Middle Years Teaching and Learning - Learning Specialist

Essendon Keilor College is a two-campus secondary school located in Melbourne's north-west, providing high-quality education for students in Years 7 to 12. Our campuses are situated in established residential communities with excellent access to public transport, local sporting facilities, community services and the Melbourne CBD.

At Essendon Keilor College, we are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and engaging learning environment where every student is known, valued and supported to achieve their personal best. Our vision is to inspire students to become confident, resilient and successful learners who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Our curriculum is broad, challenging and responsive to the needs and aspirations of our students. We provide diverse learning opportunities that foster academic excellence while promoting creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and wellbeing. Students are encouraged to actively participate in a wide range of co-curricular opportunities, including leadership, sport, the performing arts and community engagement.

We value positive relationships between students, staff, families and the wider community. Through high expectations, strong student support and a culture of respect and belonging, we empower every student to reach their full social, emotional and educational potential.

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.

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 will build capacity of staff in demonstrating excellence in teaching and learning through the following Key Responsibility Areas:

Key Responsibility Areas

1. As a member of the Teaching and Learning Executive, contribute to the analysis and use of student achievement and learning data to inform the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning strategies that build teacher capacity, strengthen practice consistency and improve student growth and outcomes across the school.
2. Build a culture of collaboration that ensures a consistent approach to build practice excellence, including leading a whole college professional learning focus and college-wide PLC implementation.
3. Lead and expand teacher capacity in the use of the EKC Practice Excellence Framework, working with Key Learning Area leaders to build staff capacity across all aspects of the framework.
4. Lead and support the implementation of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) across the school, building staff capacity to embed evidence-based teaching practices that enhance student learning outcomes. Collaborate with leaders and teachers to strengthen consistency of practice, support professional learning, and monitor the impact of teaching and learning approaches on student engagement, growth and achievement.
5. Lead the implementation and professional learning for a school wide learning walk and peer observation models, developing a culture for teachers to engage productively to enhance collaboration, collective efficacy and practice excellence.
6. Build the capacity of teachers to implement responsive teaching approaches that identify and respond to student learning needs through effective differentiation of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. Support teachers to use evidence, assessment data and reflective practice to adapt their teaching, provide targeted support and create inclusive learning environments that maximise student growth and achievement.
7. Lead early career teachers with all mentoring requirements put in place to support successful induction into classroom practice and oversee VIT requirements for early career teachers.
8. Extend staff capacity to collect student learning data, understand it, thoroughly analyse it, and effectively use it to inform teaching and learning practices, including leading the implementation of student data conversations and action plans.

The Learning Specialists are key members of the Teaching and Learning Executive, working collaboratively across the school to lead and strengthen practice excellence. While each Learning Specialist may have a particular campus focus, they work collectively with Curriculum Leading Teachers and KLA Leaders to build staff capacity, support consistent practice and enhance student learning outcomes across the college.

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 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 *******@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.

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

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

Essendon Keilor College is a two-campus school, and some travel between campuses may be required.

• 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

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.