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SID: 18593512
DTL Assignment 2
PART A:
1.2. Understand how students learn
The sample history lesson plan from the Board of Studies satisfies focus area 1.2s
descriptor 1.2.1 demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students
learn and the implications for teaching (AITSL, 2011, p. 8). The students, guided by the
teacher, are required to engage with the learning material three times, with increasing levels
of engagement (BOSTES NSW, n.d.). This scaffolded instruction indicates an understanding
of Vygotskys research regarding teachers assisting students in their movement through the
zone of proximal development (Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014). The lesson plan could also
allow the use of visual imagery, which could help both Indigenous and non-Indigenous
students (Kearins, 1986: Foos & Goolskian, 2005). This could be achieved in stage three of
the lesson by creating a mind map of the lesson material on the computer, then distributing it
to students via email.
2.2. Content selection and organization
Descriptor 2.2.1 Organize content into an effective learning and teaching sequence,
from focus area 2.2 is achieved through use of scaffolded instruction (AITSL, 2011, p. 10).
The use of scaffolded instruction, as informed by Vygotskys views, has already been
described above. The lesson plan could be improved by including a stage for defining
important but more obscure terms such as industrial and persecution so that students
whose second language is English and less literate students can be sure to follow the lesson.
This stage would only have to be five minutes long and could be performed at the end of
stage one of the lesson. This time could be taken from the other four stages equally,
shortening them by less than two minutes each.
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote
reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Focus area 2.4s descriptor 2.4.1 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of
and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages is
achieved in the lesson plan by including information on the suffering of Indigenous peoples
as a result of European migrations (AITSL, 2011, p. 11: BOSTES, n.d.). This relates directly

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to one of the outcomes of the lesson plan, HT54 explains and analyses the causes and
effects of events and developments in the modern world and Australia as it relates to the
effect of European population movement on Australian history (BOSTES, n. d.). This would
portray a negative event in the history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, but
would nonetheless display respect for Indigenous Australians by being open about the
historical suffering of their people. It would facilitate reconciliation due to this respect and
being open about the wrongness of what was done to them.
4.1. Support student participation
The lesson plan makes use of group learning, satisfying descriptor 4.1.1 Identify
strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities
from focus area 4.1 (AITSL, 2011, p. 14). The lesson plan allows the option of letting
students work in groups in the second, third and fourth stages of the lesson. This encourages
students to collaboratively engage with the lesson material. Students of differing levels of
understanding will be thus able help and be helped by each other. Thus, the lesson plan
supports cooperative, inclusive learning.
PART B:
Section 1:
1.2.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the
implications for teaching
The lesson plan could cater to the needs of diverse students by satisfying descriptor
1.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the
implications for teaching (AITSL, 2011, p. 8). It could do this by adding visual stimulus to
what is otherwise a literature-based lesson. In stage three of the lesson ICT could be used to
draw up a mind map of the information teacher guides students to extract from the text. This
could then be distributed via the student email network. This would help Aboriginal children
as they have been shown to have above average spatial memory skills (Kearins, 1986).
Moreover, research has shown that humans most easily remember visual information. (Foos
& Goolskian, 2005). Thus, the use of a mind map in addition to written notes would be
beneficial to all students, catering to both individual and class learning needs.
2.2.1 Organize content into an effective learning and teaching sequence

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Descriptor 2.2.1 Organize content into an effective learning and teaching sequence
caters to the needs of less English-literate students (AITSL, 2011, p. 10). Bilingual students
can require additional help due to being less familiar with the language used to teach them
(Bradford, Russel & Wyse, 2013). Also, lower socioeconomic status students tend to be less
literate than their peers (Korat & Shamir, 2008). Thus content like unusual historical terms
should be clarified for the sake of students ability to follow the lesson. The lesson plan in
question has been described as able to achieve descriptor 2.2.1 by introducing a five-minute
step into the teaching sequence, focusing on breaking down and explaining difficult terms.
For example, the lesson plan makes use of the terms industrial, persecution and
emigration. Less English-literate students may be less familiar with these terms, and if not
informed may be unable to understand lesson elements such as the industrial revolution,
religious persecution, and forced emigration. It is important to note that even though the
needs of less English-literate individuals do not necessarily match those of the entire class,
the class as a whole would not be disadvantaged by the inclusion of this stage. The stage
would be brief and help even more literate students to consolidate their knowledge.
2.4.1 Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages
Descriptor 2.4.1 demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages requires teachers to
cater to the needs of Indigenous Australian students. (AITSL, 2011, p. 11). The lesson plan in
question caters to the learning needs of Indigenous Australians by engaging with Aboriginal
history. Stage-environment fit (SEF) theory claims that adolescents experience reduced
motivation at school as a result of not meeting their needs for social connectedness and
autonomy (Ullman, 2014). Ullman (2014) demonstrates a connection between perceived
teacher-care and student motivation, demonstrating the causal relationship between
experiences of belonging at school and student motivation, as per SEF theory. By including
Aboriginal history in a lesson, the teacher communicates an acceptance of the importance of
Aboriginal history, and subsequently the acceptance of Aboriginal identity. This would
increase the sense of belonging and social connectedness Aboriginal students experience in
the classroom, which according to SEF theory would increase their academic motivation and
engagement.
4.1.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in
classroom activities

In the lesson plan descriptor 4.1.1 Identify strategies to support inclusive student
participation and engagement in classroom activities is satisfied through provision for group
completion of stages two through four of the the lesson (AITSL, 2011, p. 14: BOSTES, n.d.).
By allowing students to work in groups, the teacher utilises the collective knowledge of the
students. This is useful in that it means the students can collaborate to help each other learn,
relieving the teacher of some of the load of assisting them. Lesson time is finite, and a teacher
cannot always help each individual student to the degree he or she might like to. Less
English-literate students will be more able to ask their peers for help with unfamiliar
vocabulary, and shy students who would not usually speak up in class may be more willing to
seek help from a more intimate group. This would free up the teacher to help only those who
need it most, whilst simultaneously catering to the diverse needs of students through
facilitating peer assistance.
Section 2:
Peer feedback resulted in alterations to the explanations of focus areas 2.2, 2.4 and 1.2
in Part A of this report. Descriptor 1.2.1 was originally explained as able to be satisfied by
allowing students to use pictorial notation alongside written notation during the lesson. My
peers pointed out that this was very vague and unguided and recommended the use of ICT to
give a more unified approach to providing students with visual stimulus. The definition stage
added to the lesson plan to help satisfy focus area 2.2 originally had no time limit. My peers
felt this put the other stages at risk of being neglected, so the time limit of five minutes was
applied, shortening the other stages negligibly. Focus area 2.4 replaced focus area 2.1 because
my peers felt that 2.4 was more relevant to catering to the needs of Indigenous Australians
than 2.1, which focuses on content and teaching strategies more generally. At the time I was
already emphasising the needs of Indigenous students. The explanation of focus area 4.1 was
not modified as a result of peer feedback. One of my peers felt that group-work should
involve grouping students based on classification. I took this to mean classifying students
by ability and group those of similar ability together, much as some class groupings are made.
I decided this was a bad idea, as even gifted students learn better in groups of mixed ability
(French, Walker & Shore, 2011).