Hello! Fancy seeing you here.
I am Naomi Elliott, and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education K-12 at Charles Sturt University.
I have undertaken broad teaching experiences within various teaching or teacher related roles. I have always wanted to work with children and young adults. My desire is reflected through the completion of a Certificate 3 in Community Services-Children's services in 2003. Further, I have engaged in work experience at KU Concord Children's Centre in 2002. This involved working with young children, under the age of 5. In 2012, I enrolled in the Certificate 3 in Education Support. While completing this course, I was offered a role of Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO) at E.A. Southee Public School. This position allowed me to work in close collaboration with the infants, primary, and management faculties. Working closely with students with diverse needs was challenging and rewarding. The leading teachers I worked with allowed me opportunities to instruct and supervise classroom based learning. Additionally, I was able to attend numerous school excursions/incursions and staff professional development (PD) days over the course of my employment. E.A. Southee School has students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Working with teachers on programming, reporting, risk assessments, Individual Learning Plans (ILP) and evaluation rubrics has provided me with insight into the roles and responsibilities that teachers engage in, extending out of the classroom. In 2015, I began my undergraduate degree in Education K-12. Through the university practicum requirements for EPT125 & EPT127, I was able to be placed at Junee North Public School. During this practicum, I was able to observe teacher practice and how students learn. I was fortunate to be able to have face-to-face time in all the classrooms from K-6. I composed running records and used this data to gauge student reading levels. I also was able to participate in supervising school swimming and the school athletics carnival. Furthermore, I was able to collect data on parenting styles, self-efficacy, and student learning. The experience has helped me to understand how students learn and how to engage with parents. In 2015 I also participated in Refugee Action Support Tutoring (RAS), at Wagga Wagga High School. In this role, I worked with individual students that have arrived in Australia as refugees. The experience helped me to be culturally sensitive to diverse needs and to differentiate the learning experiences. The experience at Wagga Wagga High School under the guidance of Eric Brace and Deborah Anscombe has helped me to find direction in the kind of teacher I want to be. The experience certainly helped me to understand the struggles that students, parents, and teachers can face. Furthermore, During 2015, I also engaged in tutoring high school students in Literacy, Numeracy, and History. I enjoyed working with students out of the school environment; it also provided me with insight into academic stress and anxiety that students may face, as well as (funny) discussions on why students like and dislike certain teachers. Often homework that did not appear to be meaningful or related to class topics created stress for the tutees I mentored. In 2016, I was able to participate in volunteering at Sacred Heart Catholic School, Cootamundra. The experience allowed me to witness how engaging parents in their children's learning can be a rewarding experience. I also observed classroom practices such as 'Drop Everything And Read (DEAR),' which I would like to incorporate into classroom learning experiences. In 2016, I was also fortunate enough to travel to Nepal as a part of Charles Sturt University Global program. During this experience I taught in at Riviera International Academy. This experience provided me with opportunities to teach and facilitate a classroom environment, and gain cultural understanding. The experience was rewarding, challenging, and at times confronting.