Wsu Tpa D Jordan 18669233 pp2
Wsu Tpa D Jordan 18669233 pp2
Wsu Tpa D Jordan 18669233 pp2
School of Education
Master of Teaching (SECONDARY)
The WSU Teaching Performance Assessment (WSU_TPA) is a summative, capstone teaching performance
assessment. It is designed to assess Teacher Education Students (aka Pre-Service Teachers) teaching as
measured by the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate level (Australian Institute
for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2011). It has been developed in response to Program Standard
1.2 (AITSL, 2018, p. 10):
Program design and assessment processes require teacher education students to have successfully
completed a final-year teaching performance assessment prior to graduation that is shown to:
a) be a reflection of classroom teaching practice including the elements of planning, teaching,
assessing and reflecting
b) be a valid assessment that clearly assesses the content of the Graduate Teacher Standards
c) have clear, measurable and justifiable achievement criteria that discriminate between meeting
and not meeting the Graduate Teacher Standards
d) be a reliable assessment in which there are appropriate processes in place for ensuring
consistent scoring between assessors
e) include moderation processes that support consistent decision-making against the
achievement criteria.
The primary objective of the WSU_TPA is to authentically assess the capabilities of classroom readiness of
the teacher education students and in particular their impact on student learning.
Secondary objectives of the WSU_TPA include the opportunity for a Teacher Education Student to:
• illustrate their skills, knowledge and practices through evidence of their performance aligned to the
Graduate Teacher Standards.
• draw on the TPA evidence from their own practices to demonstrate:
o what they want students to learn
o how they will facilitate this learning
o how they will know if students have achieved this learning
• plan for future professional learning
Teacher Education students will undertake a summative authentic TPA in the final school placement unit as
a threshold task. Depending on course progression, and mode of study, this unit will be studied in the final
year of the course. Teacher Education students must satisfactorily achieve the required TPA threshold task
to pass their final professional experience school placement and in order to graduate.
The WSU_TPA assesses most, but not all of the Graduate Teacher Standards (Refer to Section 7 Matrix of
WSU Teaching Performance Assessment and assessment of Graduate Teaching Standards). The standards
that are not assessed in the WSU_TPA will be assessed elsewhere in the course of study evidenced in a
Teacher Education student’s learning portfolio.
The WSU_TPA is to be completed whilst Teacher Education Students are on their final school
professional experience placement in the nominated class. The WSU_TPA assessment is a multi-
faceted assessment which involves students undertaking a presentation that draws upon their
Professional Experience Report and Case Study Report to:
• Communicate what they have learnt about their own teaching across the teaching and
learning cycle: the use of student assessment data for planning, implementing teaching plans
and the impact of their teaching on students’ learning;
• Reflect on their teaching practice and the impact of their own teaching on student learning
• Self-assess and plan their own professional learning needs
Element 2: Case study report (written submission on prescribed templates, See Section 5)
The case study report encompasses three key classroom events over a four-week period that enables
the Teacher Education Student to examine student learning in the classroom and the impact of their
teaching on student learning from a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives.
• The case study report consists of:
1. Situational Analysis: the school, class and community sociocultural background
2. Overview of the three Case Study Participants (students): socio-cultural background,
analysis from assessment data of student achievement and needs.
3. Three key classroom events, each with
a) Lesson plan
b) Pre-lesson Discussion form
c) Lesson observation feedback, including evaluation and reflection
d) Post Lesson Discussion form
4. Summary of Impact
5. Appendices
The presentation of evidence will be assessed by a panel of assessors which will be composed of a
University Advisor and/or Unit Coordinator and/or school-based teacher. To gain a Satisfactory or
Exemplary Achievement grade for the WSU_TPA, students need to satisfactorily meet all criteria. The
assessment panel can ask probing questions during the presentation. If a student is Unsatisfactory,
they will have another opportunity to complete the presentation component at least 1 week after
their first attempt. If the student is still judged as Unsatisfactory they will then receive an
Unsatisfactory grade for the overall professional experience unit.
Marking criteria assesses Teacher Education students in the four areas of (See Section 6):
• Describe and analyse own teaching practices using artefacts and evidence
• Reflect on teaching practice and impact of own teaching on three students’ learning
• Plan for own professional learning
• Communicate professional learning
The TES need to ensure they understand the requirements for each element of the WSU_TPA. They are
responsible for ensuring they complete all elements of the WSU_TPA to a satisfactory standard to
demonstrate their ability to plan, teach, assess and reflect on their teaching practices, the impact their
teaching has on student learning and their understanding of the importance for continued professional
learning.
Mentor teachers
Professional Experience is a learning experience for TES and thus to learn and improve they need feedback
on both their successes and failures. It is important that TES are supported and provided with feedback on
all steps of the planning and teaching cycle.
The role of mentor teachers during professional experience placement is to support and guide TES by:
Mentor teachers will have an indirect role in supporting the TES to undertake the WSU_TPA during their
final professional experience in relation to Element 2: Case Study Report and Element 3: Presentation of
evidence. Although the WSU_TPA is marked at the university, Mentor Teachers can support TES in the
process by:
• familiarising themselves with the WSU_TPA, in particular the tasks associated with Element 2: Case
Study Report
• understanding the relationship of the final professional experience report to the WSU_TPA as a
complementing a TES demonstration of teaching performance
• assisting TES to incorporate the components of the Case Study Report and the associated tasks into
the timeframe of the final professional experience placement
• providing feedback and assessment reports to the university Professional Experience Office.
The ultimate responsibility for completing the summative teaching performance assessment lies with the
TES.
Principals
While Principals have no direct role in supporting TES to undertake the WSU_TPA, they can support TES,
the Mentor Teachers and School Professional Experience Coordinator in the process by:
• familiarising themselves with the WSU_TPA
University advisors
The role of University Advisors is to support the TES to successfully complete their professional experience
placements and related tasks. University Advisors have an indirect role in supporting the TES to undertake
the WSU_TPA by:
• providing advice to the Mentor Teacher and TES
• working in partnership with the Mentor Teacher and School Professional Experience Coordinator to
provide the best possible professional experience for the TES, that demonstrates their teaching
performance and achievement of GTS
The case study report consists of the following components (see Case Study Template):
1. Situational Analysis: the school, class and community sociocultural background
2. Overview of the three Case Study Participants (students): socio-cultural background,
analysis from assessment data of student achievement and needs.
3. Three key classroom events, each with
a) Lesson plan
b) Pre-lesson Discussion form
c) Lesson observation feedback, including evaluation and reflection
d) Post Lesson Discussion form
4. Summary of Impact
5. Appendices
The three key classroom events are to be undertaken over a minimum of 4 weeks, depending on the
approved length of time for the final professional experience placement in the initial teacher education
degree. It is expected that a Teacher Education student will require at least 3-4 days, if not more, between
each of the key classroom events so they can plan their teaching based on student assessment, evaluation
of previous lesson and feedback from the Mentor Teacher.
Cambridge Park is a suburb in Western Sydney under the greater Penrith In terms of the school community I knew I was joining the efforts of an
City Council jurisdiction. The community is predominately Australian born excellent team of educators to improve student’s skills and knowledge
(78%) with 57% of both parents born in Australia also. while seeking to make engaging learning materials and content.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up nearly 7% of the Since I was teaching an ancient history unit on Japan, I anticipated that
Cambridge Park community compared to the NSW average of around 3%. there may be relatively low background knowledge for students to draw
on and kept that front of mind as I planned my lessons and teaching
In terms of Tertiary education, only 9% of the community has been to strategies even before I could formatively test it.
University compared to the national average of 16%.
Since the school has a relatively high population of Indigenous background
Data taken from the 2016 Census: students, I considered this within the greater narrative of the story of
https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/cens feudal Japan, especially their first contact with Europeans.
us/2016/quickstat/SSC10768#:~:text=In%20the%202016%20Census%2C%2
0there,up%206.9%25%20of%20the%20population.&text=The%20median% While I had the opportunity to stream videos and display slides to
20age%20of%20people,State%20Suburbs)%20was%2035%20years. students, I had to be aware that my class didn’t have laptops or any other
devices and that their writing would be either in their books or on a
Cambridge Park High School naturally reflects the community that the worksheet or other resource.
students come from. According to ACARA’s My School data, the school has
a low socio-economic profile with two thirds of students being in the Finally, I sought to incorporate professional teaching standards as outlined
bottom quarter of the socio-educational advantage index. by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL,
2018) throughout all of my course work.
The school has 682 enrolments (53% male and 47% female) with relatively
high absenteeism and suspension rates. 15% of the students are classified
as having indigenous backgrounds, although in many cases students would
not obviously appear to be of aboriginal or Torres strait descent. Despite
some of these deficits, students and staff are great and work hard to
achieve the most they can achieve.
The students I taught for this report were in a stage 4, year 8 class doing a
new unit of ancient history. The unit: ‘Japan Under the Shoguns’ was
developed and taught by myself for this practicum without any resources
provided while addressing all of the NESA Syllabus requirements. It was
completed over the course of five weeks during five classes per fortnight,
and I was required to keep a tight schedule to complete all syllabus
content. While a smart board was available for teaching, students did not
have access to their own devices.
The class (8HI3) overall was of mid-range ability with some behavioural
challenges and mixed student aptitude.
Date: 15/06/2020
By exploring the life of the samurai and the bushido code I was able to link
this to Japan in WWII with such historical sources as the use of the katana
sword by Japanese officers as well as the ‘kamikaze’ fighter pilots. Since
students had already drawn their own katana and samurai banners this
helped contextualise the bushido spirit in modern Japanese warfare.
Reminder for me to weave this throughout the teaching of the unit to link
concepts to modern Japan and the historical continuum.
Date: 29/06/2020
Students learnt about the arrival of the Portuguese and the huge impact it
would have on Japan. They got to look at the vastly disparate customs of
European versus Japanese women in the 16th century and then make a
connection between the samurai cultural perspective that they had learnt
throughout the unit and themselves as modern high school students. This
got them to think about how globalization has impacted culture, and we
looked at contemporary examples such as K-Pop. Students responded well
to the written task and came up with a variety of perspectives.
Finally, this led to an opportunity to think and talk about how indigenous
Australians would have felt and reacted to the arrival of the colonial
British, and consider the similarities and differences to that encounter by
Europeans on boats, which enabled positive discussion (2.4 Understand
and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote
reconciliation between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians).
Date: 02/07/2020
Students learnt about the re-opening of Japan with the arrival of the US
fleet. This was linked to modernising and westernising Japan and helps
prepare their future studies of modern history in the 18th and 19th
centuries. It also linked the unit to modern Japan and the replacement of
the Shogun with a functional Emperor again. Getting the students to relate
cultural impact to their own lives was very effective and improved learning
significantly.
Date: 02/07/2020
Students got to read the original text of the letter sent by US President
Milliard to the Emperor of Japan with the arrival of the US fleet. We
discussed the tone (and undertone) of the letter and the overall
implications for both the Tokugawa Shogunate and Japan as a whole.
Hence, this was studied as a primary source and developed student’s
investigative inquiry skills.
Student 1
John (pseudonym) is one of the lower ability boys in class 8HI3. He is easily distracted by his male peers and has a low attention span relative to other
students in his class. He enjoys sport and he likes to draw (or doodle) in class as a means of distracting himself and also avoiding work, especially written
tasks. He is reasonably responsive to history as a subject but can also fall into bad behaviour patterns without proper class management, which can be
assisted with a seating plan for him and/ or his friends. My strategy for John will be to find ways to keep him interested without excessive written work
while also looking for opportunities to turn his in-class drawing sessions into learning opportunities.
Student 2
Devlin (pseudonym) is a mid-range student in class 8HI3. He is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has undergone a very
recent medication change prior to me teaching him this unit. He enjoys history reasonably well and can be a conscientious student who can just as
quickly turn to getting out of his seat and refusing to take instruction. He plays the drums and enjoys music, and also has a twin brother at the school,
and while he sometimes likes to hold his drumsticks in class it does distract him from otherwise challenging distracted behaviour. Mr Pearce (one of my
mentors) is also his mentor teacher, so I had the opportunity to spend more time getting to know him as he regularly came to the HSIE staff room or
would come find us on playground duty. My strategy for Devlin will be to bring out the most of his academic history skills while managing his
hyperactivity and potential behavioural deficits.
Student 3
Elizabeth (pseudonym) is a high-range student in class 8HI3 relative to her peers. She works well is a self-directed fashion albeit without asking many
questions. She often sits alone and is sometimes provoked by some of the boys in the class, but generally exhibits good behaviour and is a very
consistent student. My strategy for Elizabeth is to try and increase her engagement with the unit content and general class activities and push her on
some of the higher-order concepts to see what she can achieve.
Graduate Standards:
Focus area 1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
My initial evaluation of these three students had to take into account all facets of their development.
Focus area 1.2 Understand how students learn
By reviewing their books and speaking to my mentor teacher I could form some understanding of how they learn.
Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
These three students represent low, mid and higher levels of academic and social ability.
Focus area 1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
For Devlin I needed to be mindful of his ADHD diagnosis and to be aware that his medication had changed around the same time I started teaching him.
WSU_Teaching Performance Assessment Guide M Teach Secondary 22
Focus area 3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
My lessons would need to provide learning goals for them and the class as a whole.
Focus area 3.3 Use teaching strategies
Cambridge Park High School is a PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) environment which I needed to incorporate in my teaching method. My mentor
had established a very good working reward system over and above positive verbal reinforcement.
Focus area 3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process
I needed to be prepared to work with Devlin’s mother either directly or through my mentor teacher if we experienced difficult behavioural issues.
Focus area 6.1 Identify and plan professional learning needs
To prepare this TPA report I need to not only sequence my lessons but also consider how and when to include my three specific lessons and tasks for
John, Devlin and Elizabeth.
Focus area 6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice
I used my two mentor teachers to help understand my classes and three students with better insight.
Focus area 7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
Parents or carers where corresponded with to request their aid in letting their child participate in the TPA exercise.
Resources ▪ I will use the smartboard with my original power point slide deck to teach from the front.
▪ I will use YouTube to show the class a pre-viewed video
▪ Print and distribute worksheets on ‘The life of the Samurai’ (original resource)
What is the content or curriculum area you intend to cover? Know the content and how to
The way of life in Shogunate Japan, including social, cultural, economic and teach it
political features (including the feudal system and the increasing power of the
shogun) (ACDSEH012)
Learning outcomes:
• HT4-2 describes major periods of historical time and sequences events,
people and societies from the past
• HT4-3 describes and assesses the motives and actions of past
individuals and groups in the context of past societies
• HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and
explanations
What classroom routines will you use to encourage engagement and manage Create and maintain a
behaviour? supportive and safe learning
My main strategies will be: environment
• Establish expectations with the class in the first instance.
• To engage with the school-wide PBL learning goals.
• To use my mentor’s in-class badge reward system.
• To keep the pace of the class moving between teacher-led, student-
directed and audio-visual experiences.
WSU_Teaching Performance Assessment Guide M Teach Secondary 26
How will you differentiate the learning to meet the needs of the three focus Know your students and how
students (case study participants)? How will you connect the learning for they learn
students?
John (low-mid learner): The worksheet that I provide for John will have a concise
number of questions to establish some fundamentals about the samurai. He will
also be able to express himself through drawing the samurai’s weapon which will
reinforce his learning about the nature and social importance of the samurai
warrior class.
Devlin (mid-range learner): Devlin’s worksheet will have more questions that
will increase his work rate and aim to keep him occupied since he can be easily
distracted, while also not overloading him. It will include more of a picture of the
samurai’s daily life, not only their martial aspect. The drawing exercise will also
be good for Devlin since he is a drummer and likes to work with his hands (Focus
area 1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability).
(Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of
students across the full range of abilities).
Describe the teaching strategies you intend to use to share new information Plan for an implement
and give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding (e.g. ALARM, effective teaching and
group work, project-based learning, etc.) learning
For this lesson I will work on a multi-modal approach to delivering course content
and outcomes. I have structed the lesson to provide time for me to give explicit
instruction, time for the video presentation and exercise as well as student-led
activities with drawing and collaborative discussion. I’ve been mindful of not
pushing cognitive overload onto students by have a three-tier worksheet which
will also differentiate different levels of detail around the samurai warrior class
(Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of
students across the full range of abilities).
I will focus on using PBL techniques and the badge reward system to promote
positive learning recognition over punitive classroom management.
How will you ensure review of learning occurs? Assess, provide feedback and
report on student learning
I will have three major ways of rating learning –
1. Student worksheets by level
2. Class discussion at the end of the lesson
3. Walking around the classroom and discussing work with students as the
work.
The combination of these three strategies should inform my pedagogy for future
lessons and also for my three case study students. I will also be able to provide
feedback to students during this class and the next and seek to recap or reiterate
information or concepts that students struggled to record or understand (Focus
area 1.2 Understand how students learn).
Adapted from Cambridge Park HS
What did the Teacher Education Student say/do? Evidence What did the students say/do? Evidence
• Daniel began by restating his classroom behavioural expectations with • Students were able to clearly see Daniel’s expectations around
students. This helps the class know what consequences there will be for behaviour which helped settle them down to having a student teacher
continued misbehaviour or actions. taking the class.
• Daniel then used the smartboard to deliver his presentation on slides • Students wrote key points from the slides before drawing the katana
which contained key details and engaging visuals. sword and yumi bow in their books.
• After introducing samurai and ronin, students we asked to draw their • Students then worked on the worksheets provided during the video
weapons in their books. presentation.
• He then continued to explain the class activity that took place in • Students then got to speak and answer questions at the end of the class.
conjunction with a video presentation.
• Daniel concluded with questions to the class around the video and the
samurai more generally.
Closure: We will finish by looking at my completed timeline sheet as well as a picture of the
Edo castle and how the Tokugawa palace remains an icon in Japan today.
Resources ▪ I will use the smartboard with my original power point slide deck to teach from the
front.
▪ Print and distribute period cards for group exercise and allow room for students to
organise themselves (original resource)
▪ Print and distribute worksheets on ‘Japan under the Shoguns – Timeline’ (original
resource)
Questions • What are the major periods covered during the unit?
• Who ruled and where were they located?
• What were key features of the period?
Reflection This lesson worked quite well overall by using three methods of learning for the same
principle concepts and historical knowledge (Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to
meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities). Letting
the students move around during the class brought a lot of energy as the groups
competed to be the first ones to get their order right, which I rewarded with the
badge system. I though the timeline worksheet would be easier to complete given
that I was providing all of the information in my slides which may indicate that more
time was needed for this level of class.
Assessment ▪ Responses on student worksheets let me know how much information and
understanding they were gaining.
▪ Organising the groups showed my not only their knowledge of the content, but also
showed me how they were employing their social skills and organization more generally.
Evaluation ▪ Having less information with more striking points is better than too much in a mixed
ability class.
▪ While the class enjoyed the time to draw and do their work activities, it is also the time
where class discipline can quickly deteriorate if not carefully managed.
▪ A number of students struggled with the illustration exercise and would have really
benefited from some good examples.
What is the content or curriculum area you intend to cover? Know the content and how to
teach it
The way of life in Shogunate Japan, including social, cultural, economic and
political features (including the feudal system and the increasing power of the
shogun) (ACDSEH012).
Students will sequence the Nara and Heian periods and the Kamakura,
Muromachi and Tokugawa shogunates, identify key places in Japan during this
period and outline key cultural, economic and political features of this society,
including the increasing power of the shogun.
What is the lesson outcome or learning intention for this lesson? Plan for an implement
Learning intentions: effective teaching and
▪ Students will learn about the five key main periods covered in the unit, learning
and key features
▪ Students will associate key themes of feudal Japan with the unit timeline
▪ This will help students locate the social classes and different Shogun
governments within the overall unit
Learning outcomes:
• HT4-2 describes major periods of historical time and sequences events,
people and societies from the past
• HT4-4 describes and explains the causes and effects of events and
developments of past societies over time
What classroom routines will you use to encourage engagement and manage Create and maintain a
behaviour? supportive and safe learning
My main strategies will be: environment
• Establish expectations with the class in the first instance.
• To engage with the school-wide PBL learning goals.
• To use my mentor’s in-class badge reward system.
• To keep the pace of the class moving between teacher-led, student-
directed, including letting the students work independently as well as in
groups (Focus area 4.2 Manage classroom activities).
John (low-mid learner): The worksheet exercise will be the same for all students
this time, however I will work with John on capturing the foundational elements.
He will also be able to express himself once again through drawing that
simultaneously link to the main themes and learning (Focus area 3.3 Use
teaching strategies).
Devlin (mid-range learner): Like John, the worksheet exercise will be the same
for all students this time, however I will work with Devlin on capturing the
foundational elements and see what he can expand on. The drawing exercise as
well at the group exercise will really give Devlin opportunities to use his energy
in a learning context that he finds fun while also not forcing him to focus too long
on a single task (Focus area 1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students
with disability).
Elizabeth (mid-high range learner): Elizabeth will be working the same timeline
exercise but with much higher expectations. In particular, I am keen for her to
understand the key principles and characteristics of each period rather than just
the basics of who was in charge and where they were based (Quality teaching
model 1.4 Higher-order thinking).
Describe the teaching strategies you intend to use to share new information Plan for an implement
and give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding (e.g. ALARM, effective teaching and
group work, project-based learning, etc.) learning
For this lesson I will use three different methods of delivering content, which is
to teach from the smartboard using my slide presentation, arrange students to
work in groups in a friendly and competitive way and also continue to include
drawing exercises that are relevant to learning (Focus area 1.5 Differentiate
teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of
abilities).
I will focus on using PBL techniques and the badge reward system to promote
positive learning recognition over punitive classroom management.
How will you ensure review of learning occurs? Assess, provide feedback and
report on student learning
I will have three major ways of rating learning –
1. Student worksheets
2. Student’s flag illustrations and meanings
3. Group work including accuracy of task as well as ability to work co-
operatively with peers
4. Walking around the classroom and discussing work with students as the
work.
The combination of these three strategies should inform my pedagogy for future
lessons and also for my three case study students. I will also be able to provide
feedback to students during this class and the next and seek to recap or reiterate
information or concepts that students struggled to record or understand (Focus
area 1.2 Understand how students learn).
Adapted from Cambridge Park HS
• Students learn about the characteristics of the major periods. Mentor Teacher / Observer: Magdalene Kamel
• Students learn who ruled over each period and from where. Date: 15/06/2020
What did the Teacher Education Student say/do? Evidence What did the students say/do? Evidence
• Daniel began by stating expectations to the class for the lesson and • Students filled out their timeline sheets as the periods were taught and
activities. explained from the front.
• Daniel then used the smartboard to deliver his presentation on slides • Students drew the flags in their books.
which again contained key details and engaging visuals. • Students then worked in groups of five to arrange their sequences, with
• He distributed timeline worksheets for the class to work on as this was the first group to do so each receiving a badge reward.
done.
• Students were asked to illustrate a flag design that represented one or
more of the periods.
• Students were organised into groups to demonstrate the right sequence
of period and overall timeline.
Closure: We will finish by looking at how the Tokugawa Shogunate reacted to the arrival of
the Portuguese including their executions and expulsion of Christianity and their seclusion
from the world with the ‘Sakoku Edict’.
Resources ▪ I will use the smartboard with my original power point slide deck to teach from the
front and show the two YouTube videos.
▪ Print and distribute worksheets on ‘Contact with the Europeans’ (original resource)
I was most happy with how the written creative part of the lesson worked, with several
different points of view being expressed in the bits of writing I got to see in class.
Unfortunately, I ran out of time to hear them read out to the class, but it very much helped
me see that they were grasping the concept of the huge culture gap the Shogunate
experienced in meeting Europeans for the first time.
Assessment ▪ Responses on student worksheets let me know how much information and
understanding they were gaining.
▪ Students made written creative responses to the activity to imagine they were 17th
century samurai meeting students from Cambridge Park High School.
Evaluation ▪ This lesson set me up with the class to finish the unit on the theme of the Tokugawa’s and
their reaction to Europeans and the coming arrival of the Americans and worked beyond
expectation for me.
▪ Quite a long run time of video was a bit of an obstacle that I needed to carefully manage,
keeping in mind there were several students with behavioural challenges.
What is the content or curriculum area you intend to cover? Know the content and how to
teach it
Theories about the decline of the Shogunate, including modernisation and
westernisation, through the adoption of Western arms and technology
(ACDSEH065)
Students will explore questions such as what globalization is, what culture do
we get from being part of a global community and will relate that to how the
Tokugawa Shogunate reacted to the ‘European threat’.
What is the lesson outcome or learning intention for this lesson? Plan for an implement
Learning intentions: effective teaching and
learning
• Explain why the Tokugawa Shoguns isolated Japan from the rest of the
world from AD 1639
• Identify examples of modernisation and westernisation in Japan in this
period and explain their impact
• Assess the importance of Western influence on the decline of the
Shogunate
Learning outcomes:
• HT4-2 describes major periods of historical time and sequences events,
people and societies from the past
• HT4-3 describes and assesses the motives and actions of past individuals
and groups in the context of past societies
• HT4-4 describes and explains the causes and effects of events and
developments of past societies over time
What classroom routines will you use to encourage engagement and manage Create and maintain a
behaviour? supportive and safe learning
My main strategies will be: environment
• Establish expectations with the class in the first instance.
• To engage with the school-wide PBL learning goals.
• To use my mentor’s in-class badge reward system.
• To keep the pace of the class moving between teacher-led tasks
including video presentations as well student-directed learning (Focus
area 4.2 Manage classroom activities).
John (low-mid learner): The worksheet exercise will be the same for all students
this time, and again I will work with John on capturing the foundational
elements. This time I will have him complete the same written follow up exercise
since I really need to see how much he has learnt and what he can express in
terms of literacy and not only illustrative mediums (Focus area 3.3 Use teaching
strategies).
Devlin (mid-range learner): Like John, the worksheet exercise will be the same
for all students this time, once again I will work with Devlin on capturing the
foundational elements and see what he can expand on. I’m hoping to get Devlin
to be able to complete some of the ‘additional section’ questions and hope for a
more detailed written exercise response. Having taught him now for several
lessons and with the rapport I have built, I deliberately want to see if I can have
him work without a deliberate activity that takes him away from his desk, but I
am still ok with him holding his drum sticks if that will help keep him settled
(Focus area 1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with
disability).
Describe the teaching strategies you intend to use to share new information Plan for an implement
and give students the opportunity to demonstrate understanding (e.g. ALARM, effective teaching and
group work, project-based learning, etc.) learning
For this lesson I will use once again the smartboard to present my slide
presentation alongside video YouTube content before letting the student’s
synthesize the information into the written task as a form of gradual release.
(Focus area 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of
students across the full range of abilities).
I will focus on using PBL techniques and the badge reward system to promote
positive learning recognition over punitive classroom management.
How will you ensure review of learning occurs? Assess, provide feedback and
report on student learning
I will have three major ways of rating learning –
5. Student worksheets
6. Student’s written responses.
• Students learn about major cultural differences between Japan and ‘the West’ during Mentor Teacher / Observer: Magdalene Kamel
the 17th century. Date: 29/06/2020
• Students see how the Tokugawa Shogunate reacted.
What did the Teacher Education Student say/do? Evidence What did the students say/do? Evidence
• Daniel began again by stating expectations to the class for the lesson • Students filled out their worksheet sheets while they watched the
and activities as well as giving explicit instruction about the way the videos and received instruction throughout.
period would run. • Students completed a written task based on being a samurai and
• He distributed worksheets for the class to work on during the YouTube meeting students like themselves and considering the cultural
videos. interpretations that would bring.
• Daniel then used the smartboard to deliver his presentation on slides as • Students also finished written work from slides that followed on the
well as play the two videos on his lesson plan. position of the Shogun in light of meeting the Portuguese.
• Students were then asked to do their written tasks in which time Daniel
moved around the classroom answering questions and engaging with
the class.
I feel that the unit was an overall success in terms of conveying to the class as Standard 1 Know students
well as to John, Devlin and Elizabeth, the key features as outlined in the syllabus and how they learn
while also developing their historical investigation skills in addition to general (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6)
literacy, critical thinking and interpretation of different sources and
perspectives. Standard 2 Know the
content and how to teach it
John: John presented some challenges in that history is not his favourite subject (2.1, 2.2,2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6)
and he has a relatively low attention span for textbook style work. However, I
played to John’s strengths by including strong and exciting visuals in my slides Standard 3 Plan for and
that he would often doodle in his book, as well as incorporate deliberate learning implement effective
activities that used his illustrative skills to bed down foundational knowledge. In teaching and learning (3.1,
terms of the written work, by funnelling down his worksheets to the core 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
elements I avoided burdening him with a cognitive overload and also managed
his time spent completing the tasks to avoid loss of focus and a fall into Standard 4: Create and
misbehaviour. His illustration of a flag featuring a gun and a sword beautifully maintain supportive and
encapsulated the introduction of the European firearm to the samurai culture. I safe learning environments
encouraged him to organise the final written task as bullet points which allowed (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5)
him to more concisely organise his thinking. I’m proud of John’s effort and class
participation and feel he gained solid insights in our topic of Japan under the
Shoguns.
Devlin: Devlin was one of the students I’ve had most contact with during my
second professional placement due to his proximity to one of my mentors. I was
given reasonable warning about his change of ADHD medication and asked to
keep an eye on his behaviour in class. To this end, I incorporated a number of
activities where Devlin could move around the class and be physically active, or
even just had him help hand out worksheets or get things from the staff room if
we needed anything and so on. I also regularly taught using a combination of
teaching from the front with slides, showing engaging audio/ visual media and
student work time to keep the pace of each lesson moving to mitigate distraction
and idling. I feel all of these strategies worked really well for Devlin who
demonstrate a keenness for learning and the unit more generally by regularly
participating in class discussion and answering questions.
By having him attempt the next levels of each exercise I was able to try and
stretch his level of comprehension, and I was especially pleased by some of the
questions he asked in class that demonstrated a genuine interest in the unit. An
WSU_Teaching Performance Assessment Guide M Teach Secondary 44
example was asking me if the katana sword was more effective for having a
curved blade. Overall, I feel that his medication change seemed to be working
positively in his favour in terms of his ability to concentrate in class. Combined
with differentiating my teaching style I feel Devlin worked really well throughout
the unit.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth works to a very good standard and I gave her extra work that
she regularly achieved. While the illustrative tasks were less her forte, she did
very well at reaching for the deeper meaning concepts and higher-order thinking
during each lesson. Her behaviour was always very good, and she wasn’t
distracted by her peers nearly as much as the two boys. Her final written piece
demonstrated some excellent retention of key concepts such as loyalty unto
death for the samurai: “I’d think all the time don’t let my master die over and
over again. I would think if my master dies I have to’. The group activity helped
her develop her peer interaction skills since she is relatively quiet and a little
introverted, and tying that activity to the badge reward system really helped get
her involved.
Not only is the teaching cycle of planning, teaching, assessing and reflecting Standard 3 Plan for and
essential to strive for beast teaching practice, but I found it worked at every level, implement effective
both before, during and after each lesson. There were teaching moments that I teaching and learning (3.1,
realised needed adjusting as I was teaching them (such as pausing videos to 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
rephrase difficult concepts), and other times where too much linear content
delivery lead to conversations starting or students getting distracted which is Standard 5: Assess, provide
conducive with the link between poor behaviour and static content delivery feedback and report on
(Cothran, Kulinna & Garrahy, 2009). student learning (5.1, 5.2,
5.3, 5.4, 5.5)
It was definitely a personal challenge for me to deliver high level content that
was simultaneously covering the syllabus from an area of ancient history that I
have no background knowledge of (I am modern history trained). I had to build
all content and resources from scratch which was difficult and time consuming
but also fulfilling and highly informative not only of the course content but my
pedagogical skills generally. I had to be aware also of the school context of low
SES and low tertiary education which could reflect in some students a lesser
appreciation for the merit of their education (McKay & Devlin, 2015). Students
regularly come without books or pens, so planning included not only course
content but more practical classroom arrangements to make sure everyone was
participating in the learning to their best of their abilities.
It was however really helpful to have a positive reward system in place that I
could combine with positive feedback loops while also assessing class knowledge
or skill gaps. As stated by Alter, Walker and Landers (2013), sometimes the skill
or knowledge caps are the real underpinning issue of bad behaviours due to
students not knowing how to complete the work or feeling insecure about their
intelligence or academic ability, and this has to be an important part of planning
for every class you teach.
References
Alter, P., Walker, J., & Landers, E. (2013). Teachers' Perceptions of Students'
Challenging Behavior and the Impact of Teacher Demographics. Education &
Treatment of Children, 36(4), 51-69.
WSU_Teaching Performance Assessment Guide M Teach Secondary 45
Cothran, D., Kulinna, P. & Garrahy, D. (2009). Attributions for and consequences
of student misbehaviour. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 14(2), 155-167.
McKay, J., & Devlin, M. (2015). ‘Low Income Doesn't Mean Stupid and Destined
for Failure': Challenging the Deficit Discourse around Students from Low SES
Backgrounds in Higher Education. International Journal of Inclusive Education,
20(4), 1-17.
From your critical reflection, what future professional learning would you
undertake to improve your teaching practice.
I have found that in-situ teaching is itself a great teacher, and this placement has Standard 3 Plan for and
been no exception with many things being highlighted to me that will benefit my implement effective
teaching in the future. Just by being part of a HSIE staff room and by building teaching and learning (3.1,
rapport with fellow teachers I’ve seen how much knowledge and experience 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
there is to be shared from those people.
Standard 6 – Engage in
Likewise, the larger teaching community offers similar help and knowledge professional learning (6.1.1,
sharing such as the Teaching Learning Network (TLN) 6.2.1, 6.3.1, 6.4.1)
https://tln.org.au/courses/ as well as keeping up to date with NESA’s
Professional Development providers and information sessions Standard 7 – Engage
https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/teacher- professionally with
accreditation/how-accreditation-works/providing-professional- colleagues, parents/carers
development/information-sessions. and the community
(7.1.1, 7.2.1, 7.4.1)
More specific to history teaching are groups such as the History Teacher’s
Association of NSW Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/HTANSW/.
There are also great YouTube history channels such as ‘The Great War’ (WWI)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUcyEsEjhPEDf69RRVhRh4A which are an
excellent resource of historical content that is well researched and professionally
presented, either for use in class or just for personal research and learning.
In terms of my tertiary education I will continue this year with the last semester
of my Master of Education at Western Sydney University with the following
units:
Devlin’s flag is based on the Nara period where they begun constructing
huge Buddhist temples:
Her flag represents the Heian period where art flourished. She has drawn
waves breaking over mountains:
In Section 2, the three elements of the TPA were outlined. The presentation of evidence is the culminating
element of the WSU_TPA where Teacher Education Students demonstrate achievement of the Graduate
Teacher Standards (AITSL, 2011) and classroom readiness, including their ability to plan student learning
experiences based on assessment of student achievement, implement teaching plans, evaluate teaching
and impact on student learning.
The criteria reflect Teacher Education Students meeting the Graduate Teacher Standards (AITSL, 2011) as
evidenced through the completion of each component of the WSU_TPA, especially the Case Study Report.
CRITERIA STANDARD
Working beyond* Working at** Working towards#
Describe and Very clear, precise and Clear, concise and detailed No or limited description or
analyse own extensive description and description and analysis of analysis of teaching/learning
teaching analysis of the teaching/learning cycle cycle (the lessons
practices using teaching/learning cycle (planning, implementation of aims/outcomes, the
artefacts and (planning, implementation of lessons and achievement of teaching/learning activities)
evidence lessons and achievement of aims/outcomes, the and the impact of own
aims/outcomes, the teaching/learning activities teaching on student
teaching/learning activities and assessments task/s) and participation and learning.
and assessments task/s) and the impact of own teaching
the impact of own teaching on student participation and
on student participation and learning.
learning.
Discusses an extensive range Discusses a range of factors No or limited discussion of
of factors influencing the influencing the shaping of factors influencing the
shaping of learning for the learning for the three focus shaping of learning for the
three focus students, such as students, such as their three focus students, such as
their decisions for addressing decisions for addressing the their decisions for addressing
the strengths and meeting strengths and meeting the the strengths and meeting the
the needs of students. needs of students. needs of students.
Extensive connections Connects own teaching No or limited connections
between own teaching practices to achievement of made between own teaching
practices and achievement of the Graduate Teaching practices and the Graduate
the Graduate Teaching Standards. Teaching Standards.
Standards.
Reflect on Exceptional use of relevant Uses relevant evidence from There is no or limited use of
teaching evidence from research, research, pedagogical practice relevant evidence from
practice and pedagogical practice and case and case study report to relevant research,
impact of own study report to evaluate own evaluate own teaching and pedagogical practice and case
teaching on teaching and impact on impact on students’ learning. study report to evaluate own
three students’ students’ learning. teaching and impact on
learning students’ learning.
Plan for own Provides a detailed plan for Provides a plan for improving No or limited description of a
professional continuous improvement of own teaching practice and plan for improving their
learning teaching practice aligned to some directions for future teaching practice
future professional learning. development based on the
evidence they have provided.
X X X