wojnar christina 18287943 a3 portfolio christina id: 18287943 6 useful tool for engaging students at...

E POR T FO L I O

A S S E S S M E N T 3

ChristinaWojnar

ID:18287943| EDP223PROFESSIONALSTUDIESANDPLANNINGFORTEACHING

Wojnar,ChristinaID:18287943

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TableofContents

SECTION1Teacheridentity..........................................................................................................3

SECTION2Lessonplanning..........................................................................................................5PARTA:5toptipsforlessonintroductions............................................................................................5PARTB:2keypointsaboutlessonclosures...........................................................................................8PARTC:3usefulgraphicorganisers.......................................................................................................9PARTD:4protocolsforeffectivegroupwork......................................................................................13PARTE:Thekeypurposesofassessmentforlearningandassessmentoflearning............................15PARTF:3keyfactorsteachersneedtoknowabouttheirstudentswhenplanning............................17

References..................................................................................................................................20


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SECTION1Teacheridentity

Mypersonalphilosophyofteachingisrootedinconstructivistthinkingwherestudentsare

expectedtoplayanactiveroletheconstructionoftheirknowledgethroughhandson

experience.Thisconstructivistorientationshapesmypersonalconvictionsaboutthe

attributesofaneffectiveteacher,particularlyhowateacherachievesstudentengagement

andhowdiversityiscateredforintheclassroom.Torationalise,constructivismpedagogy

hasevolvedinresponsetotheconvincingtwentiethcenturyresearchevidenceconducted

bywidelyacclaimedpsychologists,suchasPiaget,VygotskyandDewey(Marsh,2010,p.

211;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.322).Theresearchevidenceoftheseeducational

psychologistssupersedesdidacticphilosophiesofteaching,alsoknownasbehaviourismor

classicalconditioning,whichwasdevelopedbytheoristssuchasPavlovandSkinner

(Mcdevitt&Ormrod,2010,p.12;Reysetal.,2012,p.56).Constructivismresonateswithmy

personalteachingphilosophybecauseemphasisisplacedonteachingforunderstanding

andregardisgiventotheuniquethoughtprocessesofindividuals(Killen,2009,pp.6-18).

Contrastingly,behaviourismphilosophydisregardstheseuniquethoughtprocessesand

focusesprimarilyonobservablebehaviourssubsequentofabsorbingknowledgeintheexact

samewayitisreceived.(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.164;Mcdevitt&Ormrod,2010,p.224).

Thus,behaviouristpedagogyagreeswiththephilosophybehindstandardisedandhigh-

stakestesting.Thoughhigh-stakestestingholdsanimportantroleintheeducationsystem,I

believeitshouldnotbetheendmeansoftheteachingandlearningprocess.Dependingon

high-stakestestingforlearninghasthetendencytoremovetheonusoflearningfromthe

student,whichconsequentlystiflescreativityandindividuality.Thus,constructivismisatthe

centreofmypersonalteachingphilosophysinceithasdistinctregardforindividualityand

increasesstudentengagementandmotivationbyplacingtheresponsibilityoflearningupon

thestudent.

OptimisingstudentengagementandmotivationrequiresthatIastheteacherdeeplyknow

mystudentsandhowtheylearn.Knowingstudentsandhowtheylearnincludesahighlevel

awarenessofastudent’sintrinsicmotivatorssuchasspecificinterests,preferredlearning

styles,thehomeenvironment,culturalbackgroundandsocioeconomicstatus.Ibelievethat

incorporatingfactorssuchasspecificinterestsandpreferredlearningstylesintolesson


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planningenhancesstudentmotivationandachievementbymakingculturallyrelevant

connectionswiththerealityofstudents’dailylives(SeelyFlint,Kitson,Lowe&Shaw,2014,

pp.73-74;Reysetal.,2012,p.56;Whitton,Barker,Norsworthy,Humphries&Sinclair,C.,

2016,p.231).IalsoagreewithMcdevittandOrmrod(2010)whostatethatstudentsprefer

learningopportunitiesthatprovideadegreeofautonomy,whichultimatelyguidesstudents

intoasenseofindependenceandself-determination(p.485).Theinquirybasedlearning

methodisoneexampleofapedagogicaltoolthatprovidesamultitudeofopportunitiesfor

richautonomouslearning.Moreover,theinquirybasedlearningmethodoffersample

occasionsforcross-curricularlearning,cooperativelearning,open-endedtasksandsensory

engagement.However,Nunn(2016)statesthat,“people,notprogramsdeterminethe

qualityofaschool”.Therefore,oncontemplatingstudentengagementandmotivation,I

realisethatqualityprograms,suchasinquirybasedlearning,becomepointlessifadeficitof

lowerlevelneedsexists.Deficitsrelatingtophysiologicaldemands,safety,belongingand

acceptanceintheclassroomenvironment,asMaslowoutlinedinhisacclaimedHierarchyof

Needs,areespeciallyproblematictolearning(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.290;Marsh,2008,

pp.59-64;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,pp.356-357).Thus,Iamconvincedthateffective

teachersdesignrichlearningprogramswhilerespondingtotheholisticneedsofstudents.

Effectiveteachersalsohaveanacuteinterestinthemanyinfluencesthataffectintrinsic

motivation.Respondingtostudentsinthiswayiscrucialwhencateringfordiversitywithin

theclassroom.

Twenty-firstcenturyclassroomsarebecomingincreasinglydiverse,whichnecessitatesthatI

workcollaborativelywithcolleaguesandothertrainedstafftodeviseandrigorously

maintainstudents’learningthroughrobustdifferentiationstrategies.Thediversityof

presentdayclassroomsinAustraliaisaresultofinternationalmobilitypatterns,broader

socialcontexts,alternatefamilyarrangementsandawidespreadacceptancethatstudents

withadisabilityhavethesamecommunityparticipationrightsasothers(Foreman&Arthur-

Kelly,2014,p.3;Malone,2006,p.3;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,pp.26-31).Ipersonally

believethateverychildhastheabilityandtherighttolearn.However,therealisationofthis

pursuitisonlypossiblewiththesuccessfulnegotiationandcollaborationofthewiderschool

communityandLearningSupportTeams(LST),particularlywhendesigningteaching

programsandinterventions(Foreman&Arthur-Kelly,2014,pp.83-86&204).Designing


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effectiveteachingprogramsincludesmakingappropriateadaptionstostandardised

curriculumbothintheformofIndividualEducationPlans(IEPs)orinlessdefinedways,such

asmakingsmalladjustmentstodailytasks.Theseadjustmentsshouldbemaderespectiveof

thekeylearningareasinvolvedandincludetakingmeasuressuchas:settingalternategoals,

makingalterationstothesizeoftasks,changingthemethodofinput,modifyingthetime

difficulty,orofferingarangeofoutputoptions(Ebeling,Deschenes&Sprague,ascitedin

Reysetal.,2012,p.58;Foreman&Arthur-Kelly,2014,p.205).Thus,itisclearthatIbelieve

aneffectiveteacherishighlyresponsivetothelearningneedsandinterestsofeach

individualintheclassroom.Furthermore,Iapprehendthateffectiveteachersrespondto

theseneedsininformed,flexibleandsociallyskilledwayswhilesuccessfullycollaborating

betweenthehomeenvironmentandthewiderschoolcommunity.

SECTION2Lessonplanning

PARTA:5toptipsforlessonintroductions

1. Usequestioningfordiagnosticassessmentandengagement

Effectivequestioningmaybeusedattheopenofalessontoidentifypreconceivedideas

regardingthetopicthatistobetaught.Questioningattheopenofalessonmayalso

engagestudentsandtopromptthinking.Marsh(2010)groupsquestionsintotwomain

categories,namely;psycho-socialquestions,andpedagogicalquestions(p.188).Psycho-

socialquestionsappealtostudent’saffectivedomainsandreflectrelationalqualities.For

example,theteachermayaskthequestion,‘Whatisthemostembarrassingexperienceyou

haveeverhad?’asaninspirationalprobeforwriting.Whereas,pedagogicalquestionsfocus

ontheparticularknowledge,valuesorskills(p.188).Forexample,theteachermayask,‘Can

anyonedescribewhereChinaissituatedgeographically?’attheopenoflessonon

Australia’sengagementwithAsia.Bothpsycho-socialandpedagogicalquestionspromote

socialinteractionandinitiatetheprocessingofinformationbytransferringinformationfrom

students’longtermmemoryintotheirworkingmemory(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.404;

McDevitt,Ormrod,Cupit,Chandler&Aloa,2013,pp.249-250).Therefore,questioningisa


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usefultoolforengagingstudentsattheopenofthelessonandactivatingandidentifying

students’priorknowledgeonatopic.

2. Stimulatecuriositywithaninterestinglessonhook

Effectivelessonintroductionsbeginwithastimulatinghooktoawakenthecuriosityof

studentsandultimately,drawthemintothelearningexperience.Theprocessofmaking

studentscuriousalignswiththefirststepofthescienceFive‘E’smodel,whichisdescribed

bytheterms,‘excite’,‘engage’,‘entice’and‘encourage’(Whittonetal.,2016,pp.86&

147).Onewaytoachievethislevelofstimulationistouseauthenticexamplesdrawnfrom

children’sdailylives,suchasacurrentnewspaperarticleorapopularTVshowthatappeals

tostudents’ages(Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.410).EggenandKauchak(2010)suggest

thatstimuliwhichengagesensoryfocusareparticularlyeffectiveforattractingattention(p.

402).Forexample,anintriguingdisplayofburningemptyteabagfloatinguptowardsthe

ceilingcouldbeaninterestinghookforasciencelessononheatthatengagesthesensesof

bothsmellandsight.Sensorystimulationcanbefurtherenhancedbypsychomotor

stimulation,thelatterofwhichHurstandCooke(2010)recommendbeincludedinall

lessons(p.110).Forexample,theteachermayuseaballasaninteractivedeviceduringan

introductorydiscussionwheretheballispassedaroundtheroomandstudentsgivetheir

responsetothediscussionuponcatchingtheball.Thus,incorporatingsensorystimuliand

psychomotoractivitiesinalessonintroductioncreateeffectualhooksthatmakestudents

curiousanddrawthemintotheirownlearningexperience.

3. Determinewhatcomesfirstinthesequence

Effectivelessonintroductionsaredesignedinawaythatflowslogicallyandsequentiallyinto

themainbodyofthelesson.WoolfolkandMargetts(2013)claimthatstudentsaremore

likelytoabsorbinformationandremaininvolvedwhereonestepleadsnaturallyintothe

next(p.410).Forexample,aprimaryyearlessononphotosynthesisthatbeginswithan

examinationonthebasicpartsofaflowerandbuildsintothedetailedprocessof

photosynthesisflowsmorelogicallythanabeginningwithphotosynthesisandthengoing


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backtoexaminethebasicpartsofaflower.Whittonetal.(2016)advisethatthe

introductionshouldrelate“totheworkbeinginvestigated”inthebodyofalesson,which

requirescarefulplanning(pp.147&148).Thus,itisclearthatanintroductionthatflows

seamlesslyintothemainbodyofthelessonisonethathasbeencarefullyconsideredandis

morelikelytoyieldfavourableresultswithstudentengagement.

4. Provideanoutlineofthelessonortask

Anintroductionthatincludesabriefoverviewofthelessoncultivatesasenseof

predictability,safetyanddirection.Studentswhofeelphysicallyandemotionallysafeare

moremotivatedtolearn(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.354).Therefore,alessonintroduction

thatalertsstudentstothedesiredoutcomesofthelessonisonewaytoachievean

emotionallysafeandpredictablelearningenvironment.Studentsarealsoabletosetthe

learningwithinacontextiftheyunderstandthepurposeofthelesson.Forexample,a

teachermayintroduceanartslessonbyinformingthestudentstheywillbeproducinga

paintingthatmirrorstheworkofMonetbeforeguidingthemonatourofMonet’sart.

Therefore,alertingstudents’attentiontotheaimsofthelessonandprovidingabrief

outlineofthetaskinalessonintroductionproducesfeelingsofsafetyandpredictability,

whichresultsinhigherlevelsofstudentmotivation.

5. Introducefieldspecificterminologyandcommunicatetheseeffectively

Teachersneedtocommunicateeffectivelyintheirlessonintroductionsandintroducefield

specificterminologyfordeeperlevelsofstudentcomprehension.EggenandKauchak(2010)

claimthateffectiveteachercommunicationinvolvespreciselanguagethatomitsvague

termssuchas,‘usually’,‘might’and‘perhaps’,andleadstostudentachievementand

satisfaction(p.401).Usingpreciselanguageisvitaltostudents’comprehensionlevels.Hurst

andCooke(2010)claimthatknowledgeoffieldspecificterminologyshouldnotbeignored

asthisisalanguagecomponentthathassignificantimplicationsonstudentcomprehension

(p.111).Undoubtedly,fieldspecificterminologyisbesttaughtthroughthemediumof

precisecommunication.Forexample,WoolfolkandMargetts(2013)emphasisethatthe


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exactmeaningofwordswithinamathematicsproblemmustbeaddressedbeforestudents

areabletograsptheproblem.Toelaborate,studentsmustunderstandwhattheterms

‘part’and‘whole’meanandhowthetermsmayrelatetooneanotherbeforefully

comprehendingthemeaningoffractionalproblems(p.293).Thus,lessonintroductions

shouldinvolveprecisecommunicationandexplicitinstructionoffieldspecificvocabulary.

PARTB:2keypointsaboutlessonclosures

1. Effectivelessonclosuresincludeasummaryofthekeypointsandalinktothenext

lesson.

2. Effectivelessonclosuresprovidestudentswiththeopportunitytoreflectontheir

learningandsharetheirworkwithothers.

Lessonclosuresareparamountfordrawingtogetherthemainpointscoveredduringa

lessonandalsoforsettingthelessonwithinthecontextofaunitoflearning.Whittonetal.

(2016)proposethatanequalamountofattentionbegiventoalessonclosureasthe

introduction(p.148).Thispropositionhighlightstheimportantrolethatlessonclosuresplay

insummarisingkeylearningsothatstudentsorganisethenewknowledgegainedinto

meaningfulschemas(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.406).Forexample,alessonclosureon

Australiandemocracymayremindstudentsthattheyarecitizensofademocraticsociety

andtheymusttherefore,formtheirownopinionofthepoliticalgrouptheywishtosupport.

Aclosureofthisnaturemakesthelessoncontentpersonallymeaningfultothestudentsand

leadstothemtoconsiderwhoandwhattheidealsofdifferentpoliticalpartiesaretogether

withtheirroleinademocraticsociety.Thislessonclosurealsocorrespondswiththe

evaluationstageofthefive‘E’smodelwherestudentsaresupportedbytheirteacherto

reflectontheirlearningprocess(Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.464).However,Woolfolk

andMargetts(2013)furthersuggestthatteachersguidestudentstoidentifyfuturelearning

goalsduringtheevaluationstage(p.464).Applyingthisnotiontotheexamplegivenabove

wouldbetobrieflyoutlinethecontententailedinthefollowinglessonofthatunitofstudy

sothatstudentsareabletoformlinksbetweenlessons;thus,settingtheirlearningwithin

thecontextofaunitoflearningwiththeguidanceoftheteacher.However,thelearning


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outcomeofthisteacher-drivenexemplarcouldbeachievedinotherways,suchasallowing

studentstheopportunitytosharetheirworkwithothers.

Student-centredlessonclosures,asopposedtoteacher-ledclosures,areanalternatewayof

encouragingself-reflectionandreorganisingthinking.Student-centredlessonclosuresalign

withPiaget’sconstructivistphilosophywherechildrenlearnfrominteractingwithothers

whentheycompareandchallengetheirownthinking(SeelyFlint,Kitson,Lowe&Shaw,

2014,pp.386-387;Mcdevitt&Ormrod,2010,p.196).Marsh(2010)insinuatesthatan

effectivelessonclosuremayconfront,orevensurprisestudents,thus,compellingstudents

toclarifytheirunderstanding(p.120).Forexample,atthecloseofalesson,studentsmay

beaskedtodisplaytheirworkorsummarisetheirfindings,suchaspresentingafinalpiece

oftechnologyorvoicingtheirownexplanationofamathematicalconcept.Thiswaythe

teachercanassesshowstudentshaveabsorbedandorganisedinformationonanindividual

basis,whichmayevenleadtosomedebateovermisconceptions.Thus,lessonclosuresmay

beeitherteacherledorstudent-centred,oracombinationofboth,solongasstudentsare

ledintotheprocessofreflectionandmeaningfulorganisationofideas.

PARTC:3usefulgraphicorganisers

1. InfographicsandPiktochart

Infographicsareusefulgraphicorganisersintheclassroomforpresentinginformationin

multi-modalandvisuallyappealingways.KalantzisandCope(n.d.)coinedtheterm‘multi-

literacies’inaclaimthatthecharacteristicsofnewcommunicationmediaarebecoming

increasinglymulti-modalaswritten-linguisticmodesinterfacewithvisualandspatial

patternstoconveymeaning(newlearningonline.com,n.d.).Thisplacesanimplicationon

teacherstoensuretheirstudentsdevelopasmulti-literatecitizens,ratherthan

predominantlytextuallyliteratecitizens(Bull&Anstey,2005,p.6;Hill,2015,pp.361-381;

SeelyFlint,Kitson,Lowe&Shaw,2014,p.19).Havingstudentspresentinformationinthe

formofaninfographicisonewaytonurturethismulti-modalunderstandingof

communication.Infographicsmayalsobedesignedbytheteachertopresentinformationto


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students,parentsorcolleaguesinvisuallyappealingways.Theinfographicbelowwas

designedbytheauthorusingthePiktochartwebsitetoexplainhowvocabularyshouldbe

taughtandwhyvocabularyisimportant.NotethatPiktochartisaremarkablyuser-friendly

websiteforgeneratinginfographics,posters,presentationsandreports.Thus,infographics

aremulti-modalgraphicorganisersthatarehighlyrelevanttocurrentliteracyeducation

demands.

Figure1:Wojnar,C.(n.d.).Howtoteachanddevelopvocabularyandwhyitisimportant.


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2. Conceptmaps

Conceptmapsorganiseideasintolooselylinkedschemasandnon-hierarchicalrelationships

aroundacentraltopic,whileallowsforfreeflowofthought.EggenandKauchak(2010)

statethatconceptmappinghelpslearnersmakevisualconnectionsbetweenconceptsand

cantherefore,beusedtomeasurechangesinconceptualdevelopment(p.269).Concept

mappingenablesstudentstoorganisebrainstormingonanewtopicinawaythatdoesnot

stifledivergentthinkingandcreativity.Theskillofconceptmappingishighlyrelevantto

twenty-firstcenturyeducation.Worldwidestakeholdersofeducationnowvaluecreativity,

flexiblethinkingskillsandvisualformsofcommunicationmorethantheyeverhaveinthe

past(Dinham,2014,pp.6-13;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.181,para.3).Conceptmapping

isaversatiletoolthatisnotconfinedtostudentbrainstormingsessionsalone.Teachersmay

useconceptmapstoorganiseinformationduringdirectinstruction,orforgeneratingideas

duringcurriculumdevelopment.Theimagebelowfeaturesthediversefunctionsandusesof

aconceptmap.

Figure2:Nestor,M.A.(n.d.).ConceptMapping.


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3. Tables

Tablesarehighlystructuredgraphicorganisersthataccommodateformultiplecategoriesof

dataandareeasytoreadataglance.Sincetablesmaybespecificallytailoredtosuitany

particularneed,theusesforthemintheclassroomareendless,rangingfrominformation

gathering,suchasKnow,Want,Learnt(KWL)chartstostudentattendancelists.Hill(2015)

emphasisestheimportanceofgettingtoknowchildrenintheclassonapersonalbasisby

gatheringdataattheoutsetoftheyearandthenusingthisdatatoguideliteracyprograms

(pp.67-72).ThetablebelowhasbeenadaptedfromWhittonetal.(2016,p.84)asan

exampleofhowHill’sdatamaybemanaged,particularlywhenteachinglargeclass

numbers.Atableofthisnaturedemonstratesteacheraccountabilityandmaybeusedto

assistcurriculumplanning,monitorstudentdevelopment,andfosteranacuteawareness

fortheholisticneedsofstudents.Note,constructingthetableininMicrosoftExcelwould

allowforgreatereaseasaworkingdocument.

Table1:Specificknowledgeaboutstudentstable.AdaptedfromWhittonetal.(2016,p.84).

Name DoB Gender Academic Social/emotional Physical Spiritual

ChrisLanis

06/06/2004 Boy Highachiever.Lowerprimaryportfoliosdisplaynumerousawards,includingreadingawards,numeracyawardsandacademicexcellencePrincipalawards.Runnerupinthe2011ICASScienceCompetition.

Christopherhastroubleestablishingandmaintainingfriendshipsandoftensitsaloneoutsideorinthelibraryreadingbooksorcompletinghomeworkduringlunch.However,peerstendoccasionallychoosetoworkwithChristopherforscientificexperimentsandprojects.

Standarddevelopmentalcharacteristicspresentforatwelveyear-oldincludingastrongleanbuild.Christopheroccasionallycomplainsofheadachesandisbookedforanappointmentwiththeoptometrist.

Christopher’sparentsareyearlyattendantsatthelocalCatholicChurchofwhichChristopherdoesnothaveanyobjectionsto.


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PARTD:4protocolsforeffectivegroupwork

1. Effectivegroupworkdemandscarefulplanningandconsideration

Effectivegroupworkcommandscarefulplanningandconsideration.Thiscommandarises

outoftheaimthatgroupworkinvolvesactiveparticipationbyallgroupmemberswithout

thedirectinterventionoftheteacher(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.420;Killen,2009,p.187;

Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.339).Therearemanydifferentgroupingtypestoconsider

whenplanning.Someexamplesare,homogenous,heterogeneous,eclectic,orstudent

selected.HurstandCooke(2010)recommendthatheterogeneousgroupsofthree,four,or

five,tendtobemoreinteractiveastheriskofsmallerfactionsformingisreduced(p.273).

Nonetheless,attentiontothepurposefortheactivityshoulddeterminethebestgroup

formation(Marsh,2010,p.138;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.340).Forexample,ability

groupingismoresuitablethanfriendshipgroupingforsharedreadingtasksasallgroup

membersneedtoworkwithatextthatissuitedtotheirreadingability(Marsh,2010,p.

138).Thus,effectivegroupworkrequirescarefulconsiderationofthelessonobjectivesto

determinethecorrectgroupingtypebeforeundertakingpre-lessonpreparation.

Pre-lessonpreparationforgroupworkisparamount.Thispreparationmayinclude,butis

notlimitedto,decidingonthegrouptaskandconstructingaclearsetofguidelines,

ensuringunhamperedaccesstoresourcesandmaterials,andhavingseatingarrangements

readypriortothelesson(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.421;Hurst&Cooke,2010,p.274).The

requiredresourcesandmaterialswilldependonthegrouptaskthatischosen.Some

examplesofgrouptasksincludereciprocalquestioning,Jigsaw,projects,problem-solving

tasks,orroleplay(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.421;Whittonetal.,2016,p.199).Whichever

taskisselected,theimportanceofhavingaclearsetofguidelinesandlearningfocus

remainsasitissharedgoalsthatfacilitateeffectivegroupwork(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.

420;Hill,2015,p.402;Killen,2009,p.187).Aboveall,effectiveteachersundertake

adequatepreparationmeasures,whichmeansthelearningfocus,materials,resources,and

seatingarrangementshavebeenclearlysetoutpriortoanylessoninvolvinggroupwork.


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2. Effectivegroupworkrequirestheteachertodirectbutnotintrude

Effectivegroupworkrequiresthesupervisionofateacher.However,teachersupervision

shoulddirectstudents’groupworkinanon-obtrusivemanner(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.

420;Killen,2009,p.187).Forexample,Killen(2009)suggeststhattimemanagementbe

undertakenasajointeffortbyboththeteacherandthestudents(Killen,2009,p.188).

However,expectationsregardingsocialstandardsofbehaviourneedtobemadeknown

explicitlybytheteacher,suchasacceptableformsofcommunicationandrespectforothers

(Whittonetal.,2016,p.198).Forexample,theteachermayensurethatleadershipisshared

sothatallstudentstaketurnsatexchangingideas(Hill,2015,p.403).Onewaytoensure

activeparticipationofallmembersandpreventbehaviouralissuesfromarisingistoassign

rolestoeachgroupmember.Someexamplesofgrouprolesare,cheerleader,recorder,

materialsmonitor,coachordatekeeper(Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.341).Effective

groupworkisonewherestudentscarryouttheworkwhiletheteacherremainsina

supportivepositiontofacilitategroupwork.Theteacherdoesthisbymakingtheroleof

eachstudentclearandthebehaviouralexpectationsexplicit.

3. Effectivegroupworknecessitatesaccountabilityandpositiveinterdependence

Effectivegroupworknecessitatesaccountabilityandpositiveinterdependencebetween

groupmembers.Positiveinterdependenceinvolvesthewillingparticipationand

cooperationofstudents(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.420;Killen,2009,p.187;Marsh,2010,

p.142).Toachievepositiveinterdependence,itisessentialthatstudentsaregiven

responsibilityfortheirlearningbothofthemselvesandofthegroup,whichultimately

fosterstheself-esteemofstudents(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.420;Hill,2015,p.403).A

waytoachieveaccountabilityandpositiveinterdependenceingroupworkistodesigntasks

withjointgoalsandsocialinteraction.Forexample,creatingaroleplayorbuildinga

technologicaldevice(Eggen&Kauchak,2010,p.421).Accordingly,positive

interdependencebetweengroupmembersispivotaltoeffectivegroupworkandmaybe

achievedthroughstudentaccountability,jointgoals,andsocialinteraction.


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4. EffectiveGroupworkisfollowedbyreflectionandassessment

Effectivegroupworkisfollowedbyreflectionandassessment.Killen(2009)proposesthat

teacher-ledconclusionstogroupworkaremostsuccessfulastheyleadtoalogicalclose

(Killen,2009,p.188&203).Alternatively,closuresthatincludetheopportunitytopresent

workoraskothergroupsquestionspromotesfurtherlearning(p.204).Whetherteacher-led

orstudent-centred,aprevailingpointisthatgroupworkcloseswithfeedbackthat

acknowledgesnoteworthygroupcooperation(Hurst&Cooke,2010,p.274).Marsh(2010)

postulatesthattheteachershouldfindwaysofacknowledgingbothindividual

achievementsaswellasgroupefforts(p.143).Ontheotherhand,HurstandCooke(2010)

recommendthatassessmentbemadeoutcollectivelyratherthanindividually(p.275).

Nonetheless,closurestoeffectivegroupworklessonsincorporateassessmentandreflective

practicesthatdrawstudents’attentiontocollaborativesuccess.

PARTE:Thekeypurposesofassessmentforlearningandassessmentoflearning

Thepurposeofassessmentforlearningistoinformplanningandteachingduringthe

learningprocess,whichisotherwiseknownasformativeassessment.Whittonetal.(2016)

makeacleardistinctionbetweenformativeassessmentanddiagnosticassessment;stating

thatformativeassessmenttakesplaceduringthelearningprocessforimprovementand

changewhilediagnosticassessmentinformscurriculumplanningandtakesplacepriorto

learning.However,WoolfolkandMargetts(2013)claimthatformativeassessmentmay

occurbothbeforeandduringthelearningprocess(p.503).Thelatterperspectiveon

formativeassessmentatteststothenatureofassessmentforlearning,whetherdiagnostic

orformative,asanintegratedteachingpracticethatcontinuouslyidentifiesareasofneed.

Thus,assessmentforlearningiscentredon“learningaboutchildren’slearning”(Clarke,as

citedinMarsh,2010,p.315).Assessmentforlearningisafundamentalstepinshaping

curriculumplanningandinstructionwiththeultimateaimofbringingaboutstudentgrowth

(pp.314-315).Therearevarioustoolsthatmaybeusedforformativeanddiagnostic

assessment,suchasformalandinformalobservation,analysingstudents’questionsor

responsestoquizzes,reviewingwrittentaskresponses,conductingopen-endedquestioning

andassessingprojectwork(Whittonetal.,2016,p.216;Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.


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503).Thus,theoverarchingpurposeofassessmentforlearningistofosterstudentgrowth

bycontinuouslymonitoringandimprovingthequalityandrelevanceofplanningand

instruction.Assessmentforlearningissimilarto,butnotidenticaltoassessmentoflearning.

Thepurposeforassessmentoflearningistoanalyseeducationalsuccessatthecompletion

ofthelearningprocessandtoinformfuturecurriculumdevelopment.Putsimply,the

essentialdifferencebetweenassessmentoflearningandassessmentforlearningisthat

assessmentforlearninghappensduringthelearningprocess,whileassessmentoflearning

happensafterthelearningprocess(Whittonetal.,2016,p.216).Assessmentoflearningis

alsoknownassummativeassessmentandmayincludebothformalandinformal

assessment.Anexampleofinformalassessmentistheaccumulationofexperiencesa

teacherhaswithastudentthroughouttheyear,whichfeedsintoafinalreport.Examplesof

formalassessmenttoolsaresummativeprojectsandpresentations,end-of-unit

submissions,testsandexams(Whittonetal.,2016,p.216).However,summative

assessmentmoreoftenrelatestohigh-stakestestingthanitdoestoinformalassessmentof

learning.Examplesofhigh-stakestestingaretheNationalAssessmentProgram–Literacy

andNumeracy(NAPLAN),ortheAustralianTertiaryAssessmentRank(ATAR)wherestudent

achievementismappedusingastrategicpointsystemthatoftendeterminesifthestudent

gainsadmissiontofurtherstudy(Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.503).Summative

assessmenttherefore,holdsmoreweightinthesensethattheresultsarelongstanding,

whereasformativeassessmentisfrequentlyusedtoadjustinstructionsoastoproduce

bettersummativeassessmentresults(p.503).Unfortunately,summativeassessmentis

consideredbysomeasthefinalgoalofeducation(Marsh,2010,p.315).Nonetheless,

WoolfolkandMargetts(2013)arguethatformativeusesofassessmentaremoreimportant

thansummativeassessmentastheyfocusonimprovingthestudents’learning(p.503).

Therefore,assessmentforlearningisthegreateraimofteaching.However,assessmentof

learningshouldbetreatedwithduecaresincehaslastingconsequences,suchas

determiningifastudentispermittedtoparticipateinfurtherstudy.


17

PARTF:3keyfactorsteachersneedtoknowabouttheirstudentswhenplanning

Teachersmustknowtheirstudentsandhowtheylearninordertofacilitateeffective

curriculumplanning.Threekeyfactorsofknowingstudentsandhowtheylearnare;their

personalinterestsandpreferredlearningstyles,theirdevelopmentalage,andfinally,their

depthandbreadthofpriorknowledge.Thesethreekeyareasaresimilartotheareasof

knowledgethatWhittonetal.(2016)outlineasthatwhichteachersshouldknowabout

theirstudents;thesearetheacademic,physical,social/emotionalandspiritualareas(pp.84

&111).Note,thesocial/emotionalandspiritualcategoriesofknowledgeareboth

contributingfactorsthatmayinfluencetheinterestsandlearningstylesofindividuals.

However,thesearenottheonlyfacetsthatcontributetostudents’personalinterestsand

learningstyles.

Students’uniqueinterestsandindividuallearningstylesareshapedbyamyriadof

environmentalinfluences.Asmentionedabove,twosuchinfluencesarethesocio-

emotionalandspiritualrealms.However,Hill(2015)statesthatparentsandfamiliesplay

centralrolesinnurturingeducationalvaluesandbuildingfundsofliteraryknowledgein

youngchildren(p.58).McdevittandOrmrod(2010)supportthisconceptbyendorsingthe

significanceoffamily,cultureandcommunityasagentssocialisationandcradlesforsocio-

emotionaldevelopment(pp.64-91).Hill(2015)advisesteacherstotapintothese“fundsof

knowledge”foundinthehomeenvironmentbyhavingparentsfillinaquestionnaireabout

theirchildpriortoschoolcommencementandthenallowingthatdatatoguideplanning

(pp.69-70).Anotherwaytobecomemorefamiliarwiththehomeenvironmentistovisit

familiesintheirhomesandencourageparentstogetinvolvedintheirchildren’seducation

andalsoinschoolevents(p.89-91).Theinformationgatheredfromtheseeventscouldthen

berecordedandusedtoappriseplanning(Whittonetal.,2016,p.110).However,itisthen

uptotheteachertodecidehowtoapplythisinformationaboutstudentstotheirplanning.

Onerecommendationisthatteachersmodifytheirinstructiontosuitabroadrangeof

interestsandlearningstylessoastoensurestudentengagement(Munro,ascitedin

Woolfolk&Margetts,2013,p.187).Forexample,usinganinquirybasedlearningwhere

studentsaregivenachoiceoverhowtheyapproachandpresentworkonatopicwithin

certainguidingboundaries.Thus,ithasbeenmadeclearthatthehomeenvironmentplaysa


18

chiefroleinthesocio-emotionaldevelopmentofchildrenandtherefore,presentsarich

fundofknowledgetobeunearthed,documentedandtakenintoaccountforeffective

planning.Thisdocumentedfundofinformationmayalsoincludevitaldataaboutthe

developmentalageandabilitiesofstudents.

Thedevelopmentalageofstudentsdeterminesthebehaviouralnormsandphysicalabilities

thatmaybeexpectedofstudentsrelativetotheirchronologicalage.Therehasbeenmuch

discussiononthetopicofphysicalandcognitivedevelopmentinthelastcentury,which

includesseveraldevelopmentaltheoriesandthenatureversusnurturedebate(Marsh,

2010,p.45;Mcdevitt&Ormrod,2010,pp.4-29;Woolfolk&Margetts,2015,p.70).Though

therearevaryingopinionsandideas,acommonthreadisthat“thefieldofchild

developmentseekstoidentifyandexplainpersistent,cumulative,andprogressivechanges”

inordertoassisteducatorsinpitchingtheirplanningattherightlevelfortheirstudentsso

thattheyarechallengedbutnotoverwhelmed(Mcdevittetal.,2013,p.4;Woolfolk&

Margetts,2015,p.98).Whatevertheage,McdevittandOrmrod(2010)maintainthatthere

isastronglinkbetweenphysicaldevelopmentandcognitivedevelopment.Forexample,a

childiswhoisphysicallystrongenoughtomovefreelyismorelikelytoexplore(p.76);or,a

childbetweentheageofsixtoeightyearsisfarmorelikelytobecomefatiguedbyphysical

andmentalexertionthanoneagedbetweenninetotwelveyears.Thelatterisanagewhere

flexibility,balanceandconcentrationaresignificantlyincreasedincomparisontothe

former.Hence,ninetotwelveyear-oldstypicallybenefitfromvigorousphysicalactivities

andlongerlessondurations(Whittonetal.2016,pp.223&225).Clearly,teachersneedto

haveasolidunderstandingoftheexpecteddevelopmentalnormssotheymaymake

informeddecisionsduringtheplanningprocess.Whileexpectationsregarding

developmentalnormsshouldguideplanning,therearemanyexceptionstotherule,

particularlyinthecognitivedomain.Therefore,conductingdiagnosticassessmentor

investigatingrecordsonexistingacademicknowledgeisalwaysnecessarypriorto

commencingalessonorunit.

Teachersneedtoknowabouttheacademicprofilesoftheirstudentsandwherepossible,

conductdiagnosticassessmentaboutatopicpriortoplanning.Piaget’sconstructivist

philosophyremindsteachersthatstudentsarriveatschoolwithapre-existingsetof


19

schema,whichtheyusetomakesenseofnewphenomenonthroughtheprocessof

assimilationandaccommodation(Mcdevitt&Ormrod,2010,p.195-196).Piagetprovesthat

itispointlesstoassumethatstudentswillprocessinformationintheexactwayithasbeen

given(p.196).Therefore,teachersneedtoidentifyexistingschemasofacademic

knowledge,orlackthereof,thatmayhamperstudents’learningandplanaccordingly.This

investigationprocessmaybelikenedtothatofassessmentforlearningandisakeyfactor

thatteachersneedtoknowabouttheirstudentswhenplanning.Torecapitulate,theprior

academicknowledgeofstudentsisoneofthethreefactorsthatteachersneedtoknow

abouttheirstudentswhenplanning.Theothercomponentsbeingfirstly,thepersonal

interestsandlearningstylesthatareformedinthefamily,homeandcommunity

environments;andfinally,thephysicallimitationsandstrengths,andthecognitiveabilities

thatmaybeexpectedofaparticulardevelopmentalage.


20

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Upper-SaddleRiver,NJ:Prentice-Hall.Foreman,P.&Arthur-Kelly,M.(2014).Inclusioninaction(4thed.).SouthMelbourne,

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[Infographic].Retrievedfromhttps://magic.piktochart.com/editor/piktochart/13108047

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