Learning Specialist - Numeracy - Eltham High School

Location Profile

Eltham High School is a large secondary school on the urban rural fringe of north eastern Melbourne.  The school's primary focus has always been to enhance student outcomes through the provision of high quality teaching and learning strategies.

Eltham High School is highly regarded as an educational institution.  Its reputation as an outstanding academic school is well recognised within the community and education circles.  The co-curricular opportunities offered to our students across a range of areas, including the performing and visual arts programs and the elite sports program are outstanding.  Engagement with student leadership initiatives is sustained across all areas and levels of the school.

Eltham High School has a long established tradition through its strong commitment to the areas of:

• inspiring through excellence
• Creativity
• Individuality
• Social Justice

Eltham High School is a school with high expectations where you feel safe to be yourself and challenged to think critically, to work independently and in teams, to show leadership and to achieve success along many pathways.

We believe that the 'Deeds that Count' are:

• Respect
• Integrity
• Respect for Diversity
• Environmental and social responsibility

Further information is available on the school's website:    www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au

Selection Criteria

SC1      Demonstrated expert knowledge of the relevant curriculum. Demonstrated ability to model exemplary teaching practice, including the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum, and implement school priorities.

SC2      Demonstrated expertise in the implementation and modelling of high impact teaching strategies that respond to student learning needs. Demonstrated ability to support teachers to evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth

SC3      Demonstrated exemplary ability to model the monitoring and assessment of student learning. Demonstrated ability to support others in using data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4      Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to engage in collaborative relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.

SC5      Demonstrated ability to model behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated ability to support others to reflect on their practice and facilitate school-based professional learning.

Role

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.

Responsibilities

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

Who May Apply

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via marrung@education.vic.gov.au

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

Child Safe Standards

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:

 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

DE Values

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

Other Information

The Learning Specialist (Numeracy) has a whole school focus on building the capacity of teachers in the area of Numeracy. 

`With 21st century life and workplaces requiring more critical, reflective mathematical reasoning skills and the ability to interpret and understand a broader range of data and processes, our school leavers need better numeracy and maths skills than ever before.¿ 

In addition to meeting the professional standards this Learning Specialist will:                             

• Work as part of the School Leadership team contributing to identifying and developing whole school priorities, bringing a voice from the teaching and learning perspective to this forum. 

• Work closely with the Curriculum, Data, Assessment and Reporting and Professional Growth Leaders in driving whole school initiatives to support the achievement of the goals and targets as outlined in the school¿s AIP and Strategic Plan. 

• Deliver their work through the Action Research Community Inquiry framework: 

  • Engage with the SPA database supporting a culture of reflection where student achievement data is shared and where teachers work collaboratively to use the data to reflect on the impact of their teaching. 

  • Using Data Walls and a Case Management approach to identify the areas of priority. 

• Delivering this work through the schools established structures, as relevant, including but not limited to: 

  • KLA Teams o KLA Co-ordinators 

  • Curriculum based Planning Teams, where teachers work collaboratively to improve student learning outcomes 

  • Teaching teams, e.g. graduates to the profession 

• Support the development of individual teachers through analysis and evaluation of teaching practice through: 

  • Coaching and mentoring. 

    • Supporting ongoing teacher and student engagement with the EHS Instructional Model; 

      • Role modelling of explicit teaching of the EHS Instructional Model Learner questions. 

      • Providing reciprocal classroom observations including pre and post-observation conversations. 

      • Providing teaching demonstrations aligned with whole school and KLA specific goals. 

      • Facilitating Learning Walks. 

• Undertake other duties as required by the Principal. 

Prospective applicants are advised to refer to the school website to access the information package relevant to this position. www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx

Qualification Requirements

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:

• The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
• if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and
• a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July 2016 must also demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements (this condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian ITE program completed by the person).

Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found at Recruitment in Schools.