Laura Blackman

Experience

• 

  Department of Education, Western Australia

  Oct 2007 - Apr 2018

  Primary Teacher (K-6/7)

  In the years between working remotely and internationally, I have been employed in several roles throughout Perth metropolitan primary schools including classroom teacher, specialist teacher, and substitute teacher (K-7 before grade 7 changed to high school age). My full time and part time roles were undertaken at Yale Primary School, Willandra Primary School, and Roleystone Community College. I am described as a hard working and dedicated teacher by management within these schools. I have also worked as a substitute teacher for schools across the north and south metropolitan areas. I have been adaptable and willing to undertake many roles within the schools, including specialist teaching, administration, and events management. Show less

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  Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA)

  Jan 2010 - Jan 2011

  Remote Early Years Teacher (K-3)

  At Nyikina Mangala Community School (Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Community), I formed strong relationships with community members, implemented a whole school phonics literacy program (Diana Rigg Phonological Awareness), and improved results using the 'Accelerated Literacy' learning sequence. I taught multiple age groups and worked within a supportive staff network, closely collaborating with Indigenous teachers in planning and encouraging excellent outcomes for our students. I participated in many extra curricular activities and adapted well to the challenges of working in a remote setting. My willingness to learn from, appreciate, and respect Indigenous culture has contributed to my incredibly rich and rewarding experience, and has also directly informed my teaching practice. Show less

• 

  Assumption College English Program

  Mar 2013 - Oct 2015

  ESL/Primary Teacher

  www.acep.ac.thWithin my role at ACEP, I was teaching English as a foreign language to grade two and three students who spoke Thai as their home language, and also learnt Chinese. I taught within the key learning areas of English, Mathematics, and Science. I worked closely with a team of educators, and collaborated to plan a consistent learning sequence. My willingness to identify problems and seek positive solutions directly enabled me to create a learning support program that was in the initial stage of development in my final year of employment. My high expectations in both areas of behaviour and academics enabled the students to produce excellent results. My experience as an expatriate teacher also contributed to developing my interest, skills, and knowledge of language acquisition, cultural differences, and clear communication strategies. Show less

• 

  Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA)

  Oct 2015 - Jul 2016

  Remote Early Years and Primary/Secondary Teacher

  I worked for Purnululu School (Frog Hollow) as an Early Years Teacher towards the end of 2015, and also returned as an Upper Primary/Secondary Teacher at Nyikina Mangala Community School (see previous experience). During my time at Purnululu and Jarlmadangah I was able to quickly adapt as a collaborative and dedicated member of the teaching team, closely tracking academic progress and creating a safe and nurturing classroom environment suitable for the age groups I was leading. Consideration of students' social and emotional development was a key factor in my planning to ensure that students felt empowered and engaged during their time at school. Show less

• 

  Lombok Learning Village

  Jul 2017 - Dec 2017

  International Primary/Secondary Teacher

  As a generalist teacher responsible for grades 1-6, as well as an English instructor for grades 7-10, I was part of a new and exciting development of a non-traditional school on the island of Lombok, Indonesia. I collaborated closely and developed strong working relationships with local Indonesian teachers to deliver a bi-lingual, multi disciplinary curriculum designed to meet the needs of 21st century learners. As this group of children had a diverse range of different ability levels, I was required to coordinate lesson time strategically and delegate assistance accordingly. Project based tasks, structured skill based literacy approaches, and differentiated instruction ensured that every child received a well rounded and individualised education. Show less

• 

  Department of Communities WA

  May 2018 - now

  I am employed within the Department of Communities (Child Protection and Family Support) as a Senior Education Officer responsible for negotiating, organising, and maintaining personalised educational arrangements and initiatives for individual children in state care. I also provide consultative support and work collaboratively with other professionals within the department as well as foster carers, families, key stakeholders, and external education providers. Mentoring new Education Officers, implementing district wide initiatives, and providing guidance for complex cases continues to be an additional part of my senior workload.Throughout my career both in child protection and education I have remained dedicated to developing my skills as a practitioner and an advocate for children’s education and opportunity. It is exciting to continue to build upon my own skills while also empowering people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to seek value in education and personal development. Show less My first two years in the Education Officer role were spent servicing the Great Southern district. I have put in the necessary groundwork to develop initial consultation processes and systems that have enabled me to provide quality education services efficiently across a large district that includes three offices (based in Albany, Manjimup, and Katanning). During this time I have developed positive working relationships with departmental staff and education services across the Albany area. I have also recruited and supported a group of qualified and highly skilled tutors to work with children in care.My foundational work in this role has enabled me to successfully transfer my skills and experience over to the Mirrabooka district in March 2020. Since moving areas from regional to metropolitan, I have expanded and adapted my existing knowledge in a new environment that brings different challenges, opportunities, and services to explore. I am consistently motivated to develop my skillset further while working with internal and external stakeholders on unique and complex cases.My service delivery and approach has evolved and become refined throughout this time in response to prioritisation of workload and continuous development of good working relationships with fellow staff members, foster carers, agencies, and education providers. Show less

  • Senior Education Officer

    Nov 2021 - now

  • A/Senior Education Officer

    Oct 2020 - Nov 2021

  • Education Officer

    May 2018 - Oct 2020