Focus area 3.2 – Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.
Focus area 3.3 – Use teaching strategies
Include a range of teaching strategies.
Focus area 3.6 – Evaluate and improve teaching programs
Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.
During a professional experience placement at a school in the Brisbane Metropolitan Region, I had the opportunity to teach a composite Year 5/6 class. I planned and taught a sequence of English lessons on persuasive text that displayed pedagogical content knowledge (3.2) and implemented a range of teaching and learning strategies (3.3). To promote student learning and to meet the learning needs of my students, I regularly evaluated the effectiveness of the teaching sequence with my supervising teacher (3.6).
Before planning my learning program, I created a modality worksheet (Artefact 8) to activate and assess the students’ prior knowledge of one of the language features associated with persuasive text. Ferlazzo and Sypnieski (2018) outline the importance of eliciting what students already know in order to connect the learning and promote deeper understanding. I then used the knowledge I acquired on student learning to design a teaching sequence that focused on the sequential development of content knowledge and skills (3.2). This is evident in my planning documents (Artefact 9), as I included reading, writing and speaking activities that incorporated exemplar texts, presentations and the OREO template (Artefact 10) to identify and gradually build upon the language features and structure associated with a persuasive text. Furthermore, I employed a range of teaching strategies to effectively engage the students in individual, small group and whole class learning opportunities (3.3) (Goss & Sonnemann, 2017). As evident in lesson two (Artefact 11), I used the Think-Pair-Share (TPS) strategy to pair students up to effectively gauge what they believed was the author’s point of view, before delving into an in-depth analysis of an exemplar text. I chose to use the TPS strategy over the popsicle stick method, as I wanted to encourage in-class participation, increase student autonomy and promote higher-order thinking skills amongst all my students, not just a select few (Mundelsee & Jurkowski, 2021). At the end of each lesson, I engaged in peer feedback and critical reflection with my supervising teacher (ST) to evaluate the overall effectiveness of my planning (3.6). Using detailed observation notes from my ST, I was able to identify what had worked well and what adjustments needed to be made to meet the learning needs of all my students (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2016).
I planned an effective sequence of lessons which aligned with the relevant curriculum content, and which included a variety of teaching strategies (3.2, 3.3). As a result, there was an increased level of class engagement and an explicit focus on specific learning needs, as evident in the feedback provided in my final report (Artefact 12). Evaluating my lessons with my supervising teacher enabled me to successfully adjust my teaching sequence and strategies, allowing me to identify the students who had and had not grasped the content. This ultimately led to improved individual learning outcomes through the inclusion of additional support and explicit teaching (3.6).
As I move into my final semester of study, it is clear that I need to focus my attention on engaging parents/carers in the educative process (3.7), as I have had limited experience during my previous placements due to Covid restrictions. The upcoming GTPA will provide me with an excellent opportunity to develop a range of effective strategies that I can use to build positive parent-teacher-student relationships.
Artefacts
References
Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership. (2016). Evaluating teaching and learning. Retrieved on September 11, 2021, from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources/resource/evaluating-teaching-and-learning-illustration-of-practice
Goss, P., & Sonnemann, J. (2017). Engaging students: Creating classrooms that improve learning. Grattan Institute. Retrieved on September 17, 2021, from https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Engaging-students-creating-classrooms-that-improve-learning.pdf
Ferlazzo, L., & Sypnieski, K. (2018). The ELL teacher’s toolbox: Hundreds of practical ideas to support your students. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Mundelsee, L., & Jurkowski, S. (2021). Think and pair before share: Effects of collaboration on students’ in-class participation. Learning and Individual Differences. 88. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102015
