Access to freshwater
CONTEXT
- The teacher education student is in the first year of a Master of Teaching degree.
- The teacher education students is completing his second teaching placement.
- This school is a small, comprehensive boys’ secondary school in an urban area.
- This Year 8 Geography lesson sequence focuses on the topic of ‘Access to freshwater’.
Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
EVIDENCE ANNOTATION
The teacher education student demonstrates 2.2.1 ‘Working towards graduate’ through:
- Planning a sequence of three individual lessons for Year 8 Geography clearly and logically: the first is diagnostic, the second focuses on explicit teaching of skills and the third applies those skills to the topic of ‘Access to freshwater’.
- Demonstrating a developing ability to deliver content within a coherent, well-sequenced teaching and learning program, including the use of diagnostic testing and relevant teaching strategies (e.g., Think-Pair-Share, class discussions, blog and video analysis).
The content of the lessons could be more clearly articulated and the teacher education student could work on further differentiation to ensure the needs of all students are met (not only the special needs students). It would also be advisable to avoid deficit discourse about students through language such as ‘deficits’, ‘weaknesses’ and ‘limitations’ – instead phrases such as ‘areas for further improvement’ could be used.
G: The goal for this teacher education student is 2.2.1.
R: The teacher education student is working towards 2.2.1 at graduate level.
O: What specific mentoring strategies could you employ with this teacher education student to help him move towards ‘Graduate achieved’ for 2.2.1?
W: What is the next step you would negotiate as a goal for this teacher education student? What will you do as a Mentor to help him achieve this goal?
G: To organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence and to move up on the 2.2.1 graduate continuum.
R: Which level of the graduate continuum are you currently at for 2.2.1? Refer to recent feedback you have received.
O: What specific actions could you take to organise your content into a more effective learning and teaching sequence?
- Could you link your lesson plans together more logically to enhance student understanding of content?
- Could you use prior lesson content and prior knowledge more effectively to plan subsequent lessons?
- Could you use more diagnostic and formative assessment tools to inform your lesson sequencing?
- Could you incorporate greater, or different levels of, scaffolding into your lesson plans and worksheets to help students of different abilities to all complete the tasks?
W: What is your next step in improving your organisation of content into effective learning and teaching sequences? Try to formulate a specific goal.