Emma
Phyland

As a qualified teacher of Special Education and English, my teaching philosophy encompasses the values of inclusion, diversity, and respect for all students and their individual social, emotional, academic, and behavioural needs.

I believe and model the value of inclusion by supporting and encouraging students to respect, appreciate, and celebrate difference through ability, culture, and individual life experience. I teach students to respect diversity and model this throughout my teaching practices and positive interactions within the workplace and the wider community. My teaching pedagogy incorporates a critical pedagogy with a social justice perspective that equips students with the knowledge, behaviour, and skills needed to become agents of change in an evolving society full of technological and social innovation (Simmons, 2013). Therefore, I ensure that I incorporate all ranges of ability, culture, religion, and socio-economic backgrounds throughout my theoretical knowledge, teaching methodologies, and resources to ensure that my privilege does not overshadow the realities and complexities that some of these groups have faced throughout history.

Throughout my tertiary studies, professional experience practicums, and career in special education, I have adequately supported, planned, taught, and assessed students with a range of complexities in response to their intellectual, behavioural, social, and emotional development. I have successfully managed students who display a variety of challenging behaviours through the use of individualised and whole-school behaviour support plans to ensure that they can actively contribute to and achieve their desired educational outcomes. I have expertly planned, taught, and assessed content for students who display a wide range of readiness levels in response to their individual academic and developmental needs, which involved the use of high impact teaching strategies and evidence-based instructional practices to ensure that each student has the opportunity to achieve success in their learning (Department of Education and Training, 2017). I establish and set targeted and scaffolded learning goals for all students and set these at an appropriate level of challenge (Belland, Kim & Hannafin, 2013). Therefore, students can grasp a sense of achievement yet remain determined to learn and achieve mastery of specific skills that enable them to become lifelong learners (MCEETYA, 2008). To address specific learning needs, I have effectively differentiated for a range of diverse learning profiles on holistic and individualised levels and modified my teaching content, process, learning tasks, assessments, and learning environment according to specific student needs (Tomlinson, 2004). I have used individualised planning strategies to address specific requirements listed in documents such as Individualised Education Plans (IEP) and One Plans (OCOP) in response to each student’s learning, social, emotional, and behavioural needs.

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As an educator, I professionally engage with parents and caregivers to ensure they are actively involved with their student’s education and ensure that I am proactive and responsive to their needs through a direct line of communication. To develop and improve my teaching craft, I engage with professional development opportunities and utilise evidence-based practices to improve my educational philosophy, inform my planning and further develop my teaching and assessment strategies. I express a willingness to learn and continuously seek feedback from colleagues to evolve as a professional educator. I have immersed myself in professional development opportunities to address areas of improvement outlined in my professional experience reports. As a result, I have gained further certifications on the topics of differentiation, assessment, trauma-informed practice, literacy intervention, restorative practices, and ICT-related programs. I have used these professional development opportunities to curate my planning and teaching to meet the needs of the ever-changing and dynamic role of an educator, in order to best support every student to receive a quality education that prepares them to become active and informed citizens and lifelong learners (MCEETYA, 2008). I am continuously striving to develop as a professional and will continue to be an enthusiastic, informed, and involved teacher who always seeks improvement in the best interest of my students and their caregivers.