Bibo Shi

S00122960
Study

AT2

EDFD447
Case

Part A
Students details
The student in this case study is called Zhipeng, an EAL student from China. He has been in Australia for 3 months and is currently
living in a homestay. He has received 7 years education in China before he came to Australia to continue Year 8 study. Zhipeng is a
smart student seen by his peers because he is good at Maths and is always the first to finish Maths exercise and tests. However, as
English is not his first language, he always has problems understanding the questions on the exercise and tests. He is shy and does
not like asking questions to the teacher or other students. In Maths class, there is another student from China who has been in
Australia for long, so Zhipeng always sits together with him, only talks with him in Chinese and does not want to focus on his tasks.
In other classes, Zhipeng always seems to be lost not knowing what is going on in the class, so he starts to avoid doing tasks either
in group or individually.
Communication
Characteristics

Zhipeng speaks English

as a second language.
He has a good
foundation of basic
English grammar, but
listening and speaking
skills are very poor.

Social Interactions

Zhipeng does not want to

have a conversation with
classmates unless they talk
to him first.
He is afraid that they cannot
understand his English.
As he is from a different
culture, he does not know
what is actually appropriate
and acceptable and what is
not in Australian classrooms.

Group-based activities

Zhipeng does not take an

active part in group
discussion or other teambased activities due to
language barrier.
He is shy of expressing his
opinions in front of people.

Information
Processing
and
Learning Styles

Zhipeng is good at
interpreting graphs and data,
understands visual materials
more quickly than audio form.

He performs better when a

task instruction is given in
written form than oral form.

Bibo Shi
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Study
Implications

AT2

Strategies

He often uses an
electronic dictionary
from ipad when given a
written text.
He does not attempt to
read or try to
understand the
meaning of the texts
unless it is a test or an
exam.

It will be good to
improve his English
from both normal
classes and EAL
English classes as it
has been proved that
Content and Language
Integrated Learning
(CLIL) approach is
beneficial for students
learning in a second
language (Georgiou,
2012). .
The teacher can give
him more support by
encouraging him to
speak in the class and
asking local students
to talk with him after
class.

He is always quiet in the

class and uses ipad a lot to
either look up words in the
dictionary or play games.
Not understanding what is
going on in the class makes
him sometimes not care
about the task.
He does not want to ask
questions.

The teacher can encourage

Zhipeng to participate in
group work.
The teacher needs to talk
with him and know about his
culture and make sure he is
clear about the classroom
rules.
By discussing topics such as
sports and music in class,
Zhipeng may find it
interesting to play with
classmates who have the
same interest with him.

He tends to agree with

other people rather than
think critically.
He does not seem to
contribute to the group
work as he is not confident
of his communication
skills.

Giving Zhipeng more

opportunities to know
about classrooms in
Australia and the way
students and teachers
communicate will be a
good strategy for him to
know the cultural
differences and
expectations.
Increase Zhipeng and
other students cultural
awareness will be good for
him to adapt to the
learning environment in
Australia and for other
students to know more
about him (Ho, 2009).

EDFD447
Case

He has to carry the ipad with

him all the time and looks for
translation.
Eventually, he has a habit
that he copies and pastes text
into the dictionary without
attempting to see if he can
work out the meaning by
himself.

It will be good for Zhipeng to

have a written copy of task
instructions.
Teachers can let him know
about the topic for the next
lesson so that he can have a
better understanding of what
they will be talking about.
The teacher can ask students
to help Zhipeng with class
content by explaining, giving
him a sample work and other
means.
Teaching needs to be tailored
according to his learning style
to optimise the learning
environment
and
useful
resources (Alexandra & Brad,
2012).

Part B

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES & BLOOMS TAXONOMY

Bibo Shi
S00122960
Study

AT2

UNIT OF STUDY: Measurement

EDFD447
Case

YEAR LEVEL: 8

Outcomes: ACMMG195, ACMMG196, ACMMG197, ACMMG198, ACMMG199 (AusVELS)

Seven
Blooms Taxonomy: Six Thinking Levels
Creating
Evaluating
ways to be Knowing Understand Applying Analysin
ing
g
smart
Verbal

Mathemati
cal

Visual/Spa
tial

3. Given the
conversion
chart to
convert
between the
units of
length, find
the general
rules.
9. Change the time
(in minutes) on the
worksheet into
hours and minutes

2. Find the
perimeter for a
kite, a trapezium
and an irregular
shape on the
worksheet.
7. Given
examples of
triangular
prisms and
rectangular
prisms, draw
a hexagonal
prism.

6. Having learnt the

conversion between
units of length, create
a conversion chart for
units of areas.

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AT2

Kinaesthe
tic

EDFD447
Case

4. Measure the
circumference
and the diameter
of the round table
in the classroom.
Then use the
formula to
calculate the
diameter.
Compare the two
results.

Musical

Interperso
nal

Intraperso
nal

1. List what
you know
about
measurement
by creating a
concept map
in groups of
four.

8. Investigate the
formula for
calculating volumes
of regular prisms in
groups.

5. Write the
thinking steps for
finding the
perimeter of a
semi-circle.

10. Self-evaluate
the learning
throughout the
whole unit. Write
down the most
important part for
learning this unit.

The outcomes for the unit of measurement are drawn from AusVELS as follows.
Choose appropriate units of measurement for area and volume and convert from one unit to another (ACMMG195)
Find perimeters and areas of parallelograms, trapeziums, rhombuses and kites (ACMMG196)

Bibo Shi
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AT2

EDFD447
Case

Investigate the relationship between features of circles such as circumference, area, radius and diameter. Use formulas to
solve problems involving circumference and area (ACMMG197)
Develop the formulas for volumes of rectangular and triangular prisms and prisms in general. Use formulas to solve
problems involving volume (ACMMG198)
Solve problems involving duration, including using 12- and 24-hour time within a single time zone (ACMMG199)

Benefits of a differentiated unit of work for Zhipeng

Using a differentiated unit of work as above, there will be a number of benefits for Zhipeng as differentiation is teaching according
to observed differences among students and personalising learning experiences by considering students level of ability, prior
knowledge, strengths and weaknesses as well as their special needs (Westwood & Amold, 2004). One benefit for Zhipeng is that by
working collaboratively on the investigation task, his characteristics and ability are valued to promote learning (van Kraayenoord et
al, 2004). Since he is seen as a genius in Maths by his peers, but always having difficulties understanding questions, this
differentiated unit of work will give him clear instructions on his task and support him with his language by giving him detailed
written instructions before class, asking students to help and work with him and checking his understanding of the content by after
class talking. Another benefit is that this unit gives Zhipeng an opportunity to share his thinking with others so as to build up his
self-confidence and thus make him more actively involved in classroom activities (van Kraayenoord, 2007).
Part C
The following is a 45 minutes lesson plan for Zhipeng related to Task 4, where students are asked to measure the circumference
and diameter of a round table, calculate the diameter using formula, and then compare the two results of diameter.
Class begins by warming up formula for calculating circumferences using diameter and radius.
Instructions are given for the investigation in oral and written forms.
Students are formed into groups of 4.
Students start measuring the table and record the data.
Students calculate the diameter using the data they got from the previous step.
Compare the two results of diameter and draw their conclusion.
Individual Learning Plan for Zhipeng
Specific indicator
At the end of the lesson, Zhipeng will
have worked with his group members to
measure the table (diameter and
circumference), calculate the diameter by

Adaptations/Strategies
Group Zhipeng with students who are
friendly and willing to help their peers.
Give Zhipeng a detailed written
instruction the day before the lesson

Assessment
Both
formative
and
summative
assessment will be used.
The teacher will assess Zhipengs
understanding of the requirements of

Bibo Shi
S00122960
Study

AT2

using the formula, and compare the two

results to draw a conclusion.

highlighting important words and

steps. This will allow him extra time to
understand the meaning of unfamiliar
words.
Give each group 3 minutes to discuss
different roles in the group to
complete this task. By assigning a
specific task, Zhipeng will not feel
stressed about having to do a lot of
talking and presenting their conclusion
to the whole class. He may choose to
do the calculation for the group, which
he is good at.
Encourage all the students to ask
questions. Students who have
difficulties calculating may want to ask
Zhipeng, so he can have a chance to
explain his thinking and gain
confidence.
Ask students to evaluate each group
members performance in doing this
task and fill in the table. This gives
Zhipeng an opportunity to think about
each individuals contribution to the
whole task and find the value of
teamwork. He is more likely to be
actively involved in the task.
In assisting him with his language
skills, the teacher can go to their
group and ask about their progress
and how they did it. Ask Zhipeng
some questions that do not need
answers of long sentences.

EDFD447
Case

the task by asking him to briefly write

down the steps for this task after
reading the instructions given to him
the day before the class.
The teacher will have enough time to
check his progress by interacting with
his group asking how they go and who
has done which part.
Encourage him to share his working
steps to get the result with group
members is another way of assessing
his work.
Getting him to fill in the evaluation
form will enable him to think how he
has participated in the activity and
the teacher will be able to see what
he has done and how he thought he
did it.

Bibo Shi
S00122960
Study

AT2

EDFD447
Case

Legislation and policy

In regard to Zhipengs education, there are some legislation and policies that apply to him in international level, national level and
state level. Internationally, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1996) has three articles that are related to
Zhipengs case:
1. Article 2 - The Convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, and whatever
type of family they come from.
2. Article 28 Every child has the right to an education. Different forms of secondary education are encouraged to be developed.
3. Article 29 - Education must develop every childs personality, talents and abilities to the full. The education of a child shall be
directed to the development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values.
These articles ensure that Zhipeng has the same right as any other student in the class and that his culture and language are
respected.
At national level, five acts are approved to protect Zhipeng from certain kinds of discrimination in public life and from breaches of
their human rights, namely Australian Human Rights Commission Act (1986), Age Discrimination Act (2004), Disability
Discrimination Act (1992), Race Discrimination Act (1975) and Sex Discrimination Act (1984).
At state level, Education and Training Reform Act (2006) sets out a legislative framework that will underpin quality education
delivery in Victoria, both now and well into the future. It ensures that all Victorians should have right to education that realises their
learning potential and promotes lifelong learning. This means that schools and teachers need to make an effort to meet the needs
of students despite their circumstances.
Part D
Classroom observations and reflection
During my placement in a government school where there are many students with a refugee background and some have little
literacy and numeracy skills, I have seen many differentiations in the classrooms with both my associate teacher and other
teachers teaching different subjects. In a Year 8 Maths class that I observed, the students were divided into two groups sitting on
two sides of the classroom. While the teacher was conducting normal Year 8 content to one group of students, the other group of
students who had no prior Maths knowledge at all were given worksheets with examples by the teacher aide. The way the
classroom was differentiated is probably because of limited space and teaching staff in the school, so the teacher had to cater for
students with very different abilities in the same classroom. There is no doubt that the teacher aide plays an important role in the
classroom as well. However, I noticed that sometimes the teacher aide had to learn from the teacher before they could teach
students, which takes time and shows not enough preparation and communication before class. In addition, I found it good that

Bibo Shi
S00122960
Study

AT2

EDFD447
Case

once the teacher assessed the lower level group of students work and thought the student was capable of doing a higher level, he
would ask the student to transfer to another class where higher level of Maths was taught.
In observing my associate teachers Year 11 Advanced General Maths class, I found that the majority were EAL students with
different English levels. Research shows that solving math word problems needs both linguistic and mathematical knowledge and
the ability to operate between these two knowledge types flexibly (Kyttala & Bjorn, 2014). To make sure everyone focused on his
lesson rather than copy his board work, my associate teacher asked everyone not to take notes but gave them handouts after class
with all the examples, graphs and solutions of the class content. In this way, his students were not worried that they missed a word
or a step for solving a problem. Moreover, students could highlight or cut and paste the handouts to make their own notebook that
can be taken to the Year 12 exam. Moreover, to meet the learning needs of a student who is absent almost half of school days due
to the special circumstances of his family, my associate teacher gave him the handouts, asked the teacher aide (sometimes me) to
explain the previous lessons with examples and talked with him after class to make sure he could try to finish as much exercise as
possible. Every Tuesday and Thursday, my associate teacher came to the library straight after lunch to answer students questions.
Students were encouraged to ask whatever they were not clear about during lunch time. Another aspect which I found good for
students learning is that my associate teacher encouraged EAL students from who spoke the same language to help each other.
That is why I always saw that when students were all stuck in one question, once one of them understood it, the other students
would get the idea in a short time as using their first language in learning was sometimes more efficient and effective. Apart from
that, it will be also good to encourage students from diverse cultural backgrounds to help each other with their learning as
cooperative learning approach is seen as a promising tool in multicultural classrooms (Tielman et al, 2012).

Bibo Shi
S00122960
Study

AT2

EDFD447
Case

References
Age Discrimination Act (2004).
Alexandra, R. & Brad, C. (2012). Learning styles. Innovait, 5 (3), 176-181.
Australian Human Rights Commission Act (1986).
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2013). Education and Training Reform Act. Retrieved from
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/legislation/Pages/act2006faq.aspx
Disability Discrimination Act (1992).
Education and Training Reform Act (2006).
Georgiou, S. I. (2012). Reviewing the puzzle of CLIL. ELT Journal, 66 (4), 495-504.
Ho, S. T. K. (2009). Addressing culture in EFL classrooms: the challenge of shifting from a traditional to an intercultural stance.
Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6 (1), 63-76.
Kyttala, M. & Bjorn, P. M. (2014). The role of literacy skills in adolescents' mathematics word problem performance: Controlling for
visuo-spatial ability and mathematics anxiety. Learning and Individual Differences, 29, 59-66.
Race Discrimination Act (1975).
Sex Discrimination Act (1984).
Tielman, K., Brok, P. D., Bolhuis, S. & Vallejo, B. (2012). Collaborative learning in multicultural classrooms: a case study of Dutch
senior secondary vocational education. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 64 (1), 103-118.

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Case

UNICEF (1996). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org.au/Discover/Whatwe-do/Convention-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child/childfriendlycrc.aspx
van Kraayenoord, C. E. (2007). School and classroom practices in inclusive education in Australia, Childhood Education, 83 (6), 390394.
van Kraayenoord, C. E., Moni, K. B., Jobliqg, A., Koppenhaver, D., & Elkins, J. (2004). Developing the writing of middle school
students with developmental disabilities: The WriteIdeas Model of writing. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 22(2), 36-46.
Westwood, P., & Arnold, W. (2004). Meeting individual needs with young learners. ELT Journal, 58(4), 375-378.