AITSL Standard 3.1: Establish challenging learning goals

Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics

Picture 1 - modelling fonts

Picture 2 - collaborative learning

AITSL STANDARD 3.1 Evidence

(Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2014)

Situation

Create a literacy activity that is challenging but achievable for each individual student. Teaching with the student in mind is essential to ensure all students feel safe and in control of their learning (Tomlinson, 2010).

• Five students have learning difficulties such as dyslexia, Asperger’s and literacy difficulties.
• Six advanced learners work at grade 5 level.
• Students are socially active with highly stimulated imaginations.
• Enjoy playing social games such as card games. This age group is at a very social stage of their cognitive development (Hoffnung, Hoffnung, Seifert, Burton Smith, Hine, Ward & Pausé, 2013).

Action

• Differentiation - I tailored the skill level required to each student’s learning needs by altering the learning goals and difficulty for each learning ability, varying levels of participation, and changing the way students respond to the task (Smith, Palloway, Patton, Dowdy, 2012).
• Visual and tactile learners lacking confidence in writing have a sense of accomplishment and control over their work by drawing and designing.
• Students with learning difficulties observed a playing card example to prompt them with ideas. Working together in groups they chose one letter to write in one chosen font.
• The competent students designed their own card with two different words in two different chosen fonts.
• Advanced learners were challenged with a task extension of writing their reasoning for their chosen fonts.

• Scaffolding:

• Modelling (picture 1) an example of the different fonts on the board to scaffold students learning and ensure the activity was achievable for all students.
• Collaborative learning (picture 2) – Working in pairs or groups for students to connect with each other socially, collaborate by sharing their ideas, knowledge to scaffold each other’s learning (Sullivan, 2011). The social context impacts the development of cognitive abilities (Eddles-Hirsch, Vaille, Rogers, McCormick, 2010).

• Interests – Creating an activity related to students’ personal interests, designing a playing card, was a strategy used to ensure all students would be engaged in the learning task (Simon, 1995).

Results

Personalising the activity to students' social needs and interest in playing cards encouraged all students to engage in learning. Differentiating the task to each learning ability provided an equal opportunity for each student to be challenged within their own level of understanding and successfully accomplish the learning outcome (Ashman, 2015; Sullivan, 2011). Learning a new concept within a context they understood gave them an achievable challenge. Modelling and collaborative learning successfully scaffolded students' learning – the clear expectations and peer support provided a safe learning environment. Students eagerly engaged each other’s knowledge and creative ideas to complete the challenge together.

References

• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
• Ashman, A. (2015). Education for inclusion and diversity (5^th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
• Eddles-Hirsch, K., Vaille, W., Rogers, K.B., & McCormick, J. (2010). “Just challenge those high-ability learners and they’ll be all right!” The impact of social context and challenging instruction on the affective development of high ability students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 22 (1), 102-124.
• Hoffnung, H., Hoffnung, R., Seifert, K.L., Burton Smith, R., Hine, A., Ward, L. & Pausé, C. (2013). Lifespan development: A chronological approach. QLD: John Wiley & Sons.
• Simon, M. A. (1995). Reconstructing mathematics pedagogy from a constructivist perspective. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (26)2, 114-145. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Smith, T.E.C., Palloway, E.A., Patton, J.R., Dowdy, C.A. (2012). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings (6th ed.). Boston. Pearson.
• Sullivan, P. (2011). Teaching mathematics: Using research informed strategies. Australian Education Review. Melbourne: ACER Press.
• Tomlinson, C. (2010). What is Differentiated Instruction? University of Virginia: Institutes on Academic Diversity. Retrieved from http://differentiationcentral.com/DIis.html