Michael Margerison 17486356

Teaching standards and focus areas at a graduate level

2.2 Content selection and organisation
2.2.1 Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence
Focus area 2.2.1 was chosen as the content selection for the classroom activity has
flown on from previous classes and helps give a wider understanding of the content
that the student are learning in this particular lesson as well as previous lessons. This
can help to refresh their knowledge with repetition and allow the information to stay
with them rather than forgetting what they've previously learnt. The lesson plan has a
sufficient graduate level structure where by it begins with students finding key points
from a text then building upon these points with further activities, leading into finally
writing an essay about the topic.
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
3.2.1 Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and
effective teaching strategies
Focus area 3.2.1 was chosen as the planning of the lesson, on paper, looks as though it
will be able to sufficiently cover the time of the lesson. The layout of the plan shows a
lead on from one activity to another, building into each activity with reference to the
last, this demonstrates organisation of the lesson at a graduate level. Crowder, 2014
explains how repetition is a key factor in students learning. This can be seen in the
lesson plan with the key points and ideas being reprocessed throughout the lesson
with each activity to help the knowledge stick within the students memories. Along
with repetition, the lesson plan also encourages the use of illustrations with the text to
help give the students a visual of the effects.
4.1 Support student participation
4.1.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and
engagement in class activities.
Focus area 4.1.1 was chosen as the activities involved allow a great chance for group
work and student collaboration. Group work can promote each student to work and
provide input with the class activities. If this was done by each student on their own,
students who are often quiet and don't join in with the activities, often stay quiet and
do not contribute their answers. This can lead to those students thinking they have the

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right information and failing due to lack of feedback from their answers. Group work
also promotes social skills and gives students an alternative option when looking for
help rather than just going to the teacher (Hopkins, 2014).
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.2.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and
appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
Focus area 5.2.1 was chosen due to feedback being a highly important strategy in
ensuring students develop the right ideas and understand the content correctly. This is
seen in the lesson plan through group work with students receiving feedback from
each other as well as when the students red out their answers at the end of each
activity. This technique gives the teacher an opportunity to deliver feedback on the
spot for the students, and give them an idea of whether they were on the right track in
finding the information that the questions were asking them.
How have the selected focus areas in the lesson plan catered for students
learning needs?
Through the use of focus areas from each of the teaching standards, it allows for
students to receive the best education and best chance at developing life skills to
obtain and job and be successful later on in life. Teachers develop their lesson plans
with reference to these teaching standards and focus areas as a part of a national
program to ensure each teacher can provide a fair learning experience for all and to
prevent inequalities in the classroom. Each of the focus areas that have been chosen
are those at a graduate level. This is the lowest level of teaching as these are the
newest members of the teaching world and are those straight out of university. As
these teachers progress they move on from graduate to proficient, highly
accomplished and lead as their teaching qualities progress.
With these standards the teacher must account for the fact that students do not learn
the same. This is an important factor when putting together a lesson plan. When
looking at the lesson plan through Focus Area 2.2.1, teachers must structure their
lesson plans so as that it will flow from one area or activity to another to allow it
easier for the students to progress and have an easy transition, which limits to amount
of background noise that could distract them from learning. The structure also allows

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for students to learn new literacy skills through having them learn to break elements
of a text up, gather main ideas and develop an essay based on what they have
discovered (Killen, 2007).
Focus Area 3.2.1 looks at how the teachers use techniques to help make learning
easier and more understanding for the students. Strategies such as repetition have
been used in the chosen lesson plan to help allow students with different learning
needs to all have an equal chance at remembering important content. Another strategy
used is the use of the illustrations that accompany the text to help students with lower
literacy skills to help gain an understanding of what the words on the page are talking
about. Along with these strategies the sequence of the lesson corresponds with
previous lessons, which helps to allow students to put previous knowledge together to
gain a wider understanding of the whole topic (Race, 2010).
Focus Area 4.1.1 Promotes the students to engage and participate in the classroom
activities. In the chosen lesson plan the lesson looks to use group work to target this.
By students working together in groups the students feel more comfortable in
contributing in the class and addresses students with indigenous and cultural needs
who can connect with other members of their class in developing new cultural
connections and understandings.
How have you incorporated peer feedback into the revised explanations?
Before I received feedback from my peers on my explanations of the focus areas, I
had very little information about how each of the focus areas were specifically related
to my chosen lesson plan as well as giving me the chance to put more critical analysis
into how each focus area could be seen within the lesson plan. With the feedback I
was able to find direct connections to the lesson plan for each of the focus areas. I had
also only given a general statement about each of the focus areas and why each were
important to creating a sufficient graduate level lesson plan. I was then able to
develop a greater sense of what each focus area was actually asking and was able to
give a better reasoning as to why I chose each focus area. Another aspect that I was
lacking with my explanations was the use of academic resources to back up why I
found these focus areas to be important.

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Through implementing academic resources my content and explanations became

more reliable rather than just having information that I had written down from my
previous knowledge. Through the feedback I received I could also see the strengths of
my explanations. This helped me to get a better understanding of whether my thought
process was on track when providing information of what the questions were asking.
By gaining feedback from more than one person, I was able to gain an overall
perception of what I needed to fix and what I did well, rather than getting feedback
from one individual and maybe having their thoughts on work being slightly incorrect
due their understanding of what the questions were asking.

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Reference list
BOSTES Teacher Accreditation - Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
(2016).Nswteachers.nsw.edu.au.

Retrieved

22

April

2016,

from

http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/publications-policiesresources/publications/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/
Crowder, R. (2014). Principles of Learning and Memory (p. 262). Psychology Press.
Hopkins, D. (2014). A teacher's guide to classroom research (p. 200). McGraw-Hill
Education (UK).
Killen, R. (2007). Effective teaching strategies (p. 113). South Melbourne, Vic.:
Thomson Social Science Press.
Race, P. (2010). Making learning happen. London: SAGE Publications.
Sample lesson plan - PDHPE. NSW Board of studies. Retrieved 20 April 2016, from
https://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/7-10-literacy-numeracy/pdf-doc/pdhpesample-lesson-plan.pdf