Learning Specialist

Overview

Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time

Salary: Salary not specified

Grade: Learning Specialist - Range 3

Occupation: Learning specialist

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference:

Location Profile

SCHOOL PROFILE & VISION

Mount Alexander College or MAC is an inner-city school located in Flemington, 5 kms from Melbourne CBD. It has become the school of choice for families living in the Kensington, Flemington, Ascot Vale and Moonee Ponds Community, with enrolments doubling in the past 4 years. In 2016, MAC underwent significant change, transforming itself into an innovative and progressive school with a focus on student empowerment and student-centred learning. MAC's approaches to curriculum provision and pedagogy, student engagement and wellbeing have gained national and international recognition.

At Mount Alexander College our vision is to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment that empowers students to direct their own learning. We endeavour to create a school that remains connected and engaged with the community and caters for all kinds of success. Finally, we aim to help students reach their full potential as global citizens who, with integrity, can positively contribute to the world.

OUR VISION IN THE CLASSROOM

In fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for our students we must know them, their strengths and their areas for improvement. We use formative assessment to guide our instruction and empower students to direct our instructional choices. Learning at MAC is collaborative, both peer to peer but also students and teachers work together to negotiate the best learning pathway. Our students are connected to each other and the broader world, both through their use of digital technologies and in their access to a global perspective in all their classes. Our classes draw on local expertise and community engagement where possible to allow our students to see how the learning in the classroom relates to their everyday lives. Our students understand themselves as learners, they are informed about their progress, how they have improved and what they need to do further to continue to improve. Our school values are celebrated and embedded in our work in the classroom.

Mount Alexander College is a school where teachers:

• stimulate and support ongoing teacher learning and collaborative teacher research within the school;
• develop and improve the quality of teaching practices of pre-service teachers;
• develop innovative curriculum and teaching resources and practices that are shared across Victorian secondary schools;
• promote and provide credentialed professional learning for teachers in Victoria and elsewhere;
• actively participate within local school networks and partnership arrangements with local tertiary providers;
• take an active role within the local community.

The Mount Alexander College learning environment and curriculum:

• supports a teaching and learning culture that is exciting, reflective, engaging and student centred;
• supports independent thinking and a respect for student work and the work of others;
• fosters a strong sense of identity and belonging;
• caters for an innovative and broad scaffolded curriculum;
• facilitates innovative, evidence based pedagogies;
• incorporates flexible internal and external learning spaces supported with the most current technologies to support learning; and
• enables students to link with and work collaboratively with other schools, tertiary institutions and state, national and international organisations.

At Mount Alexander College we promote teaching and learning that is collaborative, technology rich, reflective, purposeful and personalised that prepares students for our rapidly changing world. Our common instructional model supports the development of a shared language about teaching practice and supports teacher reflection. Jane Pollock's GANAG lesson planning schema and the effective implementation of the High Impact Teaching Strategies underpins the teaching and learning cycle at MAC. Staff participate regularly in cycles of inquiry within Professional Learning Teams and in doing so, strive to provide highly stimulating learning that is tailored made to meet the passion and needs of our students.

At Mount Alexander College, we strongly promote our values of Community, Engagement, Excellence and Respect.

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.

EEO AND OHS Commitment

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.

The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, 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 family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via

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:

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:

Other Information

All applicants are required to submit a copy of:

• Full Academic transcript displaying results and qualifications
• Current VIT registration / WWC registration (whichever is appropriate)
• Please restrict the written application to seven (7) pages. Further to this, include a cover letter, current CV and the names and contact details of three (3) referees, including work, mobile and email details. (All as one attachment)
• THE SELECTION PANEL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CONTACT PERSONS OTHER THAN THE APPLICANT LISTED REFEREES

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

VIT LANTITE

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must 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 Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person.

Applications close Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 11.59pm

Posted

4 September 2025

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