Pedagogy is the jargon we use for teaching. It is
also known as the art and science of teaching
or the art and craft of teaching. Pedagogy is
the what you do and how you do it, what and
how you assess and how one learns of teaching.
Assessment is fundamental to your pedagogical
practices you need to know what you are teaching
has worked and how much each student has
understood in order to teach well. Assessment
takes a wider range of forms and you will
probably be familiar with formal tests and
essays. However, there are other ways of
approaching assessment, depending on what you are
trying to find out, for example observations,
checklists, portfolios, creative presentations,
power points, anecdotal records. It is important
to remember that assessment is part and parcel of
what you do on a daily basis as a teacher
(Ailwood, J. 2004 CSU Bathurst, Tutorial Notes).

3
PERSONAL BELIEFS

My personal beliefs about pedagogy and assessment
are as follows
You need to know what you are going to teach,
that means a thorough understanding of the
syllabus of each Key Learning Area.
You need to know how you are going to teach it,
this involves a thoroughly developed teaching
program, and to recognise that this is a living
document.
You need to assess what you have taught as it
will provide the bridge between setting and
achieving outcomes.
You need to reflect on what you have taught, and
how you could teach it better.
All teachers and teaching activities will have
different styles and attributes, however they
will all achieve the same purpose, that is to
educate children (Steiner 1996).

4
EVIDENCE ONE ASSESSMENT ITEM FROM PRACTICUM
5
JUSTIFICATION

Assessment comes in a wide variety of forms
depending on the objectives the teacher sets for
the instruction, the age and ability of the
students, and the philosophy of the students
(Trice 2000).
I chose this piece of evidence to demonstrate
that there are many forms of assessment available
to use when I become a teaching professional. I
witnessed this form of assessment whilst I was on
my practicum. This assessment involved two
levels firstly the students were assessing the
book they were reading, and secondly it provided
the teacher with not only a guide of how much
each student was reading, but what type of
reading they enjoyed.

6
EVIDENCE TWO REFLECTION OF OBSERVATION FROM
PRACTICUM
7
JUSTIFICATION

Reflective teachers are those who give a
considerable amount of time and thought to
analysing teaching and learning experiences in
order to make better, and more informed decisions
about their teaching (Barry and King 1998).
I chose this piece of evidence not only because
it was an assessment item for university, but it
also marked my first experience of being a
reflective practitioner. By reflecting on my
observation, I was able to gain a greater
appreciation of how the pedagogy of kindergarten
varied and was similar to that of my home class
of year six.