Maddison Cooper

Maddison Cooper

4 Bennett Court

Seaford, VIC, AUS 3198

Mobile. Ph. 0422 475 040

International: +61 422475040

Email:

Attention:

Mr. Peter J. Bond,

Principal, Australian International School Singapore.

This application is made in response to the position advertised on www.ais.com.sg for a preschool to junior school classroom teacher, at your school, Australian International School Singapore. I am a primary school teacher currently teaching in a government school in Victoria Australia on the Mornington Peninsula, Benton Junior College. The current enrolment is 700 from P-6. I am currently one of six prep teachers with a prep enrolment of 120. BJC is IB authorised and CIS accredited. Having already taught in a school which promotes global and inclusive education I wish to extend this to a truly international environment such as that at AIS Singapore.

My extensive look through your schools website has made it clear to me that AIS Singapore is a school and community that I would be honoured to work within. I am passionate about being involved in an active school community and it is evident that these opportunities would be provided for and are expected of the staff. I was enthused to see that the school is an authorised PYP school. I was impressed to read the schools ethos on education. In particular to celebrate diversity in the school and wider community and to respect, understand and embrace this. I am passionate about this inquiry approach to teaching and learning and am confident that I would be able to deliver the PYP at AIS. If employed at AIS Singapore you would see a teacher dedicated to enriching the lives of her students, embracing student diversity in every way, working in a team with other dedicated staff and contributing in many ways to the wider school community.

Please find attached my responses to the selection criteria, my application with reference details and a copy of my resume. Should you have any questions in regards to my responses I am contactable by the above means. I wish to take this time to thank you for the opportunity to apply, and I look forward to when I can demonstrate my suitability for this position.

Yours Sincerely

Maddison Cooper

1: High Quality Teaching Practice

· Demonstrated high quality teaching skills which support improvements in student learning within the specified learning area(s).

· Demonstrated ability to incorporate the use of learning technologies in learning and teaching programs.

· Ability to cater for the learning needs of ESL students in mainstream classes.

· Ability to assess and monitor student achievement and to provide reports to parents that keep them regularly and fully informed of their children's progress.

· Ability to maintain high behaviour and discipline standards which promote a positive classroom environment.

High quality teaching practice stems from being a skilled and knowledgeable teacher who understands the impact they have on students’ lives and the diversity that exists amongst students. It also involves a teacher who employs a range of teaching strategies suited to their students’ needs. Teachers must be flexible in their practice as they are educating students to become informed and active global citizens in an ever changing global community. Hence high quality teaching practice is exhibited in a person who is passionate, motivated and dedicated, all of which I am. I employ a number of strategies within my classroom teaching that reflect high quality teaching practice:

· I know my students’, I understand their differences and I cater to their individual needs.

· Creating a class essential agreement where children have ownership over what they need to do to keep our classroom a ‘safe and happy place’.

· Using explicit instruction to teach concepts and skills across a range of subjects.

· I employ the use of whole class and small group instruction suited to the topic being taught and the needs of the children in my class.

· Like ability grouping for children working during Literacy and Numeracy providing tasks and assistance suitable to their needs.

· Providing opportunities for mixed ability grouping to allow children to learn from each other, such as during an informal measurement session, creating class fairy tales or working on dioramas during the unit of Inquiry ‘How we share the planet’.

· Pose questions and statements to facilitate and construct inquiry and curiosity from children.

· I understand children’s multiple intelligences and I provide many opportunities for children to learn through visual and audible instruction, from kinaesthetic hands on activities and from interactions with the natural environment.

· Construct my classroom environment in a safe and supportive manner to assist all children to learn and achieve confidence through their successes.

Within my teaching I have used a number of learning technologies to enhance my program. I have made use of interactive whiteboards, computers and my laptop to connect students with real life examples from topics they are learning. Learning technologies are imperative in my role as a teacher to provide a rich and comprehensive learning program for my students. I have used learning technologies to:

· Play an interactive game to investigate the position and elements of the planets in the solar system during the unit ‘How the world works’

· Work with students to map out walks around our community during the unit ‘How we organise ourselves’

· Stimulate discussions by showing students’ pictures of animals from an excursion to the zoo within the unit ‘How we share the planet’.

· Tune students in to a topic on shapes and creating pictures by watching a clip of ‘Mr Squiggle’ on the internet.

· Enhance my daily Literacy and Numeracy rotations where children can use programs such as Maths Circus and Braintastic to practice skills explicitly taught during group instruction.

· Publish children’s stories about Elmer the elephant and display these next to their draft writing.

· Help children find answers to their wonderings by researching online together.

· Create a photo story showcasing a year in prep for all students to take home.

· Plan enriching and engaging learning programs for Preps, Year 3 and Years 5 & 6.

· Create and share valuable resources with my colleagues at a prep team level, a junior school level and a whole school level.

Classes I have taught have predominately been white Anglo-Saxon however this year I have a student for whom English is her second language. I am very aware of the need to give short, clear instruction using visual clues where possible. I have many visual clues around my classroom and make time on a daily basis to review these with her. I also understand the need for differentiation within the curriculum and the use of Individual Learning Plans to meet children’s specific needs. Having this student in my class has reinforced to me the need to be a reflective practitioner so that I consistently provide the best environment for every child, to learn.

The purpose of assessment is to inform teaching. It is essential to understand where a child is now (assessment of learning) and where they are going (assessment for learning). The ability to identify and utilize appropriate and effective assessment tools is a skill a teacher must possess. I use a number of assessment tools to ensure I am assessing and reporting to parents regularly and am well informed when doing so:

· PM Benchmark running records.

· Focus group observation sheet – I use this during Literacy and Numeracy rotations to make on the spot observations of students as they are working.

· At a glance in class assessment & observation book.

· VELS tables – The Victorian State curriculum is VELS and has standards to students achievement at progression points. In this document I can note each child’s progression over the year.

· I use formative and summative assessment tasks incorporating a number of multiple intelligences to suit children’s learning styles.

· 5 star writing criteria where the students asses their own achievements by colouring in a star for each component of writing they believe they achieved during a given task.

· Administer online testing for Literacy and Numeracy.

· Administer NAPLAN in year 3.

Creating a positive classroom environment comes from a teacher who relays in a supportive way their expectations of their students. I expect a high standard of behaviour from my students and achieve this through a structured, relative and consistent approach to behaviour management. I have successfully used a number of behaviour management strategies within my teaching:

· I constantly praise children making ‘good choices’ and make a conscious effort to appropriately acknowledge and reward these behaviours.

· Identifying a weekly ‘High Flyer’ for consistent classroom efforts using the attitudes and attributes of the learner profile.

· Prize box raffle ticket system which again rewards outstanding efforts.

· 5 finger conflict resolution, students identify the conflict that occurred as their little finger and together identify 4 possible solutions to the conflict to restore peace.

· I use a consistent strategy for dealing with disruptive behaviour to make clear my expectations to all children, using age appropriate language and developing an understanding between myself and students about classroom and whole school behaviour.

· Worked with year 3 children to develop a star chart system where they created the rewards they felt valuable to them.

2: Contribution to Learning Area and Curriculum Development

· Demonstrated comprehensive level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant curriculum areas and student learning styles.

· Ability to successfully implement and evaluate curriculum initiatives in accordance with School, NSW Board of Studies and International Baccalaureate guidelines in a collaborative team.

· Demonstrated capacity to reflect critically upon professional practice and ability to develop strategies to improve the quality of teaching and student learning.

So far throughout my teaching career I have been on a number of curriculum teams involved in writing many curriculum documents. Curriculums exist to inform teachers of what to teach and what their students should achieve. A teacher’s role is to provide a classroom environment where by these curriculums are taught and achievements met with teaching strategies catered to students needs. VELs (Victorian Essential Learning standards) which I have experience with is similar in comparison to the NSW Board of Studies K-6 syllabus. I am confident I can deliver this curriculum with the same confidence and standards. I strongly believe in the IB philosophy and associated pedagogy of the PYP which promotes education of the ‘whole’ child through teachers facilitating inquiry and scaffolding children’s learning.

My curriculum experiences so far have included:

· Working in a year level team of 6 to develop a sequential Literacy, Numeracy and Integrated scope and sequence for Prep level.

· A member of college International Mindedness team, responsible for writing a whole school policy on international mindedness during school review.

· A member of the Intercultural Understanding team and Engage with Asia developmental team, responsible to reviewing current curriculum and practice and implementing studies of Asia into daily classroom programs, providing resources and attending professional development.

· Implementing and reporting to VELs Victorian curriculum authority

· Developing and planning units of Inquiry for prep level.

As I mentioned earlier it is important to be a reflective practitioner and as a teacher I certainly view myself as a lifelong learner. I believe professional development is essential as it improves a teacher’s knowledge and skills and therefore their classroom practice. I have taken many opportunities to engage in professional development and have gained immense benefit from it. In 2010 I completed the process for full teaching registration with VIT (Victorian Institute of Teaching). I was required to reflect on my teaching and complete an action research project. I then presented this to a panel and was referred for full registration which I have since gained. I have attended a number of Professional Development both inside school and at outside venues. The focuses of these have been varied from using learning technologies to literacy and numeracy skills and practical activities and with the focus of international mindedness including:

· PYP induction – Benton Junior College.

· IB PYP Workshop Teaching and Learning – An in school workshop led by Di Fisk.

· International Alliance for Education – 3 day Conference in Melbourne July 2010 with a number of presentations from academics in the field and group workshops to stimulate action.

· Literacy Practices – Julie Shephard, Benton Junior College.

· Engaging children in Mathematics – Michael Ymer, Benton Junior College.

· Prep focused practical mathematics – Michael Ymer, Melbourne.

· PYP Network Meetings/Open weeks – Peninsula PYP Network schools, Victorian PYP Network schools

· Early Years Network meetings – Mornington Peninsula

· Interactive Whiteboard Practical Instruction – Benton Junior College

· Write on Track - Benton Junior College

· Using the Ultranet – Graham Henshall, Benton Junior College.

*I have a comprehensive table outlining the PD I have completed which can be provided upon request.

If employed at AIS I would take every opportunity to engage in professional development and continue to implement new strategies into my teaching. I would effectively communicate with my colleagues to share my valuable experiences and knowledge with others and would welcome the opportunity to do the same from them.

3: Relationships with Students, Staff and Parents

· Ability to develop constructive relationships with students which engender positive attitudes to learning.

· Demonstrated high level communication and interpersonal skills when relating to students, parents and other teachers.

· Demonstrated exemplary values and attitudes appropriate to responsible professional practice and the intellectual, physical and social development of students.

I am passionate about working with children and am dedicated to their welfare and assisting them with personal growth. I value the admiration a young child has for their teacher and understand the importance of my role in their lives. It is essential to build a rapport with students and understand them at a personal level to provide a program that is highly engaging and develops positive attitudes to learning through successes. In my classroom room I:

· Am approachable my students know they can come to me to talk at any time.

· Provide positive feedback constantly and recognise efforts and achievements.