I graduated from Murdoch University (Western Australia) in December 2008 with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) and a Minor in Modern Social History.
I excelled in my tertiary studies; receiving three Vice Chancellor’s Awards for Academic Excellence (2005, 2006, 2007), recognising my consistent top 2% academic ranking over the course of my degree.
Professional Experience
I’ve worked as a relief (substitute/supply) teacher since February 2009, teaching classes from Kindergarten to Year 7 across 24 metropolitan schools.
I was recently employed (Term 1, 2011) at a small school in the Fremantle/Peel education district, where I undertook diverse teaching and support responsibilities, including:
- Yr 3 Literacy Support Teacher (small group / whole class literacy and numeracy support)
- Mathletics Coordinator (Small group trial for 2011)
- Yr 6/7 Science Teacher
- Yr 4/5 Art Teacher
- ICT Technical Support Coordinator
Professional Interests & Aspirations
I am passionately interested in literacy education, with a focus on teaching my students how to communicate, share ideas, and safely interact with authentic global audiences through the use of Web 2.0 technologies.
As I develop as a new educator, I am learning to apply these principles in my own professional learning and teaching practice. I have become a reflective edublogger, and am building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) of educators, technology experts, and school leaders around the world via Twitter.
In my recent classroom teaching experience, I took the opportunity to demonstrate and build my expertise in the use of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, with considerable success and extremely positive student feedback. I will shortly showcase my students’ ICT projects in a new wiki, which is currently under development.
Despite still being in the very early phase of my teaching career, I am starting to appreciate how my ICT skills and the development of a professional network have changed the way I teach and the way I learn.
By tapping into, and actively contributing to the global education community, I have found a source of support, motivation, and learning like no other.
I believe my students can only benefit from such global connections and interactions as well.
Looking to the future...
I look forward to teaching my own middle to upper primary class, working in a school which values the educational benefits of Web 2.0 technologies as a medium for supporting student learning and sharing knowledge with authentic global audiences. In time, I’d like to become a specialist ICT teacher or Technology Integration Coordinator.
Dear readers. The comment conversation about my About Me page (during the Edublogs Teacher Blogging Challenge) has been moved here -
ReplyDeletehttp://areliefteachersjourney.blogspot.com/2011/01/navigating-relief-teachers-journey_17.html
The technical glitch which prevented their publication there has been resolved. Thanks.
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your About Me page. I'm still on week 3 in the challenge, so I'll comment for week 3 too.
I feel your pain as a relief teacher, here in Canada we're known as TOCs, teacher-on-call and in some circles, TTOC, teachers teaching on call... but most people still refer to us as "subs" short for substitute. I recently returned home from seven years of teaching overseas and am working my way back up the seniority ranks. I am currently teaching in a long term, temporary contract, but I have to say, that after 9 years of classroom teaching, there were things that I LOVED about TOC'ing. Last year was the first time in my career that I didn't write report cards, have staff meetings and parent conferences. I worked when I wanted to, and didn't answer my phone if it was a rare sunny winter day and I wanted to go skiing. I also got to try out so many different roles that I never had the opportunity to do earlier in my career when I was attached to my own classrooms. My favourite days were as a teacher librarian!
I wish you well in your journey, and know that good things are in store for you.
Tammy
Hi Tammy. I never knew Canadian subs were known as TOCs - the various names & acronymns around the world make my head spin at times.
ReplyDeleteI'm in full agreement with the benefits of our position, which some teachers seem to envy at times. While I'd like my own class one day, I can't say I particularly miss writing reports, parent-teacher conferences, etc.
Its been wonderful to see an increase in my Canadian readership through the Teacher Challenge, and I wish you all the best.
I must say though, I've never been skiing ... maybe I'll pay your wonderful country a visit one day ... hmmm ... dreaming ...
Hi there Michael, it would seem that we have a few things in common. I too, for example, graduated in 2009, also with top academic results (not that I feel such results mean anything more than that I can put together a lot of B/S in an essay). I entered the profession just a little later in life than you, though.
ReplyDeleteI have also been relief teaching since graduation, and I have really enjoyed and learnt a great deal from the experience.
Like you, I aim to work in the middle and upper primary area, and I have focussed pretty much exclusively on these levels in my relieving.
I enjoy using ICT as a teaching and learning tool, although I'm not as up on areas such as blogging and Twitter as you obviously are (I've been avoiding them a bit, to be honest). I have been working with computers, in one way or another, for around 30 years though, and they are an intrinsic part of my everyday life.
From what little I have seen and read of your postings so far, I get the impression that we might be on very similar wavelengths in terms of our attitudes towards teaching. Like you, I feel it is all about the kids - not about the system or the curriculum - and about developing relations and building bridges. Your brief anecdote about Roy was something I could very much relate to, as I have also found myself able to deal with students that other teachers have found very difficult. I, too, find that I probably learn more from such students than they ever learn from me.
I look forward to following your blogs and learning a bit more about aspects of the online environment that I not previously been familiar with.
Best wishes
Simon
Hi Simon! Thanks for dropping by :)
ReplyDeleteIt is always wonderful to find someone who thinks along the same lines - we may not have the easiest entry / role within the teaching profession, but we are here for the right reasons.
I hope you will experiment a little with ICT and Web 2.0 - as these tools helped me break out of the isolation & frustration I long felt as a graduate teacher.
Many thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment - it has been a wonderful reminder that 'I'm not talking to myself' ;) , and I hope you will join me at my new blog (http://mgraffin.edublogs.org) over the coming months and years.
Regards,
Michael