know I am really showing my age here). I really am blessed though, because I have been a lifelong learner thanks to teaching and for that I will always be eternally thankful. I have taught permanently for over 20 years, and been fortunate to have job shared in permanent positions while my children were growing up and became casual when we re-located in 2000.

For readers who are just starting out as a casual relief teacher (CRT) What are the best ways to get work? Should teachers contact schools directly or contact the department? And what kind of documentation do you suggest they take with them in their kit?

At the start of my casual teaching I began to work voluntarily at the school my daughter attended, and that was a foot in the door for me. I was recommended to other schools in our area, and my career as a casual began. I was fortunate to have had block work which really ingrained me into the school community and I was treated the same as other full time members. As this was a coastal area, the chances of obtaining permanency were pretty remote, but I was grateful to have become the preferred casual.

I would suggest that when starting out, volunteering is a great way to go, it gives you a feel for the culture and routine of the schools you would like to work in, and the more familiar your face, the more likely you are to be offered work.

The start of any term, but particularly term 1 is quite crazy! With new staff, new enrollments and often new principals, I would not suggest that the first few weeks of school are great to go visiting. By all means, send an email, or make a call to arrange a time that will be suitable for you to drop in your resume and perhaps meet with the staff member who is responsible for bookings. When you do drop in your resume you will need to include all of your relevant documentation, tax declarations, approval numbers, working with children, CPR, anaphylaxis etc, as well as a brief documentation of your experience. 2 pages maximum!!!!

The biggest tip I can offer is to be incredibly friendly to the staff in the office. They are often the first point of call in any school, and the Principal really values their first impressions so it is best to make them good ones. Dress appropriately, make a positive comment about something at the school you have noted and a little flattery will also go a long way!!!!

What about the new apps or automated services that are available to book relief teachers? Should casual relief teachers sign up?

I definitely recommend joining Class Cover, Tracer (Qld) or other booking agencies in your state/region as this is the current trend, which I think sadly is depersonalizing the process and making it incredibly challenging for Relief staff to get work. If you are registered take that phone off silent, and take it with you everywhere in the morning!! You don’t want to miss a call.

Start each day as if you are going to work, have some lunch organized, your clothes ready and your resource kits all set to go.

Coming up next:

Nikki shares her top three tips for making casual relief teaching less stressful and five ways to manage behaviour as CRT.

You can find Nikki's great range of resources for CRTs at her website www.oceanviewlearningcentre.com and on Teachers Pay Teachers

Teaching Hints and Tips

3 Essential Resources for Relief Teachers

​​​​​​​​Hi Nikki! Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom and experience with us. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself so we can get to know you and your experience in education and as a casual relief teacher?

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Hi Nikki! Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom and experience with us. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself so we can get to know you and your experience in education and as a casual relief teacher?