NENews - 2 May 2023 (New Educators)

Hello from the SVP

Hello New educator member,

I hope this message finds you well-rested and ready to dive into the business of Term 2. Hopefully by this stage in the school year you have gotten to know your classes and have done the majority of the hard work establishing routines and expectations.

As we head into this next term, I want to take the opportunity to touch base and provide you with some useful information that can help you navigate your teaching journey. From effective teaching and learning strategies to your rights as a graduate teacher, we've got you covered. Our aim is to empower you with knowledge and support, so you can continue to grow as an educator.

Additionally, if you're experiencing any issues or concerns in your workplace, don't hesitate to reach out to our Member Assist team. They're available Monday to Friday during working hours to offer guidance and support, should your workplace union rep be unavailable.

Finally, teaching can be challenging, especially when you're new to the field. But you're not alone, and we're here to help. As a new educator member of the SSTUWA, we encourage you to tune in to our New Educator Network webinars this term. These sessions are designed to support you in your professional development journey. The first session will provide valuable insights into the process of transitioning to full registration, while the second will give you practical tips on how to connect with your educational communities.

Natalie Blewitt
Senior Vice President

Teaching tip of the month

Checking for understanding is the process of a teacher making sure that students are learning what is being taught, while it is being taught. It allows you to make sure everyone is on task and adjust lesson delivery if students are getting lost. Some strategies for checking for understanding include:

• Before giving instructions, let students know you’ll be making sure they understand by calling on people at random afterwards. After explaining the activity, use a jar of labelled pop-sticks to randomly select three students to explain the activity in their own words. It’s important you’ve built a culture of safety in your classroom prior to holding students to this level of accountability.

• Once you’ve taught a particular concept, and expect students to understand it, ask for a signal of understanding – thumbs up, wave hand, thumbs down. Anyone with their thumbs up is confident they understand the concept and can explain it in their own words.

• Ask students to respond privately to your question by writing an answer on a mini whiteboard, and have the whole class raise their whiteboards at the same time. This will give you a quick visual of who does and doesn’t understand the concept.

• Have students fill in an exit card at the end of a lesson and hand it to you as they walk out the door.

• Have students create a summary of a particular concept – this could be in the form of a 280-character tweet, a one-minute vlog, or a letter to their teacher or parents explaining what they have learnt.

Know Your Rights

Did you know that, under the new 2021 General Agreement, the use of graduate teachers for internal relief should be by agreement with the graduate teacher?

This is in recognition of the additional workload new teachers face while navigating their first two years in the workplace.

As a graduate teacher, it's important to be proactive about this - make a time to discuss your availability for internal relief with your principal or relief coordinator. You might request that you aren’t given any internal relief at all, or that your first hour of DOTT for the week is protected. Whatever outcome you are aiming for, communicate early and well for best results!

To read the exact wording of this entitlement, check out Clause 25.4 of the 2021 General Agreement, available to members via our website.

What we're reading

Last month the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released their education policy outlook in Australia report. The report found “the disciplinary climate in schools in Australia was among the least favourable in the OECD”. Are your experiences represented in this report? Read the Guardian Australia article here.

ICYMI

“It is important we use the opportunities provided by edtech, rather than edtech using us.”

Do you use education technologies in your classroom? According to Leslie Loble from the University of Technology Sydney, over 250 different types of edtech were being used in Australian classrooms in 2019.

Catch up on the story, from the April Western Teacher, here.

Get to know the Education and Training Centre

The SSTUWA offers some the best industrial and professional education and training in Australia, which is perfect for new educators. This training is heavily discounted for members. Courses range from how to apply for a job to high-level professional development.

Our Education and Training Centre also coordinates conferences and events which offer members access to some of the world’s best education thinkers and leaders.

Courses are available throughout the year both in term-time and during school holidays. Face-to-face and online learning is available.

Check out the upcoming online courses below, and view the full training calendar to see what else is on offer.

View the full training calendar here >>

What's on this month

Education and Training Centre courses

Online

• Decolonising The Curriculum
  Thursday 4 May | 2.30-3.30pm

• Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
  Thursday 11 May | 4-5pm

• Managing the Learning of Students with Anxiety Thursday 11 May | 4-5.30pm

• Responding to Students Struggling with Writing in Grades 4-6
  Thursday 11 May | 2.30-3.30pm

• Supporting Students Who Have Experienced Trauma
  Thursday 11 May | 4-5.30pm

• The 2021 General Agreement: Schools
  Monday 15 May | 3.30-4.30pm

• WELLBEING - Psychologically Safe Conversations
  Thursday 18 May | 4-5.30pm

• Engaging Students with ADHD
  Thursday 18 May | 4-5.30pm

• Five Techniques to Improve Essay Writing in Secondary Schools
  Thursday 25 May | 4-5pm

• Balancing Life and Teaching - Meet With Other Teachers
  Thursday 25 May | 4-5.30pm

Get involved with your union

New educator webinars

• Our first New Educator Webinar of Term 2, 10 Tips for Transitioning to Full Registration, will be held on Monday 15 May at 4pm. It will be followed by our second webinar, 10 Tips for Community Connection on Monday 29 May at 4pm. Join the New Educator Network and register here. These 45 minute, online events are free for members and will be recorded in your SSTUWA professional learning log.

Voice to Parliament online course

• The ACTU will be supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their fight for a Voice to Parliament this year – and wants YOU to join them! If you wish to know more about the Voice, From the Heart have an online course available. It’s a great, free resource for you to learn more about what a Voice to Parliament is and why a Referendum is required to make it happen. Click here to visit the course page, then click on Start Course.

Don't forget about graduate modules

Did you know that you have 30 months to complete the four Graduate Modules?

Your school should have been provided with the funding to release you, as well as a travel contingency to cover your costs. Speak to your principal before enrolling in a module near you on PLIS.

If you're at a Graduate Module 1 or 4, chances are a member of the SSTUWA Growth Team will be too! Keep an eye out and come and say hello.

We're here to help!

Have a question about your working conditions? Contact Member Assist on (08) 9210 6060
or memberassist@sstuwa.org.au

Need help with a graduate-specific question? Want a Growth Team visit to your school? Interested in getting more involved with your union? Contact the Growth Team at neweducator@sstuwa.org.au

Looking for graduate-specific support, advice and networking opportunities? Join the New Educator Network on Facebook.

Want to know your rights, read the latest SSTUWA news, check out your member benefits and more? Visit sstuwa.org.au and login with your member number.