The first few weeks

A graduate teacher, in her second week at a school, uses a number of strategies to ensure student participation and engagement. She describes the strategies she has used to get to know her students and their learning requirements. She explains the strategies she has employed to cater for, and engage a range of students, including those with special learning needs. She stresses the importance of using trial and error within the teaching round to explore teaching and learning strategies appropriate for a class with very diverse learning needs.

O’Connor Primary School is located in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 600km east of Perth. This particular class has a diverse student cohort, including students with English as a second language and several students with additional learning needs. Placement at the school allows the graduate teacher to trial a range of teaching and learning strategies. She recognises that the effectiveness of these will often depend upon the particular learning context in which they are used. She also understands that the failure of particular strategies does not necessarily indicate their lack of suitability for use in future learning contexts.