Seven standards of teaching:
According to ACECQA (2022) the first standard of teaching refers to having a knowledge of the students, their backgrounds, their needs and an assessing capability of how students learn. This is important for a teacher as it helps educators in assessing the learning needs of the children and also helps teachers in considering the cultural background of the students. When teachers have to teach a class of students with mixed backgrounds, then this standard of knowing students and their needs counts, as it will allow the teacher to explore the background of each child, and the developmental level of the children. In this way, the teacher will have a mind set, about how the teacher is going to teach a class with mixed ethnicities, while considering the element of respect, inclusion and diversity.
Another standard is to have knowledge about the content, what is going to be taught and what will be the best suitable way to deliver the content to the children (ACECQA, 2022). There are multiple teaching approaches available in pedagogy, which a teacher selects on the basis of the nature of content, such as teaching early numeracy skills via class activities such as blocks counting. If a teacher will not be able to have specific content knowledge, then planning learning activities and opting for the best pedagogical approach will be difficult for the teachers (Csíkos & Szitányi, 2020). Therefore, having a proper knowledge about the content is important for teachers. The next standard is the planning for teaching learning. According to McConnell et al. (2020) planning for teaching and learning, assist teachers in designing the curriculum, the content and setting up the teaching environment.
Another standard is to maintain a safe, supportive and respectful learning environment for the children (ACECQA, 2022). It has been reported by Burden (2020) that maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for the children enables them to feel connected to their classroom, and helps them learn and engage in the classroom up to the fullest. On the other hand, when children do not feel respected, safe and secure in the learning environment, they fail to absorb the knowledge and don't feel good to engage in learning activities.
In addition, another standard is to constantly monitor the progress of the students, assess their learning and development and to report the families of the children on their learning (ACECQA, 2022). This is another professional responsibility of a teacher, that a teacher assesses the performance of the children and reports it to the families and further authorities, so that the best viable learning plans can be tailored for the children. Teachers are also recommended to encircle themselves in professional learning, which is to constantly learn about the new ways of engaging and interacting in a professional environment. According to Sancar et al. (2021) professional development is essential for every profession, as it not only helps in maintaining professional connections, but also helps in learning new professional ways, etiquette and standards. The last standard is to engage professionally with the coworkers and the parents of the children, which believe not only enhances the professional skills of a teacher but also serves as a viable opportunity for child development, progress and learning.
