Create and maintain supporting and safe learning environments
AITSL Standards 4.4 & 7.1
Focus Areas
- Becomes familiar with and follows school policies
- Documents what strategies/policies and legislation are relevant to school/students/teachers
- Familiar with the jurisdictional professional codes of conduct/ethics
Description
One of the school’s policies is to use the Compass electronic system for storing personalized information on students, such as unique learning needs or medical conditions requiring attention. In the latter case, this is indicated by the symbol (+) next to the student’s name (Picture 4.4). The system also records presence or absence of students in the lessons and can be accessed by parents to approve an absence, or notify for a late presence. Teachers have to comply with the policy of using Compass and updating the roll at every lesson. While following this procedure, I found the roll and the symbols on it invaluable in reminding me of students with unique needs or medical conditions (as was indeed the case with some in my Geography class), so that I remained conscious and alert to their needs. To avoid discrimination and respect the privacy of these students, I strictly adhered to the Code of Conduct (2016), which states that I should always be aware of the legal requirements and the responsibilities that accompany my profession in order to promote student’s wellbeing, prevent discrimination, and create safe learning environments. Therefore, while marking the roll, I always froze the screen projector to prevent exposing any medical or other sensitive information to other students in the class.
Furthermore, in the picture provided below as evidence, I omitted students’ names and pictures, so that their privacy remains protected.
References
Victorian Institute Of Teaching (VIT) (2018). Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct. Retrieved from https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/35604/Code-of-Conduct-2016.pdf
Evidence Artefacts
