Student: Josephine Walton Student Number: S00170561

EDFD218: Teaching and Learning - Preparing for the

Assignment 3 Rationale for Lesson Plan

One of the challenges we face as teachers is being able to produce lesson plans that enable and
encourage meaningful learning for the increasingly diverse students we have in our classrooms
(Marsh, 2010; OLeary, 2011). A lesson plan must provide as many different avenues as possible for
acquiring content and processing ideas; keeping in mind variations in student readiness, interests and
learning profiles (Tomlinson, 2001; Roy, Guay & Valois, 2013). While there is no one way to become
an effective teacher, it is important that we remember to vary and adapt our teaching styles to match
and extend our students abilities; and use our strengths and preferences to best aid our students
learning (McDonald, 2010; Roy, Guay & Valois, 2013). These are just some of the understandings we,
as teachers, have to have to teach in a mixed-ability classroom and use effective communication
strategies; as well as understand, be able to use effectively and attend to the requirements of the
curriculum (Whilton, Sinclair, Barker, Nanlohy & Nosworthy, 2004).

It is impossible to design a lesson that every student in your class will enjoy, as students of the same
age are no more alike in their learning interests and styles than they are with their hobbies,
personality, size, likes and dislikes (Tomlinson, 2001). However, it was my hope that by including a
story, a video clip with a song, opportunities for discussion and drawing in my lesson plan, I would be
catering for the interests and preferences for many of the students I would be teaching.

Some of the decisions I made about my lesson plan came from my experience and observations
during my Classroom Induction Program. I was lucky enough to observe one Wednesday how my
Associate Teacher determines the prior knowledge of her students. The process of making meaning of
information is informed by a students prior understanding (Tomlinson, 2001) which is why it is
important to understand and assess what that prior knowledge is. As they are a Prep class, giving them
a quiz or anything that involves writing is not yet an option. They were each given a sheet of paper
with How do you think a chicken is born? written across the top, and each student had to draw a
picture to answer the question. It was then my job to ask each student the question and write down
their answer word for word. From what I observed and discussed with my associate teacher, I found
this to be a very practical and informative way to assess prior knowledge; and for that reason I chose
to incorporate this practice into my own lesson plan.

When catering for a mixed-ability classroom, a teacher has to assume that different learners have
different needs (Tomlinson, 2001). In many classrooms today, students of various abilities, be that
gifted and talented or struggling with a disability, are integrated into the same classroom environment
as their peers (Roy, Guay & Valois, 2013). Therefore, teaching must be varied and multiple ways to

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Student: Josephine Walton Student Number: S00170561

get at the information being presented should be planned and carried out (Tomlinson, 2001; Roy,
Guay & Valois, 2013). I tried to ensure that this was present throughout my entire lesson plan; in the
introduction, development and consolidation and practice. Offering varied and multiple opportunities
for learning is something that comes from a professional quality that is gained through experience and
expertise (Tomlinson, 2001), so it would come as no surprise to me that my lesson plan is still lacking
in avenues for multiple learning.

In a mixed-ability classroom, and in my lesson plan, giving a normal assignment to the majority and
a different assignment to students who are struggling or advanced is not helpful or catering for their
diversity (Tomlinson, 2001). Instead, how the students is considered to have met the success criteria
may differ. A student with autism may show that they effectively represent their knowledge of living
things and their basic needs on a poster by perhaps only drawing one picture under each heading on
the poster, after a discussion with the teacher who would write the words for them. This student is still
able to complete the task, the teaching and their assessment is simply varied and adapted to meet with
their abilities (Roy, Guay & Valois, 2013). Some of the most powerful influences that affect
motivation are beliefs about ability (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013). We want our students to always try
their best, and not be influenced by our preconceived ideas about what they are capable of. So if it is
absolutely necessary that students are grouped by ability and given work, it should be because that is
the best way to appropriately challenge and support those students (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013).

The ability to communicate with students and engage them in their learning is critical to creating an
appropriate classroom environment and working towards positive academic outcomes (OLeary,
2011). Successful communication encourages positive relationships between students and teachers. As
teachers, we need to be able to communicate what the learning outcomes and success criteria are to
our students, as well as provide them with feedback about the work they are doing. When
communicating to students what is expected of them and when teachers are providing feedback, it is
important that the communication is efficient and consistent. Shouting or punishment is not going to
encourage students to learn, and constantly changing any consequences students may receive means a
teacher does not have something to constantly refer back to. It is also important that students have the
opportunity to communicate and express what they have learnt or how they are feeling during or after
a lesson (Tomlinson, 2001).

A skill that teachers need to develop is that of thinking up questions that are truly effective; that
challenge their thinking and deepen their understanding of a topic (Clarke, 2005). It is through the
responses students give to our questions that we are able to judge the depth of their understanding
during and after the conclusion of the lesson (McDonald, 2010). This is why the focus questions that
we use to frame the development section of a lesson plan are so important. We want to move beyond
literal questions and support differentiation within our classrooms (Clarke, 2005). These are the kinds

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Student: Josephine Walton Student Number: S00170561

of questions I aimed to include in my lesson plan. However with Prep/Foundation students I have
found through my experience during the Classroom Induction Program that they are often more suited
to literal questions.

Teachers should be thinking, planning and acting with multiple approaches to learning in mind, rather
than thinking of normal and different (Tomlinson, 2001). The increasing trend towards full
inclusions means that our teaching strategies need to enable all students to learn and develop and
provide multiple avenues to content, process and product (Roy, Guay & Valois, 2013; Tomlinson,
2001). This means that every lesson plan we write as teachers must cater for the diverse needs of the
entire class, not just the normal majority and provide every student in our class the opportunity to
take in new information, make sense of their own and others ideas and express what they learn, in a
way that best supports their learning (Tomlinson, 2001).

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Student: Josephine Walton Student Number: S00170561

References
Clarke, S. (2005). Formative Assessment in Action: Weaving the Elements Together. UK: Hodder
Murray.
Marsh, L. (2010). Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues. (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW:
Pearson.
McDonald, T. (2010). Classroom Management: Engaging Students in Learning. South Melbourne,
Vic: Oxford University Press.
OLeary, S. (2011). The Inclusive Classroom: Effect of Readability Intervention on Student
Engagement and On-Task Behaviour within Two Mixed-Ability Science Classrooms.
Science Education International Vol.22 (2). Retrieved from: https://web-a-ebscohost-
com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b8c57b08-6a08-4b80-9fcd-
1eaa47db1261%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4109
Roy, A., Guay, F., & Valois, P. (2013). Teaching to Address Diverse Learning Needs: Development
and Validation of a Differentiated Instruction Scale. International Journal of Inclusive
Education Vol.17 (11). doi:10.1080/13603116.2012.743604
Tomlinson, C. A., (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. (2nd ed.).
Virginia, USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Whitton, D., Sinclair, C., Barker, K., Nanlohy, P. & Nosworthy, M. (2004). Learning For Teaching
Teaching For Learning. Victoria: Thomson.
Woolfolk, A. E., & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational Psychology. (3rd Australian ed.). Frenchs Forest,
Australia: Pearson Education Australia. V

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