Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TEACHER
LEADERSHIP
Assignment 1
ABSTRACT
The following report will look at recommendations for improvements of a Stage 4, Year 8 History
Unit: Age of Empires. This unit of work was designed for students at Beverly Hills Girls High
School. Beverly Hills Girls High School, and the class that I taught in particular, consists of
students from a range of diverse backgrounds as well as a large portion of students who come
from a language speaking background other than English. This report will look at how this unit
can be improved in the following areas, differentiation for students with EAL/D and diverse
students, literacy and numeracy, ICT, critical thinking, and social capabilities. The weeks in which
this unit was taught has been remodelled via the Universal by Design framework to ensure that
successful learning occurs with every student studying this unit. The following adjustments made
to this unit of work has used the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to ensure that the
Context: This unit of work was originally designed for Stage 4 students (year 8) at Beverly
Hills Girls High School. Beverly Hills Girls is a Government funded school which does not use
streaming in their classrooms. Instead, there are mixed ability students present in both year
8 classes. This unit of work was taught to both these year 8 classes which were quite similar
As seen below, this school is highly diverse with at least 96% of students coming from a
Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE). However, only 1% of the school
population comes from an Indigenous Australian background. Beverly Hills Girls High School
is in South West Sydney and is sitting slightly lower than average schools in relation to the
Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA). This school also sees a higher
This unit of work was taught in a class system that was not streamlined, which meant that,
there was a variation of mixed abilities in the classroom as well as a high proportion of
students with a LBOTE. The aforementioned factors did have an effect on how students
learned. With this in mind, the objective of this reconstructed unit of work is to increase
differentiated instruction so that every individual has the same chance to achieve success in
the classroom.
Goals of the report:
- Provide the necessary tools for students to become active and informed citizens (A
- Implement appropriate differentiated learning tasks to ensure that the unit of work
thinking.
- Use effective curriculum planning methods such as a concept map and a scope and
sequence to allow students to understand the direction in which their learning will
go.
- Effectively implement UbD to reconstruct the original unit of work so that students’
- Prepare students for their year 9 NAPLAN tests by incorporating aspects of literacy
- Enhance students’ personal and social capabilities through increased group work and
student collaboration.
Recommendations:
The recommendations that have been made for the unit being taught takes into
consideration the classroom in which it will be taught in. The class being taught this unit of
work is not a streamlined class. Instead, there are a number of students with mixed abilities
as well as a large proportion of students with a LBOTE. With this in mind, there are certain
adjustments that need to be made to ensure that successful learning occurs in the
classroom. As well as that, the recommendations for this unit of work looks at any concerns
about what the original unit of work needs to fix. By using UbD framework to reconstruct
helps the teacher understand what the students do and do not know. It is also a reflection
Essentially, the adjustments being made in this report will attempt to:
society
Differentiate learning tasks for varied individuals in the classroom, thus ensuring that
Engage students with varied teaching methods, such as the use of Information
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The unit that I am modifying was originally created for use in a stage 4 (Year 8) History class
I was given the program for this unit and had a discussion with my mentor teacher about
the differing needs of some students in the classroom. However, there was very little
mention in the unit of work that related to activities or learning tasks that were catered for
these students. Also, I did not receive the following for this topic; a scope and sequence,
and a concept map. There was a Formal assessment for students to complete. However, I
did not know what the assessment task was until two weeks prior to the students having to
complete the task. This would make it difficult for me to backwards map for my
reconstructed unit of work because the teachers were yet to create the formal assessment
task for the students. Instead, I will have to backward map using UbD to work backwards
from curriculum outcomes. There was one Indigenous student in one of the year 8 classes
that I was teaching, however, I did not receive a plan for this student.
COMPARATIVE TABLE
Area of Strengths of the Concerns of the Suggested Research support for the changes
consideration area of area of Changes to suggested.
consideration consideration counteract
concerns
Using a word
Initial stage of There is no further bank, glossary
Literacy the unit of mention of this terms and having
work asks
glossary page in the students use
students to
create a future stages of the synonyms for
glossary page unit of work. certain selected
in the back of words that are
their relevant to the
workbooks. topic of Vikings.
Students will
include this
glossary in the
back of their
workbooks as
well as keeping
track of a word
bank for students
to learn new
words and know
how to
appropriately use
them.
The unit of work More literacy work Students will be Research suggests that by students
has a fair few needs to be tested more need more than just direct instruction
references to provided for frequently via to develop their literacy skills. The
having students students because formative NSW Department of Education (2017)
writing PEEL Beverly Hills Girls assessment so states that literacy forms the basis of
paragraphs in High School has a that the teacher our learning and may have an
relation to a large portion of can gauge influence on how students will succeed
particular area students with a whether or not in the 21st century.
language students’ literacy
background other levels are
than English. progressing. This
can be done
through activities
such as spelling
tests, completing
PEEL paragraphs
using key
concepts.
No other Lack of interlinking A conscious Numeracy should be integrated in
evidence of questions to effort should be every possible teaching lesson so that
Numeracy numeracy used. mathematics. made to students can make the connection
incorporate between using mathematical skills and
timelines in learning new content (NSW
lessons. Department of Education, 2017).
The way in Not enough use of As well as the
which the formative timeline,
lessons are assessment to students will be
mapped out are identify whether or asked
well sequenced. not students are mathematical
progressing. related questions
when completing
worksheets. This
will look at
percentages, and
also problem-
solving skills.
Few instances Lessons tend to be Adjustments that The incorporation of inquiry-based
Critical and whereby there teacher led rather will be made to learning is especially vital when
Creative is scope for than student the unit of work studying History. Voet and De Wever,
Thinking creative centred. Students will focus on (2016) have noted that inquiry-based
activities in the are asked to collaborative learning provides students the
classroom. complete work leaning. This will opportunity to build deep knowledge
individually rather require students of the content.
than collaborating to play an
in group work. increased role in
classroom
activities. Peer to
peer teaching
will also be
promoted.
Unit of work A majority of the Students will be Blooms taxonomy regards creativity as
looks at sources lessons are based given more the highest order of thinking.
and the around opportunity to
interpretation PowerPoints and participate in An increased focus on Inquiry
of these work sheet group-based based learning can assist students
sources. activities that have lessons as well as
with being able to think critically
been taken from a student centred
and creatively (Olsen, Aleven and
textbook. This lessons.
teaching method Rummel, 2017).
may be disengaging
for some students
and will become
monotonous for
these students.
Not evident There is very little With an Research suggest that is important to
Ethical opportunity for increased encourage our students to think
Understanding students to present emphasis on empathetically when completing tasks,
their own opinion group work, especially in the case of History
or point of view on students will be (Victorian Department of Education,
certain stages combining their 2018).
throughout this own perspectives
unit. and opinions
together. This
can help other
students view
things
differently.
Students are Students are not Students will
shown the link presented with the complete more
between The opportunity to activities that
Vikings and how empathise or place encourages the
they have themselves in the student to write,
influenced our shoes of certain or role play in
contemporary individuals. the perspective
society. of a Viking or a
different
historical
individual.
Unit of work Students are not One of the first According to Arafeh (2013), student
talks about the given a scope and lessons that the success can be supported through the
Understanding fact that there sequence, a students will be alignment of content, teaching and
by Design will be an concept map, nor participate in, assessment.
assessment are they made will be based
sometime aware of what type around what the Clear mapping also enables teachers
during the term of assessment they overall learning and students to identify the learning
for this topic. will be given. goal is for goals of a unit (Giamellaro et al.,
students this 2017).
term. Students
will be given a
Scope and
Sequence, a
concept map,
and will be
notified of what
type of
assessment task
they will be
required to
complete.
The unit outline Limited activities Provide Tomlinson (2014) argues that teachers
is well that relates to extension should focus on implementing
sequenced. Unit differentiation. activities for strategies that ensure student
of work also Teaching is students that are achievement is maximised for varied
includes the use directed as a one challenging and individuals.
of formative type fits all require inquiry- Tomlinson, (2014) suggest that
assessment method. This based learning as teachers should try to implement
tasks. This helps negates students well as critical teaching strategies that allows varied
the teacher with low ability to thinking. Provide ability students the chance for student
understand showcase what worksheets that achievement.
what the they have learnt. assist with
students do and students in
do not know. spelling and their
overall literacy.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Understanding by Design (UbD) framework seeks to improve the success of student
learning by mapping backwards when structuring a unit outline. UbD works backwards to
arrange curriculum, assessment and lesson planning (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
When it comes to updating a unit program it is imperative that the changes being made are
informed decisions about the best way to facilitate learning for their students (Bage,
The stage 4 history unit Age of Empires: The Vikings has been reconstructed by
implementation of the UbD framework. The adjustments made to the original unit of work
has sought to use inquiry-based learning to develop students’ literacy and numeracy skills,
as well as their ICT skills, and also their personal and social capabilities. As well as this, there
has been more focus placed on differentiating learning tasks, a targeted area which needed
improvement.
When planning curriculum, assessments and informed teaching practices, the UbD
structure, the UbD framework should be used in a three-stage backward planning process.
This helps teachers focus on the overall learning goals as well as how students will be
assessed before looking at strategies on how to teach the content (Roth, 2007). Research
notes that, successful curriculum development and implementation relies on the teacher
being able to identify the overall learning goals of the unit (Giamellaro, Lan, Ruiz-Primo, Li &
Tasker, 2017). This process relates to identifying desired outcomes. The next step is
designing a formal assessment task in order to identify whether or not the students have
understood the content being taught. After utilising the first two elements of the UbD
framework, the last element involves planning lesson activities and deciding what
instructional strategies will be used (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). Therefore, the inclusion
of a scope and sequence and a concept map is an important adjustment that will be made
to the unit of work. This inclusion will allow successful teaching and learning to occur.
Arafeh (2013) has noted that providing students with explicit details about course
alignment, key concept points, and assessment, supports students with their learning and it
also allows for effective planning of a unit of work. With that being said, I recommend that
the original unit of work be adjusted so that it includes a lesson that provides students with
a scope and sequence, a concept map, and what type of assessment task they will be
undertaking. Research by Giamellaro et al., (2017) suggest that providing students with
clear concept mapping can enable students to gain a deeper understanding of what they are
being asked to achieve at the end of their unit. The UbD Framework will thus be used to
effectively work within standards driven by curriculum, as well as, outline key learning goals
The original unit of work has been adjusted to include more opportunities for inquiry-based
learning. This would see the adjusted unit of work incorporating more student-centred
activities, rather than teacher led activities. The justification for this is that self-directed
learning has the ability to increase engagement, because students feel as though they have
an increased role within the activities planned for them (Towers and Panayotidis, 2014). The
incorporation of inquiry-based learning is especially vital when studying History. Voet and
De Wever, (2016) have noted that inquiry-based learning provides students the opportunity
to build deep knowledge of the content. As well as this, students form their own
conclusions, ideas, and arguments about the past, especially when asked to analyse sources
(Voet and De Wever, 2016). One of the goals of this report is to encourage students to think
critically and creatively. This adjustment has been made because the assessment task
designed for the students is a creative task. As such, students should be given the
opportunity to prepare for this assessment task by engaging in lesson activities that require
inquiry-based learning as well as creative and critical thinking. A majority of the work that
was originally devised for the students was based around individual work. The inclusion of
learning, will be used to allow students to develop innovative skills that can be applied to
the 21st century. The following skills such as, critical and creative thinking, problem solving,
higher order thinking, and communicating can be applied to the 21 st century workforce
(Olsen, Aleven and Rummel, 2017). Further studies also highlight that cooperative learning
and group work can provide students with different perspectives and ideas, which can then
help students build on their own ideas and develop a reflective thought on what they are
learning (Smith-Stoner and Molle, 2010). Because of these reasons, I recommend that we
streamlined. The implications for this meant that I had several students with mixed abilities
that students were engaged, thus allowing them to learn successfully. Differentiated tasks
and instruction was an aspect that was not present in the original unit of work. It is the role
of the teacher to provide students with differentiated instructions and to also decide what
that are flexible and showcase the level of ability of students (NESA, 2017). This unit of work
lacks differentiated instruction as well differentiated activities for students who require
support. It is imperative that teachers challenge students by modifying tasks so that they
are able to be actively engaged with the content being taught. Research has shown that
student differences should be treated as a positive rather than a negative (Geelan, Christie,
Mills, Keddie, Renshaw & Monk, 2015). In relation to UbD, the third stage of backwards
mapping asks teachers to design lessons that assists students with achieving goals that are
set in stage one and two. By adhering to this, teachers are actively supporting students as
strategies, such as scaffolding, students are given the chance to demonstrate what they
have learnt, an important principle of the UbD framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
As mentioned previously, in the context of Beverly Hills Girls High School, 96% of students
come from a LBOTE. After reviewing this unit of work, I have realised that there should have
been more opportunities presented to the students to improve their literacy and numeracy
skills. The NSW Departments of Education (2017) states that literacy and numeracy are
important because they form the basis of our learning. Integrating literacy and numeracy
requires students to learn other skills that have links to everyday life. Skills such as viewing,
writing, listening, oral speaking, and the ability to modify language for a certain context or
audience, are examples of everyday life skills that will be required of students in the 21st
century. For this reason, the adjusted unit of work includes more opportunities for students
to home in on their literacy skills. In regard to numeracy, the NSW department of Education
(2017) states that numeracy should be integrated into all teaching areas so that students
can link mathematical skills purposefully in everyday life. There was minimal use of
numeracy in the original unit of work. For this reason, the adjusted unit of work has
prepare our students for global competition in the 21st century I recommend that these
adjustments be made.
Upon evaluation of the original unit of work, it was evaluated that there was a lack of
activities that related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This may have
been because Beverly Hills Girls High School only has two computer labs and a tray of thirty
laptops at their disposal. However, it is crucial that all students receive an equitable
education and are not disadvantaged by lack of ICT (Dietrichson, Bog, Filges, and Klint
Jorgensen, 2017). The adjusted unit of work will endeavour to include more opportunities
students should be introduced to more than one medium in the classroom. Research has
shown that certain mediums, such as ICT, can assist students in having a deeper
understanding of the content and have a higher chance that they will retain information
(Kaur, 2017). Further research has also suggested that when ICT was used in the classroom,
engaged, motivated and also found ICT more stimulating to use as opposed to traditional
forms of learning (Livingstone, 2012). For these reasons, the adjusted unit of work will move
The recommendations I have suggested will seek to improve the educational outcomes for
students at our school. By providing students with a scope and sequence as well as a
concept map, this will allow them to better understand the overall goal for the unit. With
focus on literacy and numeracy, this will aim to maximise student achievement. Along with
made. If these recommendations are used, then the teaching and learning process will be
significantly improved.
Scope and Sequence
CONCEPT MAP
ASSESSMENT TASK
Colour Key:
ICT = Yellow
Inquiry based learning (Creative and Critical thinking) = Blue
REDESIGNED UNIT OF WORK UbD = Brown
Assessment task Differentiation = Green
Literacy = Orange
Numeracy = Red
Colour Key:
Assessment task ICT = Yellow
Inquiry based learning (Creative and Critical thinking) = Blue
UbD = Brown
Differentiation = Green
Assessment task Literacy = Orange
Numeracy = Red
Colour Key:
ICT = Yellow
Assessment task Inquiry based learning (Creative and Critical thinking) = Blue
UbD = Brown
Differentiation = Green
Literacy = Orange
Numeracy = Red
Colour Key:
ICT = Yellow
Inquiry based learning (Creative and Critical thinking) = Blue
UbD = Brown
Differentiation = Green
Literacy = Orange
Numeracy = Red
Students will receive a Scope and
Sequence, a concept map, and will be
notified about the assessment task that will
be undertaken. This allows students to
understand their learning goals for this
topic, as well as gain an understanding of
the broader scope of History.
proposed content scope and sequence mapping tool. Journal of Further and
Department of Education and Training Victoria. (2018). Retrieved 25 August 2019, from
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/
Dietrichson, j., Bog, M., Filges, T., and Klint Jorgensen, A. (2017). Academic
Geelan, D., Christie, P., Mills, M., Keddie, A., Renshaw, P., and Monk, S. (2015).
10.0180/22040552.2015.1084673
Giamellaro, M., Lan, M.C., Ruiz-Primom M.A., Li, M., and Tasker T. (2017). Curriculum
10.1080/1046560X.2017.1343603
Tomlinson, C.A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all
Olsen, J., Aleven, V., and Rummel, N. (2017). Statistically Modeling Individual
49(6), 312-318
The NSW Department of Education (2017). Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2017-2020.
pp.3-13.
Voet, and De Wever. (2017). Preparing pre-service history teachers for organizing