All registered teachers and early childhood teachers are expected to maintain their practice to ensure they are meeting the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST).

Teachers have identified an area where they could improve their practice is in relation to strategies for supporting the full participation of learners with disability (APST 1.6). To help teachers meet APST 1.6, we have developed a video resource.

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has developed a resource with a spotlight on inclusive education that may also be helpful in developing a teacher’s practice in this area.

The AITSL spotlight

• provides an overview of relevant standards and legislation that require an inclusive approach to the education of students with disability
• unpacks strategies that teachers and schools / early childhood services can use to provide personalised learning and support, including strategies for building a culture of inclusion
• shares current research indicating that focusing on inclusive education can lead to improved behaviour for all students and children
• includes videos and fact sheets developed in partnership with Get Skilled Access to help you translate research into practice.

The time you spend reflecting on this topic can count towards your professional learning hours for renewal of registration.

Writing a reflection is especially important if you are recording professional readings, videos or meetings. A reflection can be a summary of how the activity added to your professional knowledge and informed your practice.

Make sure you reference the source of the material. You should also keep an estimate of the time taken for the activity.

The following questions could be used to guide your reflection

• what have you learned from the PD activity that you can use to develop your teaching knowledge and / or practice?
• how have / will you apply your learnings from the professional development to your teaching practice?
• how will you gather and analyse evidence of the impact of applying your new learnings?
• how could these ideas be shared with colleagues?
• what obstacles might you find when applying these ideas?