Primary Education students
Tiana stands in front of Spring Hill Public School smiling

Tiana Plywaski
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education)

 

What's your most memorable experience while on placement?

My most memorable placement was my rural placement. I got to experience a small school of fifty students with a cross-stage composite 4/5/6 class. During this placement, I was able to program and teach my own unit for the first time, and was forced to adapt my teaching style to a very unique school context. This placement solidified my understanding that students' behaviour is a form of communication when they cannot explain themselves, and this is a principle I've been able to carry through to my following placements and casual work. My rural placement was formative to the development of the personal teaching pedagogy with which I look forward to beginning my career.

What did you learn from placement?

My final year placements provided the chance to work with one class over a more extended period of time (seven weeks total). This was the year in which I finally experienced the tangible positive benefits of developing strong, mutually respectful, trusting relationships with students. I have learned to always see students as holistic individuals, cementing this as the other core tenant of my personal pedagogy.

What impacts do you think placements will have on your teaching career?

Placements were critical to my understanding of the theories we learned in class. There is a very big step between theoretical understanding and being able to experience and see the benefits of these approaches for ourselves. Every year, I have keenly anticipated the placement period because as much as I value my time at university, it's simply not the same as classroom experience, in terms of how it shapes me as a teacher or how rewarding I find it.
 
Teaching is hard, and placements show us that. But in addition to improving my adaptability and on-paper skillset as a teacher, my professional experience placements have convinced me that I am, at heart, a teacher. Without these experiences, I would feel unsure walking into my own classroom next year, but instead, I feel confident and excited to be working with students again. Despite the demands they put on us, I feel that placements have been the highlight of my university experience, and I hope that any teacher would feel the same - there is absolutely nothing that compares to being in the classroom.
 
I am very grateful for the placement program I went through at UTS - it's the reason I chose to study here rather than any other university.

 

Rose smiles at the camera in her classroom

Rose O'Donnell
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education)

 

What's your most memorable experience while on placement?

I think the most memorable achievements I have had during my professional placements is the relationships I have built with each of my students. I have had placement at four very different schools, in terms of location, culture and advantage but at each one I have been able to build a unique relationship with each student.
 
In my final placement what I enjoyed most was that it was during my transition to working full time on that class. Therefore the relationships that I started during my placement have continued to grow since then and I am so proud of the achievements my students have made. It is not an easy school and there have been many moments this year when I have felt tired and beaten down but looking back now and seeing how far they have come makes me so proud of them and of myself. I have worked long and hard with the executives and support staff at my school to ensure that they have the adjustments and resources they need to learn and thrive. I’m not saying that I have it all right yet nor that they are all suddenly working perfectly (not even close), but we have come so far and grown together.
 
I still remember the turning point for one of my students. We had finally had a successful day after weeks disruption and distraction. But this day he tried very hard to remain on task and follow instructions taking advantage of all his adjustments and supports. At the end of the day I decided to walk him to his mother’s car so that we could tell her together how well he had done. I could tell that no one had ever done this for a positive event before because his mother asked “what has he done now?” and it was wonderful to see the pride on both their faces when we were able to tell her the successes that he had had that day. This was the beginning of a positive change in his behaviour in the classroom.
 
Nothing feels better when you run a lesson where all the students are engaged and laughing or calm and concentrating hard and at the end they feel proud of themselves wanting to run home to tell their parents all that they have learnt. And the best way I have learnt to do this is through relationships.

What did you learn from placement?

I think what I have valued most about my professional experiences is the diverse range of experiences I actively sought out. I have attended schools in regional, metropolitan and rural areas, as well as in low and high socio-economic areas. At each school I have experienced different contexts and gain new skills. At my first placement I learnt how to build relationships with my students and how to engage them in their learning. During my second practical experience I learnt how to teach in a bilingual environment and how to manage living away from home. During my rural placement I developed my planning and programming abilities, researching, designing and implementing my own series of lessons for a year 3 to 6 multistage class. During my final placement I have put all these skills into practice to help me manage and support the large range of challenging behavioural needs of my students. I am sure that all these practical abilities will sustain me throughout my future teaching career.

What impacts do you think placements will have on your teaching career?

Through my varied professional experiences I have been able to experience teaching in a variety of contexts and therefore ready myself for my next challenge — full-time rural teaching. Through the rural teach scholarship I will spend the next 3 years living and working at a rural school where I will put into practice all of the skills that I have developed in each of my professional experience schools and hopefully excel and make a difference. Without the experience and confidence I have gained through my placements I would feel less prepared for this next challenge.

I would highly recommend that all pre-service teachers gain as much experience in a variety of schools and regions before they graduate, because I truly believe that this is what has successfully prepared me for the diverse teaching experiences available to graduates.

 

Constance smiles while receiving an award

Constance Botsikas
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education)

 

What's your most memorable experience while on placement?

All six placements have been incredibly memorable. I enjoy and acknowledge the fact that we are in a profession where we are shaping future generations. On placements, I always remember situations where all students participated in an inquiry session. It shows that students all want to learn and the teachers are there to support the students every step of the way. I will speak about two of the most memorable experiences and where I learnt the most.
 
Wairoa School: Wairoa School is a school for specific purpose, therefore, all 72 students, in the school, had moderate to severe intellectual and physical disabilities. Throughout this professional experience, I understood the importance of consistency and transparency in their daily routine and lives. These students require clear, concise and specific instructions as well as personalised learning plans, routines and behaviour management strategies. As a result of this experience, I use many of the behaviour management skills I learnt in my classroom. These include; sensory play such as, playdoh, drawing and origami.
 
Ultimo Public School: Ultimo Public School has 470, over 70% speak Chinese as their first language. I did my final placement at Ultimo Public School and I currently am a full-time classroom teacher on the same class I did my placement on. Ultimo Public School is an amazing school where the opportunities are countless.
 
Throughout this memorable experience, I had to learn to adapt my teaching style to cater for many EAL/D students. With the support and assistance from the EAL/D specialist teachers, we have implemented many strategies that work. Some include; (1) using podcast and audios, where the students can pause and slow down the track to their own differentiated level, (2) using images and (3) using stimulus in the students first language, this supports their initial understanding of the concepts.
 
On this placement, I noticed many students folding paper during learning time. I reinforced my classroom expectations and encouraged students to play creatively at lunch time, this did not seem to work. Therefore, I implemented teaching standards 1, know your students and how they learn, and began a lunch time art class. During this time, students do origami and can release their interest, expand their knowledge and learn from others. Students are becoming lifelong learners as they support and assist each other when the origami gets challenging. As a result of my origami art class, there have been many improvements in students' behaviour. For example, I have noticed a significant improvement in students' ability to focus in the class as they are listening during the explicit instruction, there have been an increase in students coming to origami art class and students are continuing to support their peers. As it was World Teacher’s Day not too long ago, I have students from my origami art class gift me cards with the origami we make on it. This was an incredible experience, knowing that I am shaping the future generation.

What did you learn from placement?

There are countless key learnings that I received through completing professional experiences. A stand out would have to be the University of Technology professional experience team. Warren Poole, Anne Poole and Esther Sarantis have been so incredibly supportive throughout all my placements. They have never hesitated to give support, guidance and feedback whenever I call or email them. When we came back to uni after placements, I found the debrief reflection time was always so insightful and necessary. This is because you learn from your peers; strategies that worked for them and you add it to your academic toolbox.
 
Throughout my placements, I found the staff and stage meetings incredibly helpful. This gave all the teachers an opportunity to plan and move forward. I have found the professional learning meetings to be incredibly beneficial as well.
 
I consistently have the ‘learn-from-everyone’ mindset and attitude. Therefore, whenever I was on placements, I would ask so many questions and collaborate with my supervising teachers, other teachers, Assistant Principals, the Assistant Principal Curriculum Instruction and most importantly the Principal. From all these conversations, I have learnt behaviour management strategies, explicit teaching techniques and modes of co-teaching to experiment.

What impacts do you think placements will have on your teaching career?

We began placements 3 weeks into the education degree. Therefore, at the end of my first professional placement, I knew that becoming a teacher was the best career path that I could choose. I appreciate at UTS that we do many placements at various schools. This is great as we get experience in different settings and learn from various teachers. During all professional experience, it is so insightful and as prac students, you are constantly learning. Many of the skills, strategies and techniques that I have learnt on previous placements, I currently still do. As placement students, you learn first hand what works and can use in your classroom.
 
Throughout my previous 6 placements, my confidence has grown significantly. On my first placement, I was extremely shy, nervous and timid - I rarely spoke to many people and did not try anything that I planned. I was a reflective practitioner, and learnt from this experience. Now, having just completed my final placement, I learnt so much, I speak up, ask questions and try my best. That is the whole point of placements, no one is there to judge you or make you feel uncomfortable. Other teachers appreciate when students ask questions and for help, it shows that you want to do well and learn.
 
Thank you for the opportunity to nominate me for the Laurie Brady Award 2023. Thank you for allowing me to provide you with an insight to my philosophy and values as a teacher. We are all in this profession because we care and value our students. My parents came to Australia because of the educational opportunities that were available. They missed out on an opportunity to learn how to read and write, but they instilled great work ethics and knew that by working hard you can achieve anything. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher so that no one else will miss out on their education. I want all my students and colleagues to achieve their best and be at their fullest potential. I will work hard for my students just as my parents have worked hard for me to get here.
 

Hugh Tomkins and Megan Bown were both recipients of the 2018 Newington Education Scholarship, a teacher education program that is provided by Newington College. 

Receiving the Newington Education scholarship is an incredible honour and has been a great opportunity to experience teaching at one of Sydney’s most prestigious schools. The scholarship program involves completing our final placement with a class at Newington College preparatory school at the Lindfield campus (Hugh) and Stanmore campus (Megan). The scholarship also involves us working with the school in different ways approximately two days per week, and additionally actively participating in the wider Newington community through co-curricular activities.  

Hugh & Megan, Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) graduates

FASS undergraduate Hugh Tomkins

Hugh Tomkins
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education)
 

My experience at Newington’s Lindfield prep campus to date has been nothing but exciting and full of learning opportunities. The students and staff have been very welcoming over the past two terms with myself being involved in many curricular and co-curricular activities across all stages. 

Lindfield prides itself on their approach to inquiry-based student-centred learning through their involvement within the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP). This was particularly exciting for me as it was a new way of teaching that my own personal teaching philosophy believes in. Students become the facilitators of their own learning in which their own interest is used to help promote a learning environment full of engagement, risk-taking and relevance.  

My first day at Newington really encompassed the passion that the students have for their campus as well as their commitment to mateship and healthy competition. The swimming carnival was a great introduction to see the love of school that these students displayed. Further to this, seeing the students supporting their friends and bringing each other up made for a great day that made me excited for the upcoming time I was about to spend with these students. 

My personal experiences have had me working collaboratively with fellow teachers and students across a range of learning areas with literacy being my main focus. Working closely with other teachers has helped me to get a better grasp and new techniques in teaching this topic to students. Furthermore, I have also been working one on one with students within the Minilit program to help and improve their own literacy skills. 

These past two terms have been nothing but exciting and I cannot wait to see how my prac placement period, as well as the rest of the school year, goes. 

Photo of Megan

Megan Bown
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education (Primary Education)

What made you want to become a teacher? 

Ever since I was a young child I loved teaching, I loved showing people and my teddy bears alike how to do something or sharing with them what I had just learnt. I love seeing students' eyes light up as they discover and understand what I have been trying to teach them. I love the opportunity being a teacher gives me to inspire the next generation to be confident, active citizens in our society. I love having the opportunity to encourage them and be the voice cheering them on to accomplish their goals.

What has been a highlight of your time at UTS?

Definitely having the opportunity to teach overseas in Samoa - wow! What an experience! It was such a valuable experience that gave us the opportunity to really immerse and engage ourselves in another country and culture. It was so enjoyable to teach the students who had such a positive attitude for education - unlike so many students in Australia who simply just don't know how blessed they are. Teaching in Samoa also challenged us to use different resources and approaches due to their limited access to technology. A memory I won't forget. 

Tell us about your experience as a Newington Education Scholarship recipient

I’m at Newington's other preparatory school, Wyvern, in Stanmore. Like the Lindfield campus, from day one, the staff and students at Wyvern have been a constant source of encouragement, inspiration and support. My role at Wyvern includes working closely with the boys in the year two class I am undertaking my final placement with, and the STEM room, where I assist and teach lessons to boys across year levels. 

Similar to Hugh, I have jumped right into the Newington community by involving myself in co-curricular activities including the Robotics Club, STEM Club and school excursions. Through such activities, I have learnt many skills and techniques that will shape my teaching career. Furthermore, these experiences have shown me a creative, innovative and exciting aspect of teaching, particularly through amazing experiments and challenges in the STEM room. 

The STEM room at Wyvern is a truly unique space offered to the boys that encourages and challenges the boys’ thinking. Boys in year 2–6 are provided one hour of teaching time per week in the STEM room by the STEM specialist teacher. These lessons are always hands-on with a wide range of resources to assist them to design and make almost anything they set their minds on. A specific lesson that comes to mind included planning, designing and making a sustainable ‘improvement’ to a space within the school. Together, boys researched and gathered information from a range of sources, then designed and created models of their ideas using recycled materials and craft resources. 

The teaching degree at UTS allows tertiary students to visit approximately 6 different schools within the 4 year program. Wyvern is my last school in my degree I will get to see, allowing me the benefit of hindsight and reflection upon my previous 5 schools I have completed placement at. 

With this in mind, I can honestly say, every time I’m at Wyvern I am overwhelmed as I walk down the hallways and see A. MAZE. ING. artworks boys have made, and observe and assist in lessons other schools can only dream of experiencing – the boys at Wyvern have no idea just how blessed they are to attend such a school and have access to such incredible resources. The products and artworks they make are testaments to the investment and sacrifice of parents and teaching staff.  

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Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.