The evidence provided for focus area 2.3 are screenshots of a lesson plan which shows how I used the Australian Curriculum to design a lesson about maps. The learning goals for this lesson was developed from the achievement standards indicated in the Mathematics learning area in the Year 2 curriculum: ‘By the end of Year 2, students interpret simple maps of locations’ (ACARA 2018). This lesson was designed to help students achieve the success criterion, as the lesson scaffolds and builds upon their prior knowledge and learning.

The introduction part of the lesson recapped and referred back to the previous mapping lesson which occurred the day before. The previous lesson involved students interpreting a pirate map, including working in groups to provide directions for the treasure. That lesson was concluded with a discussion about how they went with giving directions and which groups were successful/unsuccessful. Questioning and having a discussion with the students became a good assessment strategy for me to find out what their prior knowledge is – by knowing what the students have learnt from the previous lesson and what they still need to learn about interpreting maps. This form of assessment according to Black & Wiliam is a formative assessment, where evidence is used to adapt teaching (2010, p. 82). The prior lesson helped me plan this lesson, as I learnt that the students still need more information about maps. After consulting with my supervising teacher, it was decided that for the development section of the lesson, an interactive map activity as a whole class would help students learn to interpret maps the best. Teachers who work together to develop plans and collaborate become powerful in impacting students’ learning (Hattie 2012, p. 37). Planning for this lesson was collaborative effort between my supervising teacher and I, which I believe also contributed to helping students achieve the success criteria effectively.

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2018, F-10 Curriculum: Mathematics – Year 2, ACARA, viewed 29 October 2020, <https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics>.

Black, P & Wiliam, D 2010, ‘Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment’, Kappan Classic Magazine, vol. 92, no. 1, pp. 81-90.

Hattie, J 2012, Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning, Routledge Publishing, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon.