ENGLISH LESSON PLAN AND ANALYSIS AND REVISION

LESSON 1 – BIN LINERS

By: Aymen El Nazer

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102086 Designing Teaching & Learning
Assignment 2: QT Analysis

1 Intellectual quality
1.1 Deep knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – The lesson is extensively prepared for, wherein a lot of
–5 knowledge will be dispersed throughout the learning session.
Dis – The lesson holds too much content, leading to a deep, yet superficial
understanding of problems the environment is heir to.

1.2 Deep understanding

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Despite the abundance of information presented in only the
–5 first 10 minutes, students seem to understand the key concepts presented.
Dis – Overload of content can hinder their subsequent understanding of the
content learned within the mere hour of the lesson.
1.3 Problematic knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – The knowledge presented is stated as fact, however, the fact
–5 of the matter is advantageous to the overall aim of the lesson outcome.
Dis – This may push students to not think outside of the box, wherein making
bin liners from paper seems like the only option that they are able to divulge
their skills.
1.4 Higher-order thinking
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Students seem to grasp and understand the activity provided,
–5 and act upon the activity/task in an independent manner, allowing them to
access higher-order thinking.
Dis – The activity allowed students to think independently, but their ideas
were guided by teaching that does not allow for intensifying creativity.

1.5 Metalanguage
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – The teacher uses metalanguage in the beginning of the lesson,
–5 stating that “High- density polyethene” is a technical term for plastic bags,
and goes on to explain the terms “cause” and “effect” in context of the
lesson.
Dis - Other than the beginning of the lesson, little amounts of metalanguage
was used throughout the lesson; However, this is in favour of the students
understanding, dur to the large amount of content divulged throughout the
overall lesson.
1.6 Substantive communication
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages - Articulate manners of communication was shown throughout
–5 the lesson, wherein the teacher and students were in constant
communication (Teacher asking students questions about the topic at hand,
cultivating a greater understanding of his students understanding grasp of
the recently presented information).
Dis – Possible lack of intel on overall student understanding due to the fact
that not every single student was shown to have presented their ideas.

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Quality learning environment
2.1 Explicit quality criteria
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Teacher made clear to students the focus of the lesson. He
–5 explains the activities provided to the students, and what the activity
achieves.
Dis – More explicit identification of the criteria regarding the quality of work
could possibly have had students more attached to the classroom
experience.

2.2 Engagement
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Teacher captures the classrooms attention from the beginning
–5 of the lesson all the way throughout, making students engagement a main
property found during the lesson.
Dis – classroom leniency for the allowing of more giving and taking could
have proved more successful in attaining complete classroom attention.

2.3 High expectations

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Towards the end of the lesson, all students have participated
–5 in activities provided, and are told to come up with their own answers, which
they then announce to the classroom. valuing student opinion is a prominent
component in the teacher’s lesson plan.
Dis – a more analytical observance of student input may have made students
feel even more valued. The classroom had higher potential than the
workload being provided, meaning that the students in turn, could have
possibly expelled more opinionated information if they were probed to do
so.
2.4 Social support
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – social support is very clear through the lesson, wherein
–5 students are shown to be working in groups through the whole lesson, and
also, they are spoken to as though they answering the questions as a team,
rather than independently.
Dis – An independent activity may have been crucial into attaining the intel
necessary for the teacher to know the level in which is students are at.
2.5 Students’ self-regulation
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Students are shown to have complete self-control over their
–5 behaviours, and almost complete obedience to the teacher, besides the few
times students whisper amongst each other while teacher is talking.
Dis – Some students may not feel at liberty to expose their explicit ideas and
information if teacher is deemed to be too serious.

2.6 Student direction

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Students present high demonstrations of direction towards
–5 the topic at hand. They show clear adherence to the content being taught
and seem to be interested in participating in their groups in the activities
taken place during the lesson.

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 Dis – The nurturing of student direction must be controlled by the teacher,
and made sure it is consistent (using assessments or testing throughout the
lesson as observation)

3 Significance
3.1 Background knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Students’ background knowledge is mentioned trivially by the
–5 teacher, having stated that this lesson was a “continuation” about the topic
at hand.
Dis – Not much else is known about their prior knowledge.

3.2 Cultural knowledge

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Cultural knowledge is not mentioned, however, it could taken
–5 that the statistics provided by the teacher could be in reference to an
Australian cultural problem revolved around the abundant disposal of plastic
bags.
Dis – Other cultures and statistics based around a countries disposal could
have been referenced or used as an example for a more specific
understanding of the crises at hand.

3.3 Knowledge integration

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Teacher seems to regularly refer to examples or
–5 understandings of the pollution caused by plastic bags, making sure students
maintain an understanding of the importance of tacking the issue at hand.
Dis – Knowledge could be integrated in a more analytical manner, wherein
students would constantly incite the reasonings behind the crisis of the
plastic bag pollution.
3.4 Inclusivity
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – High levels of classroom inclusivity is shown wheren all
–5 students are seen to be participating within their groups of two, showing
exceptional levels of student interactions.
Dis – None.

3.5 Connectedness
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Students recognise connections to the ideas revolved around
–5 the pollution, and explore the implications and possibilities the problem
plastic bags can have on the environment.
Dis – more prominence could be made by the teacher about the extents in
which plastic bags could harm the environment, for a more in-depth lesson,
as opposed to superficial understandings of the subject topic.

3.6 Narrative
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 Advantages – Narrative in terms of using exemplifications to orchestrate a
–5 more deep understanding of the ways in which students can help protect the
environment, and how some examples of this is shown through an activity
where they are put to the task of making a paper bin liner.

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 Dis – Instances where narrative could have been used as a form of
exemplification for student understanding is clear throughout the lesson
plan, wherein it shows minimal to no narrative styled content to support
learning.

Identifying Areas for Improvement

Identify the four NSW QT model elements you are targeting for improvement.

QT model
1) 1.5 Metalanguage 2) 2.1 explicit quality criteria
3) 3.1 Background knowledge 4) 3.2 Cultural knowledge

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 Lesson Plan – Bin Liners

Syllabus: Science Stage: Stage 4 Topic: Earth and Space

Outcomes Assessment Students learn about Students learn to

SC4-13ES Explains how Informal formative ES3 Scientific Classify a range of the
advances in scientific assessment. knowledge influences Earth’s resources as
understanding of the choices people renewable or non-
processes that occur make in regard to the renewable.
within and on the use and management
Earth influence the of the Earth’s Investigate some
choices people make resources. strategies used by
about resource use people to conserve and
and management. manage non-
renewable resources,
e.g. recycling and the
alternative use of
natural and made
resources.

Note: Not all activities may be captured by the video. Assume they were covered by the teacher.

Time Teaching and Learning Actions

5 min Lesson Preliminaries/Administration
 Settle students into the classroom.
 Mark the roll.

10 mins Direct Instruction

 Welcome students and remind them of the topic. (3.1 Background knowledge)
Reiterate any prior learning by briefly stating the wat in which they have
reached the topic of plastic bin liners, and how what they learned prior to this is
knowledge to be considered while undergoing this lessons tasks.
 Introduce students to high density polyethylene as a non-renewable resource
used to make plastic bags.
 (1.5 Metalanguage) Use words that are deemed to fall under the category of
metalanguage for environmental science.
 Elaborate on what high density polyethylene is and briefly the chemicals it has
in it (to thus indicate and emphasise the negative effects it could have)
 Key ideas for this lesson are cause and effect with questions being “why do we
use so many plastic bags in Australia?” and “what is the effect on the
environment?”
 Another key idea is solutions with questions being “what have governments
done to solve problems caused by plastic bags?” and “what can citizens do to
solve problems caused by plastic bags?”

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  Give overview of activity:
 Designing renewable alternatives to plastic bags using newspapers.
Teacher will show students a design and they will improve that design.
 Give overview of thinking tools to be used:
 Think-pair-share
 Cause-effect map
 Pros-Cons-Questions

10 mins Think-Pair-Share Activity

 Give students true/false statements worksheet with questions like “the average
plastic bag is used for only 5 minutes but can take up to 1,000 years to break
down in the environment.”
 Students have 2 minutes to individually answer the questions (think).
 Students then have 1 minute to discuss their responses with the student sitting
next to them (pair).
 Teacher will then lead class discussion based on worksheets for 5 minutes
(share).
10 mins Cause-Effect Mapping Activity
 Give students cause-effect map worksheets.
 (2.1 Explicit quality criteria) Making sure students understand the criteria
necessary for the curriculum. Clarifying stating briefly that the significance of
the learning of the topic is integral to both environmental sustainability, and
endearment to educative systems of their newly prescribed knowledge.
 Students have 2 minutes to think of as many reasons for why we use so many
plastic bags in Australia.
 (3.2 Cultural knowledge) Briefly identifying countries with major issues of
pollution and comparing and contrasting what could potentially be the case
with Australian land, and how if students were to do their part in sustainability
this would also assist people from other countries environmental strains.
(making connections and inferences between Australia and other lands.
 Students have 1 minute to discuss amongst their groups of twos what is the
most common usage for plastic bags in Australia.
 Go around the class to check student understanding. Highlight the link between
the causes identified and the production of high density polyethylene bags.
 Students have 2 minutes to list as many sub-effects of the production and use
of plastic bags. Circulate to assist students.
 Teacher leads brief class discussion to summarise the environmental effects
identified by the students.
5 mins Direct Instruction
 Teacher to show students how to construct a biodegradable bin liner by folding
4 sheets of newspaper. The bin liner will fit into the teacher’s waste-paper
basket.
5 mins Pros-Cons Activity
 Teacher invites students to highlight the pros and cons of the biodegradable bin
liners.
15 mins Student-Centred Activity

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  Students to identify ways to improve the bin liners using the MAS sheet.
 Students to work in pairs to refine the newspaper bin liners. Circulate around
the room to assist students.
 Students demonstrate their improved designs to the teacher, using the
teacher’s waste paper basket as a test.
 Teacher to encourage peer support during demonstrations.
 Summarise and close the lesson.

How am I measuring the outcomes of this lesson?

Learning Outcome Method of measurement and recording

SC4-13ES Informal questioning of student understanding as the
lesson progresses.
1) 1.5 Metalanguage 2) 2.1 explicit quality criteria
3) 3.1 Background knowledge 4) 3.2 Cultural knowledge

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Academic justification

There are four distinctive areas within the lesson plan which I felt did not replicate a perfect

lesson, however, this does not mean the lesson plan itself falls short, but that some areas

could have been emphasised on or even mentioned or used. The first area from the QT criteria

that I did not find to be used enough, or even at all is metalanguage. It is more appealing to

students when they are not subjected to listen to words that are deemed to be “difficult”, but

it does not change the fact that, as O’Neill has stated, “educators can cultivate the uniquely

human capacity to evaluate controversies from diverse points of view and to achieve

balanced solutions through systematic reflection and discussion” (p96). This means that

students can achieve a certain level of understanding from a topic being taught if there were

language specific to the topic at hand being used and explained to them. In the revised lesson

plan, I have made clear that from the beginning of the lesson to the points where the teacher

deems fit, metalanguage must be used and explained to extrapolate a greater understanding

from amongst students, and so that their answers may lean towards a more sophisticated line

of thinking.

The second area that I noticed not to have been shown in the lesson plan is section 3.1,

background knowledge. In the beginning and even during the lesson, it is made clear that this

is a continuative lesson from one prior to it, but it is not evident that the previous lesson was

about this topic at all, and if it were, students are not reminded about anything they had

learned in this previous lesson. Neuman, Kaefer and Pinkham state that according to their

analysis, “by introducing an unknown topic, there were no significant differences between

SES groups in children’s word learning, comprehension, or ability to make inferences. Taken

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together, these results suggest that differences in low-SES children’s comprehension skills

may be attributed, in part, to limitations in their pre-existing knowledge base” (p146). The

school’s stature is not made evident, but background knowledge on the prior topic could have

made the difference between a student fully grasping the concept or knowledge being taught,

or being confused or unknowledgeable about a context of information, due to missing class,

or just needing a general recap. I have altered the lesson plan to befit those of all kinds of

different learning speeds and capabilities. Now, in the beginning of the lesson, whether you

know the context of the content about to be taught, as a student, it is important that you

receive a brief recap about the prior lesson and the information discussed.

The third area in which I did not find a QT criterion to have been met is section 2.1, explicit

quality criteria. The teacher does not seem to extrapolate within the class the importance of

the topic being taught in accordance to the assessment requirements of the curriculum.

Balloo and Evens et al state that “If little care is taken when establishing clear assessment

requirements, there is the potential for spoon-feeding” (p1). This means if the students see

their workload and in class activities with no resonance with the overarching expectancy of

the learning curriculum, then “spoon-feeding” may take place, and this is not good for the

overall learning of the students. Towards the mid-section of the lesson plan, I have corrected

this by making it an article of practice that the teacher delegate to the students the

connection between their learning and their adherence to the curriculum.

The final area of Qt section I did not find within the lesson plan or the video was the

mentioning of cultural knowledge. The mentioning or at least the subtle inferences to cultural

knowledge is integral to student’s adaption to cultural acceptability within classrooms. Nelson

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and Guerra state that “ineffectiveness of reform efforts may be due in part to educators’

deficit beliefs and lack of cultural knowledge, two areas prep” (p68). This suggests that reform

efforts were trialled and have failed due to the non-convergence of section 3.2 of the QT

model. I have edited the lesson plan for the teacher to make comparisons between Australia

and other countries pollutive problems to compare and contrast the issues, and to also create

resonation amongst the students about different cultural backgrounds, and the similarities of

what they have to go through.

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REFERENCE LIST

Kieran Balloo, Carol Evans, Annie Hughes, Xiaotong Zhu, & Naomi Winstone. (2018).
Transparency Isn't Spoon-Feeding: How a Transformative Approach to the Use
of Explicit Assessment Criteria Can Support Student Self-Regulation. Frontiers in
Education, 3, Frontiers in Education, 01 September 2018, Vol.3.

Nelson, S., & Guerra, P. (2014). Educator Beliefs and Cultural Knowledge: Implications
for School Improvement Efforts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(1),
67-95.

Neuman, S., Kaefer, T., & Pinkham, A. (2014). Building Background

Knowledge. Reading Teacher, 68(2), 145-148.

O'Neill, S. (2012). Teaching and assessment of persuasive writing: Juggling the language
features and grasping the metalanguage. International Journal of Pedagogies
and Learning, 7(1), 84-98.

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