Contemporary Teacher Leadership – Assignment 1:

Report

Background Information of Unit

The unit outline of the topic of Voices of Change has been carefully designed
for Stage 5 audience, and in this school, for year 9 students. This is the unit
that I have taught during my professional practice for 4 weeks. As a result, I will
make changes and recommendations to the first 4 weeks of the unit outline.
During my time, I have taught the fortnightly spelling tests that aim to collect
data about students’ literacy capabilities. While teaching these activities, I
identified some ways in which they can be altered or changed in order to more
effectively meet the following outcome:

“selects and uses language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate
to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts, describing and explaining their
effects on meaning”.

Similarly, I have taught writing activities to help them prepare for their
summative assessment task which requires them to “Compose and deliver a
spoken text that argues for change in relation to discrimination.” Accordingly,
there have been changes made to these activities in order to ensure that the
outcomes are more effectively and realistically achieved. Likewise, the changes
to these activities consider the UbD framework as they consider the overall
outcome and skills of students, and are carefully planned accordingly.
Comparative Table

Area of Strengths of the Concerns of the Suggested Research support

consideration area of area of Changes to for the changes
consideration consideration counteract suggested.
concerns

The unit outline The unit outline Iqbal & Komal

supports literacy relies on fortnightly The unit outline (2017) state that
Literacy skills through spelling tests which should include extensive reading
comprehension may not be a true activities where “is also helpful for
and writing indicator of student students the learners when
activities and understanding of demonstrate they read words in
allows students words and their their authentic context where
to practice their true understanding meanings become
punctuation and meanings/context. of terminology clearer or they can
grammar and and words used infer the meanings
understand how by applying it in of unfamiliar
it is important the correct words.” (p.36).
to communicate context. Through exposure
meaning. to the words in
their correct
context, students
will eventually
become more
familiar with the
correct spelling.
The unit outline The unit outline The unit outline Davtyan (2014) also
allows students does not include can include suggests the
to experiment the opportunity for opportunities strategy of
with language students to for students to “Relating,
techniques and experiment with practice writing Experiencing,
words in language in a ways that Applying,
different techniques in would benefit Cooperation, and
contexts and meaningful them. For Transfer (REACT)”.
situations which situations and see example, writing This is where
can help its real time effects. cover letters students can
support using persuasive experience and
students to see language and apply what they
how context reading each have learned into
matters in other’s work to new situations and
shaping texts. assess contexts (p. 2). In
persuasiveness. this situation,
students
experience the
words in the books
 that relate to the
content being
learned, and apply
these words in
different but
meaningful
contexts.
No numeracy The unit outline Activities that A study by Sobkow,
related activities does not specify build numeracy et al (2019) argue
Numeracy are evident activities to help can be that many people,
within the unit support numeracy. integrated into despite education,
of work. It mainly focuses on the unit outline are unable to
literacy and does to build perform basic
not consider the important life arithmetical
important role of skills. This could operations (p. 372).
numeracy in the include timeline Therefore, it is
topic. activities to help important for
students identify teachers to
numeracy in understand the
everyday life. role of numerical
reasoning in real
life and integrate
activities that
involve reasoning
with numbers. The
study found that
number line
training “Could
help people to be
more accurate in
the rapid
estimation of
quantities in
everyday tasks” as
well as promoting
self-efficacy in the
domain (p. 384).
The unit outline The unit outline The unit outline An article by Rashid
Critical and effectively does not encourage should allow & Ismail (2014)
Creative encourages students to think students to support the
Thinking critical thinking creatively about experiment with hypothesis that
by allowing how it could be the different students must
students to used in different persuasive learn creative and
think about the situations to techniques and critical thinking
different types encourage and/or apply them in skills to “Realise
of persuasive persuade different types their fullest
language and audiences. of writing to see potential in today’s
techniques. results. This society.” (p. 519).
would allow This could allow
students to them to reflect
think creatively upon how they
 about the have the ability to
theory being make effective
learned. changes through
their ability to think
creatively.
The unit outline The summative The program An article by
effectively assessment does should ensure Daugherty (2006)
Understandin reflects upon not consider the that students suggests that the
g by Design the UbD by UbD’s Stage 3, are heavily UbD backward
ensuring that which asks “What supported design allows
assessments are activities, through activities and
created to meet sequence, and activities with resources to be
outcomes. resources are best resources carefully developed
suited to towards according to what
accomplish our achieving the teachers think
goals?” ideal outcomes students need to
in the final learn, understand,
(summative) and be able to do
assessment. at the end.