Curriculum & Pedagogy 

Reflecting on Term 1 @ ESC

As we race to the end of a very busy and productive Term 1 on-site, we always like to hear from those who have spent their first Term  with us here at ECSC. Liam and Rebekah are two of our new Graduate teachers and below,  reflect on how their first term in the profession has fared.

Describe your first term of teaching in one word

Liam: Non-stop.

Rebekah: Exciting!

What has been your highlight this term?

Liam: A specific highlight that stands out was seeing the Year 9s during their volleyball tournament on Friday lunchtimes. The sportsmanship, behaviour, participation and support across the tournament was awesome to see. More broadly, just getting to know all the students and staff over the term makes every day enjoyable in some way.

What have you learnt about yourself as a teacher?

Rebekah: That you can't have your same expectations for each class, each student, each day. Recognising that, for whatever reason, sometimes the class you had planned won't go as planned and being able to alter that lesson and your expectations for what that class needs on the day, is sometimes more important than trying to complete a worksheet. Also, remembering that maybe not everyone loves English as much as me! 

What are you keen to work on and develop about your practice next term?

Liam: Continuing to work on time management and being able to learn from and move on quickly from lessons that don't go to plan. I am also looking forward to helping to plan units that I have been assigned to.  

Rebekah: Being able to include student interests and ideas more into our lessons. Slowly as the term has progressed, and I have been learning about who my students are, I have realised how much of their interests can actually be applied to the concepts we are discussing in class. I would like to work on actively making an effort to include these in our lessons.

Our Year 11 students have now completed their first term as VCE and VCAL students which is very exciting for the College. All VCE students are working towards completing outcomes as part of Unit 1 which have included a range of tasks from creative writing pieces, tests, case studies, posters about the function of the brain and experiments. Our VCAL students have settled into the routine of attending their VET course and appear to be enjoying the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skulls to real world learning experiences in their chosen areas of interest. We look forward to seeing how all of our Senior students progress this year. 

Tom Campbell: Literacy Consultant

This term we welcome Tom Campbell from Campbell Consultancy to ECSC. Tom will be working with the College across a 3 year period to target the improvement of our Literacy practices; with a particular focus on reading, writing and thinking. Tom has been observing our English teachers in class every fortnight and delivering key professional development around the connections between reading engagement and writing improvement to our English leadership team. Tom shared with us some of his highlights from ECSC this term:

• Keenness of staff to explain their vision of literacy development for the college.
•  A well-resourced library with skilled staff supporting classroom teachers.
• Focus on routine in the classrooms.
• Established procedures for the assembling and distribution of data.
• An established process for checking prior knowledge in classes.
• Opportunities for Independent Reading in English classes.

Tom and his partner Terri have been working within the education system for over 35 years and we feel very optimistic about the impact that their work will have on improving teacher practice and reading and writing outcomes for students across Years 7-12.

Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Program (MYLNS)

We congratulate all students on their ongoing commitment to their learning in classes. In the MYLNs space we have been meeting with identified students for both literacy and numeracy to create Individual learning plans (IEPs). The goal of meeting with students to create plans at the point of need of each learner is to curate the curriculum to assist in implementing scaffolds. These scaffolds are then shared with their classroom teachers and intervention teachers to help apply student-specific strategies. In Term 2, we hope to continue on with this process. We thank all students for their ability to engage with the program and identifying learning goals and modes to measure progress. See you in Term 2!

Thank you,

Sandale Ambegoda & Jacqueline Marouche 

MYLNS Literacy and Numeracy Learning Specialists.

Tutor Learning Initiative

This term our team welcomes our Literacy Tutor Adam Ammouche. 

'My name is Adam, and I am the Literacy tutor apart of the Tutor Learning Initiate here at Edgars Creek Secondary College. I primarily work with​ high achieving students, helping them with English classwork and other extension work. Throughout Term One, I've been observing classrooms getting to meet the students as well as helping them through their day-to-day learning! 

I'm excited to be working with college in providing students with the best education possible!'

As we head to the end of a busy term 1 we wanted to share some student's thoughts on being involved in the Tutor Program. 

What do you like best about being involved in the Tutor Program? 

Amrit Brar, 10G: My tutor helps me when I need help. They encourage me to work harder and gives me work to extend my knowledge. 

Japleen Kaur, 8G: You get to do things that are more at your level. You can talk to the tutor if you have any questions. 

Ethan Elambasseril, 8A: There is always someone right next to me to ask for help. It also allows my teacher to work with other in the class. They help to extend me individually. 

Aribah Shaikh, 8A: I get to complete work that I feel is challenging to help extend my knowledge.

How has the program helped your learning? 

Amrit, 10G: I have seen improved marks in English. I have also learnt Study Tips from my tutor. 

Japleen, 8G: I feel challenged by the work that I'm given. 

Ethan, 8A: Helped me get better marks. Last year for Maths I was getting around 70-80% for tests. This year I am now achieving 90-100%. 

Aribah, 8A: I've been able to learn more things with the support of my tutor. I am being extended and feel that I now have a deeper understanding of the topics I learn.

The tutor program will continue into next term. 

Drop in Help Sessions available for all students each Wednesday at Lunchtime. 

Coming up in Term 2:

• NAPLAN Online (Years 7 and 9) Weeks 3-4
• Critical friend Bronwyn Ryrie-Jones working with us on May 24th.
• MYLNS and EAL in class support for identified students begins
• Semester Reporting