EDU202

SS1: Assignment Essay and

Lesson plan

Miccalene Paquet
22210709
SSI: Essay and Lesson Plan:

In many parts of the world, teaching the whole class is still mostly practiced through out
many countries including South Africa (Whole class instruction, 2022). Whole class
teaching can hold many benefits for the classroom especially when thinking about students
progressing in their learning and thinking. This essay will look at the whole class and its
advantages, analysing the scenario, discussing 21st century learning and its strategies
within the classroom and lessons, critical cross-field outcomes and its effect, whole class
strategies and a lesson devised on using those strategies.

Whole class teaching involves direct instruction to the students. The lesson will still be
directed through textbooks and materials but involves the teacher providing interactive
lessons as a whole class where the learners are learning together (Subramoney, 2022).
This method of teaching is generally directed through direct instructions. To be able to
achieve whole class teaching, the teacher needs to develop lessons that allow students to
engage in through-out the whole lesson and not in parts. The teacher must be able to teach
the lesson in a specific way so that most of the learners are understanding and grasping
the concept and information correctly (Subramoney, 2022). Whole class learning should
ideally be done with small group instructions as this will help the learners understand and
remember the concepts well. This will ultimately help the teacher to see which learners are
struggling and to further develop an appropriate approach for the next lessons
(Subramoney, 2022).

Looking at the scenario of Ms Gamora and Mr Murdock, you can clearly see that their
planning in lessons and creative thinking strategies are outdated. Learners in this
generation are becoming increasingly more creative and thrive on fun, practical and hands
on learning strategies to allow them to engage in the lesson and take an interest in the
topics. Learners are coming increasingly more visual and need stimulating presentations
that will hold their attention for longer. Ms Gamora and Mr Murdock failed to incorporate
learner participation which ultimately loses the interest of the students. The students,
especially at a young age, need to feel present with in the lesson and require that
contribution to install the information in their heads and to confidently think. Learners also
need structure within a lesson. If a lesson is not put into order and verbalised to the

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learners, the lesson can become chaotic and unmanageable with learners not knowing
what and when something must be done and loses interest. Installing order will allow the
learners to focus on their tasks and will allow the teacher presenting the lesson to let the
lesson flow smoothly with order.

21st Century learning is when a teacher or classroom focuses on creative and collaborate
thinking that benefits the students in asking critical questions and to further develop a
learning approach. With this style of learning, students will be able to synthesise, evaluate
and translate their ideas and thinking to be able to problem solve effectively and complete
their work more efficiently (What is a 21st-century skills-based education, 2019). It is
becoming clearer that 21st century learning is beneficial and essential for students to be
more successful in the future with their education and can shift how we think to better and
brighter ideas that will prepare students for the future (Llego & Vargas, 2022).

The lesson strategy that the teachers did not employ was using explanations in teaching.
Why this lesson strategy was not conducive to 21st Century teaching and learning is
because the lessons had no creativity or critical thinking involved. When information is
being conveyed, questions need to be implemented to involve the learners in the lesson. As
mentioned before, learners need visual stimulating resources and styles such as pictures,
posters, videos, and presentations to catch their eye and attention. Incorporating those
elements in a lesson allows for order and structure to be obtained and for the learners to
focus on instead of being distracted. When information is not conveyed properly to the
students, the element of critical and independent thinking falls away which hinders their
capability of retaining the information. Having simple explanations backed up by engaging
resources and visuals allows the students to take in the information better. Involving the
learning in the lesson practically is another 21st century teaching and learning style that
was not present in the scenario which is the biggest disadvantage yet. Involving the
students and getting them to participate within the activity takes concrete learning and
develops their understanding more. The teacher can assess to see if the learners are
understanding the topic and can include fun activities that allow the students to be
interested in the lessons (Subramoney, 2022). The critical cross-field outcomes (CCFOs)
formulated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) are generic competencies
designed to underpin all national qualifications registered on the National Qualifications
Framework (NQF) (Carmichael & Stacey, 2006). Critical cross-field outcomes means that
learners will be able to work efficiently with other learners in a team, communicate with

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each other using all aspects of learning with visuals, and identify and solve problems while
making decisive decisions individually and within a group (Carmichael & Stacey, 2006).
How critical cross-field outcomes were not achieved within the scenario is because there
needs to be a sufficiency in working together with the learners engaging and discussing the
topic. Discussion is a huge part of engaging learners and further analysing if the learners
can take the topic and independently think for themselves further.

Using whole class teaching and its strategies is very important when planning a lesson.
Whole class teaching is beneficial in that it determines a baseline for learning and allows
the teacher to properly assess the learners (Subramoney, 2022). This method gives the
learners a sense of belonging within the classroom as when the learners are discussing the
lesson, they are engaging with each other and bonding together as a class. It is also highly
suitable for activities to be constructed which adds order and structure to future lessons.
This is the preferred style that many educational facilities and settings (Yerni, 2021). The
four strategies include using explaining as a teaching tool, using questions in the teaching,
using demonstration in teaching and using whole-class discussion in teaching. Using
explaining as a teaching tool is when the teacher takes a topic and further clarifies it. This is
a structured talk engaging the learners and informing them of what is in the content. An
example of this strategy is using videos to explain a topic further with fun visuals. Using
questions in teaching allows understanding between the teacher and the students, clarifies
misconception, engages the students and invites curiosity to the lesson. An example of this
would be to present an image of the topic and further delve into the key points by asking
the students questions. Using demonstration in teaching teaches learners how to use
practical skills to learn concepts and reinforces principles by teaching higher order skills
and understanding within the lesson. An example of this strategy would be to have a
practical activity that involves the learners in engaging in the content and involving
themselves in the learning process. Using whole-class discussion in teaching involves
learners using their thinking skills to generate well thought out topics and ideas with each
other as a class. An example of this strategy would be the learners sitting on the carpet and
coming up with ideas as to how to solve a problem together (Subramoney, 2022).

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 SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Student information

Miccalene Paquet
22210709
Bed in Foundation phase Teaching

Degree phase (IP or FP) Foundation Phase

COMPULSORY LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Grade: 1

Whole-class teaching strategy: Using demonstrations with teaching

Topic: Life Skills (CAPS pg. 32)

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
- Verbally share the names for the 5 food groups
- Explain the benefit of each food group
- Identify which food item goes in which group
- List different food items

Activity Design:
(All sources used must have in-text references and reflect on the 'References' page).

Introduction
The teacher will gather the students onto the carpet to introduce the topic. The teacher will
show the students a 3-minute video explaining what food groups are and what are the
different food groups. (Appendix A)

Once the video is finished, the teacher will ask the students 2-3 questions about the video.
Questions:
- How many food groups were mentioned in the video?
- Why do we need to eat food?
- Should we only eat one food all the time or multiple foods and why?

Lesson Development
The teacher will then show a PowerPoint presentation further explain and touching on what
food groups are. (Appendix B) The teacher will go over what are the names of each food
groups and explain what types of food we would find in those food groups. The teacher will
ask the students 4-5 questions about what you would find in food groups.

Questions:
- How are fruits different from vegetables?
- Where does dairy come from?
- Which animals do we get meat from?
- What does meat give us?
- What is another name for grains?

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 The teacher will then discuss the food pyramid by showing an example on the board. The
teacher will explain which food groups are more important and which foods we should have
less of. The students can engage in the lesson by putting up their hand if they like a certain
type of food more than the other.
Example:
- Put up your hand if you prefer fruit over vegetables?
- Put up your hand if you like meat more than bread?
- Put up your hand if you like eating yogurt or drinking milk?

The teacher will then show the last slide of the presentation which shows a plate with the
different food groups sections on each side. The teacher will explain to the students what a
healthy, balanced meal is and why it is important.

The teacher will then bring out flashcards with different foods on them (One for each student).
(Appendix C) The teacher will then draw on the whiteboard the names of the different food
groups with circles underneath. (Example in Appendix D) The teacher will then hand out one
flash card to each student and first say what the food is and then, one-by-one, will get up and
stick the flashcard underneath the food group it belongs in.

The other students are engaging in this activity by watching their friends and seeing if they
can get it right as they have most probably worked out which group it belongs in already. If a
student gets it wrong, give them a second chance or ask a friend to help them.

Conclusion of lesson
The students will then be able to get their lunch boxes out and identify how many food groups
they see in their lunch box. This will allow the students to evaluate what specifically they have
and see if they are leaning to a healthy, balanced diet or if it is leaning unhealthier. Once the
students have analysed their lunchboxes and said what food groups they see, they can quietly
go put their lunchboxes away.

Resources to be used in the lesson by the teacher

(No worksheets and not purchased). Resources do not have to be made. Images are sufficient
and a caption must be included.

Appendix A: Video on food groups:

Appendix B: PowerPoint presentation slides:

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 Appendix C: Flash Cards:

Appendix D: Example of what to layout the board:

Benefits of this activity for 21st Century Learning

How this lesson benefits 21st century learning is that it includes all four strategies and involves
participation with the students. In this lesson plan, there is lots of explaining within in the
topic of food groups, mainly being divulging into what specific foods, food pyramid and explain
exactly why that food group is good for you. There is nowhere in the lesson where there is no
explaining done. There is also lots of questioning happening in the lesson to see that the
learners are paying attention and that they are thinking critically about the content and
finding the answers independently. There is also demonstration happening in the lesson with
the learners putting the food cards under their specific food group showing the learners how
we would group them physically together. This engages the learners in thinking about the
food group and its properties and identifying the food that would match it. There is lastly a big
discussion at the end of the lesson with the learners opening their lunch boxes and identifying
all the food groups they have included in their lunch which not only becomes fun with
investigating, but also gets the learners to engage with each other and see who else has the
same as them or more which opens the topic further while indulging further into the concept.

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 References:

department of Basic education (2011) in CurriCulum and assessment PoliCy statement

Grades r-3 liFe sKills. Durban: STADIO, pp. 32–32.

(2022). Learn Bright. 18 October. Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmgkj01uUTw&t=310s (Accessed: 02 September
2023).

Food Word and Picture Cards (2019) Twinkl.co.za. Available at:

https://www.twinkl.co.za/resource/t-t-6172-food-cards (Accessed: 02 September 2023).

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EDU202 – Assessment 2022-02-06/01 Page 8 of 10
Constructing effective lesson plans for teachers to follow that involves the students in the
lesson holds its benefits as previously discussed. Ensuring that at the end of the day, the
learners are benefiting from the strategies used and understanding the work is vitally
important. Using solid explanations, constant questioning, practical demonstrations and in-
depth discussions is what will take an average lesson to the next level in learning. The new
generation of learning is leaning heavily towards the 21st century learning style which
benefits the classroom immensely. Together, with the learners, teachers need to adhere to
the strategies to prepare the learners for their future into further education.

Referencing list:

Whole class instruction (2022) Renaissance. Available at:

https://www.renaissance.com/edword/whole-class-
instruction/#:~:text=Whole%20class%20instruction%20is%20about,of%20community%20to
%20the%20classroom. (Accessed: 01 September 2023).

What is a 21st-century skills-based education? (2019) The Hun School of Princeton.

Available at: https://www.hunschool.org/resources/21-century-
classroom#:~:text=The%2021st%2Dcentury%20skills%20classroom%20focuses%20on%2
0asking%20questions%20to,their%20reasoning%20and%20inquiry%20skills. (Accessed:
08 September 2023).

Llego, M.A. and Vargas, A.R. (2022) 21st-century learning: What it is and why it’s
important, TeacherPH. Available at: https://www.teacherph.com/21st-century-learning/
(Accessed: 01 September 2023).

Carmichael, T. and Stacey, A. (2006) Perceptions of SAQA’s critical cross-field outcomes

as key management meta-competencies, 2(1), pp. 1–3. doi:10.4102/sajbm.v37i2.598.

Yerni, P. (2021) A whole-class teaching: 4 advantages and 5 disadvantages, Learning

English as a Foreign Language. Available at:
https://yernimissendangpolly.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/a-whole-class-teaching-4-
advantages-and-5-disadvantages/ (Accessed: 02 September 2023).

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Darrin, Dr. (2022) Grouping students I: Pros and cons of whole-class teaching, educational
research techniques. Available at:
https://educationalresearchtechniques.com/2015/04/30/pros-and-cons-of-whole-class-
teaching/ (Accessed: 02 September 2023).

Subramoney , K. (2022) ‘Lesson 3: Whole-class Teaching’, in Education Theory and

Practice STUDY GUIDE . 3rd edn. Durban: STADIO, pp. 45–52.

department of Basic education (2011) in CurriCulum and assessment PoliCy statement

Grades r-3 liFe sKills. Durban: STADIO, pp. 32–32.

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