Context and Content

Context and content for learning

1A. THE LEARNERS

In Level 2 we work in a flexible learning space that allows flexible groups and workspaces during different learning times. I have chosen to focus on three students from Level 2. The three students have been selected to show differentiation within the cohort. The students have also been selected to help refine and expand my teaching practice with a focus on catering for unique needs and abilities by reflecting upon how different students learn through varied scaffolded activities.

STUDENT A

Student A is a very energetic and inquisitive student. He enjoys sharing his thoughts and opinions. He lives with his mother who only speaks Khmer. He has one brother and sister who both no longer live at home and this means he only speaks English when he is at school. His situation at home seems to causes him to seek attention from his teachers and peers and this can affect his learning at times.

Descriptors 1.1, 1.3 & 1.5

STUDENT B

Student B has attended KPS since Prep and has one older brother who is also at the school. Student B lives with a carer who speaks both English and Vietnamese. During his early years at KPS he was non-verbal presumably due to traumatic situations at home and was assessed by a speech pathologist. The results concluded that his verbal skills were lower than others his age. He has made great improvements since Prep but this still is considered and catered for appropriately. He is a happy student who is willing to freely communicate his ideas. Student B has shown difficulty to interact with different people during play times and frequently plays only with his older brother.

Descriptors 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 7.1 & 7.2

STUDENT C

Student C is new to KPS this year, joining us during term one. She has settled in quickly and made some good friendships. Student C is very confident and sociable. She understands new concepts quickly and applies them. Student C has one older brother who is also attending KPS. Her parents speak both English and Khmer. Student C can speak a number of languages fluently (Khmer, Chinese & English).

Descriptors 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 & 7.3

1B. THE LEARNING CONTEXT

At Keysborough Primary School the majority of students come from non English speaking backgrounds and this impacts our delivery, instruction and learning. 86% of students have a language background other English. 54% of students who attend the school are in the bottom quarter of the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA). Only 6% of students are in the top quarter. The statistics take into account key factors in students’ family backgrounds (parents’ occupation, school education and non-school education) which have an influence on students’ educational outcomes at school (myschool.edu.au).

Our current AEDI data, which measures the five areas of early childhood development from information collected through a teacher-completed checklist, has identified that a high percentage of our students enter school being developmentally vulnerable or at risk in the five areas listed below:

physical health and wellbeing - 60% vulnerable or at risk
social competence - 45% vulnerable or at risk
emotional maturity - 55% vulnerable or at risk
language and cognitive skills (school-based) - 57%
vulnerable or at risk communication skills and general knowledge.- 65% vulnerable or at risk

All of the above are factors affecting the students at KPS and need to be catered for within the teaching and learning at school.

In 2B there are 24 students. Each student brings different and unique qualities to the classroom. Around 68% of students within the class have a language background other than English (Cantonese 2, Mandarin 1, Hazaraghi 1, Khmer 7, Chinese 1, Tamil 1, Teochew 1 and Vietnamese 3).

Descriptors 1.3 & 1.5

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT A

1. Student A is an EAL student. Being an EAL student can affect his receptive and expressive language, oral and auditory comprehension and confidence. This means that my delivery and instructional approach will alter. To modify the program for this student I will incorporate displays, using actual objects when teaching new concepts, experiential learning (particularly language experience) and point of need teaching throughout the program.

2. Student A’s attention seeking behaviour at times affects his learning progression in the following ways; not paying attention in class discussion and therefore doesn’t understand the task or distracts others when working instead of completing his own work. I will address this by implementing a behaviour chart for a short period of time to help him to become more aware and responsible for his own behaviour (Appendix 1).

Descriptors 1.3, 1.5 & 4.3

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT B

1. Student B is an EAL student. Being an EAL student can affect his receptive and expressive language, oral and auditory comprehension and confidence. This means that my delivery and instructional approach will alter. To modify the program for Student B, I will incorporate activities such as, Reader’s Theatre, dress up’s, making and creating models. These strategies have been chosen to cater for his learning styles and diversity, engaging him through oral, visual and kinesthetic learning activities and through identifying his preferred learning style. I will also teach to the student’s point of need throughout each lesson as the need arises.

2. Student B’s previous assessment by a speech pathologist indicated he was weak in verbal skills, compared to other children his age (Appendix 4). Verbal intervention strategies such as, shared reading, positive feedback and novel situations encouraging him to ask questions, will be implemented in everyday routines (Appendix 4). Although Student B has made progress since the initial assessment, these strategies can still be used to encourage and monitor his progression.

3. Student B’s home life may have an impact on his learning as he has visits with welfare organisations and family members. Student B’s welfare needs must always be met before I can establish optimal conditions for learning. I am able to met Student B’s welfare needs through daily checks and queries about breakfast, sleep, snack/lunch, clothing, reader, homework and through a communication with his career.

Descriptors 1.3, 5.1 & 5.3

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT C

1. Student C is an EAL student. Being an EAL student can affect her receptive and expressive language, oral and auditory comprehension and confidence. This means that my delivery and instructional approach will alter. To modify the program for Student C I will incorporate hands on activities that are engaging, using displays and visual cues and teach to her point of need. I am able to identify her point of need and next steps of learning through identification from data including pre unit evidence of her writing pieces and post test completed during the program (Appendix 7 & 39).

2. Moving from another school and state may have had an impact on Student C’s learning. She will need to continue to adapt to changes and different routines. She may also be distracted by changes at home or socially. I can address this in my planning by making sure I have one on one conferences with her about her progress academically and emotionally.

Descriptors 2.3 & 3.1

LEARNING LEVELS OF STUDENT A

Student A was marked at A2.1 on the EAL developmental continuum for Writing for his semester 2, 2015 report. From this stage Student A is working towards becoming more aware of purpose and audience and begins to write texts about familiar topics and experiences (Victorian State Government Education and Training, EAL developmental continuum, http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/diversity/eal/continuum/Pages/lowprim.aspx#9). Student A lacks confidence in his own writing abilities. He is able to write simples recounts spelling common words correctly (Appendix 2). In his writing he struggles with using the correct tense and using punctuation accurately (Appendix 3).

Descriptors 5.5 & 5.3

LEARNING LEVELS OF STUDENT B

Student B was marked at A1.3 on the EAL developmental continuum for Writing for his semester 2, 2015 report. From this stage Student B should be working towards writing his own short, simple text (Victorian State Government Education and Training, EAL developmental continuum, http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/diversity/eal/continuum/Pages/lowprim.aspx#9). Student B has shown an ability to write short recounts sounding some common words correctly and beginning to phonetically sound out unknown words (Appendix 5). He is beginning to recognize verbs in writing but still needs assistance. (Appendix 6)

Descriptors 1.1, 2.3, 2.5, 5.1, 5.5 & 2.3

LEARNING LEVELS OF STUDENT C

Student C had no previous records, as she is a new student. I have been allowing her to settle in and feel comfortable. From her completed work pieces, group discussions and one on one conferences I have learnt that she is eager to participate and share experiences with the class. She is a very independent writer and completes task to the best of her ability. Student C can write detailed sentences and has creative ideas (Appendix 7.) She is able to spell common words correctly and can identify verbs and nouns (Appendix 8). I would place her at above the standard for her age and grade level.

Descriptors 1.1, 1.2 & 5.3

1C. CONTENT FOR THE LEARNNING PROGRAM

I have chosen to use a Writing Proficiency Scale as one of the ways to assess and monitor the learning progression of the focus students and to support the KPS whole school focus (Appendix 9, 10 & 11). This was developed based on the Victorian Curriculum Level 2 Achievement Standards and identified areas of need.

Provided is a weekly program for Writing (Appendix 12-17). Within the program are detailed outlines of what will be covered and annotated are changes and reflections made during the process. The learning over the program was based on narrative writing, looking specifically at fairytales and nursery rhymes. Within the program for Level 2 we decided to incorporate students using hands on experiential learning (language experience) to promote more meaningful writing. This was a first time experience for all teachers in the open learning space. In 2B I placed an emphasis on understanding and using nouns, verbs and adjectives correctly when completing any writing piece. With this as my focus within the classroom, activities were developed accordingly to meet these goals.

Descriptors 1.1, 2.2, 3.3, 3.5, 5.1 & 5.3

STUDENT A: has shown an ability to write simple sentences to complete recounts and procedures (Appendix 3). He can spell most sight words accurately (Appendix 2) and uses some punctuation. For his further development he will need to focus on his understanding of tense and be able to use it consistently throughout each piece of writing. From Student A’s prior knowledge, and to scaffold his learning, my program will need to include a focus on punctuation (capital letters and full stops in correct places), understanding nouns, verbs and adjectives, why writers need to know the difference and how it can make your writing more interesting. I will be able to target this by always incorporating editing and grammar elements throughout the process of creating a piece of writing. I will plan and allow time for each student to work at their pace through the writing process.

STUDENT B: Student B is able to complete simple sentences and spells most common words accurately (Appendix 5-6, 18). From Student B’s prior knowledge, and to scaffold his learning, my program will need to include activities based on identifying verbs, nouns and adjectives in other’s writing and his own writing. He will need to further develop his word bank and use his personal dictionary when writing to help create different and more complex sentences. From previous observation Student B will need mini lessons and one on one targeted teaching and follow ups to ensure his understanding of the topic is clear. Follow ups with Student B will allow for a one on one conversation about how he is progressing, what questions he may have and discussions about the next steps for him.

STUDENT C: Student C is a confident writer. She is able to write creative and informative pieces independently. She spells common words correctly and attempts sounding out unknown words. As Student C is new this year to KPS, there was no previous data for her writing. From observation and written pieces, it is evident she is able to use correct tense throughout her pieces and includes some descriptive language (Appendix 7-8, 19). From Student C’s prior knowledge, and to scaffold her learning, my program will need to include extension activities each session. Student C will be provided with alternative or extension activities. My program will need to include activities that consolidate her knowledge of verbs and adjectives, help her to use new adjectives and develop a vocabulary that supports and defines her thinking more clearly. To further develop her learning she will also need to learn about adverbs and begin self-editing.

Descriptors 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 5.1 & 5.3

1D. EVIDENCE OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF LEARNERS

1E. LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE PROGRAM OF LEARNING

1. An improved recognition of nouns, verbs and adjectives.

2. Using adjectives to make writing pieces more interesting.

I would like all students to be able to complete a piece using the writing process (ideas, drafts, final copy and illustrations) and at the end of this process be able to articulate the new skills or knowledge that they have gained along the way.

Specific learning outcome for Student A: display more confidence in his writing abilities by allowing him to share his work more regularly in small groups or partners.

Specific learning outcome for Student B: to improve his ability to recognise nouns and verbs within his own writing pieces.

Specific learning outcome for Student C: to become more confident in using new adjectives in her writing and for her to recognise and use adverbs in her writing.

My plan for learners who need extension beyond the general learning outcomes:

Differentiated tasks: using the dictionaries and personal spelling book to find and use new adjectives to make sentences more interesting. Working on learning and using adverbs rather than just nouns, verbs and adjectives.
Free choice writing allows for students to extend their learning of specific text types, using their understanding and choosing their own topics.
Have one on one conferences with students where they can clearly articulate what they are learning and this will allow me to set specific point of need tasks to extend those students.

My plan for learners who need support or modification of teaching strategies to meet the learning outcomes:

Provide students with one on one targeted teaching and follow up to ensure comprehension of tasks and expectations.
Have visual displays and word walls to support students with routines and improving word banks.
Make modifications to activities to provide differentiation to scaffold the learning.
Repeat tasks, when necessary, as part of the focus teaching group allowing students to understand all elements of the text type.
Read numerous books based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes to help students who have not been exposed to or do not understand the concepts within these texts.