MTL ~ Module 3 ~ Planning

AITSL Teaching Standard 3

http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list

Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.	Set explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals for all students.	Develop a culture of high expectations for all students by modelling and setting challenging learning goals.	Demonstrate exemplary practice and high expectations and lead colleagues to encourage students to pursue challenging goals in all aspects of their education.

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.	Plan and implement well-structured learning and teaching programs or lesson sequences that engage students and promote learning.	Work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify learning and teaching programs to create productive learning environments that engage all students.	Exhibit exemplary practice and lead colleagues to plan, implement and review the effectiveness of their learning and teaching programs to develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills.

3.3 Use teaching strategies

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Include a range of teaching strategies.	Select and use relevant teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.	Support colleagues to select and apply effective teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.	Work with colleagues to review, modify and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies to enable students to use knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

3.4 Select and use resources

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.	Select and/or create and use a range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning.	Assist colleagues to create, select and use a wide range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning.	Model exemplary skills and lead colleagues in selecting, creating and evaluating resources, including ICT, for application by teachers within or beyond the school.

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement.	Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student understanding, participation, engagement and achievement.	Assist colleagues to select a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support students’ understanding, engagement and achievement.	Demonstrate and lead by example inclusive verbal and non-verbal communication using collaborative strategies and contextual knowledge to support students’ understanding, engagement and achievement.

3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning.	Evaluate personal teaching and learning programs using evidence, including feedback from students and student assessment data, to inform planning.	Work with colleagues to review current teaching and learning programs using student feedback, student assessment data, knowledge of curriculum and workplace practices.	Conduct regular reviews of teaching and learning programs using multiple sources of evidence including: student assessment data, curriculum documents, teaching practices and feedback from parents/ carers, students and colleagues.

3.7 Engage parents/ carers in the educative process

Graduate	Proficient	Highly Accomplished	Lead
Describe a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process.	Plan for appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/ carers to be involved in their children’s learning.	Work with colleagues to provide appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in their children’s learning.	Initiate contextually relevant processes to establish programs that involve parents/carers in the education of their children and broader school priorities and activities.

AusVELS Curriculum Planning - BY UNIT/LESSONS

Document contains headings of:

• Grade Level;
• Time Allocation (4 weeks, 12x48 minute sessions);
• Essential Question;
• Achievement Standard;
• Content Description (by curriculum areas);
• Lesson Sequence:
• Session;
• Focus;
• What will students know and be able to do?
• What are the main learning areas?
• What are the assessment Tasks?

NSW BOSTES Advice on Units

Elements of a unit include:

• Unit description;
• Syllabus outcomes;
• Duration;
• Stage or year;
• Range of relevant syllabus content;
• Integrated teaching, learning and assessment activities;
• Subject-specific requirements;  
• Resources;
• Reflection and evaluation;
• Adjustments for students with special education needs, where appropriate.

What is UbD?

Understanding by design:

• Stage 1 - Desired Results:
• Established goals:
• Curriculum outcomes;
• What understandings / big ideas will students 'take home';
• What predictable misunderstandings could occur?
• Essential questions:
• what provocative questions will promote inquiry? Understanding? Transfer of learning? Guide inquiry into the big ideas?
• Students will know...
• Students will be able to...
• Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence:
• Performance tasks;
• Other evidence that must be collected to evaluate the achivement of outcomes defined in Stage 1.
• In planning these, consider the understandings, knowledge and skills identified as desired outcomes in Stage 1.
• Identify relevant criteria and use them to create assessment rubrics.
• Stage 3 - Learning Pan;
• Learning activities:
• Consider methods of generating engagement;
• Use diagnostic and formative assessments to monitor student progress with desired outcomes;
• Consider what needs to be "uncovered" as opposed to covered;
• Sequencing;
• Test plan against desired outcomes for stages 1 & 2;
• When should I teach, when should I coach, when should I facilitate student discovery?
• What do students need in order to become independently capable with the work and integrated with the desired outcomes?
• How can activities be extended for competent students? Scaffolded for those needing additional support?

Blended Learning:

• Combination of digital content and activity with face to face content and activity;
• Understanding what works for your subject area and your kids;
• Differentiated instruction within the classroom;
• Allows for one-on-one or small group teacher assistance while remainder of class works with digital content;
• "Whay would it look like in my class?" supplemental? 
• Teacher podcasts allow easy repetition of instruction;
• Not all online, a lot of the most important stuff is still face-to-face;
• Different ways for different kids to "get it";
• http://www.edutopia.org/blended-learning-resources

Flipped classroom:

• From lectures as group activity and "work" individualised;
• Digital technologies allow lectures to be individual experiences and group time to be activity based;
• "In class time prioritised for inquiry, application and assessment";
• http://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/flipping-the-classroom/ 

Collaborative Learning:

• More than just "group work";
• Recognition of knowledge as a social construct;
• Can deepen engagement and understanding;
• Math work in groups, ask each other questions, try to puzzle it out together, before asking teacher;
• Round table discussions of books/texts deepens/broadens understanding;
• Individual master content;
• Collaborative allows empowers cultivation of resilience, neighbor as resource, test own theories, how do you know if you're on the right track or the wrong track;
• Classwork problems much harder/meatier than homework problems, so that students have to band together;
• Talk to each other about the problem before pen touches paper;
• Outside challenges, 'next step' in teamwork;
• Safe place to take risks - build expectations of respect by developing group/student values;
• Guidelines for how sessions will play out, teacher's role, student roles (eg/ scribe, moderator, conversation 'web' charter) expectations that everyone has an opportunity to contribute;
• Discussion based, community values;
• Social Constructionism Article: http://groundedtheoryreview.com/2012/06/01/what-is-social-constructionism/

Will these types of lessons have a place in your teaching practice? Explain your response.

I feel that both collaborative learning and some use of blended learning in 'Flipped' models both work quite well for me as classroom models. I think they allow students to make the most of the social aspect of learning, increasing the value of coming together in a class context. I am not such a big fan of blended learning within the classroom as it would seem to build separations within the group and may cause certain students to have an increased sense of isolation within social contexts.