Tip #1 – Learning space and seating plans

Watch the ‘teaching tips’ video from Dom, Melinda (nationally certified Highly Accomplished teachers), and Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 1.2 – Understand how students learn
• Focus area 4.1 – Support student participation

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• Classroom observation (AITSL)
• Inclusive play (AITSL)
• Poster - Classroom Practice Continuum (AITSL)
• Classroom layouts (Queensland Government Department of Education)
• Classroom layout - what does the research say? (Teacher Magazine)
• Learning spaces: Moving past tradition (Teacher Magazine)
• Learning spaces: The shifting lens (Teacher Magazine)
• Managing the classroom (NSW Government)
• Optimum class seating plan - does it exist? (School News Australia)
• What the research says: setting up your classroom (Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training)

Tip #2 – Preparing for your first class

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Tania (nationally certified Highly Accomplished teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 3.5 - Use effective classroom communication
• Focus area 4.2 - Manage classroom activities

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• Circle time (AITSL)
• Creating routines (AITSL)
• Establishing classroom expectations (AITSL)
• Inquiry learning in play spaces (AITSL)
• My Induction app (AITSL)
• Setting expectations for using ICT (AITSL)
• Sound routines (AITSL)
• Behaviour Interventions (Evidence for Learning)
• Learning Tools (NSW Government)

Tip #3 – Your first week of teaching

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Standard 1: Know your students and how they learn
• Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

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• Early Career Teachers: Stories of resilience (AITSL)
• The first few weeks (AITSL)

Tip #4 – Building classroom relationships

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Melinda (nationally certified Highly Accomplished teacher) and Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 1.1 – Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
• Focus area 1.2 – Understand how students learn
• Focus area 1.3 – Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Focus area 3.5 – Use effective classroom communication
• Focus area 4.1 – Support student participation

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• Communication strategies (AITSL)
• My Induction app (AITSL)
• The first few weeks (AITSL)
• 7 tips to help kids feeling anxious about going back to school (The Conversation)
• Activities - Getting to know each other (NSW Government)
• Collaborative learning (Evidence for Learning)
• Dinham on knowing your students (Teacher Magazine)
• Getting to know your students (Queensland Government Department of Education)
• Social and emotional learning (Evidence for Learning)

Tip #5 – Your wellbeing

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

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• My Induction app (AITSL)
• Building Resilience in Teacher Education (Brite)
• Educator wellbeing (Teach in the Territory)
• Professional Learning Courses – Principal and teacher wellbeing (Student Wellbeing Hub)
• Wellbeing Tools For You (Be You)
• Whole-School Wellbeing (Association of Independent Schools of NSW)

Teacher self-care and wellbeing is particularly important during challenging times, such as natural disasters:

• Advice to help parents, teachers and students after a bushfire (Department for Education South Australia)
• Educator wellbeing after a national disaster (Be You)
• The Importance of Teacher Self-Care (The Australian National University)

Tip #6 – Getting to know student needs

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 1.5 – Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
• Focus area 1.6 – Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
• Focus area 4.1 – Support student participation
• Focus area 5.4 – Interpret student data

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• Achieving explicit learning goals (AITSL)
• Establishing a program inclusive of children with disability (AITSL)
• Individual learning plans (AITSL)
• My Induction app (AITSL)
• The first few weeks (AITSL)
• inclusionED: Supporting diverse learners (inclusionED)
• Inclusive education (Digital Technologies Hub)
• Individual Learning Goals and Targets (Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training)
• Making education fit for all kids (AllPlay Learn)

Tip #7 – Getting to know parents and carers

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Dom (nationally certified Highly Accomplished teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 3.7 – Engage parents and carers in the educative process
• Focus area 7.3 – Engage with the parents and carers

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• Engaging a parental community (AITSL)
• My Induction app (AITSL)
• Working alongside parents/carers (AITSL)
• Learning potential (Australian Government)
• Parent and community engagement (Queensland Government Department of Education)
• Parent engagement (Department for Education South Australia)
• Parental engagement (Evidence for Learning)

Tip #8 – Feedback and assessment

View the ‘quick tips’ video from Carly (nationally certified Lead teacher) and Melinda (nationally certified Highly Accomplished teacher), then explore the topic in more depth below.

Relevant Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

• Focus area 5.3 – Make consistent and comparable judgements

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• Assessment design criteria (AITSL)
• Feedback Fact Sheet (AITSL)
• Grading using rubrics (AITSL)
• Spotlight - Reframing feedback to improve teaching and learning (AITSL)
• Tracking student progress (AITSL)
• Video & written case studies (AITSL)
• Assessment moderation (Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training)
• Making teacher judgements and assigning scores for student reporting (Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training)
• Planning for assessment (Digital Technologies Hub)