Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ashley Rowan
2018
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Section 1: Planning for teaching ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Section 2: Teaching and implementation of differentiation strategies............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Section 3: Judgements about student learning ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Section 4: Impact on student learning............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
References ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Appendices ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
This assessment piece documents my recent experience using evidence to inform my teaching practices, as part of the requirements for MY
pre-service teaching course. The assessment centres on a data set related to a specific class of primary school students, including collection methods
and analysis, and outlines subsequent planning and implementation of a lesson sequence. The implications of this evidence for planning and teaching
are discussed, in addition to the impact evidence-informed teaching strategies may have on student learning.
In this practicum I was placed with a Prep class of 23 students. For the purposes of this assessment I have selected a sequence of lessons as
part of a larger Mathematics unit of work. The four-lesson sequence centred on the measurement and geometry strand of the Australian Curriculum:
Mathematics (ACARA, 2018), specifically the Prep-level content descriptor of the location and transformation sub-strand: Describe position and
movement [ACMMG010] . I was provided with C2C materials as a guide for the content to be taught and potential resources to use. The learning goal
of this sequence was for students to use correct positional language to describe the location of people and objects.
The learning goal of this sequence was for students to use correct positional language to describe the location of people and objects, in line
with the Australian Curriculum content descriptor, describe position and movement [ACMMG010] (ACARA, 2018). Across the duration of the lesson
sequence, students would be explicitly taught the required content, participate in a variety of activities to engage with the concepts being taught,
and demonstrate their competencies in a consolidating formative assessment activity.
I made attempts to select resources and activities for the lesson which would assist in effectively deliveries the lesson content, in addition to
providing students with a range of ways to explore and engage with the learning material in order to strengthen their understanding. In the lessons I
incorporated a video and interactive learning object suggested in the C2C materials related to the lesson sequence, however I made the decision to
seek or create other resources and activities myself, in order to provide students with more opportunities to engage with the content, and more
closely align with the class usual maths lesson structure. These included positional language bingo [appendix A], positional language activity
[appendix B], and a directed drawing activity [appendix C].
Using data to inform differentiated teaching is an important element of the learning and teaching process. It is important for teachers to be
data-literate, and possess competent understanding and skills in the collection, analysis, interpretation and use of classroom data to support and
improve students academic outcomes (Renshaw et. al., 2013), competencies outlined in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers’ (AITSL,
2014) requirements for Standard 5, referring to teacher competency to assess, provide feedback and report on student learning. This involves both
an awareness of the limitations of data, and the ability to justify data-based instructional decisions (Renshaw et. al., 2013).
Evidence of student learning includes what a student can write, make, do and say, as well as what they can t (Goss, Hunter, Romanes &
Parsonage, 2015, p. 19). It is important to consider a range of data sources and different types of evidence in order to obtain an overall view of the
Ashley Rowan 2018 4
students learning and their progress (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015; Matters, 2006). Preliminary collection of data was conducted
through discussions with the classroom teacher, during and after which I made notes of the current learning capacities and achievements of
students. This initial data collection is important in identifying the current competencies of the student, and what they are ready to learn next. These
references were often embedded within other placement-related notes and contained frequent reference to students by name. As such, I have
decided not to include copies of these notes in this document.
The dataset accumulated up to the end of the delivery of the lesson sequence consisted of six main sources, gathered prior and during the
execution of the lesson sequence. This includes teacher discussions, questioning and observation notes, maths rotations groups, and activity
checklists and analysis. Due to the timing and year-level of the students, the scope of data available for an initial analysis of student academic
achievement was limited. However, variation in the academic achievement of students in the class was evident in observations and teacher
discussions conducted earlier in the practicum, consistent with the notion that student abilities in a single year level are only loosely related to age
(Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015). The classroom teacher identified a number of students who were displaying difficulties in academic
achievement, and may require extensive assistance during lesson tasks. Over the course of the practicum, further data were gathered using the types
of informal evidence corresponding with Matters (2006) list of potential sources of data for student achievement and progress, including through
teacher-teacher discussions, observations, questioning and student work [appendix D– Dataset overview].
As noted above, initial available evidence included information provided by the classroom teacher regarding student maths groups. These
groups were arranged by the teacher using data from initial diagnostic assessment at an earlier point in the term [appendix E – Maths rotation
groups]. Splitting students into different activity groups enables teachers to provide differentiated activities and levels of assistance in order to
accommodate individual students needs (Renshaw et. al., 2013). Students were split into four colour-coded groups according to their current maths
ability for the purpose of maths activity rotations [appendix F – Maths rotations activities]. Students placed in the blue group [5 students] had been
identified by the teacher as having or near to attaining competency with the current learning goals, in addition to being able to self-regulate their
behaviour during independent, group and whole-class activities. The majority of students were placed in the red [7] and yellow [7] groups, and had
Three students were selected to further demonstrate the ways in which I used student data to inform my teaching of the lesson sequence:
Master M, Miss I, and Master C. At 6 years old, Master M is among the eldest in the class, and was working at or above the expected standard for the
Prep Year level. I realised that it could not just be assumed that Master M would not experience any difficulties in his learning due to his age and
current competencies, and made efforts to assess his learning. Miss I was working at the expected standard for the Year level, and would require a
moderate amount of scaffolding throughout the lesson activities. The evidence and preliminary information gathered concerning Mr C indicated that
he will require a moderate to high level of scaffolding and support to achieve the learning goals of the lesson sequence. During the group rotations, I
made note of feedback from the group supervisor/teacher aide to tailor the direction of further instruction, including I made a number of attempts to
accommodate Mr C s learning needs, such as including him in demonstrations, questioning, and class discussions in each lesson, and collected
evidence to make determinations of his learning progress.
Using data to inform differentiated teaching is an important element of the learning and teaching process, and is built into of Standard 5 of
the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2014; Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015). According to Moon (2005, in Renshaw
et. al., 2013), using classroom data to align instruction with learning goals refocuses pedagogy on the content and skills that students require. When
learning goals and instruction misalign or include a lack of differentiation, students may become disengaged with the learning process, resulting in
the potential for negative behaviours and attitudes. The monitoring of students learning over time is crucial to understanding the impact that the
employed teaching methods have on student progress. This requires a continual cycle of feedback between teacher and student to determine the
progress of students learning, and options for differentiation when issues arise (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015).
As noted above, across the whole lesson sequence students would be explicitly taught the required content, participate in a variety of
activities to engage with the concepts being taught, and demonstrate their competencies in a consolidating formative assessment activity. For the
delivery of lessons I planned to follow the general structure of mathematics lesson conducted in the classroom, consisting of a warm-up, explanation
of the lesson s objectives and expectations, a session of explicit teaching followed by a whole-class activity or group activity rotations, and a final
review of the learning objectives [appendix G - Lesson structure overview]. I made attempts to make the learning goals of the sequence explicit at the
beginning of each lesson, in addition to undertaking a brief review at the end. For this I created a Powerpoint presentation [appendix H] to clearly
display the lesson s WALT and WILF, which could be revisited at any point when necessary. Providing students with explicit learning goals and success
criteria focuses students attention and makes expectations transparent, giving purpose to the learning (Black & Wiliams, 2009; Hattie & Timperley,
2007; Readman & Allen, 2013). I also made attempts during the lessons to include all students in questioning, demonstrations and discussions, in
order to ascertain the current understanding and learning progress of all students [appendix I & J – Lesson plans 1].
In accordance with the Australian Professional Standards (AITSL, 2014), teachers are required to make consistent and comparable judgements
of student work [5.3], which can be an important source of evidence of student learning (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015). The lesson
sequence incorporates a range of formative assessment strategies in order to collect, evaluate and monitor student learning progress in relation to
the learning goals of the lesson sequence. Formative assessment, or assessment for learning, refers to the frequent use of assessment methods to
monitor student progress, and the adaptation of teaching according to these needs. Both formal and informal formative assessment methods should
be utilised to determine individual learning levels and needs, to establish an accurate picture of where a student is at in their learning, and serve as a
guide for the direction of future learning (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015; Matters, 2006).
Data collected through formative assessment throughout the lesson sequence included a learning object activity checklist [appendix K],
positional language activity checklist [appendix L], and student work in the directed drawing activity [appendix M]. Across the course of the lesson
sequence, Master M demonstrated a high level of understanding of the learning content, and presented no issues in his learning progress [figure 1].
The preliminary evidence collected suggested that Miss I may require some scaffolding to support her learning progress through the lesson sequence.
Results of the positional language activity indicated that she was experiencing some confusion concerning the term between. After reviewing
positional language terms during each lesson, I made a point to include Miss I in a whole-class activity in lesson 4 which required her to identify an
object that was between other objects, which she was able to do competently [figure 2].
Pre-lesson info. Lesson Notes Learning object Pos. lang. activity Directed drawing
L1 -
Working at a high standard for L2 Able to identify correct pos. lang. 6/6
Able to correctly All objects drawn; all objects in
this Year level; no evident [below] All objects in
position objects correct position
issues L3 - correct position
L4 -
Pre-lesson info. Lesson Notes Learning object Pos. lang. activity Directed drawing
Able to identify correct pos. lang.
L1
Working at the expected [next to] 5/6
Able to correctly All objects drawn; all objects in
standard for this Year level; may L2 - Ball in incorrect
position objects correct position
require some scaffolding L3 - position [between]
L4 Correctly identified between in activity
Over the course of completing the learning object activity during group rotations, a number of students appeared to experience confusion
over the concepts of nearer and further, including Master C. I made the decision to provide further explicit teaching of these concepts during the
fourth lesson, and conducted a short demonstration with the students and various concrete materials. I ensured that I included students who had
been displaying some difficulty in the demonstration and questioning, as a means to determine whether learning progress had been made. After
reviewing the terms a number of times, I was satisfied that the students, including Master C, could correctly determine whether an object was nearer
or further from another object. It would be advisable to review these concepts again in the near future, to ensure that students have retained and
comprehended these concepts.
Pre-lesson info. Lesson Notes Learning object Pos. lang. activity Directed drawing
Able to identify correct pos. lang.
Working at a lower standard for L1
[above]
this Year level. Recently Extra objects drawn, may have led to
L2 Support req. for below 4/6
assessed as requiring SEP Confusion over confusion over positioning
L3 Able to identify correct pos. lang. Ball/bone in
support due to learning term nearer Will require more support for
[between] w/ prompt incorrect position
difficulties; will require independent tasks
L4 Able to identify correct pos. lang.
moderate to high scaffolding
[nearer/further]
It is important to review and analyse student progress data in order to assess the impact of teaching. Three teaching strategies that use
evidence of learning have been shown to positively impact student learning: formative assessment, feedback, and formative evaluation of teaching.
These interrelated strategies share a common theme: that the use of evidence to support student learning can result in more effective teaching. As
such, this approach promotes embedding the use of evidence of student learning into the teaching process (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage,
2015).
Providing student feedback entails the transmission of information between teacher and student regarding aspects of a student s
performance or understanding for the purpose of reducing the gap between current understandings and learning goals (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).
This is outlined in Standard 5.2 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2014), in which teachers are required to provide timely
and appropriate feedback to students about their learning, and respond to student progress, including re-teaching content where necessary.
Delivered effectively, feedback is among the most critical influences on student learning, increasing effort, motivation and engagement. Feedback
can assist students to comprehend, engage, and develop effective learning strategies. It can provide information and direction that leads to greater
learning possibilities, by providing achievable challenges and assisting in the development of strategies and skills needed for academic progress
(Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Students are more likely to perceive feedback as positive and constructive when it is evident to them that it will help
them improve (Harris, Brown & Harnett, 2014).
According to (Hattie & Timperley (2007), effective feedback must answer three major questions: Where am I going?; How am I going?; Where
to next?. To answer the question, Where am I going?, students need to be made aware of the goals of their learning. For this reason the lessons
WALT and WILF were revised at the beginning and end of each lesson and revisited regularly, as noted above. How am I going? asks what progress
The ongoing evaluation of teaching content and strategies ensures that the impact on student learning can be monitored to understand their
impact, and to adapt practices to more effectively impact students learning progress (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015; Hattie &
Timperley, 2007). Evidence-based practice involves the use of student learning data to analyse the effects of teaching strategies on student learning
(Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015), in order to adjust teaching methods and strategies to meet students needs (Matters, 2006). Effective
learning occurs when teaching is oriented toward what the student already knows, and is now ready to learn. Students can become bored and
disengaged with work that is too easy and does not provide a challenge; material which is too hard may result in students giving up , and possible
behavioural issues. This targeted teaching should be based on the collection and use of evidence of each student s learning to identify the most
effective way to support and progress learning (Goss, Hunter, Romanes & Parsonage, 2015). This is consistent with Vygotsky s concept of the zone of
proximal development, or the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can do with help (Goss, Hunter, Romanes &
Parsonage, 2015). By analysing the data and evidence gathered over the course, I was able to ascertain students current understandings, and
address these in subsequent lessons. In the cases of Miss I, the benefits of adjusting teaching to align with students learning needs may be
demonstrated in the progress observed in her developing understanding of the term between, which she demonstrated understanding of during an
For future lessons, I will be endeavouring to incorporate more formative assessment strategies, particularly in terms of informal self-
assessment. For example, the technique of traffic lighting provides an opportunity for students to communicate thoughts on their own learning.
When undertaken as a private activity, students are more inclined to be honest in their responses, as results are seen only by the student and
teacher. The teacher is therefore made aware of any areas in which students require further assistance, and students are actively involved in
evaluating their own performance (Hodgson & Pyle, 2010).
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL] (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Graduate Teachers. Retrieved
from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list?c=graduate
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] (2018). The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics v. 8.3. Retrieved
from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/mathematics
Black & Wiliam (2009). Developing a theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), pp. 5-31. DOI:
10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5
Davis, B., Sumara, D. & Luce-Kapler, R. (2005). Carol Dweck s fixed vs. growth mindset. Engaging Minds: Cultures of Education and Practices of
Teaching, 3rd edn. Routledge, London & New York, pp. 100-101.
Dweck, C. (2015). Teachers mindsets: Every student has something to teach me . Educational Horizons, 93(2), pp. 10-14. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1177/0013175X14561420
Dweck, C. (2008). Mindsets and Math/Science Achievement. Carnegie Corporation of New York - Institute for Advanced Study: Commission on
Mathematics and Science Education. Retrieved
from http://www.growthmindsetmaths.com/uploads/2/3/7/7/23776169/mindset_and_math_science_achievement_-_nov_2013.pdf
Goss, P., Hunter, J., Romanes, D., Parsonage, H., 2015, Targeted teaching: how better use of data can improve student learning. Grattan Institute
Report No. 2015-6. Retrieved from https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/827-Targeted-Teaching.pdf
Harris, L. R., Brown, G. T. L. & Harnett, J. A. (2014). Understanding classroom feedback practices: A study of New Zealand student experiences,
perceptions, and emotional responses. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 26(2), pp. 107-133.
Hodgson, C. & Pyle, K. (2010). A Literature Review: Assessment for Learning in Science. National Foundation for Educational Research. Retrieved
January 25, 2016, from https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/AAS01/AAS01.pdf
Matters, G. (2006). Using Data to Support Learning in Schools Students, teachers, systems. Australian Education Review. Australian Council for
Educational Research. Retrieved from https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=aer
Nicol, D. J. & MacFarlane-Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice.
Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), pp. 199-218.
Readman, K. & Allen, B. (2013). Practical Planning and Assessment. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, VIC, pp. 10-17; 80-98.
Renshaw, P., Baroutsis, A., van Kraayenoord, C., Goos, M., and Dole, S. (2013). Teachers using classroom data well: Identifying key features of
effective practices. Final report. Brisbane: The University of Queensland. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-
source/default-document-library/teachers-using-classroom-data-well.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback. Feedback for Learning, 70(1), pp. 10-16.
person
Instructions:
Lesson Objective: Use positional language to describe the location of objects Learning sequence:
WALT: Describe the location of objects Establish learning context
WILF: Use positional words to describe where objects are Identify positional language
Describe the location of objects
Key terms:
Above, below, on, in, under, between, beside, over, through, up, down, along,
behind, in front, near, nearest, next to, left, right
Resources:
Location powerpoint; blocks; butcher s paper
Video — Position http://skwirk.com.au/esa/Position.html
Teaching sequence
Learning & teaching strategies Equipment/resources Checks for understanding
Activity: Block position
Students on circle carpet area Observe student responses to
2:05 Explain to students that they will play a game that requires them to listen and follow instructions – note students who
instructions carefully. 1 block per student may be displaying difficulty or
misunderstanding and include
Place the block – them in demos and questioning
above your head.
on your foot.
under your chin.
between your feet.
Resources:
Finished drawing examples
Teaching sequence
Timing Learning activities Equipment/resources Checks for understanding
12:10 Direct students from desks to square carpet, find personal space
Have a stretch – reach for the sky; shoulder shrugs x2, wriggle
WALT/WILF
Rotations:
Review activities briefly with students, send groups to areas to do activities
Master C