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. 

See more: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Terminology Explained

What is a domain in the APST?

Every standard, focus area and descriptor fits under one of the three domains. These three broad categories describe everything that Australian teachers need to do. 

The domains cover everything that teachers do inside and outside the classroom. They include what you know, what you learn, how you form relationships and networks as well as how you actually plan and teach

What are the APST domains?

The three domains of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers are:

To put it simply, Professional Knowledge describes all the things that you need to know before you step into your classroom. Professional Practice is about what you do in your classroom as well as planning and marking, and Professional Engagement is about professional learning as well as building relationships within the community.

What are the APST domains used for?

While the domains may seem simple, they are vast. If you’re looking at the Australian Teacher Standards, the domains are a great place to start.

Most people would recognise the domains as being the key elements of teaching. Whether you’re a teacher or not, the domains are pretty easy to understand. 

Because they’re so broad, they aren’t super useful for teachers. The APST are designed as a tool to reflect on and improve your teaching, but the domains are the least useful part of the APST in doing this. 

The domains are more useful as a way of categorising the other parts of the teacher’s standards. They are simple and easy to understand and split teaching into planning your teaching, working in the classroom, and all the extra stuff that you do after the day has finished. It’s also a neat way for teachers to think about all the stuff that they do in a day rather than a mishmash of tasks and responsibilities.

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

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 Terminology explained

There are a lot of terms associated with the Australian Teacher Standards. Understanding these terms is the first step to understanding the APST themselves.

Lesson Observations – Common Questions and Concerns for Teachers. 

Having a lesson observation fills many teachers with anxiety. Here are a couple of common questions and concerns that teachers have about lesson observations.

What Does it Mean to be a Lead Teacher?

The APST outline four career stages, of which Lead Teacher is the highest. Lead Teachers are expected to have a significant role in school improvement. 

A teacher is sitting at her desk analysing a sample of student work to learn more about her students and improve her teaching.

Student Work as Evidence – How Teachers can Delve Deeper.

Student work is the best evidence we have of student learning. We can use grades to see how our students are doing, but this only gives us part of the picture.

Leave a Reply

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