STANDARD 7.4
Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities: Understand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
ARTEFACT 1:
PROFESSIONAL NETWORK MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTS
Teaching is fundamentally characterised by social engagement, narrative discourse, and mutual dependency (Britzman, 2003).
Artefact 1 is a curated collection of screenshots documenting my engagement with a variety of professional and community networks that support both my personal and professional growth. These networks include membership to Art Education Victoria, the RMIT Alumni group for design graduates, Indigenous community groups, NGV Educators membership, and social media groups for teachers such as VCE Product Design and Textiles and Visual Arts Preservice Teachers. This artefact illustrates my commitment to engaging with professional learning networks and broader educational communities, aligned with AITSL Standard 7.4.
Beyond placement, I actively participate in professional networks such as Art Education Victoria, the National Art Education Association, and VCAA Teacher Networks. I also engage with local gallery and museum educator networks, online communities such as The Art of Education University, and social media-based art educator groups. These connections enable me to access current industry practices, curriculum updates, and culturally responsive approaches, including engagement with Indigenous elders and local cultural groups.
Collaboration with external professionals—including practising artists, museum educators, arts organisations, and cultural leaders—exposes teachers to contemporary artistic practices, evidence-based strategies, and inclusive pedagogical approaches that may not emerge within the daily classroom context (Talafian et al., 2023). Community members, including parents, carers, and local cultural leaders, contribute invaluable lived experience and local knowledge that support culturally responsive teaching.
Research demonstrates that meaningful parental and community engagement positively impacts student learning outcomes and wellbeing, particularly when informing curriculum design and teaching strategies (Kantova, 2024). For arts teachers, collaboration with community artists or cultural elders ensures curriculum relevance, celebrates cultural diversity, and strengthens students’ connections to heritage and identity.