Learning Specialist 3

Government schools; Mildura; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Swan Hill Specialist School in Victoria seeks a Learning Specialist who will spend the majority of time in the classroom while leading demonstration lessons, mentoring teachers, and guiding school-wide professional learning.

You will model high-quality teaching, use student data to inform practice, and collaborate with the leadership team to improve achievement, engagement and wellbeing across the school.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of the Victorian curriculum and ability to model teaching across the curriculum with emphasis on literacy and numeracy.
• Expertise in high-impact teaching strategies to meet student needs and to evaluate learning growth.
• Ability to monitor and assess student learning and provide data-informed feedback to students and parents.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for collaboration with students, colleagues, parents and the community.
• Ability to lead professional learning and reflect on practice to improve outcomes.
• Ability to strengthen school-to-home relationships and community connectedness.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrating high-level expertise in teaching and learning practice.
• Modelling exemplary classroom practice including through teaching demonstration lessons.
• Working with the school leadership team to develop a shared view of highly effective teacher practice.
• Leading and modelling the implementation of whole-school improvement strategies related to curriculum planning and delivery.
• Playing a key role in the provision of professional learning, including developing processes for observation and feedback of teacher practice.
• Modelling effective learning practice and supporting teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback.
• Providing evidence-based feedback to teaching staff to inform their effectiveness and development.
• Providing expert advice about the context, processes and strategies that will shape professional learning.
• Supervising and training student teachers and mentoring and/or coaching teachers.
• Modelling exemplary use of student data to inform teaching approaches.
• Developing and promoting school-wide professional learning structures and protocols.
• Modeling professional learning through seeking feedback from others to improve practice.

Skills

Curriculum knowledge

High impact teaching

Data-informed teaching

Interpersonal skills

Professional learning leadership

School-community engagement

Job description

Selection Criteria

SC1Demonstrated expert knowledge of the relevant curriculum. Demonstrated ability to model exemplary teaching practice, including the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum, and implement school priorities.

SC2Demonstrated expertise in the implementation and modelling of high impact teaching strategies that respond to student learning needs. Demonstrated ability to support teachers to evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth

SC3Demonstrated exemplary ability to model the monitoring and assessment of student learning. Demonstrated ability to support others in using data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to engage in collaborative relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.

SC5Demonstrated ability to model behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated ability to support others to reflect on their practice and facilitate school-based professional learning.

SC6Demonstrated ability to support school to home relationships and increase the connectedness of parents and community to school.

Role

Learning Specialists will be highly skilled classroom practitioners who continue to spend the majority of their time in the classroom delivering high-quality teaching and learning and have a range of responsibilities related to their expertise, including teaching demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback to other teachers and facilitating school-based professional learning.Learning Specialists are expected to have deep knowledge and expertise in high quality teaching and learning in delivering improved achievement, engagement and wellbeing for students. The role of the Learning Specialist will be to model excellence in teaching and learning through demonstration lessons and, mentoring and coaching teachers in improving the skill, knowledge and effectiveness of the teaching workforce.

The Learning Specialist role is aimed at building excellence in teaching and learning within the Teaching Service.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrating high-level expertise in teaching and learning practice
• Modelling exemplary classroom practice including through teaching demonstration lessons
• Working with the school leadership team to develop a shared view of highly effective teacher practice
• Leading and modelling the implementation of whole-school improvement strategies related to curriculum planning and delivery
• Playing a key role in the provision of professional learning, including through developing processes and protocols for observation and feedback of teacher practice and peer collaboration
• Modelling effective learning practice and supporting teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback and on their practice
• Providing evidence-based feedback to teaching staff to inform their effectiveness and development
• Providing expert advice about the context, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
• Supervising and training one or more student teachers and mentoring and/or coaching teachers
• Modelling exemplary use of student data to inform teaching approaches
• Developing and promoting school-wide professional learning structures, processes and protocols through Professional Learning Communities
• Modelling exemplary professional learning practice included through seeking feedback from other teachers and leaders on their own classroom practice as part of critical reflection and inquiry to improve practice

Who May Apply

Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department.The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces.It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (seeWorkplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via*******@education.vic.gov.au

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

Child Safe Standards

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees,including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

Conditions of Employment

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal

Qualification Requirements

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:

• The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
• if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and
• a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July 2016 must also demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements (this condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian ITE program completed by the person).

Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found atRecruitment in Schools.

Location Profile

Swan Hill Specialist School has a strong positive profile in the local Swan Hill community. Located at the edge of the township in an urban area. We have a hall and commercial kitchen and an indoor swimming pool. Relocatables have replaced several buildings and an additional four relocatable buildings have been the response to enrolment growth. The school site is large and accommodates a community kitchen gardenat the rear.

Sheltered play equipment is available for younger students, Middle Years access a newly developed inclusive play area and the school continues its work in upgrading and enhancing the external areas around the school with a $1.6 million dollar cover sports court to begin this year.

Students come from a wide surrounding rural area with some travelling very long distances to access a specialist education. A high percentage of students come by subsided bus transport, including a self-managed bus service.

Students are from a diverse socio-economic background with many families significantly disadvantaged, evidenced by a high Student Family Occupation (SFO) density of 0.82. More boys (71.89%) than girls are enrolled with student¿s disabilities ranging from moderate Intellectual Disability (ID) to mild intellectual disability with a wide range of diagnosis and associated conditions. Many students have a multi disability such as autism or a physical, emotional and behavioural disability. A small percentage of students come from language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE) and there are approximately 20% of students who come from an indigenous background. Recent enrolment growth and the need to provide a range of different program options and supporting staffing arrangements have been an important focus for the school over the last planning period.

There is a very supportive School Council who provide leadership and direction for the school. There are over 50 staff members almost equally divided between specialist teachers and Education Support Staff (ES),many staff members working at the school on a part time basis. Leadership of the school is by the principal, assistant principal and coaches. Leadershiphave led the work across the school around curriculum and have extended the learning of all staff to build teacher capacity. A multi-disciplinary team of allied health professionals including a social worker and speech pathologist are employed or contracted by the school and a school nurse program is running. The school also has available a SSS Team.

The curriculum is based on the Victorian Curriculum from A- D levels and Foundation to Year 10. Senior students undertake VCAL and capable students additionally undertake VET competency-based offerings. Class sizes are approximately six to thirteen students in each room with a teacher and education support (ES) member. Specialist programs in art, music and physical education are an integral part of the educational program. Each room has access to kitchen facilities to enable home crafts learning. Classrooms are equipped with modern ICT technology and there are netbooks and iPads as tools for learning.

The school has excellent links with the local community focused on educational opportunities, transition links, recreation and welfare. Programs such as Inclusion Outreach are run through the school and provide quality links to other local schools. The SHSS regularly shares its expertise with neighboring schools. The school values are kindness, trust and belonging.

Other Information

Full time (TF negotiable)

Ongoing 2 year tenure