S00113519

Assignment cover sheet

Note: (1) The attention of students is drawn to:
the Academic Regulations,
the Academic Honesty Policy and
the Assessment Policy, all of which are accessible via
http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/136703
(2) A de-identified copy of your assignment may be retained for University quality
(audit) processes,
benchmarking or moderation.
Student ID Number/s:

Student Surname/s:

Given names:

S00113519

Gangi

Natalie

Course: BA (Education and Early Childhood)

School: Education
Unit code: EDFD447

Unit title: Diversity in the Classroom

Due date: 5.8.15

Date submitted: 5.8.15

Lecturer-in-Charge: Robyn BentleyWilliams

Tutorial Group/Tutor:

Assignment Title and/or number: Case Study

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
1. This assignment is submitted in accordance with the Academic Regulations and the
Academic Honesty Policy.
2. No part of this assignment has been copied from any other source without
acknowledgement of the source.
3. No part of this assignment has been written by any other person, except to the extent of
collaboration and/or group work as defined in the unit outline.
4. This assignment has not been recycled, using work substantially the same as work I have
completed previously and which has been counted towards satisfactory completion of
another unit of study credited towards another qualification, unless the Lecturer-in-Charge
has granted prior written consent to do so.
5. I have made and retained a copy of this original assignment.
Signature of student(s):

NGangi

Date: 5.8.15

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Part A- Context of students learning needs and strengths

Jordan is a student in stage one, year two with an interest in drawing and painting, as well as
participating in team games and being outdoors. These are possible areas of strength for him and
as a result, he could benefit from work based around these interests. If Jordan is engaged in the
work he is, more likely to remain engaged and as a result, succeed academically.
Jordan experiences communication difficulties and is currently on medication for ADHD. This
can make it difficult for him to remain engaged in classwork as well as communicating his
thoughts and feelings. Jordan has recently begun having tantrums and swearing and many of his
peers have begun to tease him. This can place a strain on Jordans participation in group work as
he may not feel comfortable contributing or working alongside his peers as a result of their
teasing. There are some possible issues of concern for Jordan within the classroom. One of these
issues is that the classroom teacher may not feel confident or well-equipped enough to teach
Jordan as he is a student with additional needs. Some teachers may feel that they have not been
trained well enough in the area of differentiating lessons according to Jordans needs. A teacher
who is not flexible with their behaviour management strategies may find it challenging to
control Jordans tantrums. An area of concern for Jordan could be that he may not respond well
to the classroom environment as lessons may not be appropriately differentiated for him. As the
work is not differentiated to his needs, it will make Jordans academic success harder to achieve.
Within the classroom, Jordans peers have taken to teasing him which can lead to Jordans
feelings of loneliness and no sense of belonging within the classroom environment. If Jordan is
feeling ostracized at school he will feel unsettled in the classroom making it more challenging
for him to concentrate on the work and he may fall behind academically.

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Part B Whole class outcomes from HSIE Syllabus:

Cultures, Stage 1:

CUS1.3 Identifies customs, practices, symbols, languages and traditions of their family
and other families.
CUS1.4 Describes the cultural, linguistic and religious practices of their family, their
community and other communities.
Change and Continuity, Stage 1:

CCS1.1 Communicates the importance of past and present people, days and events in
their life, in the lives of family and community members and in other communities.

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The eight Intelligences

WORD

REMEMBER

UNDERSTAND

APPLY

AN

List a range of events

celebrated regularly by the
student and their family.

LOGIC & MATHS

SPACE & VISION

Students will watch a video

about a traditional cherry
blossom (Hanami)
celebration celebrated in
Japan.

BODY

MUSIC

In groups, students act out

a celebration of their
choice for the class.
Students listen to popular
music used in common
festivals and celebrations
e.g. Christmas carols,
Indigenous Australian
music, the wedding march.

NATURALIST

PEOPLE

SELF

Students will
symbols of n
within the Jap
festival and c
symbols of n
other celebra
tree for Chris
Students walk around the
class, discussing with others
the celebrations they often
celebrate with their family.
Students reflect on a
celebration they celebrate
with their family and jot
down how this celebration
makes them feel and why.

Gardners theory of multiple intelligences suggests that students may engage in higher order
thinking and problem solving in in an area of intellectual strength and only lower order thinking
in an area of relative weakness (Noble, 2004). The activities within this unit have been
planned across various intelligences found within this theory in order to cater for all students
learning styles and strengths. Adopting this theory in differentiation assists all students in their
learning as each student has different strengths and learns in different ways (Noble, 2004). A
study found that MI theory assisted teachers in catering for the individual learning styles and
strengths of their students which lead to their academic success (Noble, 2004). Jordan has
particular strengths in space and vision with his interest in drawing as well as strength in the
naturalist aspect as he thrives from being in the outdoors amongst nature. As a result of these
strengths, there are some activities where Jordan will be able to sketch symbols of nature used
in celebrations, he will be able to explore the schools garden for aspects of nature in one of the

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lessons based around nature symbols in celebrations. He also has strength in group games which
will be beneficial for the activity in this unit where groups work together to act out a drama
presentation of a celebration.
Jordan has an interest in drawing, being outdoors and playing team games. This unit can adapt
these interests in the created lessons as there is a focus on natural symbols used in celebrations,
a team activity where groups get to act out a celebration of their choice along with a sketching
activity. During the activity based on exploring natural symbols within celebrations, students
can be taken outdoors to explore what nature is before thinking about how some aspects are
used in cultural festivals and celebrations. The group drama presentation can easily be turned
into a competition for each group where groups can earn points and the winning performance
wins a prize. This links in with Jordans interest of team games as he will be working with
others to achieve a common goal. According to UNESCO (2004) children often do not have the
opportunity to reach their potential as they find the learning that takes place in their classroom
boring and become disengaged. It is important for teachers to ensure what they are teaching is
engaging so that work is relevance t to students interests in order to maximise engagement
(UNESCO, 2004). From the above research it is clear that a major benefit of differentiation
within this unit is that the unit have bought in aspects of Jordans interests and as a result, he
will be less likely to disengage from the learning, maximising his chance for success.

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Lesson steps

SMART outcome

Adaptations

Assessment

-Class will go outside and

brainstorm aspects of
nature e.g. birds, flowers.
-Ss will come back to
classroom and choose to
either list or draw nature
symbols used in various
celebrations and festivals
e.g. Japanese Hanami
festival, Christmas.
-Class discussion on the
symbols students
listed/drew and how they
are used in their chosen
celebrations e.g. Pine tree
used in Christmas for
decorative purposes.

Jordan will identify and

compare at least two
nature symbols used in
two celebrations by the
end of the lesson.

-During main body of

lesson, allow for Jordan
to go for a 5 minute walk
if he feels he is becoming
disengaged, in order to
allow for him to have a
time to re-focus on work
and limit task
disengagement.

-Observing Ss as they
complete the task and
present their work.
-Marking rubric (See on
next page)

-Give Jordon the option

of drawing or painting
his work.
-At the end of the lesson,
if Jordan does not feel
comfortable presenting
his work to the class he
has the option of
presenting his work to
the teacher one on one.

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Assessment Rubric
Excellent

Student is able to list nature

symbols used in two or
more celebrations and make
an in depth comparison of
their meanings and uses.
Presentation of students
work is of excellent quality.
Pictures and/or sentences
are well organised and use
of colour and/or
decorations are included.

Sound

Student is able to list nature

symbols used in two or
more celebrations and make
a sound comparison of their
meanings and uses.
Presentation of students
work is of sound quality.
Pictures and/or sentences
have been organised and
some use of colour and/or
decorations are included.

Developing

Student is able to list some

nature symbols used in two
or more celebrations and
make a basic comparison of
their meanings and uses.
Presentation of students
work is of basic quality.
Some attempt has been
made to organise pictures
and/or sentences. There is
little or no use of colour
and/or decorations.

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Part D Reflection
Research has shown that there is a large importance for teachers to foster a reflective teaching
approach in order to build on their responsiveness to their students individual learning needs
(Australian Government, 2015). According to research conducted by the Australian
government, what makes an effective teacher is on that is able to combine sound professional
teaching skills with reflective teaching practice (Australian Government, 2015). As a result of
this research, I feel as though it is imperative for me to consistently reflect on my teaching and
formulate new ways of improving my teaching so that I can aim to be the best teacher possible.
During my last prac experience I was fortunate enough to experience differentiation in action
and work alongside my supervising teacher, seeing how exactly the teachers put differentiation
into practice. We had two weekly development meetings on differentiation as well as regular
one on one meetings with the stage coordinator who was able to provide constructive feedback
to teachers on their differentiation within lessons and give them ideas and guidance. Taking
what I saw on prac into consideration and linking to the research, it inspires me to want to work
in a school that supports differentiation to an in depth level as well as wanting to maintain a
high level of reflection on my teaching. I feel that if I remain open to change and challenging
myself, constantly moving forward, my skills in differentiation will continue to develop with
time and experience.
Another strategy said to be vital in developing differentiation strategies and skills is being able
to develop a clear understanding of what students learning strengths and needs are (Australian
Government, 2015). This is something I can implement as a teacher in order to assist me with
planning lessons based around my students needs and strengths. This will also be a good way of
getting to know my students better and assist in building a relationship with them.
Reflecting back to my prac experience I also observed teachers working with other teachers and
parents in order to develop goals for their students with additional needs. Granata (2015)
mentions the importance of teachers working alongside staff members who have an academic,
emotional or social relationship with the student with additional needs. When working with
these staff members who know the student, target strengths are identified as well as areas for
improvement (Granata, 2015). Seeing this put into practice during my prac experience I can see
how it really works as teachers were made aware of aspects of the students needs and strengths

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from other staff members who had a relationship with that student, which may have gone
undetected otherwise.
To conclude, as a result of the research I have conducted within my inclusive education units as
well as the experiences I have been exposed to whilst on prac, I have established that I want to
definitely adopt and maintain a reflective teaching practice as well as ensure that I am finding
out about the learning needs and strengths of my students.

Reference list
Australian Government. (2015). Effective Practices in Literacy and Numeracy. Retrieved from
http://www.cese.nsw.gov.au/EffectivePractices/index.php/effective-practices/effectivepedagogical-practices
BOS. (2006). Human Society & Its Environment K-6 Syllabus. Retrieved from
http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/93415130-2afa-4654-a740cf3d399d2627/k6_hsie_syl.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Granata, K,. (2015). Education World. Principal: Teachers Need to Work Together to
Differentiate Instruction. Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/Principal_Encourages_Teachers_Team_Up_Peers
Noble, T,. (2004). Integrating the Revised Blooms Taxonomy With Multiple Intelligences: A
Planning Tool for Curriculum Differentiation. Retrieved from
http://www.bounceback.com.au/sites/default/files/Integrating%20the%20Revised%20Bloom
%E2%80%99s%20Taxonomy%20With%20Multiple%20Intelligences_0.pdf
UNESCO. (2004). Changing Teaching Practices using curriculum differentiation to respond to
students diversity. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001365/136583e.pdf