2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching areaThe focus of my lessons is always in alignment with the content descriptors laid out in the Australian Curriculum. To ensure my students reach the intended learning outcomes, I use the profiling data I have collected (see Sample 1.3) in conjunction with the gathered assessment data (Sample 2.2) to decide upon the best teaching strategies to use. It was through these strategies that I identified a need for students to be able to synthesise their own questions and develop the ability to search out information for themselves - to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. In Sample 2.1, questions were brainstormed as a class that students would eventually need to research surround the 1967 referendum and the events around it. Students then worked in pairs to research this information, concluding with feeding back to the class and discussing what was found. This lesson was situated in the middle of a unit, with this unit eventually resulting with students independently investigating a different historical event.
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Sample 2.1 - Lesson Plan |
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reportingUse of data when creating units and lessons is integral to good practice. Throughout my units of work, I am constantly evaluating and changing my lessons depending on data gathered on my students (as seen in Sample 3.1, where an additional lesson was needed to cover some concepts). Sample 2.2 showcases a data recording tool that I use to record information on several key pieces of work. Each student is given a grade per task, and some notes are made on what they achieved/needed additional assistance with. Using data like this, I was able to adjust my planning and quickly give information on student achievement to key stakeholders when required.
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Sample 2.2 - Assessment Recording Spreadsheet |
Sample 2.3 - Emu Narrative
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2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous AustraliansLiving in a regional location with a high number of aboriginal students, it is important to treat their beliefs and customs with the utmost respect. This is important and also helps to foster a safe learning environment for these students. Where possible, I attempt to include lessons (Sample 2.1) and resources (Sample 2.3 and Sample 1.4) that can connect with these students. I have also been in contact with organisations that will be able to connect and educate students on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customs and beliefs (Sample 7.3). These sessions also allow me to deepen my understanding of the different cultures and their beliefs, allowing me to further modify my teaching practice to benefit these students.
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2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategiesEnsuring that all learners can access and understand the content that is being taught is essential. For my literacy sessions, I regularly incorporate differentiated groups and guided tasks for my learners (see Sample 2.4) or choose resources that my diverse learners can engage with (Sample 2.4). When marking work, I always do it against a set rubric or standard (Sample 5.3) and give this feedback to my learners to aid them in improving their own writing. My maths sessions operate in much the same way. Using data gathered from previous assessment I create differentiated groups and tasks that specifically target the needs of learners (Sample 5.4). When introducing new concepts, such as the Excel graphing in Sample 2.5, I always model the task, complete a portion of the task with learners, then allow learners to explore, solve, and showcase their knowledge.
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Sample 2.4 - Spelling Program
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Sample 2.5 - Student ICT Work Sample |
2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) |
Despite situations where schools have not always had an applicable number of digital resources, I have always attempted to incorporate ICT into all of my unit plans in some capacity. An example of this is seen in Sample 2.5, where students had to create an excel spreadsheet and graph using data they had collected. This was building on a lesson they had previously done in the week, where students had manually created graphs on graph paper. For this particular lesson, additional laptops had to be borrowed from other classes around the school to ensure that students had one device each. Furthermore, because many students had not used Excel before, this lesson was very structured and supportive, moving students through the creation process one step at a time. This culminated in each student being able to modify their graphs and tables at the conclusion of the lesson using the skills they had learned.
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