Learning Specialist - Numeracy Leader

OUR SCHOOL VISION

Mount Alexander College provides an inclusive comprehensive and quality curriculum for Years 7 to 12 where students are placed at the centre of the learning and programs. The school authentically empowers and engages students in their learning. Mount Alexander College delivers quality programs through vertical curriculum delivery with students having the opportunity to explore subjects according to their interest, needs and skills. Teachers use quality teaching approaches and develop strong positive relationships with students while facilitating learning. Each student has an individual learning plan customised for their own needs and abilities. MAC strives to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.  

Enrolments at the school have increased considerably over the past two years since the introduction of our new curriculum model. Strong growth is expected to continue into the future.

Our performance and development culture is based around the collaborative work of staff in professional learning teams. We believe that our teaching staff are by far the most valuable resource of the school.  We know that it is our teachers who ultimately make the difference for students, and we support them accordingly.

Are you passionate about teaching and learning and bringing out the best in young people?

Do you believe that schools often ‘kill creativity’? (Sir Ken Robinson)

Are seeking a model of learning that better prepares young people for the future?

If you have answered YES to the above questions then I would encourage you to apply for the position.

Mount Alexander College is a school where teachers:

• stimulate and support ongoing teacher learning and collaborative teacher research within the school;
• develop and improve the quality of teaching practices of pre-service teachers;
• develop innovative curriculum and teaching resources and practices that are shared across Victorian secondary schools; 
• promote and provide credentialed professional learning for teachers in Victoria and elsewhere; 
• actively participate within local school networks and partnership arrangements with local tertiary providers;
• take an active role within the local community.

The Mount Alexander College learning environment and curriculum:

• supports a teaching and learning culture that is exciting, reflective, engaging and student centred;
• supports independent thinking and a respect for student work and the work of others;
• fosters a strong sense of identity and belonging;
• caters for an innovative and broad scaffolded curriculum;
• facilitates innovative, evidence based pedagogies;
• incorporates flexible internal and external learning spaces supported with the most current technologies to support learning; and
• enables students to link with and work collaboratively with other schools, tertiary institutions and state, national and international organisations.

The College has undergone significant change in the last five years as a new culture was established and programs and pedagogy changed to match our new teaching spaces. At Mount Alexander College we promote teaching and learning that is collaborative, technology rich, reflective, purposeful and personalised that prepares students for our rapidly changing world. We refer to our pedagogical practice is based on Dr Jane Pollock’s GANAG lesson planning schema and we are also using Marzano’s High Yield Strategies. We have a strong emphasis on providing highly stimulating learning that is tailor made to meet the passion and needs of our students. Teachers have using Triads as means of learning from observing classes of colleagues and then reflecting on their own classroom practise.

Our school’s vision is to provide a safe and supportive community of lifelong learners where respect, success and diversity are valued and where students and staff are supported to realise their potential both within the school community and beyond.

At Mount Alexander College, we strongly promote our values of Community, Engagement, Excellence and Respect.

SC1      Demonstrated ability to successfully lead the implementation and evaluation of learning and teaching programs, inclusive of evidence based pedagogical approaches, curriculum implementation, and effective assessment and reporting, in accordance with the relevant (or equivalent) Victorian Curriculum F–10, Victorian Certificate of Education and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.  

SC2      Demonstrated outstanding classroom teaching skills and capacity to model high impact classroom teaching strategies and lead colleagues to improve their teaching and learning to enable all students to achieve their full potential.

SC3      Demonstrated outstanding ability to monitor and assess student learning data at the individual, cohort and whole school level and to use this data to inform teaching for improved student learning.

SC4      Demonstrated outstanding written and verbal communication skills and high level interpersonal skills including the ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with parents, other employees and the broader school community focused on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.

SC5      Demonstrated capacity to reflect critically upon their own professional practice and apply the knowledge, skills and expertise derived from ongoing professional learning to enable the further development of others’ professional practice.  

SC6    Commitment to the program and priorities of Mount Alexander College: 

• Demonstrated commitment to harnessing student interest and motivation to build a stimulating learning environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to introducing and promoting educational technologies and innovative approaches to teaching.
• Demonstrated capacity in teaching in flexible and innovative learning spaces.

Learning Specialists will be highly skilled classroom practitioners who continue to spend the majority of their time in the classroom delivering high-quality teaching and learning and have a range of responsibilities related to their expertise, including teaching demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback to other teachers and facilitating school-based professional learning.  Learning Specialists are expected to have deep knowledge and expertise in high quality teaching and learning in delivering improved achievement, engagement and wellbeing for students. The role of the Learning Specialist will be to model excellence in teaching and learning through demonstration lessons and, mentoring and coaching teachers in improving the skill, knowledge and effectiveness of the teaching workforce.

The Learning Specialist role is aimed at building excellence in teaching and learning within the Teaching Service.

The Learning Specialist: Numeracy Leader will provide outstanding educational leadership in the development, implementation and evaluation of improved instructional practices in Numeracy across the school. This leader will play a key leadership role in collaborating as a member of the Leadership team (Principal class and Leading teachers) to ensure the further progression of enhancing excellence in learning. The Numeracy Leader will support excellence in multi-age classrooms that enables personalisation through offering a tailor made program to suit the passions and learning needs of all students. The Learning Specialist: Numeracy Leader will support and model outstanding teaching through effective differentiation, use of effective feedback and questioning, within the GANAG instructional model. Priorities to developing critical and creative thinking, independent learning and entrepreneurial skills in students is seen as essential to best prepare students for rapidly changing world.

A priority is to develop the data literacy capacity of teachers to use pre-assessment and formative assessment strategies to gather evidence to constantly inform teacher practice and differentiate the learning environment.  A further priority will be to support a whole school approach to the teaching of Numeracy. The Learning Specialist – Numeracy Leader will work closely with Assistant Principals’ in curriculum development and with the KLA Maths leader.

The Numeracy Leader will be an exemplary teacher who willingly models best practice curriculum planning and teaching for colleagues and fosters such practice in all teaching staff.

In recognition of the importance of exemplary practice for improved student learning outcomes, the key roles of the Learning Specialists may include but are not limited to:

• Demonstrating high-level expertise in teaching and learning practice
• Modelling exemplary classroom practice including through teaching demonstration lessons
• Working with the school leadership team to develop a shared view of highly effective teacher practice
• Leading and modelling the implementation of whole-school improvement strategies related to curriculum planning and delivery
• Playing a key role in the provision of professional learning, including through developing processes and protocols for observation and feedback of teacher practice and peer collaboration
• Modelling effective learning practice and supporting teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback and on their practice
• Providing evidence-based feedback to teaching staff to inform their effectiveness and development
• Providing expert advice about the context, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
• Supervising and training one or more student teachers and mentoring and/or coaching teachers
• Modelling exemplary use of student data to inform teaching approaches
• Developing and promoting school-wide professional learning structures, processes and protocols through Professional Learning Communities
• Modelling exemplary professional learning practice included through seeking feedback from other teachers and leaders on their own classroom practice as part of critical reflection and inquiry to improve practice

Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.

The Department values diversity and is committed to workforce diversity and equal opportunity in schools and all education workplaces. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces.

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the Department’s exemplar available at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

All applicants are required to submit a copy of:

• Full Academic transcript displaying results and qualifications
• Current VIT registration / WWC registration (whichever is appropriate)
• Please restrict the written application to seven (7) pages.  Further to this, include a cover letter, current CV and the names and contact details of three (3) referees, including work, mobile and email details. (All as one attachment)
• THE SELECTION PANEL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CONTACT PERSONS OTHER THAN THE APPLICANT LISTED REFEREES

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.