APST 7: Engage Professionally with Colleagues, Parents/Carers and the Community.

Summary:

The seventh of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers is to engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community. This standard is all about how you engage with other colleagues, organisations, schools and systems to provide the best education for your students.

See more: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Terminology Explained

What does this standard mean?

This standard has four different descriptors:

  • Meet professional ethics and responsibilities.
  • Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements.
  • Engage with parents/carers.
  • Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities.

These descriptors outline how Australian teachers need to comply with societal expectations, laws and policies, as well as form meaningful relationships with parents and carers as well as other teachers. They standards contain some of the most important requirements placed on teachers, which are their ethical and legal obligations to their students and their families.

What does meeting this standard look like?

At the Graduate career stage, teachers are expected to know what the legal and ethical requirements are for teachers. They will be expected to keep up-to-date with relevant law and policy and prove that they can work within them.

Teachers will also need to demonstrate that they can form relationships outside of their classrooms. They will need to engage with parents and carers about their child’s learning, as well as with other teachers who they do not work closely with on a regular basis.

At the higher career stages, teachers will be expected to not just report to parents and carers, but make them more involved in their child’s learning. They will be expected to work closely with them to get the best possible outcome for their students. They may also be expected to participate in meaningful discussions around policy and help develop policy. They are also expected to not just connect with other teachers and institutions, but work closely with them to improve teaching practice for all.

What evidence can I collect to show that I’m meeting this standard?

There are a few different types of evidence that you can collect for this standard:

  • Certificates from professional development undertaken through a professional association.
  • Emails showing collaboration between you and parents/carers/other teachers.
  • Lesson observation notes, behaviour records or reports after school camps or excursions that show how you reacted to dangerous situations according to policy.
  • Paperwork (or notes that show that you have completed paperwork) that shows you trying to use school systems and procedures to help your students. For example, you may apply to get a student particular funding or write their Individual Learning Plan.

Learn more about the other Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:

  1. Know students and how they learn.
  2. Know the content and how to teach it.
  3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning.
  4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
  5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning.
  6. Engage in professional learning.
  7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.
Elise is an enthusiastic and passionate Australian teacher who is on a mission to inspire and support fellow educators. With over a decade of experience in the classroom, Elise leverages her expertise and creativity to provide valuable insights and resources through her blog. Whether you're looking for innovative lesson ideas, effective teaching strategies, or just a dose of inspiration, Elise has got you covered.

Related Posts

3 Easy Questioning Strategies for Powerful Student Learning

Believe it or not, questions aren’t simple. By thinking carefully about the of questions we ask, teachers can guide students into new ways of thinking.

Gifted Students are Special Needs Students – What Teachers Need to Know.

Just like any other student with special needs, gifted students need extra support during school to ensure they are successful in life.

Calling Your Students’ Parents – A Uniquely Powerful Teaching Strategy.

I mean, sure, sending an email or a message on an app might seem like the easier option, but sometimes you can’t beat a good old-fashioned phone call.

Australian Teacher Standards – Professional Practice

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers contains three domains. These are broad descriptions of what teachers do all across Australia.  The second of these domains is Professional…

Australian Teacher Standards – Professional Knowledge

The Professional Knowledge domain of the APST describes all of the things that teachers need to know and learn to be able to do their job. 

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Domains.

There are three domains in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and they are the broadest categories to describe what the standards are about. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *