It is recognised that effective teaching involves planning.

When we plan a lesson as teachers we decide what to teach

and how to teach it.

Planning and preparing for teaching includes everything you do to get organised for the role

as a teacher (Marzano, 2013). Before we plan a lesson it is important to consider the 4

different elements which help us decide on what to teach and how to teach it. Planning is

crucial to ensure that what is taught in lessons is meaningful and appropriate for students

level of ability (Clarke, 2015). To be an effective teacher it involves being well prepared for

lessons to distribute effective knowledge to students and to have students engaged in the

knowledge being taught. This essay will discuss the four factors which are necessary for good

lesson planning with regards to the New South Wales syllabus, ensuring the lesson is

adaptable to students with diverse learning needs, looking at previous data collected by

teachers to increase students performance and also achieving the standards of teaching as

stated on AITSL. By planning our lessons and using these four factors, teachers lessons will

be planned out to achieve all the outcomes for both the students and effective teacher

practice. In order to prepare lesson plans, a teacher must follow the unit of work set out by

the head teacher within the faculty which satisfies the overall plan for the students in that

year. The plan is made from the syllabus which is created by consultation with the Australian

curriculum by the ATISL.

THE SYLLABUS

A syllabus is a summary of topics to be covered in an education course. (Das, 2013). The

syllabus for New South Wales schools is on the Board of studies, teaching and educational

standards website (BOSTES). The BOSTES website is responsible for developing a syllabus
to be taught in Australian schools from year Kindergarten to senior years including 11-12

(2014). Classroom and assessment activities should be clearly related to syllabus outcomes,

which should provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they know in

various ways. Teachers need to use the syllabus to develop lesson which satisfy the national

standard which is set out from BOSTES. Teachers use the syllabus standards to design

effective assessments, work programs that will develop effective teaching methods and

learning for students (Bouel, 2015). The syllabus also helps teachers to monitor students

progression by assessing students using the outcome points in the syllabus. Without a

syllabus, students wouldnt achieve the same outcomes and lessons wouldnt be effective.

The syllabus allows teachers plan suitable lessons for particular age groups and ability levels.

BOSTES suggests all syllabus outcomes should be associated with 5 questions to ensure

teachers are incorporating the correct elements in an effective lesson plan. A teacher should

consider what evidence of learning is required? How will this evidence be gathered? What

content, learning experiences and instructions allow students to demonstrate these outcomes?

How will feedback be provided and is there sufficient evidence that students have made

progress? If a teacher uses the syllabus and these 5 questions together an effective teaching

plan should be achieved.

DIVERSE STUDENTS

When we decide on what to teach and how to teach it is important to consider students with

diverse needs. Kenneth states that effective teaching values diversity and all students should

be treated equally (2012). In accordance with the K10 Curriculum Framework, the Work

Education Years 710 Syllabus takes into account the diverse needs of all students (BOSTES,

2003). BOSTES statement of values in 2010 highlighted that equity principles should be

followed when dealing with diverse students. Effective planning in teaching should consider
all students of different ability whether it be poor literacy, background and culture, poor

numeracy skills or physical impairment. Effective teaching would involve every student

regardless of their differences. For example students who have diverse needs should be

considered before a lesson is planned. It is highly likely teachers will encounter students with

physical disabilities. These disabilities should be embraced when planning a lesson. For

example in a game of basketball in PE, rules should be modified to include the students with

disabilities. For example letting a student in a wheel chair carry the ball in basketball instead

of bouncing it. If a teacher considers this it creates a learning environment for all students.

Engagement off all students is essential in effective teaching.

DATA, ASSESSMENT

Effective teaching involves analysing students performance to ensure what you are

teaching is appropriate for their knowledge level and how students best learn new

knowledge. Forms of data collecting can be formal assignments or informal including

observation and check lists in class. Typically these formal and informal assessments results

are displayed in a numeric fashion to help teachers decide on what they will teach next and

how they will teach it (Clarke, 2014). Formal Collecting data from these assessments help to

determine whether or not the course outcomes from the syllabus are being met (Spanella,

2015). Formal assessments activities might include background knowledge quizzes, brain

storming, defining terms and plenty more. If a teacher the outcome hasnt been met the

teacher will typically spend more time on trying to increase students knowledge so they

meet the outcomes. These assessments can be pre lesson and post lesson to see if students

retain information or have better background knowledge on the topic. Informal data

collection can help a teacher decide on how they will teach the content. If students in the
class are better at learning in groups, the teacher would try and design a lesson which would

use group elements to help students retain the knowledge taught in the lesson.

NATIONAL PROFFESIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS

The final element which teachers should consider when deciding what is to be taught and

how, is the national professional standards for teachers. When teachers decide on what they

teach and how they teach it, they must address professional practice part of the nation

standard document (AITSL, 2015). Professional practice focuses on how a teacher should

make their lessons engaging and help develop effective teacher planning. Professional

practice has three sub headings that include: Plan for and implement effective teaching and

learning; create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments for students; and

assess and provide feedback and report on student learning. Teachers must satisfy these

standards to remain accredited and able to teach in Australian schools. This section of the

document is related to the syllabus, being prepared for diverse students and assessment/data

collection. For example, under Create and maintain supportive and safe learning

environments, point 4.1 states lessons should support student participation. In order to be a

proficient teacher, they must in their lesson place establish and implement inclusive and

positive interactions to engage and support all students in class room activities (AITSL,

2010). This can relate to the previous example of the student in a wheel chair in PDHPE, it is

necessary by national standard to incorporate that student into the lesson so they can also

engage in the activity.

PART 2

In the above section we have identified the four elements teachers must refer to when
deciding on what will be taught and how it will be taught. This section of the essay will
analyse a PDHPE lesson plan (provided in the appendix) to assess whether these four
elements are being used in this lesson plan.

Syllabus analysis

In the lesson plan in the appendix, it covered a few syllabus outcomes for the lesson plane.
It states early in the plan the syllabus links including 5.4 A student adapts, transfers and
improvises movement skills and concepts to improve performance and 5.16 A student
predicts potential problems and develops, justifies and evaluates solutions. These two
syllabus points are reinforced by the teachers lesson plan stating what the student will
learn about and what they will learn to do. There is a clear connection between these lesson
outcomes and syllabus points with the 1st lesson outcome related to the first syllabus point.
The outcome states students will learn about applying mechanical principles to enhance
performance by absorbing and applying force, balance and stability and momentum. This
correlated with the first syllabus point suggesting students should adapt, transfer and
improvise movement skills and concepts to improve performance. Absorbing

*diver students This acitivity allows for stufents to select what type of movement acitivty
they will do. Without being specific this would allow diverse students to use a skill they can
achieve or are good at.

The groups could be formed to help students with non English backgrounds with low literacy
skills by putting them in a situation where their peers can help them or the peers can be
responsible for the note taking to take the pressure off the student.

Assessment incorporation of data Also this is a group acitivity which can help incorporate
team work learnining which some students might work better with this may have been
decided on the basses of assessment of the terachers peers noting that the students achieve
higher participation and ergangmene tlevel then working individually or teacher centred
learnining

Australian standards of teaching Engages all students - it satisfys these points fropm proffesional
practive

References

BOSTES (2015) Planning for Effective Learning and Assessment. Retrieved from
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/support-materials/planning-programming/

Bouel, S. (2015). Assessment: From the syllabus to the classroom The assessment process.
Retrieved from
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_vid_assess_classroom_pt1_transcript.
pdf

Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh's becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, Australia:
Pearson.

Das, J. (2013). Role of syllabus in higher education : A critical study. Global Reseach
Methodology journal. 2(7). 1-6. Retrieved from
http://www.grmgrlaranya.com/Journals/7th%20issue/Role%20of%20syllabus%20in%20high
er%20education_%20A%20critical%20study.pdf

Marzano, R. (2013). Planning for What Students Dont know. 71(3). P80-81

Spanella, T. (2015) The importance of Assessment in Education : Assessment effects teaching.

Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-importance-of-assessment-in-education.html

https://staff.mq.edu.au/teaching/evaluation/resources_evaluation/developing_unit/assess_achieve
ment/