Amber Payne Learning and Teaching in New Zealand 456556383

Students have a varying awareness about their abilities to complete tasks across all of the
curriculum areas. For students to feel that they are equally valued members of the class I
have chosen low ability students as my focus group, in that, each child feels capable and
supported to achieve the work that has been set. They have a strong interest in digital
learning, with creativity as their strength. They need support with sentence structure and
communicating ideas which was not sufficiently supported in the original lesson plans. My
group of learners have a readiness to learn these particular skills in a way that supports and
works for them, using their interest in digital technology as my starting point of change. The
way in which these lessons where planned originally, immediately saw disengagement from
these learners as it was not relevant or interesting for them. In this essay I will justify my
specific changes relating to content, process, product and environment and how I believe
these changes will benefit the students working in this way. The most effective teachers
modify their instruction and content for learners (Tomlinson, 2014) to ensure that their
students are receiving a positive and well supported classroom experience. Although
students work at different levels, the content of the work can be designed in a way that
supports low ability learners to keep them engaged and on track without giving them a
completely different unit of work.

Rather than discussing what the differences of these learners are, it is more efficient to look
at the similarities between high ability and low ability leaners (Foreman & Arthur-Kelly,
2014) For all learners to become fully engaged in the work they need to have an interest in
what is being taught. These include a variety of activities to motivate students which are
based on many different resources and teaching approaches. (Fraser & Hill, 2016) Without
the variety, students can find themselves becoming disengaged from the learning task. They
may lack connection and intrigue to the material due to the way it is being presented to
them because it was using only one set way of teaching. It is no secret that one lesson plan
will not work for every student, but the teacher who delivers the unit of work with
understanding of students needs and interests will result in a positive outcome in the
future. The content change is introducing students to a new type of poem which is a Haiku.
My reasoning for introducing video clips as exemplars of Haikus increases the student’s
engagement, which will in turn will help boost achievement. Digital learning is important to
incorporate into the classroom as it is relevant for the students. Not only does it break up
the lesson but it keeps a level of pace, keeping students on task and focused as they have a
level of interest in digital media. Video clips are also enjoyable, supporting students to
process the information and digest it. Media in education provides the student with useful
information which is accessible and convenient. I wanted to add more visual learning into
the lesson as students learn in different ways. To accommodate this a range of teaching
methods needs to be employed. (Fraser, Moltzen, Ryba & Cullen, 2005) By doing so you are
supporting the learners who are visual learners, while keeping up the engagement of the
class as a whole, whether they are low ability or not.

My process change is allowing students to choose one of the Haiku exemplars to create a
set of criteria which they will self assess themselves on. For students to become more
engaged with their learning, incorporate their thoughts into the planning and selecting of
material. From the Haiku exemplars they have viewed on YouTube either by the poet or
visually represented, they will then work in small collaborative groups to create a set of
criteria. This gives the opportunity for students who struggle with generating ideas the
Amber Payne Learning and Teaching in New Zealand 456556383

chance for valuable group discussion where they can connect and learn from their peers.
Allowing students the autonomy to decide on what makes a good Haiku poem, provides
opportunity for these learners to think critically about a piece of writing and how they might
use certain aspects in their own work when they come to create it. For some students
working in isolation can encourage disengagement from the task. This is why I have added in
this collaborative element. From here students have the chance to choose their own topic
based on what they are interested in. This keeps the level of engagement up and empowers
them to take responsibility and make choices for themselves (Fraser, Moltzen, Ryba &
Cullen, 2005) Empowering students is enabling because it teaches them to actively learn
how to learn, rather than students becoming passive recipients of instruction (Fraser,
Moltzen, Ryba & Cullen, 2005). By students immersing themselves in positive group
discussion they are able to gain valuable teachings which they can then apply in to their own
learning.

To continue the theme of incorporating the digital element, my product has been
differentiated so students have the option to publish their Haikus onto a publishing program
which is far more interesting, interactive and creative. Offering this as an option adds
another level of digital knowledge and skills that many students have and gives them an
opportunity to show case these particular strengths. They will still have the option to hand
write if they wish, but to give students more choice and differentiated options they need to
have access to publishing programs and the like. The reason why I have moved away from
hand written works is the sudden drop in engagement and motivation for my specific
learners. We think and we learn in different ways (Tomlinson, 2014) and I think that my
group of learners will be able to show case their ability in a visual and creative way. As a
teacher it is our responsibility to bring energy and excitement into the classroom. Doing
everything we can each day to help students to realise their full potential (Tomlinson, 2014).
If the publishing aspect of the task is not seen as manageable, they may begin to feel
overwhelmed and decide not to complete the final task, however, having choice gives the
control back to the learner. With my group of learners in mind, this change has recognised
that there is a variety of pathways that students can take in order to reach the desired
outcome. Making the intended learning intentions and learning experiences sufficiently
flexible, will mean that we are able to meet the needs of all students in the class, not just
my group of low ability learners. (Fraser & Hill, 2016)

For my learning environment change, I have decided to change the presentation aspect for
the group of learners I am focusing on. Expecting them to stand up in front of the class
would most likely cause them great anxiety, making them lose a valuable learning
experience. Giving students the chance to work in pairs not only provides a safe learning
environment and space for these students but allows the learner to practice their
presentation skills without feeling intimidated. I believe that think pair share benefits not
only my selected group of learners but all learners in the classroom. I want my group of
students to feel valued and appreciated as an individual and their learning needs catered for
(Tomlinson, 2014). Peer reviewed tasks work well because it teaches students to be a critical
thinker and listener, providing students with the opportunity to give constructive feedback
and feedforward to others. Not only does peer review work well in this aspect, but it is also
a chance for students to learn and gather ideas from each other. It sparks valuable
discussion time where students can share ideas and thoughts in a supported and safe
Amber Payne Learning and Teaching in New Zealand 456556383

learning environment. There needs to be a shared understanding and commitment to

providing appropriate education for all students (Fraser, Moltzen, Ryba & Cullen, 2005).

The assessment task I have created for this differentiated learning task is a self assessment
rubric. Students will have the opportunity to critically analyse their own piece of writing,
giving themselves the opportunity to review and evaluate their abilities, knowledge states
and cognitive strategies through a variety of self-monitoring processes (Hattie & Timperley,
2007). They will have the opportunity to share a comment about why they have chosen
their specific marks, highlighting what they believed they have done well and what their
focus will be for next time. Self-assessment is an important aspect of assessment to
introduce to students. When they become more experienced in this area then a variety of
areas of performance can be assessed. Students will begin to understand the reflective
practice, identifying what went well and what they may do differently next time. This
provides a personal review of areas that they could need support with. We want our
students to become fluid with reflective practice so it becomes second nature, in the hope
that it will boost student’s confidence and feeling of self-efficacy. Each student will have the
opportunity to work through the rubric provided, identify their strengths to increase
confidence while highlighting other areas which require more support. As a teacher it is
important to see how students view themselves not only in an academic way but also in a
personal way. This will help give more insight to our students needs and how we as teachers
can support them effectively. This self-assessment will be meet with a discussion with the
teacher who will also provide feedback on the final product. This feedback will go beyond
the likes of “good work” or “nice try” as this type of assessment does not offer the student
any sense of task-related-information (Hattie & Timperley, 2007) nor does it engage the
learner or improve understanding around the task. However, the teacher student discussion
time will give opportunity for the teacher to discuss future learning goals with the student
as well as giving positive and constructive feedback on their final product. This will help
cement understanding and motivate them to engage in further learning opportunities.
Actively involving students in the assessment and planning process empowers them to take
responsibility for making choices and decisions for themselves (Fraser, Moltzen, Ryba &
Cullen, 2005).

To support my group of learners I have made four changes to help increase engagement,
motivation, self confidence, enjoyment and opportunity, by using a variety of teaching
methods to improve the learning experience for my students. I have taken into
consideration their readiness to learn, giving student choice I have allowed them to take
ownership of their own knowledge base. This has opened up the option for students to
choose the path that will suit them best. Empowering students is enabling because it
supports them to learn how to learn and motivates and engages the learner in the content
to provide successful outcomes. I have used a variety of engaging tools such as video clips,
visuals and performed examples which is relevant and current to the main concept. The
changes made in this series of lessons will hopefully engage disengaged learners and
support those with varying learning needs.
Amber Payne Learning and Teaching in New Zealand 456556383

References
Davis, A., & Hill, M. (2009). Building the foundation for classroom assessment . In Making
Classroom Assessment Work (pp. 15-25). NZCR Press.
Foreman, P., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2014). Planning effective teacher stratigies . In Inclusion in
action (pp. 193-233). Cengage Learning Australia.

Fraser, D., & Hill, M. (2016). Planning with high expectations. In The Professional Practice of
teaching in New Zealand (pp. 136-153). Cengage Learning Australia.

Fraser, D., & Hill, M. (2016). Using classroom assessment for effective learning and teaching.
In The Professional Pratice of teaching in New Zealand (pp. 156-170). Cengage
Learning Australia.

Fraser, D., Moltzen, R., & Ryba, K. C. (2005). Linking inclusive policies with effective teaching
practices. In Learners with special needs in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp. 74-98).

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. 81-112.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). Learning Envrionments that Support Differentiated Instruction. In

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (pp. 45-59).
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The Underpinnings of Differentiation. In The Differentiated

Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (pp. 14-28). Association for
Supervision & Curriculum Development.