Artefact 2 Community Engagement
This piece of evidence is a reflection on my time in engaging with the community an the insights I gained as part of
this experience.
Assessment Task 2: Reflecting on the Experience
Name of Pre-Service Teacher:
S00124083
Tamsin Oski
Community Engagement Placement(s):
Student ID:
Mercy College, refugee support program
Due date: 25th October 2014
Submission: To be posted onto the LEO unit
This task requires you to reflect on your Community Engagement Placement (CEP) and its impact on:
1. Your understanding of engaging with community
2. Your development as a teacher.
In completing your Reflecting on the Experience you should draw on your approved proposal for
Community Engagement Placement both Parts A and B together with your wiki postings
1. Your understanding of engaging with community
Complete the chart below by rating each statement taken from the unit outlines description and learning
outcomes. The rating is from 1 5 with 1 representing strong agreement and 5 representing strong
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disagreement. You must add an explanatory comment (this is not optional). You may wish to give an
example here too.
To what extent has your
placement (s)
Explanatory comment
assisted you to understand and value
diversity in its many forms therefore
enabling you to cater for diversity
more effectively
Being in a school environment in a
different area has given me insight into
the challenges faced by refugee
students. It showed me the struggles
that they go through and helped me
understand what measures need to be
taken to ensure they get a quality
education.
enhanced the development of your
understanding of the contextual
factors that impact on the way in
which people live their lives
I have developed a deeper respect for
the role that family and parental
involvement play in a students
education. Both as the value they can
add and when they can work as a
hindrance to what the school is trying
to achieve. (Wiki 6)
enhanced your critical examination,
promoted reflective practices and
challenged established beliefs
Reflection on a days work is something
that I have always held as important
but the time I spent at Mercy College
further promoted this to me and my
experiences required me to challenge
some of my traditional thinking.
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encouraged open and flexible
thinking, and responsiveness to
change
The ability to adapt to change quickly is
something I found myself continuing to
do through my community
engagement. Always being prepared
for the unexpected was mandatory for
each session to run smoothly. (Wiki 7)
enabled you to listen to the voices of
marginalised people and, through
reflection, allow such experiences to
impact on your personal and
professional lives as engaged citizens
The dramatic differences in teaching
styles needed to engage many of the
students I worked with through the
community engagement, gave me a
deeper respect for those working with
the refugee community. I was
astonished by the amount of
preparation that goes into each session
to enable it to run smoothly. I was
further introduced to a world where
education isnt always a high priority in
the family setting and where young
teenagers were looking after the
younger siblings.
provided opportunities for you to
contribute to the life of the
community through the sharing of
personal expertise and time
Spending time with these students I
was able to share my knowledge and
skills in order for them to further
understand basic English skills.
Community engagement gave me that
opportunity to give back and opened
my eyes to different groups and their
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lives within the Melbourne community.
2. Your development as a teacher
In the following chart identify two changes in your views about learning or your intentions for teaching
because of your participation in your Community Engagement Placement(s). Summarise using the data
from your wiki postings. Feel free to add copies of any creative entries which you may have previously
posted.
My views
about
(identify the
issue or
aspect of
teaching and
learning)
Before my
involvement in this
Community
Engagement
Placement I thought
After my
involvement I think
Give evidence and
indicate from which
source (e.g. wiki
posting, reflective
journal entry)
Significance of
outcome/achievement for
you
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1. Family
Involvement
within
education
I believed that
family involvement
in education did
play a role in how
well a student did,
but mainly in
achieving high
results. I didnt
think they would
have as much
influence the older
you got.
I found that families
and their attitudes
towards education
could hinder a
childs development
educationally. It also
showed me how
hard it is to retrain
the student to view
their education as
important.
Wiki posting 5 and
7. The student I
worked with did not
attend school due
to family issues at
home.
I now have a greater
respect for the role
families have in their
childs education (even at
an older age). I realize
that it is hard to change
the views of a child if their
parents are not in full
support. This helps me to
get ready for the
challenges I may face in
my future classroom.
2.
Importance
of explaining
and teaching
in many
different
ways.
I believed that it
was always
important to explain
things in a few ways
(usually 2). If one
child didnt
understand I would
explain further to
them individually.
I found that most
students would
comprehend
information further
if they heard
explanations in
numerous ways
using different
representations,
(especially if it is an
important new
concept). It
surprised me at the
amount of further
understanding that
was possible due to
Wiki posting 3, 4
and 6.
Comprehension of
work through
multiple
representations
I have been able to see
first hand the importance
of teaching one concept
in multiple ways. It has
further provided me with
skills and techniques to
present basic concepts
using both words, digital
technology and drawing.
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using a variety of
explanations.
Summing up the experience:
Looking back to your first wiki posting about anticipating the Community Engagement Placement(s)
experience, how would you describe your experience overall? What were the highlights and challenges?
What advice would you offer others undertaking Community Engagement Placement(s) in the future?
Looking back at my journey through completing this community engagement I have definitely grown as
both an educator and an individual. I was anticipating a challenge to both my beliefs and comfort levels,
and this was definitely the outcome. Overall, I would describe my experience as eye opening, particularly
to the many cultures that we have within the Melbourne community. I gained a huge appreciation for my
own educational experiences and that fact that even today I thrive in the continuation of my learning
development. I cannot identify any particular highlight from my time at Mercy College, but seeing the
growth made by many different students, particularly in their confidence levels has cemented the
importance of such programs. Each day came with a new set of challenges to work through and without a
doubt absenteeism remains the biggest of those. My advice for those undertaking community engagement
in the future is being ready for anything, come in with an open mind and put your heart and soul into the
work you do. These three things will ensure that you get the most out of the experience and will allow you
to grow as an educator.
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