victorian school of languages victorian curriculum f-10 ......victorian curriculum f-10: languages -...

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages - Teacher Planning and Assessment Handbook

Victorian School of Languages

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages Teacher Planning & Assessment Handbook

Foundation – Year 10

TEACHER: _______________________________________________________

LANGUAGE: _______________________________________________________

YEAR LEVEL(S): _______________________________________________________

CENTRE: _______________________________________________________

ROOM: _______________________________________________________

THIS IS FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE AND MAY BE TAKEN HOME

Victorian School of Languages

315 Clarendon Street, Thornbury 3071

(PO Box 1172)

P: (03) 9474 0500

F: (03) 9416 8598

E: [email protected]

Web: www.vsl.vic.edu.au

© Copyright 2020 Victorian School of Languages

1


Foreword

The Victorian Curriculum: F-10 Languages, Teacher Planning & Assessment Handbook has

been prepared to assist teachers to plan and assess a language course for Foundation-Year 10 students,

in accordance with the requirements of the Victorian curriculum framework. It is based on curriculum documentation provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Teachers should

refer to http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ for further information on the Victorian

Curriculum.

Victorian Curriculum F-10 summary

• The Victorian Curriculum is structured by levels of learning achievement, not years of schooling. This

enables the development of targeted learning programs for all students, where the curriculum is planned

in relation to the actual learning level of each student rather than their assumed level of learning.

• The Victorian Curriculum includes four capabilities against which teachers will be expected to report

student learning: critical and creative thinking; personal and social; intercultural; and ethical. The

Victorian Curriculum design represents the capabilities as sets of knowledge and skills that can and often

should be taught through the disciplines but are not fully defined by any of the disciplines. These

capabilities enable students to develop the values, dispositions and self-efficacy often associated with

‘21st-century skills’. In the Victorian Curriculum, these capabilities include standards that enable

teachers to monitor and report on student progress.

• The Australian Curriculum did not include a language specific curriculum for every language taught in

Victorian schools. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects

Victorian priorities and standards. The VCAA has developed a curriculum for Roman and Non-Roman

Alphabet languages which will allow any world language to be offered by a Victorian school. Currently

more than 45 languages are taught in Victorian schools. The Victorian Curriculum: Languages which is

based on the Australian Curriculum provides language specific curriculums focusing on the distinctive

nature of languages and the communities who use them. Each language has its own curriculum content

and achievement standards.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks is extended to staff from the Victorian School of Languages who have contributed to the

development of the 2019 Victorian Curriculum: F-10 Languages, Teacher Planning & Assessment Handbook.

The school is also indebted to the VCAA for making material available for inclusion, and in particular

to the Languages Section for advice during the preparation of the manual.

At the time of publication every attempt was made to confirm the accuracy of the content. Teachers are

reminded to check the VCAA publications as they become available during the course of the year as well as future updates regarding Victorian Curriculum.

Victorian CurriculumF-10: Languages, Teacher Planning & Assessment Handbook 2020 prepared by: Angela Natoli, Assistant Principal: Curriculum & Professional Development

2


Contents From the Principal 1

Planning Calendars 2 Important Dates for Teachers 2020 3

VSL Centre (Saturday) Class Dates 2020 4

Assessment Planning Calendar 2020 5

Personal Directory 6

Implementing the Education State at the VSL 7 What is DETs Vision for Learning? 8

The Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 9

Practice Principles Summary 10

The Five Domains of the Pedagogical Model Overview 13

High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) 14

Victorian Curriculum Foundation-Year 10 Overview 16 Victorian Curriculum Foundation-Year 10 Quick Guide 17

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages 22

Victorian Curriculum Language Framework Categories 23

Victorian Curriculum F-10 Languages Rationale and Aims 24

Planning a F-10 Language Course 30 Victorian Curriculum F-10 Program Summary 31

Sample Unit of Work: To assist you with your lesson planning/program 32

Lesson Planning 33 Explicit Instructional Model 34

Explicit Instructional Lesson Plan Template 35

Learning Intentions 37

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in your Classroom 38

Learning Intentions Activity: Lesson Template 43

Lesson Plans 44

Weekly Lesson Plan Template 45

Tips for creating a productive classroom 46

Catering for mixed ability Language classes 47

Further suggested activities for mixed ability classes 48

Assessment 49 Guide to Assessment Planning 50

Guide to Formative and Assessment Rubrics 51

Developing a formative assessment rubric 56

Refining the Rubric to support Consistent Assessment 61

Group Work Assessment Rubric 64

Interview Assessment Rubric 65

Making a Brochure Assessment Rubric 66

Making a Poster Assessment Rubric 67

Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric 68

Reading – Analysing Information Assessment Rubric 69

Reflective Questions to Ask at the End of Class 70

Characteristics of Effective Assessment 71

Student Assessment and Writing Reports 73

F-10 Parent-Teacher - Student Conference 74

Student Passports 75 Monitoring personal learning goals 77

Student Success Plan & Portfolio examples 79

Curriculum Planning Models 80

Observation Checklist 84

Collaborative Learning Strategies 85

Some websites for Course planning, Assessment & Professional Learning for Languages 87

Victorian School of Languages Contacts 88

Languages taught at the VSL 88

VSL Centres 89

Appendix 92

3


From the Principal

Dear Language Teacher,

The Victorian School of Languages began in 1935. It is proud to be a complementary provider and to be of assistance to schools of all three sectors (Government, Catholic and Independent). The teaching

of languages is an exciting but challenging task, and all language teachers need mutual support.

I am pleased to present the 2020 edition of the Victorian Curriculum Handbook Teacher Planning & Assessment Guide Foundation-Year 10 prepared by the Victorian School of Languages.

This publication has been prepared by Angela Natoli, Assistant Principal: Curriculum and Professional Development. A special thank you is extended to her and to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment

Authority (VCAA) for contributing to the contents.

I trust that you will find this information valuable and helpful in the conduct of your classes and the

effective implementation of the Victorian Curriculum: Foundation-Year 10

The handbook is to be used together with your language specific Victorian Curriculum Framework and other VCAA materials which are downloadable from the VCAA website (www.vcaa.vic.edu.au).

Schools have the responsibility of implementing the VCAA policies and programs. This material has been prepared to assist teachers and school administrators to carry out their responsibilities.

As educational policies are continually evolving, you are advised to keep abreast of the latest

pedagogical and procedural developments published periodically in VCAA circulars, bulletins and support papers. The contents of this manual are correct at the time of printing.

Wishing you all a very rewarding year

Frank Merlino

PRINCIPAL

4


Planning Calendars

5


Important Dates for Teachers 2020 SEMESTER 1

January 28 Term 1 begins February 1 Professional Development Day for all centre staff (Area Based) – 3 hours

February 8 Beginning of VSL Semester 1 - 1st Saturday of 2020 centre classes

February 26 VSL New Teachers Induction (Professional Development)

March 7 Holiday – Labour Day (no classes)

March 21 Semester 1 Program summary due

March 25 Centre Coordinators Meeting – Thornbury

March 27 End of Term 1 April 14 (Tues) Term 2 begins April 25 Holiday - Anzac Day (No Classes)

June 6 Holiday-Queen’s Birthday (no classes)

June 10 General Achievement Test (GAT)

June 26 End of Term 2 June 27 VCE only classes/ Last day of Semester 1 / Distribution of reports

SEMESTER 2

July 13 Term 3 begins August 8 VSL Centre PD Day – 3 hours

August 15 Semester 2 Program Summary due

September 12 Last day of Term 3 for Years F-10

September 18 End of Term 3 September 19 VCE only classes – End of Term 3 - Distribution of Year 12 progress report

October 5 Term 4 begins November 28 Final day for Years F – 10 and Semester 2 report distribution

December 18 End of Term 4

6


VSL Centre (Saturday) Class Dates 2020

Term 1

Feb 1 Professional Development 8 _______________________

15 ________________________

22 ________________________

29 ________________________

March 7 Holiday – Labour Day weekend

14_________________________ 21 _________________________

(Good Friday is on 10 April)

6 F-10 sessions / 6 VCE sessions

plus 1 PD session

Term 3

July 18 + 45m _________________________

25 + 45m _________________________

Aug 1 + 45m ________________________

8 Professional Development 15 + 45m ________________________

22 + 45m ________________________

29 + 45m________________________ Sept 5 + 45m _______________________

12 + 45m ________________________ 19 VCE Only Classes + 45m


plus 1 PD session

Term 2 April 18 __________________________

25 Anzac Day Holiday

May 2 _________________________ 9 __________________________

16 __________________________

23 + 45m _____________________

30 + 45m _____________________

June 6 Holiday Queen’s Birthday

13 + 45m _____________________

20 + 45m _____________________

27 VCE Only Classes + 45m

F-10 Report Distribution Day(Anzac Day is on Saturday 25th April)


plus 1 Reporting session

Term 4 Oct 10 + 45m _________________________

17 + 45m ________________________ 24 _________________________

31 _________________________

Nov 7 _________________________

14 _________________________

21 _________________________

28 _________________________ 8 F-10 sessions / 6 VCE sessions

Nov 14 Final day VCE students Nov 28 Final day Years F-10

(CCAFL Written Exam is on 20 October) (Cup Day is on Tue 3 November)

Government School TERM DATES – 2020 Term 1 28 Jan (teachers begin) – 27 March Term 2 14 April – 26 June Term 3 13 July – 18 September Term 4 5 October – 18 December

NOTE: +45 is for VCE CCAFL & Selected VCE Classes only

7

Vict

oria

n Cu

rric

ulum

F-1

0: L

angu

ages

- Te

ache

r Pla

nnin

g an

d As

sess

men

t Han

dboo

k

Ass

essm

ent P

lann

ing

Cal

enda

r 20

20Se

mes

ter

1 Se

mes

ter

2

Ter

m 1

F-

67-

10T

erm

3

F-6

7-10

Febr

uary

1

Prof

essi

onal

Dev

elop

men

t (3

hou

rs)

No

Cla

sses

Ju

ly

18

8 25

15

Aug

ust

1

22

8 Pr

ofes

sion

al D

evel

opm

ent

(3 h

ours

) N

o C

lass

es

29

15

Sem

2

Prog

ram

Su

mm

ary

Due

M

arch

7

Hol

iday

– L

abou

r D

ay

No

Cla

sses

22

14

Sem

1 P

rogr

am S

umm

ary

Due

29

21

Sept

embe

r 5

Ter

m 2

F-

67-

1012

Apr

il 18

19

V

CE

onl

y cl

asse

s

25

Hol

iday

– A

nzac

Day

N

o C

lass

es

Ter

m 4

F-

67-

10

May

2

Oct

ober

10

9 17

16

24

23

31

30

Nov

embe

r 7

June

6

Hol

iday

– Q

ueen

’s B

irth

day

No

Cla

sses

14

13

21

20

28

Yea

rs F

– 1

0 Fi

nal D

ay

Sem

este

r 2

Rep

ort d

istr

ibut

ion

27

F-12

Rep

ort d

istr

ibut

ion

VC

E o

nly

clas

ses

8


Personal Directory

Area Manager

Name

Telephone School hours: After hours:

Fax Email

Supervisor

Name


Email

Language Coordinators

Name


Email

Name


Email

Key contacts in my Language faculty

Name

Telephone

Email

Name

Telephone

Email

Name

Telephone

Email

9


Implementing the Education State at the VSL

10


What is DETs Vision for Learning?

‘All students are empowered to learn and achieve, to experience high quality teaching

practice and the best conditions for learning which equip them with the knowledge, skills

and dispositions for lifelong learning and to shape the world around them.’

In Victoria, our Vision for Learning articulates our aspirations and beliefs about teaching and learning. With students at its centre, the Vision outlines our aspiration for all students to achieve and grow as learners, and to generate their own course for lifelong learning. Students will be empowered to take ownership of their learning, to make purposeful contributions to their learning environments, and to tackle issues arising in the world around them.

The Vision for Learning also recognises the central role of teachers as they use expert knowledge, skills and dispositions as designers. They develop engaging and challenging learning programs and create the optimal conditions for student learning, including supporting parents as first educators and partners in education. Teachers model lifelong learning as they build reflection and deep levels of thinking into their practice and challenge themselves and their students to co-construct and apply new knowledge.

Victoria’s Vision for Learning creates the narrative for change, and draws our focus to the values and beliefs at the heart of teaching and learning. For teachers and school leaders in Victorian schools it provides a starting point for a close analysis of school culture and professional practice.

Framework for Improving Student Outcomes

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes has been developed to help us work together to dramatically increase the focus on student learning in schools.

Published by the Department of Education and Training, Melbourne, June 2018. © State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) 2018

The FISO Priority Areas are: Excellence in teaching and learning, Professional Leadership, Positive climate for learning, Community engagement in Learning.

The six FISO Dimensions with the highest impact are called the high-impact Improvement Initiatives.

These high-impact Improvement Initiatives are:1. Building practice excellence2. Curriculum planning and assessment3. Building leadership teams4. Empowering students and building school

pride5. Setting expectations and promoting inclusion6. Building Communities

** The VSL Strategic Plan for 2016-2019 Key Improvement Goals are based on the first 3 FISOdimensions

11

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages - Teacher Planning and Assessm

ent Handbook

Published by the Departm

ent of Education and Training, M

elbourne, June 2018. ©

State of Victoria (D

epartment of Education and Training) 2018

12


Practice Principles Summary

FISO Priority Practice Principles

Quote Theory of Action Action

Positive climate for learning

1. Highexpectations forevery studentpromoteintellectualengagement andself-awareness

‘Our role [as teachers] is not to enable students to reach their potential, or to meet their needs; our role is to find out what students can do, and make them exceed their potential and needs.’ - John Hattie, 2012

When teachers model and sustain high expectations as part of their regular classroom practice, students’ intrinsic motivation to achieve is lifted and outcomes improve.

1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students

1.2 Teachers co-design aspirational goals with students

1.3 Teachers scaffold and differentiate learning to enable students to achieve their goals

1.4 Teachers build student capacity to monitor and evaluate their own progress and achievement

2. A supportiveand productivelearningenvironmentpromotesinclusion andcollaboration

‘One of the first steps to communicating high expectations for all students is to help them feel valued and respected.’ - Robert Marzano,2017

When the teacher maintains a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment, students will be motivated, collaborative and productive.

2. 1 Teachers build quality relationships that enhance student engagement, self-confidence and growth as a learner\

2. 2 Teachers ensure all students’ cultural backgrounds, needs and abilities are recognised and addressed in the learning program

2. 3 Teachers develop student capacity to collaborate

2. 4 Teachers maintain an energised and focused learning environment

3. Studentvoice, agencyand leadershipempowerstudents andbuild schoolpride

‘When students believe they are being heard and influencing decisions, schools become more relevant to students’ lives and are more likely to be seen as serving their needs.’ - Russell Quaglia &Michael Corso, 2014

When students are empowered as learners and leaders, actively contributing to both their own education and to whole school initiatives, their self-efficacy is enhanced and they experience significant growth in motivation, wellbeing and achievement.

3. 1 Teachers empower students to have a democratic voice in the running of the communities in which they learn

3. 2 Teachers co-design opportunities for students to exercise authentic agency in their own learning

3. 3 Teachers co-design leadership opportunities

3. 4 Teachers build school pride and connectedness

Excellence in teaching and learning

4. Curriculumplanning andimplementationengages andchallenges allstudents

‘What you teach is as important as how you teach it, and the better your teaching craft, the greater the benefits resulting from a choice of rigorous content.’ - Doug Lemov, 2015

When learning plans integrate the Victorian Curriculum, instructional practices and assessment strategies into coherent, sequential and contextually relevant programs, they can address the learning needs of all students.

4. 1 Teachers place student needs at the centre of program planning and delivery

4. 2 Teachers collaboratively design and implement a scope and sequence of learning

4. 3 Teachers regularly review and update learning programs in line with school curriculum plans

5. Deep learningchallengesstudents toconstruct andapply newknowledge

‘Deep learning is more natural to the human condition because it more clearly connects with our core motivations: to directly and deeply engage in learning; and to do things that truly make a difference to our lives and the world.’ - Michael Fullan &Maria Langworthy,2014

When students are challenged to move from surface knowledge to deeper levels of understanding, they are more engaged and committed to extend and apply their learning.

5.1 Teachers design learning programs to explicitly build deep levels of thinking and application

5.2 Teachers support students to explore the construction of knowledge

5.3 Teachers support students to be reflective, questioning and self-monitoring learners

13


Published by the Department of Education and Training, Melbourne, June 2018.

© State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) 2018

FISO Priority Practice Principles

Quote Theory of Action Action

Excellence in teaching anearning

6. Rigorousassessmentpractices andfeedback informteaching andlearning

‘Professionals use assessments to better understand the presenting situation or problem, to identify starting points for action, to decide on appropriate evidence-based interventions, to monitor progress, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the decisions they make.’ - Geoff Masters, 2013

When multiple forms of assessment and feedback inform teaching and learning practices, student engagement and achievement are enhanced.

61 Teachers design authentic, fit for purpose assessments to reflect the learning program and objectives

62 Teachers moderate student assessment and use data to diagnose student learning needs and plan for learning

63 Teachers provide regular feedback to students on their progress against individual learning goals and curriculum standards

64 Teachers analyse student achievement data to improve their practice

7. Evidence-based strategiesdriveprofessionalpracticeimprovement

‘The remarkable feature of the evidence is that the biggest effects on student learning occur when teachers become learners of their own teaching.’ - John Hattie, 2009

When teachers improve their knowledge and skills using evidence-based strategies, they are more precise and purposeful in their practice.

7.1 Teachers evaluate the impact of teaching on learning by analysing multiple sources of data

7.2 Teachers identify and target areas for professional learning

7.3 Teachers draw on current research and use an inquiry improvement cycle

7.4 Teachers challenge and support each other to improve practice

Community engagement in learning

8. Globalcitizenship isfostered throughreal worldcontexts forlearning

‘We need each other, we always have, but the price of failure to work with others near and far has become unsustainable.’ - Joyce, Weil &Calhoun, 2014

When students are empowered to recognise themselves as global citizens, they are more likely to identify and understand a range of perspectives, develop solutions and take actions that have a genuine impact on self and others.

8.1 Teachers support students to explore their role as global citizens

8.2 Teachers model and facilitate using digital tools and resources to access, use and share learning

8.3 Teachers and students co-design learning that connects to real world contexts

8.4 Teachers and students collaborate in learning partnerships in and beyond the school

9. Partnershipswith parents andcarers enhancestudent learning

‘When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.’ - Henderson & Mapp,2002

When teachers recognise the role of parents and carers as first educators and engage them in school learning programs, students are more likely to experience an inclusive education within and beyond the classroom.

9.1 Teachers establish open and sustained communications with parents/carers

9.2 Teachers seek and use parents’/carers’ knowledge and feedback

9.3 Teachers facilitate parent/carer involvement in education within the classroom, school and beyond

14


The Vision for Learning and the Practice Principles will support school improvement across the eight FISO Essential Elements for School Improvement:

1. Documented curriculum plan, assessment and shared pedagogical approaches2. School-based professional learning program developed and implemented that supports the school’s

identified improvement strategies3. School improvement team formed to develop, oversee and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the

Annual Implementation Plan4. Student voice, leadership and agency in own learning activated so that students have positive school

experiences and can act as partners in school improvement5. Whole school approach to health, wellbeing, inclusion and engagement6. Moderation of common student assessment tasks7. Data collection, analysis and evaluation of student learning growth over time8. Explicit use of evidenced-based school improvement strategies and teacher professional practice

activities

Pedagogical Model Engage-Explore-Explain-Elaborate-Evaluate

The Pedagogical Model places student learning at the centre of planning and implementation. It supports teachers to design engaging and challenging learning experiences through planned integration of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

Teachers build professional skills and knowledge around curriculum, pedagogy and assessment to continuously enhance their practice and improve student learning. Developing expertise across those essential interrelated components builds practice excellence.

The Victorian Curriculum F-10 defines the learning progressions that guide student learning growth. It is the role of teachers and school leaders to create engaging learning and teaching programs, drawing on their knowledge of local context, effective pedagogy and rigorous assessment, to ensure that students progress along this continuum.

Using the Pedagogical Model, teachers can collaborate to consider the following elements as part of their planning, classroom practice and reflection.



15


The Five Domains of the Pedagogical Model Overview

ENGAGE EXPLORE EXPLAIN ELABORATE EVALUATE Teachers know their students well and engage them in building supportive, inclusive and stimulating learning environments. Teachers motivate and empower students to manage their own learning and develop agency.

Teachers present challenging tasks to support students in generating and investigating questions, gathering relevant information and developing ideas. They help students expand their perspectives and preconceptions, understand learning tasks and prepare to navigate their own learning.

Teachers explicitly teach relevant knowledge, concepts and skills in multiple ways to connect new and existing knowledge. They monitor student progress in learning and provide structured opportunities for practising new skills and developing agency.

Teachers challenge students to move from surface to deep learning, building student ability to transfer and generalise their learning. They support students to be reflective, questioning and self-monitoring learners.

Teachers use multiple forms of assessment and feedback to help students improve their learning and develop agency. They monitor student progress and analyse data to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of their teaching practices, identify areas for improvement and address student individual needs.

DOMAIN IS ALIGNED TO THE FOLLOWING PRACTICE PRINCIPLES AND ACTIONS 1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students

2.1 Teachers build quality relationships that enhance student engagement, self-confidence and growth as a learner 2.2 Teachers ensure all students’ cultural backgrounds, needs and abilities are recognised and addressed in the learning program 2.4 Teachers maintain an energised and focused learning environment

3.1 Teachers empower students to have a democratic voice in the running of the communities in which they learn 3.3 Teachers provide leadership opportunities 3.4 Teachers build school pride and connectedness

4.1 Teachers place student needs at the centre of program planning and delivery

8.4 Teachers and students collaborate in learning partnerships in and beyond the school

9.1 Teachers establish open and sustained communications with parents/carers 9.3 Teachers facilitate parental/carer involvement in education within the classroom, school and beyond

1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students 1.2 Teachers co-design aspirational goals with students 1.3 Teachers scaffold and differentiate learning to enable students to achieve their goals

2.3 Teachers develop student capacity to collaborate 2.4 Teachers maintain an energized and focused learning environment

3.1 Teachers empower students to have a democratic voice in the running of the communities in which they learn 3.2 Teachers provide opportunities for students to exercise agency in their own learning 3.3 Teachers provide leadership opportunities

4.1 Teachers place students’ needs at the centre of program planning and delivery

5.3 Teachers support students to be reflective, questioning and self-monitoring learners

6.3 Teachers provide regular feedback to students on their progress against individual learning goals and curriculum standards

8.2 Teachers model and facilitate use of digital tools and resources to access, use and share learning 8.3 Teachers and students co-design learning that connects to real world contexts

9.3 Teachers facilitate parental/carer involvement in education within the classroom, school and beyond

1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students 1.3 Teachers scaffold and differentiate learning to enable students to achieve their goals

3.2 Teachers provide opportunities for students to exercise agency in their own learning

4.1 Teachers place student needs at the centre of program planning and delivery 4.2 Teachers collaboratively design and implement a scope and sequence of learning

5.1 Teachers design learning programs to explicitly build deep levels of thinking and application


1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students

2.3 Teachers develop student capacity to collaborate 2.4 Teachers maintain an energised and focused learning environment

3.1 Teachers empower students to have a democratic voice in the running of the communities in which they learn 3.2 Teachers provide opportunities for students to exercise agency in their own learning 3.3 Teachers provide leadership opportunities

4.1 Teachers place student needs at the centre of program planning and delivery 4.2 Teachers collaboratively design and implement a scope and sequence of learning

5.1 Teachers design learning programs to explicitly build deep levels of thinking and application 5.2 Teachers support students to explore the construction of knowledge 5.3 Teachers support students to be reflective, questioning and self-monitoring learners

6.3 Teachers provide regular feedback to students on their progress against individual learning goals and curriculum standards

7.3 Teachers draw on current research and use an inquiry improvement cycle 7.4 Teaches challenge and support each other to improve practice

8.1 Teachers support students to explore their role as global citizens 8.2 Teachers model and facilitate use of digital tools and resources to access, use and share learning 8.3 Teachers and students co-design learning that connects to real world contexts


1.1 Teachers convey high expectations of learning, effort and engagement for all students 1.4 Teachers build student capacity to monitor and evaluate their own progress and achievement

3.2 Teachers provide opportunities for students to exercise agency in their own learning

4.1 Teachers place students’ needs at the centre of program planning and delivery 4.3 Teachers regularly review and update learning programs in line with school curriculum plans

5.3 Teachers support students to be reflective, questioning and self- monitoring learners

6.1 Teachers design authentic, fit for purpose assessments to reflect the learning program and objectives 6.2 Teachers moderate student assessment and use data to diagnose student learning needs and plan for learning 6.3 Teachers provide regular feedback to students on their progress against individual learning goals and curriculum standards 6.4 Teachers analyse student achievement data to improve their practice

7.1 Teachers evaluate the impact of teaching on learning by analysing multiple sources of data 7.2 Teachers identify and target areas for professional learning 7.3 Teachers draw on current research and use an inquiry improvement cycle 7.4 Teachers challenge and support each other to improve practice

9.1 Teachers establish open and sustained communications with parents/carers 9.2 Teachers seek and use parents’/ carers’ knowledge and feedback 9.3 Teachers facilitate parental/carer involvement in education within the classroom, school and beyond

DOMAIN IS ALIGNED TO THE FOLLOWING HITS: 1 Setting goals 2 Structuring lessons 7 Questioning 10 Differentiation

1 Setting goals 5 Collaborative learning 7 Questioning 8 Feedback 9 Metacognition 10 Differentiation

3 Explicit teaching 4 Worked examples 5 Collaborative learning 6 Multiple exposures 10 Differentiation

4 Worked examples 5 Collaborative learning 6 Multiple exposures 8 Feedback 9 Metacognition

1 Setting goals 8 Feedback 9 Metacognition

16


High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)


SETTING GOALS STRUCTURING LESSONS

EXPLICIT TEACHING

WORKED EXAMPLES

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Overview Lessons have clear learning intentions with goals that clarify what success looks like. Lesson goals always explain what students need to understand, and what they must be able to do. This helps the teacher to plan learning activities, and helps students understand what is required.

Overview A lesson structure maps teaching and learning that occurs in class. Sound lesson structures reinforce routines, scaffold learning via specific steps/activities. They optimise time on task and classroom climate by using smooth transitions. Planned sequencing of teaching and learning activities stimulates and maintains engagement by linking lesson and unit learning.

Overview When teachers adopt explicit teaching practices they clearly show students what to do and how to do it. The teacher decides on learning intentions and success criteria, makes them transparent to students, and demonstrates them by modelling. The teacher checks for understanding, and at the end of each lesson revisits what was covered and ties it all together (Hattie, 2009).

Overview A worked example demonstrates the steps required to complete a task or solve a problem. By scaffolding the learning, worked examples support skill acquisition and reduce a learner’s cognitive load. The teacher presents a worked example and explains each step. Later, students can use worked examples during independent practice, and to review and embed new knowledge.

Overview Collaborative learning occurs when students work in small groups and everyone participates in a learning task. There are many collaborative learning approaches. Each uses varying forms of organisation and tasks. Collaborative learning is supported by designing meaningful tasks. It involves students actively participating in negotiating roles, responsibilities and outcomes.

Key elements • Based on assessed

student needs• Goals are presented

clearly so studentsknow what they areintended to learn

• Can focus on surfaceand/or deep learning

• Challenges studentsrelative to their currentmastery of the topic

• Links to explicitassessment criteria

Key elements • Clear expectations• Sequencing and

linking learning• Clear instructions• Clear transitions• Scaffolding• Questioning/feedback• Formative assessment• Exit cards

Key elements • Shared learning

intentions• Relevant content and

activities• New content is explicitly

introduced and explored• Teacher models

application ofknowledge and skills

• Worked examplessupport independentpractice

• Practice and feedbackloops uncover andaddressmisunderstandings

Key elements • Teacher clarifies the

learning objective, thendemonstrates whatstudents need to do toacquire new knowledgeand master new skills

• Teacher presents stepsrequired to arrive at thesolution so students’cognitive load isreduced and they canfocus on the process

• Students practiceindependently using theworked example as amodel

Key elements • Students work together to

apply previously acquiredknowledge

• Students cooperativelysolve problems usingpreviously acquiredknowledge and skills

• Students work in groupsthat foster peer learning

• Groups of studentscompete against eachother

The HITS are 10 instructional practices that reliably increase student learning wherever they are applied. Mastery of the HITS requires you to draw on both your deep curriculum knowledge and your skills in assessment for, as and of learning. Applying the HITS effectively relies on tapping into your expertise to develop and implement rich, authentic learning tasks. Importantly, adept application of the HITS will stimulate your students to take agency for, and reflect on, their own learning.

17



MULTIPLE EXPOSURES

QUESTIONING FEEDBACK METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES

DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING

Overview Multiple exposures provide students with multiple opportunities to encounter, engage with, and elaborate on new knowledge and skills. Research demonstrates deep learning develops over time via multiple, spaced interactions with new knowledge and concepts. This may require spacing practice over several days, and using different activities to vary the interactions learners have with new knowledge.

Overview Questioning is a powerful tool and effective teachers regularly use it for a range of purposes. It engages students, stimulates interest and curiosity in the learning, and makes links to students’ lives. Questioning opens up opportunities for students to discuss, argue, and express opinions and alternative points of view. Effective questioning yields immediate feedback on student understanding, supports informal and formative assessment, and captures feedback on effectiveness of teaching strategies.

Overview Feedback informs a student and/or teacher about the student’s performance relative to learning goals. Feedback redirects or refocuses teacher and student actions so the student can align effort and activity with a clear outcome that leads to achieving a learning goal. Teachers and peers can provide formal or informal feedback. It can be oral, written, formative or summative. Whatever its form, it comprises specific advice a student can use to improve performance.

Overview Metacognitive strategies teach students to think about their own thinking. When students become aware of the learning process, they gain control over their learning. Metacognition extends to self-regulation, or managing one's own motivation toward learning. Metacognitive activities can include planning how to approach learning tasks, evaluating progress, and monitoring comprehension.

Overview Differentiated teaching are methods teachers use to extend the knowledge and skills of every student in every class, regardless of their starting point. The objective is to lift the performance of all students, including those who are falling behind and those ahead of year level expectations. To ensure all students master objectives, effective teachers plan lessons that incorporate adjustments for content, process, and product.

Key elements • Students have time to

practice what they havelearnt

• Timely feedbackprovides opportunitiesfor immediatecorrection andimprovement

Key elements • Plan questions in

advance for probing,extending, revising andreflecting

• Teachers use openquestions

• Questions used as animmediate source offeedback to trackprogress/understanding

• Cold call and strategicsampling are commonlyused questioningstrategies

Key elements • Precise, timely, specific,

accurate and actionable• Questioning and

assessment is feedbackon teaching practice

• Use student voice toenable student feedbackabout teaching

Key elements • Teaching problem

solving• Teaching study skills• Promotes self-

questioning• Classroom discussion is

an essential feature• Uses concept mapping

Key elements • High quality, evidence

based group instruction• Regular supplemental

instruction• Individualised

interventions



18


Victorian Curriculum Foundation-Year 10

Overview

19

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages - Teacher Planning and Assessment Handbook 20


About

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 sets out a single, coherent and comprehensive set of content descriptions and associated achievement standards to enable teachers to plan, monitor, assess and report on the learning achievement of every student.

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 incorporates and reflects much of the Australian Curriculum F–10, but differs in some important respects, most notably the representation of the curriculum as a continuum of learning and the structural design.

Victorian government and Catholic schools are required to use the Victorian Curriculum F–10. Independent schools may use the Victorian Curriculum F–10 as a model and resource for the effective implementation of the Australian Curriculum.

Curriculum Design

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes eight learning areas and four capabilities. The learning areas of the Arts, Humanities and Technologies include distinct disciplines. The capabilities represent sets of knowledge and skills that are developed and applied across the curriculum.

Learning areas and Capabilities

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes both knowledge and skills. These are defined by learning areas and capabilities. This curriculum design assumes that knowledge and skills are transferrable across the curriculum and therefore are not duplicated. It is expected that the skills and knowledge defined in the capabilities will be developed, practised, deployed and demonstrated by students in and through their learning across the curriculum.

The design of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 is set out below:

Learning areas Capabilities

The Arts • Dance• Drama• Media Arts• Music• Visual Arts• Visual Communication Design

EnglishHealth and Physical EducationThe Humanities

• Civics and Citizenship• Economics and Business• Geography• History

LanguagesMathematicsScienceTechnologies

• Design and Technologies• Digital Technologies

Critical and Creative Thinking

Ethical

Intercultural

Personal and Social

21


Learning areas

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 learning areas are a clear and deliberate reaffirmation of the importance of a discipline-based approach to learning, where learning areas are regarded as both enduring and dynamic.

Capabilities

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 includes capabilities, which are a set of discrete knowledge and skills that can and should be taught explicitly in and through the learning areas, but are not fully defined by any of the learning areas or disciplines. A key distinction between the Australian Curriculum F–10 and the Victorian Curriculum F–10 is the provision of content descriptions and achievement standards in the four capabilities.

The four capabilities in the Victorian Curriculum F–10 are:

• Critical and Creative Thinking

• Ethical

• Intercultural

• Personal and Social

The Australian Curriculum F–10 includes three additional general capabilities:

• Literacy

• Numeracy

• Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 design does not include these three general capabilities as separatelearning areas or capabilities with discrete knowledge and skills.

Given the inclusion of a Literacy strand in English, and the proficiencies of understanding, fluency,problem solving, and reasoning in Mathematics, it is unnecessary to define Literacy and Numeracy as adistinct curriculum. The learning of the skills and knowledge defined by the ICT general capability arenow embedded in student learning across the curriculum.

There is considerable research that identifies the importance of the teaching of literacy and numeracyand ICT in the context of the different curriculum areas. It is both appropriate and necessary that theliteracy, numeracy and ICT requirements be embedded in the curriculum areas.

Literacy

While much of the explicit teaching of literacy occurs in the English learning area, it is strengthened,made specific and extended in other learning areas as students engage in a range of learning activitieswith significant literacy demands.

Standards and levels

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is structured as a continuum across levels of learning achievement notyears of schooling. This enables the development of targeted learning programs for all students, wherethe curriculum is used to plan in relation to the actual learning level of each student rather than theirassumed level of learning based on age.

Each curriculum area includes content descriptions explaining what is to be taught and achievementstandards describing what students are able to understand and do. The achievement standards areprovided in 11 levels for English and Mathematics or in five or six bands for all the other learning areasand capabilities.

Victorian Curriculum Foundation–10: Structure

The achievement standards reflect the emphasis within the broad stages of schooling, these being:

• Foundation stage (Years Prep–2)• Breadth stage (Years 3–8)• Pathways stage (Years 9–10)

Gifted and talented students

22


The Victorian Curriculum F–10 structure enables the curriculum to be used to appropriately target the learning level of each individual student in a class. This includes gifted and talented students who are able to work well above the nominally age expected level of achievement.

Navigation and Terminology

Navigation

Each learning area and capability includes an Introduction and the Curriculum.

Introduction Curriculum

The introduction includes material that will assist teachers to understand the specific purpose and features of the curriculum, and to locate additional documentation. It includes:

• Rationale and Aims

• Structure

• Learning in (the specific curriculum)

• Scope and Sequence

• Glossary

The curriculum sets out the learning continuum and offers a range of viewing options. This is done by selecting a 'view mode' or a level/band within the curriculum area. It includes:

• Level/band descriptions

• Content descriptions organised by strands

• Achievement standards

Terminology

Term Explanation

Achievement standards

Statements that describe what students are typically able to understand and do, and are the basis for reporting student achievement.

Content descriptions

Specific and discrete information identifying what teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn.

Elaborations Non-mandated, advisory examples that provide guidance on how the curriculum may be transformed into a classroom activity or learning opportunity.

Level/Band descriptions

Statements that provide an overview to the content descriptions and achievement standard within the level or band.

Strands Key organising elements within each curriculum area.

Sub-strands Supplementary organising elements within some curriculum areas.

23

Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages - Teacher Planning and Assessment Handbook 24


Victorian Curriculum F-10: Languages

Learning languages in addition to English extends student’s literacy repertoires and their capacity to communicate. It strengthens student’s understanding of the nature of language, culture, and the processes of communication.

Language categories

The languages included in the Victorian Curriculum F–10 are grouped into six categories (outlined in the table below).

All language-specific curriculum has now been released through the Victorian Curriculum F-10.

The VCAA has included generic curriculum for Roman and Non-Roman Alphabet languages, which will allow any world language to be offered by a Victorian school, and the Framework for Classical Languages, which schools can use to develop language-specific programs for Classical languages other than Classical Greek and Latin.

Language Categories Description Specific Languages

Roman Alphabet Languages

These are languages whose writing system, or means of being visually recorded, is Roman alphabetic, and whose reading demands on learners are similar to those of English.

• French

• German

• Indonesian

• Italian

• Spanish

• Turkish

• Vietnamese

• Roman Alphabet Language

Non-Roman Alphabet Languages

These are languages whose writing system is alphabetic but non-Roman, and for which a learner needs to acquire a new alphabet.

• Arabic

• Modern Greek

• Hindi

• Korean

• Non-Roman AlphabetLanguage

Character Languages These are languages whose writing system is either syllabic, ideographic, or a combination of syllables and ideograms, involving different reading processes from alphabet reading, and the learning of the new script.

• Chinese

• Japanese

Classical Languages These are ancient languages which are no longer used as a means of everyday communication by a contemporary community.

• Classical Greek

• Latin

• Framework for ClassicalLanguages*

25


Victorian Curriculum Language Framework Categories

Amharic Non-Roman Alphabet Language Bulgarian Non-Roman Alphabet Language Dari Non-Roman Alphabet Language Gujarati Non-Roman Alphabet Language Hebrew Non-Roman Alphabet Language Kannada Non-Roman Alphabet Language Karen Non-Roman Alphabet Language Khmer Non-Roman Alphabet Language Macedonian Non-Roman Alphabet Language Malayalam Non-Roman Alphabet Language Persian Non-Roman Alphabet Language Punjabi Non-Roman Alphabet Language Russian Non-Roman Alphabet Language Serbian Non-Roman Alphabet Language Sinhala Non-Roman Alphabet Language Tamil Non-Roman Alphabet Language Telugu Non-Roman Alphabet Language Thai Non-Roman Alphabet Language Urdu Non-Roman Alphabet Language Albanian Roman Alphabet Language Bosnian Roman Alphabet Language Chin Falam Roman Alphabet Language Chin Hakha Roman Alphabet Language Chin Matu Roman Alphabet Language Chin Mizo Roman Alphabet Language Croatian Roman Alphabet Language Dinka Roman Alphabet Language Dutch Roman Alphabet Language Filipino (Tagalog) Roman Alphabet Language Hungarian Roman Alphabet Language Malay Roman Alphabet Language Maltese Roman Alphabet Language Polish Roman Alphabet Language Portuguese Roman Alphabet Language Romanian Roman Alphabet Language Swahili Roman Alphabet Language Zomi Roman Alphabet Language Arabic Victorian Curriculum Framework Chinese / Cantonese Victorian Curriculum Framework Classical Greek Victorian Curriculum Framework French Victorian Curriculum Framework German Victorian Curriculum Framework Greek Victorian Curriculum Framework Hindi Victorian Curriculum Framework Indonesian Victorian Curriculum Framework Italian Victorian Curriculum Framework Japanese Victorian Curriculum Framework Korean Victorian Curriculum Framework Latin Victorian Curriculum Framework Spanish Victorian Curriculum Framework Turkish Victorian Curriculum Framework Vietnamese Victorian Curriculum Framework

*VC = Victorian Curriculum

26


Victorian Curriculum F-10 Languages Rationale and Aims

Rationale

Students acquire communication skills in the specific language they are learning. They develop understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. Their reflections on language use and language learning are applied in other learning contexts.

Learning languages broadens students’ horizons about the personal, social, cultural and employment opportunities that are available in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. The interdependence of countries and communities requires people to negotiate experiences and meanings across languages and cultures.

Learning languages:

• contributes to the strengthening of the community’s social, economic and international developmentcapabilities

• extends literacy repertoires and the capacity to communicate; strengthens understanding of the nature oflanguage, of culture, and of the processes of communication

• develops intercultural capability, including understanding of and respect for diversity and difference,and an openness to different experiences and perspectives

• develops understanding of how culture shapes and extends learners’ understanding of themselves, theirown heritage, values, beliefs, culture and identity

• strengthens intellectual, analytical and reflective capabilities, and enhances creative and critical thinking

Aims

The Languages curriculum aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure thatstudents:

• communicate in the language they are learning

• understand the relationship between language, culture and learning

• develop intercultural capabilities

• understand themselves as communicators

Structure

Sequences of learning

The Roman Alphabet Languages curriculum recognises that there are different entry points into language learning across F–10, which reflects current language teaching practice.

There are two possible learning sequences:

• F–10 sequence for students who begin to learn the language in primary school and continue to Year10.

• 7–10 sequence for students who begin to learn the language in Year 7.

27


Strands and Sub-strands

The content descriptions of the Languages curriculum F–10 are organised through two interrelated strands. The two strands are Communicating and Understanding. Each strand contains several sub-strands.

Strand Communicating Understanding

Using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and exchanging meaning.

Analysing and understanding language and culture as resources for interpreting and shaping meaning in intercultural exchange.

Sub-strands

Socialising Interacting orally and in writing to exchange ideas, opinions, experiences, thoughts and feelings, and participating in planning, negotiating, deciding and taking action.

Systems of language Understanding language as a system that includes sound, writing, grammatical and textual conventions.

Informing Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying information through a range of oral, written and multimodal texts, developing and applying knowledge.

Language variation and change Understanding how languages vary in use (register, style, standard and non-standard varieties) and change over time and place.

Creating Engaging with imaginative experience by participating in, responding to and creating a range of texts, such as stories, songs, drama and music.

The role of language and culture Analysing and understanding the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning.

Translating Moving between languages and cultures orally and in writing, recognising different interpretations and explaining these to others.

Reflecting Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning reactions and assumptions, and considering how interaction shapes communication and identity.


In Roman Alphabet Languages, students progress along a curriculum continuum. The choice of pathway and learning sequence undertaken by students will determine the number and progression of achievement standards:

• F–10 Sequence - the first achievement standard is provided at Foundation–Level 2 and then at Levels4, 6, 8 and 10.

• 7–10 Sequence - the first achievement standard is provided at Level 8 and then at Level 10.

28

Learning in Roman Alphabet Languages

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has developed a curriculum for Roman Alphabet languages which will allow these languages to be offered by a Victorian school where there is no specific curriculum available.

Diversity of language students

Understanding the diverse language backgrounds and competencies of students is the starting point for developing language learning. The changing pattern of migration to Australia is extending the range of languages students bring with them to school.

Student language competency varies significantly depending upon the sequence of learning being undertaken and the level the student has reached. For example, language competency will be influenced by the stage of the students' schooling, whether they are:

• entering the early years of schooling

• transition to secondary school

• preparing for the higher secondary levels and considering future pathways, including languagelearning.

Intercultural understanding

In the Languages curriculum the focus is on both language and culture, as students learn tocommunicate meaningfully across linguistic and cultural systems, and different contexts. This involvesreflection and analysis, as students move between the new language being learnt and their ownexisting language(s). It is a reciprocal and dynamic process which develops language use andintercultural awareness and understanding.

Texts and resources

Students use a wide range of texts, such as textbooks, teacher-generated materials and onlineresources. Their learning is enriched by exposure to a range of texts from the language being studied,such as websites, films, stories, songs, television programs, advertisements and magazines. The textsand resources will become increasingly sophisticated and varied as students progress through theirschooling.

The role of English

Students are encouraged to use the language being studied as much as possible for classroom routines,social interactions, structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice.

Students will have opportunities to engage with members of the community who speak the languagebeing studied, which in some cases will be facilitated via digital technologies.

English is used for discussion, explanation and reflection, enabling students to develop a language forsharing ideas about language and culture.

Scope and SequenceThe curriculum sets out what students are expected to learn and is designed as a continuum oflearning. The curriculum is being presented in a scope and sequence chart to support teachers to easilysee the progression and assist in planning teaching and learning programs to meet the diverse needs ofstudents.

These charts include the content descriptions and achievement standards. It is advised that these chartsare read in conjunction with the introductory materials and the level/band descriptions in thecurriculum.The number of levels represented in each chart varies. Read the naming convention in the links belowto assist in selecting the most appropriate chart.

29


Pathways - Chinese

For Chinese, pathways are provided for three learner groups: Second Language Learners, Background Language Learners and First Language Learners.

The types of learner are:

• Second Language LearnerThese students are introduced to learning Chinese at school as an additional, new language. The firstlanguage used before they start school and/or the language they use at home is not Chinese.

• Background Language LearnerThese students may use Chinese at home, not necessarily exclusively, and have varying degrees ofknowledge of and proficiency in the Chinese language. These students have a base for literacydevelopment in the language.

• First Language Learner (7–10 sequence only)These students are users of the Chinese language who have undertaken at least primary schooling inChinese. They have had their primary socialisation as well as initial literacy development in theChinese language and use it at home.

Schools will make decisions about which pathway best serves their students’ needs, and teachers willuse the pathways to cater for students by making any appropriate adjustments to differentiate theirlearning experiences

Level/Band Description

Definition: The band descriptions provide a general description of language learning that is typical atparticular year levels along the F–10 continuum. They have been developed to correspond to learning inthe following bands: Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–4, Years 5–6, Years 7–8 and Years 9–10. Each banddescription includes discussion of:

• the nature of the learner

• language learning and use

• contexts of interaction

• texts and resources

• features of target language use

• level of support

• the role of English.

Example: Foundation to Level 2 Description Italian: F-10 Sequence / Foundation to Level 2 /Communicating / Socialising

Students focus on the sounds of the alphabet, in particular the vowel sounds, and ‘c’ (ciao) and ‘ch’(Chi?), and on intonation patterns and the use of accents. Students are also introduced to nouns andpronouns. They learn simple sentence structure using subject–verb–object order as well as how to formquestions. They explore the idea of masculine and feminine gender, how to use singular and plural forms,the negative form non and the placement of adjectives.

Students use Italian for social interactions. The focus is on listening to the sounds, shapes and patternsof Italian through activities. Repetition and recycling help students to identify frequently used words andsimple phrases, and to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They identify and use Italiannon-verbal communication strategies and experiment with formulaic expressions and one or two-wordresponses to prompts and cues. Students begin to notice that language use is different in differentsituations and that Italian speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. Studentsnotice that they are part of a connected world which includes many languages and cultures, and theybecome aware of themselves as communicators in particular cultural contexts and communities.

30


Content description

Definition: The content of learning in each language in the Victorian Curriculum: Languages is described through a set of content descriptions for each band. These are intended to describe the knowledge, understanding, skills, concepts, processes and text types that teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to develop at that band level.

Content descriptions specify content to be taught in a holistic and integrated way. They do not provide prescriptive directions for teaching.

Example:

Interact with the teacher and peers to greet, to introduce themselves, and to name and describe favourite things, friends, family members and special talents, through action-related talk and play

Elaborations

Definition: Content elaborations provide elaborations of aspects of each content description: illustrations, descriptions or examples to indicate possibilities for teaching. They are intended as complementary support material. They are neither comprehensive nor prescriptive.

Content elaborations may include:

• contexts of language use

• further detail on dimensions of the content description

• aspects of relevant linguistic and cultural knowledge

• key language

• possible tasks and experiences

• connections across concepts.

Example: Italian: F-10 Sequence / Foundation to Level 2 / Communicating / Socialising

1. Using simple greetings relevant to the time of day, the celebration or event, and their relationship to theperson, for example, Ciao! Buongiorno! Arrivederci! Tanti auguri! Buona Pasqua. Buon Natale

2. Introducing themselves, for example, Come ti chiami? Mi chiamo …, e tu? Quanti anni hai? Ho setteanni, e tu? Come stai?

3. Naming family members and friends, for example, mio fratello Carlo; il papà Tom

4. understanding single words and simple phrases, and indicating comprehension through actions such aspointing to an object, selecting a picture card or flashcard to demonstrate the phrase heard, and matchinggames in digital form, for example, personal objects: la cartella, la bambola, la palla; school objects: ilquaderno, la matita, i colori, il banco; toys and games: il treno, la bicicletta

5. indicating possession (as set phrases), for example, la mia penna, il mio cane, il mio papà, la mia mamma

6. answering simple questions with short spoken and written responses and using flashcards, word lists,posters, photos and multimedia slides, for example, Quanti anni hai? Hai un animale?

7. talking about and describing people and belongings, using familiar formulaic expressions, for example,Questo/a è,. Ecco il mio pallone

8. talking about simple actions in the present tense, for example, Gioco a football, Mangio la pizza

9. using formulaic phrases, for example, Grazie! Prego. Scusa. Per favore. Bene. Molto bene. Perché?Buon appetito!

10. expressing satisfaction/dissatisfaction, for example, Sì; no; mi piace; non mi piace

11. copying words and reading them aloud, matching pictures and words, or choosing from sentencesprovided to express ideas, for example, È Marco. È grande. È bravo

12. imitating Italian speech, using Italian patterns of intonation, pronunciation and stress, and incorporatingappropriate gestures and body language

31


Achievement standards (Definition)

• The achievement standards describe what students are typically able to understand and do. Achievementstandards will describe the learning (understanding and skills) expected of students at each year levelfrom F-10.

• Achievement standards are language-specific and pathway-specific. The achievement standards for theend of Year 8 and the end of Year 10 in the Foundation – Year 10 sequence are not equivalent to theachievement standards at the end of Year 8 and the end of Year 10 in the Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry)sequence

• It is recognised that student achievement differs according to the specific language, and the particularpathway and entry point to language learning. Language–specific exemplification is used to capture theexpected level of performance in language use and understanding.

• Across F–10 the set of achievement standards describe a broad sequence of expected learning. Thesequence of achievement standards provides teachers with a framework of growth and development ina curriculum area. This will assist teachers to plan and monitor learning, and to make judgments aboutstudent achievement.

• Achievement standards can support formative and summative assessment practices and aid consistencyof assessment and reporting across states and territories. For each subject the achievement standards willbe accompanied by portfolios of annotated work samples that illustrate the expected learning.

Example: Italian: F-10 Sequence / Foundation to Level 2 / Communicating / Socialising

Foundation to Level 2 Achievement Standard

• By the end of Level 2, students use Italian to communicate with their teacher and peers through action-related talk and play. They demonstrate comprehension by responding both verbally and non-verbally.They imitate without always comprehending. They respond to familiar games and routines such asquestions about self and family (for example, Come ti chiami? Dove abiti?), and choose among options,for example, in response to questions such as Vuoi il gelato o la caramella? They produce learnt soundsand formulaic expressions (for example, È bello! Non mi piace), or partial phrases, often providing onlypart of the required response in Italian or using a key word to convey a whole idea. They experimentwith and approximate Italian pronunciation, for example, producing vowel sounds and ‘c’ and ‘ch’pronunciation with some accuracy. They differentiate between statements and questions according tointonation. They rely on extensive paralinguistic and contextual support such as pictures, gestures andprops. They write descriptions, lists, labels and captions, using familiar words and phrases selected frommodelled language, for example, rearranging sentence patterns such as Ho sei anni. Sono bravo. Il gelatoè buono.

• Students recognise that Italian is the national language of Italy. They understand that the Italian alphabethas 21 letters. They are aware that simple sentences follow a pattern, and that nouns require an articleand are gendered either masculine or feminine. They understand that there are different ways ofaddressing friends, family and teachers/other adults. They begin to notice patterns in Italian words andphrases and make comparisons between Italian and English. They are aware of word borrowings andrecognise that Italian words and expressions are often used in various English-speaking contexts. Theymake observations about similarities and differences in the cultural practices of Italians and Australians.They understand that they have their own language(s) and culture(s), and that they are also learners ofItalian language and culture.

32


Planning a F-10 Language Course

33

Vict

oria

n Cu

rric

ulum

F-1

0: L

angu

ages

- Te

ache

r Pla

nnin

g an

d As

sess

men

t Han

dboo

k

Vic

tori

an

Cu

rric

ulu

m F

-10 P

RO

GR

AM

SU

MM

AR

Y

(T

o b

e co

mp

lete

d a

nd

past

ed i

nto

you

r W

eek

ly L

esso

n C

hro

nic

le)

S

emes

ter:

____

Tea

cher

: ________________________ L

an

gu

age:

______________________

Cen

tre:

_______________________

V

icto

rian

Cu

rric

ulu

m F

-10

Lev

el:

____

Lea

rnin

g

Seq

uen

ce

o F

-10

o 7

-10

Lea

rnin

g A

ctiv

itie

s

in C

lust

ers

Ass

essm

ent

Act

ivit

ies:

Lin

ked

to A

chie

vem

ent

Sta

nd

ard

s

Com

mu

nic

ati

ng: U

sing

lang

uage

for

com

mun

icat

ive

purp

oses

in in

terp

retin

g, c

reat

ing

and

exch

angi

ng m

eani

ng.

Un

der

stan

din

g: A

naly

sing

and

unde

rsta

ndin

g la

ngua

ge a

nd c

ultu

re a

s res

ourc

es fo

r int

erpr

etin

g an

d sh

apin

g m

eani

ng in

inte

rcul

tura

l exc

hang

e.

Su

b S

tran

ds

Lan

gu

age

Ele

men

ts

Co

nten

t Des

crip

tions

El

abor

atio

ns

Gra

mm

ar

Voc

abul

ary

Text

Typ

es

Tex

ts

&

Res

ou

rces

Top

ic

#

of

wee

ks

Com

mu

nic

ati

ng

o S

ocia

lisin

g

o In

form

ing

o C

reat

ing

o T

rans

latin

g

o R

efle

ctin

g

Un

der

stan

din

g

o S

yste

ms o

f La

ngua

ge

o L

angu

age

varia

tion

and

chan

ge

o T

he ro

le o

f la

ngua

ge a

nd

cultu

re

34


Sample Unit of Work: To assist you with your lesson planning/program

35


Lesson Planning

36


Explicit Instructional Model PHASE OF LESSON ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS PLAN

BEG

INN

ING

OF

LESS

ON

The HOOK – Grab students attention and put them in a receptive frame of mind

1-5 minutes

• Stimulate interest and curiosity, e.g. through use of visuals• Present a purpose for learning• Connect learning to real world experiences• Foster positive relations with and between students

How will you “HOOK” the students into the lesson?

LEARNING INTENTIONS - Make the LEARNING INTENTIONS and SUCCESS CRITERIA clear to students

2-5 minutes

• Use student friendly language• Establish learning goals and write them on board or displays on

screen• Make assessment and performance requirements clear (“At the end

of this lesson you will know/be able to do/have done....”) • Show examples or models of EXPECTED student performance

(e.g. excellent sample of work from previous year level etc)

What are your learning intentions and success criteria, in student friendly language?

ACTIVATE/REVIEW – Activate prior knowledge and review relevant prior learning

5-10 minutes

• Opportunities for students to demonstrate their current level ofunderstanding through verbal and non-verbal means

• Review/connects to prior learning• Use questioning techniques• Brainstorming• Key words elicited/taught/displayed

How will you activate prior knowledge and review relevant prior learning?

PRES

ENTA

TIO

N

TEACHER INPUT – Explicitly teach the CONCEPT.

• Provide clear explanation, definition or rule (short, sharp andshiny!)

• Provide examples and non-examples• Uses students’ previous experiences as basis for explaining

concepts• Information presented visually, and/or concrete examples• Concept represented in multiple ways• Explicit teaching of vocabulary OR quick review of relevant

vocabulary previously taught

How will you teach the concept?

TEACHER INPUT – Explicitly teach and model the SKILL.

• Steps provided as a scaffold• Examples provided• Information presented visually• Teacher inner thought processes revealed to students through

modelling• Modelling short and purposeful

How will you teach the skill? What are the steps?

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING – Monitor whether students have “got it” before proceeding. If students have not understood, the concept or skill should be re-taught before guided practice begins.

• Well-distributed questioning/ checking for understanding• Wait time• Higher level questions• Asks for justification (evidence) and clarification from students• Adjustments made due to feedback if needed• Challenge misconceptions• Have students paraphrase and summarise

How will you check for understanding?

GU

IDED

PR

AC

TIC

E

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT – Develop student understanding of the concept or skill through activities or exercises.

• Tasks, activities or exercises provide well scaffolded opportunityfor students to apply the knowledge or skill

• Clear instructions, clear time frame and clear expectations• Range of tasks that appeal to different learning styles and ability

levels (rotating tasks at times)• Effective use of eLearning tools and programs

What activities or tasks will you get students to undertake?

FEEDBACK AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT – Move around the room to determine the level of mastery and to provide feedback and individual support as needed.

• Teacher identifies students needing additional support/guidedpractice

• Teacher moves around the room• Teacher provides comments/written feedback on work

Which students do you anticipate will need additional support and how will you provide this?

IND

EPEN

DEN

T PR

AC

TIC

E

APPLICATION– Get students to apply the concept or skill in different contexts.

• May happen within the same lesson, or in future lesson• Must occur on a repeating schedule so that the learning is not

forgotten• May be homework, or individual or group work in class• Teacher makes connections – explains how this knowledge/skill

can be applied/transferred to other learning contexts

What independent practice will students undertake?

REV

IEW

REVIEW – Bring the lesson presentation to an appropriate conclusion by reviewing and clarifying the key points and tying them together into a coherent whole.

• Reinforce major points of lesson• Students give feedback on what and how they’ve learned

How will you review the lesson?

www.aiz.vic.edu.au

37


Explicit Instructional Lesson Plan Template THEME: TOPIC: PHASE OF LESSON ACTIVITY

BEGINNING OF LESSON

The HOOK- Grab students attention and put them in a receptive frame of mind

1-5 minutes

LEARNING INTENTIONS- Make the LEARNING INTENTIONS and SUCCESS CRITERIA clear to students

2-5 minutes

ACTIVATE/ REVIEW- Activate prior knowledge and review relevant prior learning

5-10 minutes

PRESENTATION

TEACHER INPUT- Explicitly teach the CONCEPT

TEACHER INPUT- Explicitly teach the model and SKILL

38


PHASE OF LESSON ACTIVITY CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING- Monitor whether students have “got it” before proceeding. If students have not understood, the concept or skill should be re-taught before guided practice begins.

GUIDED PRACTICE

DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT- Develop student understanding of the concept or skill through activities or exercises

FEEDBACK AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT- Move around the room to determine the level of mastery and to provide feedback and individual support as needed.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

APPLICATION- Get students to apply the concept or skill in different contexts

REVIEW

REVIEW- Bring the lesson presentation to an appropriate conclusion by reviewing and clarifying the key points and tying them together into a coherent whole.

39


Learning Intentions

‘A learning intention describes what pupils should know, understand or be able to do by the end of the lesson or series of lessons.’ (Learning Unlimited, 2004)

The learning intention is expressed in terms of knowledge, understanding and skills and links directly with the curriculum.

Learning intentions are effective when we:

• Start small• Separate learning intention from the activity instructions• Are explicit with our learning intentions:- Made visible – written on board- Verbalised clearly• Tell pupils why they are learning it• Use student friendly language• Allow time for discussion• Revisit learning intentions throughout the lesson’• Provide clear Success Criteria

The design of learning intentions starts with the answers to these questions:

• What do I want students to know?• What do I want students to understand?• What did I want students to be able to do?

Knowledge Understanding Skills Learning intentions that focus on

knowledge

Thinking about the different kinds of knowledge, and being specific about the kind of knowledge that is required in a particular situation, will help teachers design their learning intentions

They consider, for instance , • Knowledge about a particular topic• Knowledge of how something is done,

of the steps involved in producingsomething

• Knowledge of why somethinghappens

• Knowledge of what causes somethingto happen

Learning intentions that focus on understanding

Understanding builds on knowledge and requires some kind of processing. For instance, a student might be able to list the causes of an historical event-thereby showing knowledge of them-but understanding requires analysis and perhaps interpretation.

Understanding, then is of a higher cognitive order than knowledge and, in designing learning intentions, teachers ensure that students are exposed to learning which makes those higher demands as well as demands of a lesser nature.

• Understand the causes of an historicalevent

• Understand how persuasive languagecan position the reader to agree withthe author

• Understand how the internet can beused for research purposes

Learning intentions that focus on skills

Learning intention that focus on sills always start with the words ‘to be able to’ followed by a verb.

For example: • To be able to write a recount• To be able to solve a problem using

more than one strategy • To be able to work as part of a team• To be able to identify persuasive

strategies used by the author or anargument

Often learning intentions that focus onskills will also imply the acquisition ofcertain knowledge or understandings.For instance, to be able to write arecount, students must have aknowledge of the structures andfeatures of a recount

40


Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in your Classroom By Lori Pereira EDITION #3 – Have I set high expectations for myself and my students? Published – 20th March 2019 Graduate Teachers Learning Series Education Victoria

When we make it clear what the essential learning is to students, students are more likely to learn.

What are they learning? Recently an eight-year-old student told me about a learning activity she had undertaken that day at school. The class had first read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and then in groups they had measured cereal into bowls that were small, medium and large. As I talked with my niece, I tried to work out what the purpose of the learning was for that activity. I considered several options. Perhaps it was a literacy activity and pouring cereal into bowls was a way of demonstrating an understanding of the key points of the narrative. Perhaps it was a numeracy activity, helping students to understand measurement and ratio, or possibly the teacher had something entirely different in mind. Maybe the key learning was around active listening, group work or the importance of a nutritional breakfast.

•While I am certain the teacher had a clear understanding of the purpose of the learning, fromquestioning the student, it was clear that she had very little understanding of what this was.

• Since the student was not clear about the purpose of the learning, she also had little understanding ofwhether or not she had made a good attempt at the activity.

Clarity is critical

Without clarity, students are often just having a stab in the dark as to what is expected of them.

Learning intentions and success criteria bring clarity to the learning, and the research is clear that this clarity makes a significant difference. As teachers, we know why we are doing certain things in the classroom. We make decisions every session about what we will ask our students to do, and which learning activities we will have them engage in, and we make each of these decisions with the core purpose in mind. What has become increasingly obvious is that students lack this same understanding, and therefore do not make the gains we would expect to see. The High Impact Teaching Strategies HITS (Department of Education and Training, 2018) have learning intentions and success criteria as key elements.

Determining Learning Intentions A learning intention is a clear statement describing what we want students to know, understand and be able to do as a result of a lesson or learning activity.

For a learning intention to be effective it should be: • Reflective of the essential learning. It is not a description of what will take place in the lesson, or a set of

instructions. It is a statement that captures the core knowledge or skill we want students to have mastery ofin the lesson. Once we define in a very succinct statement the key learning for the session, we plan andimplement lessons with greater clarity

• Shared. When students know the essential learning, they know where to focus their efforts. The learningintention cannot just be in the teacher’s head

• Visible and referenced. In the course of a lesson or lessons, we might ask students to do multiple things –some independent and some collaborative. We need to constantly bring all things back to the core learning.

Provide success criteria to help students achieve the learning intentionsA learning intention on its own will not dramatically change the course of a lesson. Success criteria need toaccompany it: ‘The purpose of the success criteria, or “What are we looking for?” is to make studentsunderstand what the teacher is using as the criteria for judging their work, and, of course to ensure that theteacher is clear about the criteria that will determine if the learning intentions have been successfullyachieved’. (Hattie, 2009, p.169)The relationship between learning intentions and success criteria, is fundamental to explicit teaching. Thesuccess criteria demonstrate how the learning intention can be met. It says to students, ‘this is what it wouldlook like if you did this well’. Without success criteria, the learning intention is limited.

41


Three ways that success criteria can be made clear

1. Written success criteriaWhen we write success criteria, we are putting together a clearly stated set of standards and allstudents will know what these standards look like if the learning was achieved. It is really as simple asimagining a student asked you: ‘what can I do today that will show I’ve met the learning intention?’and then providing those written statements for the students.

Example one Learning intention: We are learning how to write an introduction to an essay. Success criteria: I can write an introduction that:

• engages the reader with a hook• includes a statement of contention that is responsive to the essay question• succinctly summarises the key points made in the essay.

Example twoLearning intention: We are learning how federal parliament operates in AustraliaSuccess criteria: I can accurately explain how people are elected to the House of Representatives and Ican determine which party/coalition forms government in a range of election scenarios.

2. Models of workA second way we can demonstrate success is to provide students with models of work. This is apowerful way to help students understand what the expectations look like in practice. Often when weare describing for students what we want them to do, or how we want them to approach the task, wehave a clear vision in our heads of what it would look like. Students often do not have this samevision. If they do not have a good grasp of what needs to be done, then they are highly unlikely tosuccessfully complete the task.

When we are designing learning experiences, we want to be asking ourselves the question: ‘What can I provide to students that will show them what is expected?’ If you are asking students to write a practical report, have they seen a model of a high level practical report? If you are asking students to write an essay, have they seen a model of a high level essay? If you’re asking students to produce a PowerPoint presentation, have they seen a model of an excellent PowerPoint presentation? Providing a high-level model or exemplar is a very powerful way to show students the goal.

If we are concerned that students will simply copy, we can be creative about what parts of the task or learning experience we choose to model. If, for example, students are learning to write an introduction then we can show them a model introduction on an entirely different topic. The success criteria make no reference to the topic of the essay and so any introduction can serve as a model. If we are asking students to create a poster, brochure, video or speech, we can show them a model based on other content areas. If we are modelling a short answer response in a Science subject, we might choose to show an unsuccessful model first and discuss what is missing, rather than show them a correct answer they might copy.

3. Worked examplesThe High Impact Teaching Strategy, Worked Examples, highlights a third way in which we can helpstudents understand success. It is demonstrating the process the students need to undertake in order tosuccessfully complete the task. Teachers regularly model for students the process they need to gothrough in order to complete the task. When we incorporate worked examples into our lessons, we areasking ourselves the question, ‘How can I demonstrate to students what they need to do in order tosuccessfully complete the task?’

In the same way that we might provide a worked example of a mathematics equation on the whiteboard, we can also provide a worked example of writing a response to a short answer question. We can demonstrate how we might select a quote or construct a topic sentence.

42


Using learning intentions and success criteria throughout the lesson for feedback Providing learning intentions and success criteria at the commencement of learning enables students to see the gap between their current and intended learning and provides them with the impetus to bridge the gap. In order to get the maximum effect of learning intentions and success criteria, we want to be using them all the way through the lesson.

There are several ways teachers can be doing this.

Facilitating feedback to self When written success criteria, models, or worked examples are present in a classroom, students can use these at any point during the lesson to check their own progress, and they should be encouraged to do this. One way to achieve this is to have students:

• work independently or collaboratively for a period of time and then stop the class• instruct them to look at the criteria, model or example• spend a few minutes comparing that to their own work.

This need not take more than a few minutes. Many students will identify elements of their own workthat are missing, incorrect, off track or need further development. As a result, they are instantly on abetter course with their learning. This can be done many times throughout a lesson and before any taskis concluded.

Facilitating peer to peer feedbackPeer to peer feedback is easily achieved with clear criteria. As with self-feedback we can:

• stop the class at any point and ask students to look at the work of the person next to them• ask them to give feedback statements only related to the success criteria.

Students do not need to give evaluative statements such as ‘it’s good’, but rather descriptive statementsrelated to the task, e.g. ‘you have included a hook, but you are missing the contention’. Many studentswill quickly identify areas of the criteria to be worked on or changed. Peer to peer feedback is moreeffective and efficient than a teacher attempting to try and read all students’ work.

Focus teacher feedbackA final way we can use the established success criteria is to focus our own feedback comments. Weoften find ourselves across the course of a lesson going around the classroom giving feedback relatedto students’ efforts, the amount of work they have completed, their behaviour, their spelling, theneatness of their handwriting, the pace at which they’re working etc. While there is a time and placefor each of these feedback comments, they are rarely related to the core learning. When we haveclearly defined success criteria, these should be a basis for most of the comments we make to students.As teachers, we can be asking ourselves, ‘Am I making comments that lead students towards achievingthe learning intention today?’

Key takeaways for teachersAt every point in the teaching sequence, from the planning to the evaluation of learning, we shouldconsider learning intentions and success criteria as essential elements to any good lesson. Use thefollowing reflection questions regularly when planning your work, when in the classroom and whenevaluating your own teaching:

• how can I build the regular use of learning intentions and success criteria into my planning processes?• how can I provide helpful success criteria in the form of written statements, models and worked

examples?• how can I use the learning intention and success criteria throughout the lesson to guide student

progress and provide self, peer and teacher feedback?

References Department of Education and Training, 2017, ‘High impact teaching strategies: Excellence in teaching and learning’, viewed 25 November2018, http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/highimpactteachstrat.pdfHattie, J. A. C., 2009, Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement, Routledge London.Tomlinson, C. A., 2014, The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd Ed.), ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

43


Writing Tips for Learning Goals and Success Criteria

Use the definitions. Learning Goals specify the learning that is intended for a lesson, and Success Criteria indicate how students can demonstrate that learning. When you are writing them, remember:

• Learning Goals should refer to understanding, knowledge, skills, or application.• Success Criteria should refer to a concrete learning performance: something students will say, do, make,

or write to indicate they are moving toward the Learning Goal.Because Success Criteria are aligned to a particular Learning Goal, thinking of them on their own(without the Learning Goal they “belong to”) does not make a lot of sense. This relationship betweenthe two (Success Criteria refer to and depend on a Learning Goal) means that Learning Goals need to bewritten first, before Success Criteria.

Pay attention to your choice of verb.When writing Learning Goals and Success Criteria, it can be helpful to focus on selecting the rightverb, which is often the first word of the sentence.

Learning Goals often begin with verbs like know, develop, become fluent, apply, understand, use, orextend. Success Criteria often begin with verbs like explain, describe, model, show, write, justify, orcreate.

Learning Goals are not Learning Experiences.Learning Goals describe what students are going to learn, whereas Learning Experiences describe how

students are going to acquire that learning (i.e., what they are going to do in order to move towards the

Learning Goal).

While Learning Goals and Learning Experiences are related, they are fundamentally differentcomponents of formative assessment, and it is essential to distinguish between them.A Learning Goal comes before a learning experience; it is, in fact, the reason for the LearningExperience. What this means for lesson planning is that the Learning Goal is established first, sothat it can orient the design of aligned Learning Experiences. Put simply, the question, "What willmy students be doing?" should only be asked when there is a clear answer to the question, "Whywill they be doing it?"

Learning Goals are lesson-sizedLearning Goals describe an amount of learning that is manageable in the context of a lesson (whichmight be 2 or 3 class periods).It is important to remember, however, that Learning Goals are part of a much more extensive progressionof learning that builds from Learning Goals, through Building Blocks, all the way to standards. Eventhough Learning Goals are lesson-sized, they are not isolated or discrete: the learning they describe isaligned to a standard and connected to other prior, concurrent, and future learning.

Make sure Success Criteria are visible.Learning happens inside a student's head, but Success Criteria help make that learning visible.Learning Goals might be invisible because they often happen inside a student’s head—you cannotdirectly observe things like “knowing” or “understanding.” This is why Success Criteria should alwaysbe written as performances of learning that you can actually observe, things students will say, do, make,or write that will make the status of their learning visible.

Make Learning Goals and Success Criteria accessible to students.Learning Goals and Success Criteria, which are critical components of peer and self-assessment,should be expressed in language that students can understand and use.

44


Accessible Learning Goals and Success Criteria enables students to participate in and contribute to the learning community by evaluating their own and their peers’ learning. When students internalize Learning Goals and Success Criteria, this also helps them make meaning of challenging content. A clear sense of what the goal is and what it will look like as they move towards that goal can act like a cognitive lighthouse, a feature of the cognitive landscape with which students can organize and orient their learning.

Formative Assessment Insights: A Digital Professional Learning Experience for Teachers WestEd.org

45


Learning Intentions Activity

Lesson Template What do I want my students to learn? (What is the learning intention?)

Express as knowledge, skills and understanding.

How will I – and they – know that they have met the learning intention?

What classroom activities will help my students to meet the learning intention?

How can I build in opportunities for the students to receive feedback about their progress towards the learning intention/s?

What opportunities can I provide for them to evaluate their own progress and act on feedback?

46


General Notes: • Weekly lesson plan entries need to reflect the program summary. The template is on the VSL website

and Teacher manuals• Student activities must reflect the Victorian Curriculum Standards or VCE outcomes• Student learning and assessment activities must reflect those listed in the VCE & Victorian Curriculum

Frameworks

Definitions:Victorian Curriculum

Theme Umbrella concept Topic Individual component within the umbrella concept Sub topic Topic component chosen by the teacher

SCOPE Learning Intention Describes what students should know, understand or be able to do by

the end of the lesson Targeted outcomes (Content Descriptions covered as per Victorian Curriculum Frameworks) Communicating: Understanding:

Socialising, Informing, Creating, Translating, Reflecting

Systems of Language, Language variation & change, Role of language

& culture

Language in Focus: Text types, vocabulary and grammar Resources: Texts (both printed and online), class equipment (Smart board, CD)

LESSON SEQUENCE Introduction to lesson

• Activate/review activities• Teach & model new ideas and

skills

Opportunities for students to demonstrate their current level of understanding Eg: brainstorming. Explicitly teach the new concept and model the skill.

Student activities • Guided practice• Application

Develop student understanding of the concept or skill through activities, (reading, writing, listening, speaking) and exercises. Students apply the concept or skill in different contexts.

Review learning • Feedback• Reflection

Determine the level of understanding and provide feedback and individual support if needed. Bring the lesson presentation to an appropriate conclusion by reviewing and clarifying the key points and tying them together into a coherent whole.

Assessment activities What form of feedback will you be providing to students? Have you considered both formative and summative assessment?

Homework Always provide activities to be completed at home to consolidate and revise their learning.

47


Weekly Lesson Plan Template

Level/s: ________________________ Term: _____________________ Date: ___________________

Theme:__________________________________________________________________

Topic: ______________________________________________ Sub Topic: ______________________________________

Learning Intention: ______________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

TARGETED OUTCOMES Communicating: Circle the sub-strands from the Victorian Curriculum Framework that you will be covering this lesson

Socialising Informing Creating Translating Reflecting Understanding: Circle the sub-strands from the Victorian Curriculum Framework that you will be covering this lesson

Systems of language Language variation & change Role of language & culture LANGUAGE IN FOCUS

Vocabulary: Grammar: Text types:

Resources:

LESSON SEQUENCE Introduction to lesson

• Activate & reviewactivities

• Teach & model newideas and skillsStudent activities

• Guided practice• Application

Review learning

• Feedback• Reflection

Assessment activities

Homework

Teacher signature: ____________________________

48


Tips for creating a productive classroom

Your best aide in ensuring a productive classroom is the conscientious preparation of challenging, purposeful and relevant materials.

Ensure you are open with your students and have communicated the goals of the learning activity and the measures of success.

Look to your mentor and the school’s Student Code of Conduct. It is important to understand and follow the philosophy and procedures put in place at the VSL. If you feel that you have concerns in this area, speak with your mentor about making it a focus for observation and feedback. Actively note the techniques used by your mentor and ask them to observe you and do the same. Follow your observation with a discussion about what strategies may work for you.

Seek assistance from Area Managers, Curriculum Coordinators and other support staff in catering for individual differences in your classes. Successful differentiation of learning activities can help to ensure that all students are able to actively participate.

If you have concerns about a student, or students in your class, talk to colleagues and Area Manager. Seek to learn whether their background stories account for the difficulties they are experiencing. Find out what strategies have worked for other teachers in the past.

Show a genuine interest in your students. Understand their preferences for learning, their interests outside school, and their motivations and aspirations.

• It is important to choose to be the person of authority in your classroom. This means behavingconfidently even if at first you do not feel it!

•Be well prepared and believe in what you are asking students to do.•Be clear about your purpose in structuring activities.• Project confidence by facing the group and making eye contact with them.•Except when you are working with a group, stay on your feet, interacting with students as they work –

and, of course, monitoring their progress.•Maintain a serious but friendly demeanour until you all get to know each other. Learning activities

should be deeply satisfying and enjoyable but you should show at all times that your main focus is ontheir learning.

•Think about how you use your voice – maintain a low register and speak only slightly louder than anormal conversational level. Losing your temper and raising your voice into shouting or yellingcertainly does not work. Speak more slowly than you would normally, leaving some brief pauses forinformation to be processed.

•Be careful of the language that you use. Avoid sarcasm which can be hurtful or making derogatorycomments about the personal attributes of any student. You may feel frustrated and upset at times, butit is essential to maintain your sense of calm authority. Remember that students often model yourbehaviour.

•Be positive and praise good behaviour rather than criticising bad behaviour. Follow the ‘catch themdoing something good’ rule, especially with students you are finding difficult. Rewarding goodbehaviour is much more powerful than punishing bad behaviour in achieving change. It is morepowerful to begin a lesson with, “Thank you, Esme, Jade and Ahmet for sitting quietly with yourbooks ready” than with a general criticism or identifying those not doing the right thing.

•Lastly and most importantly, allow your joy in the wonderful journey of discovery you are embarkingon with your students to shine!

Sourced from: DET Induction into the Victoria Teaching Profession; A Guide for Beginning

Teachers

49


Catering for mixed ability Language classes

Benefits of Mixed Ability Teaching

• Learn from each other, encouragement• Differences can stimulate interest• Develop social skills• Students given more responsibility for learning• There are always some learners capable of initiating interactions/exercises. This encourages

independence in groups• More ‘modelling’ occurs• Easier to listen in groups vs. whole class• Facilitates girls’ learning

Challenges in Mixed Ability Classes

• Ensuring that group work is shared, advanced students don’t dominate groups, intimidate weakerstudents or get all of the teacher’s attention

• The teacher needs to give the work of less competent students an equally high profile• Group awareness processes take time• Avoid hidden ‘streaming’ and relegation systems• Extra preparation/planning and creativity needed• Constant effort to be multi-focused• Keeping track of variety of required outcomes, assessment records

50

Vict

oria

n Cu

rric

ulum

F-1

0: L

angu

ages

- Te

ache

r Pla

nnin

g an

d As

sess

men

t Han

dboo

k

Furt

her

sugg

este

d ac

tiviti

es fo

r M

ixed

abi

lity

clas

ses

•Pr

oble

m so

lvin

g sk

ills

For

exam

ple:

sol

ving

rea

l lif

e pr

oble

ms

(thro

ugh

role

pla

y),

cros

swor

dpu

zzle

s, jig

saw

puz

zles

•In

form

atio

n/op

inio

n af

fect

ive g

ap a

ctiv

ities

For e

xam

ple:

jigs

aw a

ctiv

ities

(diff

eren

t par

ticip

ants

are

give

n pa

rts o

f the

to

tal p

ictu

re),

gues

sing

gam

es, g

ivin

g an

d fo

llow

ing

instr

uctio

ns, p

air w

ork

activ

ities

•Pe

rson

alise

d ac

tiviti

esFo

r ex

ampl

e: o

pini

on g

ap a

ctiv

ities

, ex

pres

sive

writ

ing,

que

stion

naire

s,su

rvey

s, dr

ama

activ

ities

, rol

e pa

ly a

ctiv

ities

•U

se o

f pic

ture

sFo

r ex

ampl

e: w

ritin

g ca

ptio

ns f

or p

ictu

res,

labe

lling

obj

ects

in a

pic

ture

,se

quen

cing

jum

bled

pic

ture

s, ca

rtoon

stri

ps w

ith e

mpt

y sp

eech

bub

bles

,co

mpa

ring

and

cont

rasti

ng p

ictu

res,

desc

ribin

g ke

y fe

atur

es so

that

som

eone

el

se m

ay id

entif

y th

em o

r rep

rese

nt th

em in

a si

mila

r way

, as a

stim

ulus

for

writ

ing

(free

or g

uide

d)

•In

form

atio

n pr

oces

sing

activ

ities

For e

xam

ple:

pro

ject

wor

k, c

ompl

etio

n ta

sks

(filli

ng in

tabl

es),

read

ing

for

gist

or d

etai

l, lis

teni

ng fo

r gist

or d

etai

l, no

te ta

king

, rep

ort w

ritin

g, p

repa

ring

brie

fing

mat

eria

ls (a

gend

as),

lette

r writ

ing,

clas

sific

atio

n ta

sks,

inte

rpre

tatio

nan

d tra

nsfo

rmat

ion

of v

isual

or t

abul

ar in

form

atio

n in

to th

e writ

ten

or sp

oken

m

ode

or v

ice

vers

a, g

ap f

illin

g ta

sk i

nvol

ving

pre

dict

ion

from

con

text

,tra

nscr

iptio

n,

guid

ed

writ

ing,

se

quen

cing

an

d m

atch

ing

activ

ities

,tra

nscr

iptio

n of

num

bers

, nam

es, d

ates

, tim

es e

tc.

•Li

tera

ture

bas

ed ta

sks

For

exam

ple:

liste

ning

to a

sto

ry r

ead

by th

e te

ache

r, lis

teni

ng to

a s

tory

reco

unte

d by

the

tea

cher

, le

arni

ng s

impl

e po

ems

and

rhym

es b

y he

art,

copy

ing

them

dow

n an

d ill

ustra

ting

simpl

e po

ems o

r rhy

mes

•D

ram

a A

ctiv

ities

For e

xam

ple:

stor

ytel

ling,

role

pla

ying

, lea

rner

s writ

ing

and

perfo

rmin

g th

eir

own

play

s, us

ing

pupp

ets t

o dr

amat

ise fa

mili

ar o

r cre

ated

stor

ies,

deve

lopi

ngch

arac

teris

atio

n in

a p

lay

or a

stor

y, d

evel

opin

g ac

tions

to g

o w

ith so

ngs a

ndpo

ems

•W

ritin

g A

ctiv

ities

For

exam

ple:

usin

g re

sour

ces

to s

timul

ate

or p

rovi

de p

rops

for

writ

ing,

ase

quen

ce o

f pic

ture

s with

som

e voc

abul

ary

prov

ided

), dr

aftin

g an

d re

draf

ting

writ

ten

wor

k

•Fo

cus o

n sh

apin

g ex

erci

ses

For e

xam

ple:

gap

filli

ng ex

erci

ses,

cloz

e exe

rcise

s, cr

azy

sent

ence

s, se

nten

ceco

mpl

etio

n,

gam

es

(scr

abbl

e),

dict

atio

n, s

pelli

ng,

mat

chin

g w

ords

to

pict

ures

, yes

/no

or tr

ue f

alse

exe

rcise

s, m

ultip

le c

hoic

e ex

erci

ses,

patte

rnpr

actic

e,

wor

ds

build

ing

(con

struc

ting

wor

ds

from

co

mm

on

root

s),

voca

bula

ry

expa

nsio

n (s

ynon

yms,

anto

nym

s, m

eani

ngs

of

wor

ds),

cros

swor

d/cr

yptic

puz

zles

, jum

bled

wor

d, ju

mbl

ed se

nten

ces

•G

ames

For

exam

ple:

link

ing

and

mat

chin

g ga

mes

, car

ds a

nd b

oard

gam

es, w

ord

gam

es,

true/

false

gam

es,

mem

ory

gam

es,

ques

tion

and

answ

er g

ames

,gu

essin

g an

d sp

ecul

atin

g ga

mes

, sto

ry g

ames

Adap

ted

from

ALL

Gui

delin

es, B

ook

3, C

urric

ulum

Dev

elop

men

t Cen

tre, 1

9

51


Assessment

52


Guide to Assessment Planning While planning for assessment is an essential part of teaching and learning, assessment tasks should provide students with an opportunity to display knowledge, skills, understandings and attitudes they have developed and motivate them to recognise what they have accomplished.

Assessment

- is part of the learning process- occurs collaboratively between student/s and teachers- gathers information for teachers to make future judgements,- identifies strengths and areas for future improvement in learning- takes into account the process and the product- enables the teacher to monitor and record student progress and learning- drives curriculum improvement and evaluation

Best practice assessment requires:

Assessment FOR LearningTo provide information on student knowledge, skills and behaviours to inform the next stage oflearning.

Assessment AS LearningTo provide feedback and opportunities for student reflection and/or self-assessment to supportfuture learning.

Assessment OF LearningTo provide information about what students have learnt in relation to the Standards.

The assessment strategy required by the Victorian Curriculum F-10 is a combination offormative, summative and authentic assessment.1. Formative assessment

Assessment tasks or exercises which occur during the teaching activities and are continuous

2. Summative assessmentOn-balance judgement based on an accumulated range of assessment sources to determine whatthe student has achieved and learnt at the end of a unit or semester

3. Authentic assessment

Based on the development of a meaningful product, performance or process over timeApplying and demonstrating an application of knowledge and skills in real world situationswhich promotes and supports the development of deeper levels of understanding

Types of information gathering can include: - Negotiated tasks/assessment criteria- Self-assessment and reflection- Group assessment- Portfolios- Learning journals- Observations- Presentations- Demonstrations- Peer evaluations

53


Guide to Formative and Assessment Rubrics Victorian Curriculum F-10, VCAA 2019

Student learning and assessment

Student learning is produced, shaped and affected by four connected components. Each component plays a distinct role in the process of student learning and is interconnected with all of the others. The four components of student learning include the what, how, how well and where of student learning:

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is a set of progressions that define increasingly complex knowledge, skills and concepts grouped and defined by learning areas and capabilities. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is not set out according to nominal school year levels but to developmental levels on a continuum of learning, which allows a teacher to point to current levels of achievement for every student and allows for appropriate planning for expected levels of achievement.

Because of this structure, the Victorian Curriculum F–10 facilitates an increased focus in Victorian schools on the development of personalised learning programs for all students, where curriculum delivery is planned in relation to the actual learning level of each student rather than their assumed level of learning.

54


What is Formative Assessment?

Formative assessment is any assessment that is used to improve teaching and learning. Best-practice formative assessment uses a rigorous approach in which each step of the assessment process is carefully thought through.

Assessment is a three-step process by which evidence is collected, interpreted and used. By definition, the final step of formative assessment requires a use that improves teaching and learning.

For the best results, teachers can work together to interrogate the curriculum and use their professional expertise and knowledge of their students to outline a learning continuum including a rubric of measurable, user-friendly descriptions of skills and knowledge. Once this planning work is completed and there is explicit detail about what progress might look like in their classroom, teachers can draw on this learning continuum and rubric to collect evidence of current competence for each student. This evidence is evaluated and the learning continuum and rubric is then used to provide formative feedback and describe the learning expectations for all students in the class, tailored to individual needs.

Teachers can then use this learning continuum to determine the best evidence-based pedagogy to teach the knowledge and skills and progress student learning. Teachers should also consider where it is useful for students to receive timely and detailed feedback to support progress within a task, learning activity or unit of work.

Describing a Learning Continuum

What is a learning continuum and why is it needed?

When planning a teaching and learning program, it helps to understand the typical developmental phases students go through in their learning. These are known as a ‘learning continuum’.

When using a learning continuum, teachers can:

• collect evidence of learning because the phases indicatewhat to look for

• interpret the evidence collected against the phases toidentify what students are readyto learn next

• use the information to design teaching and learningactivities that help students to progress along thecontinuum.

Key messages

• The Victorian Curriculum F–10 iswritten as a continuum and this

structure supports formativeassessment.

• Formative assessment enables teachers

to collect evidence about what astudent can currently do and to planthe next steps to progress student

learning.• Formative assessment helps teachers

identify learning intentions/goals for

each student.• A formative assessment rubric assists

students and teachers

to have a consistent understanding ofthe next phase in learning.

• Formative assessment is an integral

part of the teaching and learning cycle.

Terminology Learning continuum A progression of knowledge and skills derived from a curriculum. This can be developed by teachers and may consist of a selection of parts from a curriculum continuum, sometimes with more detail added. Phases The increments in a learning continuum that detail the development typically seen in students as they become more proficient. Phase descriptions help teachers to recognise students at different points along the continuum. Granularity The level of detail of knowledge and skills provided in a learning continuum.

55

A learning continuum can be developed in two ways:

1. solely using the Victorian Curriculum F–10 content descriptions and achievement standards

2. using the Victorian Curriculum F–10 in combination with teacher expertise to describe moregranular phases between achievement standards or more complex knowledgeand/or skills.

When creating formative assessment rubrics, it is important to use a learning continuum thatbreaks learning down into phases that are the right granularity to support lesson-to-lessondecisions or activity-to-activity decisions and to support student learning progression.

What is a Curriculum Continuum?

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is structured as a curriculum continuum, describing the knowledge and skills that every student should learn during their first 11 years of schooling. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 sets out a single, coherent and comprehensive set of content descriptions and associated achievement standards to enable teachers to plan, monitor and assess the learning achievement of every student.

The Victorian Curriculum F–10 is structured as a continuum across levels of learning achievement, not years of schooling. This enables the development of targeted learning programs for all students, where the curriculum is used to plan in relation to the actual learning level of each student rather than their assumed level of learning based on school year level and age.

Each learning area and capability includes content descriptions explaining what is to be taught and achievement standards describing what students are able to understand and do at different levels of learning. The achievement standards are provided in 11 levels for English and Mathematics and in five or six bands for all the other learning areas and capabilities. Refer to the Appendix for an outline of the structure of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 and the location of the achievement standards.

Using the Victorian Curriculum F–10 as a learning continuum

Sometimes, the phases described in the curriculum continuum are the right granularity to inform teaching and learning and can be used directly as a learning continuum.

Example 1: Using part of the curriculum continuum

Example 1 demonstrates a situation where content descriptions and specific statements from the achievement standards provide sufficient detail to enable a teacher to establish the phases of a learning continuum and set clear learning intentions and goals for students. It is easy to see how a student would move from one phase to another.


Terminology

Curriculum continuum

A progression of knowledge and skills organised into learning areas and capabilities. The Victorian Curriculum F–10 contains multiple curriculum continuums.

Content descriptions

Specific and discrete information identifying what teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn.


Statements that describe what students are typically able to understand and do, and that are the basis for reporting student achievement.

56

English: Speaking and Listening mode, Language for interaction sub-strand

Tip:

• Teachers can check if the Victorian Curriculum F–10 continuum provides the right granularityto inform teaching and learning by considering whether they can place all students within arecently taught class on this continuum. If not, teachers will need to take one of the followingapproaches.

Example 2: Using professional expertise to develop a learning continuum within a

curriculum level

Example 2 describes a learning continuum that articulates the phases within one content description and one statement extracted from an achievement standard from the Victorian Curriculum F–10. This example also recognises the importance of extending students.

This level of granularity supports teachers to know what they are looking for as evidence of learning, helping them to target their teaching to the needs of each student. This learning continuum supports students to know what comes next.


57


Mathematics: Measurement and Geometry

Tip:

• Giving students a copy of a formative assessment rubric allows them to see examples of thephases and identify their learning goals, supporting them to see how far they might progress.It also provides an aspirational extension, which can remove unintentional barriers to theirlearning.

Example 3: Using professional expertise to develop a learning continuum to span the gap

between adjacent achievement standards

Example 3 focuses on texts in group discussions across three levels of the VictorianCurriculum F–10: English. The number of levels covered does not have to correlate with thenumber of phases that teachers identify to support this learning.

English: Speaking and Listening mode, focusing on texts in group discussions

Tip:

• Greater detail or granularity supports better observation of student learning within a mixed-ability classroom. Additional phases should be based on professional expertise andobservation.

58


Developing a formative assessment rubric

The learning continuum described is now taken

and placed above the grid that will become the

formative assessment rubric. The three main aims in developing a formative assessment rubric are to:

• describe increasing sophistication as a student’slearning progresses

• support consistent assessment practices• communicate to intended users, including students,

other teachers and possibly parents/carers.The rubric template that is described in this section is specifically designed for formative assessment, as it is focused on articulating the fine-grained phases and teases apart what is being taught and learned. In some cases, the learning continuum that is being used might focus on complex learning that is made up of many different parts. In these situations, a rubric provides a useful tool to break up complex learning into smaller segments that describe the increasing sophistication of what a student can do, say, make or write, which align to the learning continuum. The process for developing a high-quality formative assessment rubric that achieves these three aims is outlined in this part of the guide.

What makes up the rubric structure and how does this assist in describing

increasing sophistication?

A rubric splits a complex learning continuum, into a series of more specific continuums describing increasing sophistication. Three examples are provided:

• a blank formative assessment rubric with each column and row described (Example 4)• an explanation of the relationship between learning continuum phases and the quality criteria

(Example 5)• a completed formative assessment rubric (Example 6).

When writing a formative assessment rubric, it is best to focus first on making sure the rubric describes increasing sophistication. Sophistication relates to how well something is done, not how often an action is done correctly or how far through a process a student got. Each subsequent cell within a row describes a better way to perform the action, or a higher level of quality. For this reason, each cell can be called a quality criterion.

Each quality criterion describes something a student can do, say, make or write, which aligns to a phase in the learning continuum being assessed. Together, the quality criteria make up the fine-grained, very focused learning continuum. For this reason, taxonomies like SOLO are helpful for writing quality criteria.

Terminology

Rubric

An arrangement (usually in grid formation) of quality criteria according to actions that classify the development of competence in a complex set of skills and/or knowledge.

59


Tips:

• A good way to check if the rubric has described increasing sophistication is to think of ateaching/learning activity to help students move from one phase to the next.

• When using a formative assessment rubric, consider whether the task or activity providesmultiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.

60


Exam

ple

4: B

lank

form

ativ

e as

sess

men

t rub

ric (a

nnot

ated

)

61


Exam

ple

5: E

xpla

natio

n of

the

rela

tions

hip

betw

een

the

lear

ning

con

tinuu

m p

hase

s an

d th

e qu

ality

crit

eria

Term

inol

ogy

Actio

n

A ca

tego

risat

ion

of w

hat a

stud

ent c

an

do, s

ay, m

ake

or w

rite

in

dem

onst

ratio

n of

a p

artic

ular

kn

owle

dge

and/

or sk

ill.

Org

anisi

ng e

lem

ents

Stra

nds a

re k

ey o

rgan

ising

ele

men

ts

with

in e

ach

curr

iculu

m a

rea.

Sub

-st

rand

s are

supp

lem

enta

ry o

rgan

ising

el

emen

ts w

ithin

som

e cu

rricu

lum

ar

eas.

Mod

es a

nd fo

cus a

reas

may

also

be

use

d as

org

anisi

ng e

lem

ents

.

62


Exam

ple

6: C

ompl

eted

form

ativ

e as

ses s

men

t rub

ric

Tip:

•It

is a

good

idea

to w

rite

no m

ore

than

four

qua

lity

crite

ria fo

r eac

h ac

tion.

Thi

s hel

ps m

ake

sure

ther

e is

a cle

ar d

iffer

ence

bet

wee

n ea

ch cr

iterio

n,w

hich

mak

es a

sses

smen

t qui

cker

and

eas

ier.

63


Refining the Rubric to support Consistent Assessment

Once the rubric describes increasing sophistication, it can be refined further to facilitate consistent assessment. To do this, remove adverbs and adjectives and focus on verbs to describe the differences between phases. Sometimes, it is not possible to describe a quality criterion for an action matched to each phase within a learning continuum. In those cases, it is fine to leave a cell blank. This can be seen in Example 7.

Restricting each quality criterion to just one central idea supports consistent assessment because it avoids the situation where a teacher is unsure how to assess a student who achieves one part of a criterion and not the other part. If you are tempted to place more than one idea in a criterion, think about whether you need to add another action to cater for the additional idea.

Communicating learning expectations to intended users

The final aim of a rubric is that it will clearly communicate learning expectations to all the intended users. Teachers will use the rubric to inform their observations of what student can say, make, do or write, and students can use it for peer- and/or self-assessment. Sometimes parents/carers are users of assessment rubrics too, especially rubrics for young students. The language that is used needs to be easily understood by all users. If specific terms related to the subject matter are used, they should be those terms that are taught and used within the classroom. If parents/carers are to use the rubric, terms could be included in an accompanying glossary.

Formative assessment rubrics also convey important messages about what is valued in a classroom. To send the message that all learning is valued, all quality criteria should be positively framed. A student who previously had been assessed at ‘Insufficient evidence’ for ‘Uses social conventions’ (per Example 6), and who achieves ‘Takes turns in conversation’ for the first time is much more likely to feel positive about their learning than if the criterion was ‘Ignores others’ points of view’. Anything a student cannot yet achieve should be included in the higher criteria, so it is seen as aspirational – in this case, ‘Responds to others’ points of view’ is the next criterion.

Tips:

• Once the rubric has been developed, talk it over with students. Giving students an opportunityto clearly understand the next phase in their learning will support them to set personal goals.

• If you cannot think of how to express a criterion positively, think about how you wouldcongratulate a student who has finally achieved the criterion after working long and hard on it.Those words of congratulations often indicate what is positive without focusing on what hasnot yet been learned.

Terminology

Quality criteria

The quality criteria describe the increasing sophistication of what a student can do, say, make or write, which aligns to the learning continuum.

64


Example 7: A Formative assessment rubric with gaps Notice the empty cells in this rubric. It may not be possible or necessary for every quality criteria cell to be described for each action. The gaps help make clear the distinctions between quality criteria.

Collecting, interpreting and using evidence to plan for teaching and

learning

Collecting evidence of student learning Once the formative assessment rubric – including the learning continuum – is described, plans can be made for collecting evidence of student learning in order to work out which phase(s) students have achieved and which they are ready to learn. Many methods can be used. These include:

• performances • self-assessment • work samples• presentations • assignments • peer assessment• responses to questions • products •• assessment conversations.

The key is to make sure that the chosen method will elicit evidence matched to the formassessment rubric. An advantage of using a rubric to frame student learning is that it is easy to adapt this to a wide range of assessment types. The rubric is the starting point for gathering evidence. The task that best elicits the evidence should be decided upon next, not the other way around. If teachers write rubrics using the procedure in this guide, the assessment process becomes transparent, increasing opportunities for students to have input into how they are assessed.

Recording the evidence using the rubric helps ensure interpretations are evidence-based and not swayed by previous judgments.

65


Interpreting evidence of student learning

Collected evidence can be compared against the rubric to decide which quality criteria – and thus which phases – a student:

• has achieved• is ready to learn• is not yet ready to learn.

The evidence is interpreted by considering each phasewithin the learning continuum and considering whetherthe student has:

• undertaken and completed an activity with or withoutassistance

• demonstrated the knowledge and/or skill in a range ofsituations or in different contexts

• covered all parts of the learning continuum in the rubricor if there are areas that need further attention.

Typically, students within a class will be spread acrossdifferent phases of learning. If students are recorded atthe highest phase described by the learning continuum,an additional phase will need to be added to stretchthose students.

Tips:

• If a student’s pattern of progression is irregular, moreassessment evidence may need to be collected.Sometimes performance is influenced by outside factors such as tiredness, attention or method ofassessment, and a greater pool of evidence will indicate the true pattern of progression.

• If many students have an irregular pattern of progression, it is likely that the learning continuum orrubric is problematic and requires revision. This does not mean the whole rubric needs revision; it maysimply be that the quality criterion for one action needs adjusting.

Using formative assessment to plan for teaching and learning

Formative assessment is an opportunity to work with studentsto set and clarify learning intentions, and to explore a range of activities that can be used to progress learning. The formative assessment rubric supports teachers to plan the activities/tasks to progress student learning, ensuring their learning is scaffolded, while setting high expectations for all students.

The phases within a learning continuum can be used to identify learning intentions and classroom activities for students. This helps teachers target their teaching. During activities where learning is complex and the teacher has chosen to support students by using a rubric, students will usually spend some time working on the phases they are ready to learn and also spend time consolidating phases they have recently achieved.

The formative assessment rubric supports teachers to give feedback. Giving feedback is essential to help progress learning. Feedback should:

• be timely• be in a form that encourages effort• support students to see what they have learned• enable students to identify strategies they can use to progress further.

Terminology

Achieved

The phase of a learning continuum at

which a student can independently and consistently demonstrate skills and knowledge.

Ready to learn

The phase of a learning continuum at which a student requires scaffolding to

acquire skills and knowledge.

Not yet ready to learn

The phase of a learning continuum for

which a student does not have the required foundational knowledge or skills. Acquisition of these skills is

required before teaching of this phase should be attempted.

Terminology

Scaffolding

The help and support given to a learner that is tailored to their needs and goals.

66


Group Work Assessment Rubric

Language: ________________ Class: _____ Teacher: _____________________________

Student Name: ____________________________________ Date: ________________

Topic: _________________________________ CATEGORY 4

Above Standard 3

Meets Standard 2

Approaching Standard 1

Below Standard TOTAL

Contributions

Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in group and classroom discussions. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.

Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussions. A strong group member who tries hard.

Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in group and in classroom discussions. A satisfactory student who does what is required.

Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in group and classroom discussions. Refuses to participate in this activity.

Quality of

work

Provides work of the highest quality.

Provides high quality work.

Provides work that occasionally needs to be checked/redone by other group members to ensure quality

Provides work that usually needs to be checked/redone by others to ensure quality

Time management

Routinely uses time well throughout the project to ensure things get done on time. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person.

Usually uses time well throughout the project. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person.

Tends to procrastinate, but always gets things done by the deadlines. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person.

Rarely gets things done by the deadlines and group has to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person’s inadequate time management.

Problem

solving

Actively looks for and suggests solutions to problems.

Refines solutions suggested by others.

Does not suggest or refine solutions, but is willing to try out solutions suggested by others.

Does not try to solve problems or help others solve problems. Lets others do the work.

Attitude Never is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Always has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Rarely is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Often has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Occasionally is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Usually has a positive attitude about the task(s).

Often is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Often has a negative attitude about the task(s).

Focus on

the task

Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self directed.

Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can rely on this person.

Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes remind this person to stay on task.

Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.

Preparedness Brings needed materials to class and is always ready to work.

Almost always brings needed materials to class and is ready to work.

Almost always brings needed materials but sometimes needs to settle down and get to work.

Often forgets needed materials or is rarely ready to start work.

Pride Work reflects this student’s best efforts.

Work reflects a strong effort from this student.

Work reflects some effort from this student.

Work reflects very little effort on the part of this student.

Monitors Group Effectiveness

Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group, and makes suggestions to make it more effective.

Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make the group more effective

Occasionally monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make the group more effective.

Rarely monitors the effectiveness of the group and does not work to make it more effective.

Working with others

Almost always listens shares, and supports the efforts of others. Tries to keep people working well together.

Usually listens, shares and supports the efforts of others. Does not cause ‘waves’ in the group`.

Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but is sometimes not a good team member.

Rarely listens, shares and supports the efforts of others. Often is not a good team member.

Total Score out of 40

Created from RubiStar: http://rubistar.4teachers.org

67


Interview Assessment Rubric



Topic: _________________________________

CATEGORY 4 Above Standard

3 Meets Standard

2 Approaching

Standard

1 Below Standard

TOTAL

Labelling The student put the date of the interview, place of interview, full name of the person being interviewed on the videotape, audiotape/report

The student included the date of the interview, place of interview, and full name of the person being interviewed on the videotape, audiotape or report

The student included the date of the interview and full name of the person being interviewed on the videotape, audiotape, or report

The student forgot to put the date of the interview and the full name of the person being interviewed on the videotape, audiotape or report

Knowledge gained

Student can accurately answer several questions about the person who was interviewed and can tell how this interview relates to the material being studied in class

Student can accurately answer a few questions about the person who was interviewed and can tell how this interview relates to the material being studied in class

Student can accurately answer a few questions about the person who was interviewed

Student cannot answer questions about the person who was interviewed

Setting up the interview

The student introduced himself, explained why he wanted to interview the person, and asked permission to set up a time for an interview

The student introduced himself and asked permission to set up a time for the interview, but needed a reminder to explain why he wanted to do the interview

The student asked permission to set up a time for the interview, but needed reminders to introduce himself and to tell why he wanted to interview the person

The student needed assistance in all aspects of setting up the interview

Politeness Student never interrupted the person being interviewed, thanked him/her for the interview and used the correct form of address

Student rarely interrupted the person being interviewed, thanked him/her for the interview and used the correct form of address

Student rarely interrupted the person being interviewed, but forgot to thank the person and did not use the correct form of address

Several times, the student interrupted the person being interviewed and forgot to thank the person and did not use the correct form of address

Preparation Before the interview the student prepared several in depth and factual questions to ask

Before the interview the student prepared a couple of in-depth questions and several factual questions to ask

Before the interview the student prepared several factual questions to ask

The student did not prepare any questions before the interview

Follow up questions

The student listened carefully to the person being interviewed and asked several relevant follow up questions based on what the person said

The student listened carefully to the person being interviewed and asked a couple of relevant follow up questions based on what the person said

The student asked a couple of follow up questions based on what s/he thought the person said

The students did not ask any follow up questions based on what the person said.

Report writing

The report is well organised and contains accurate quotations and facts taken from the interview

The report is well organised and contains accurate facts taken from the interview

The report contains accurate quotations and facts taken from the interview

The report is lacking facts and quotations from the interview and the quotes and facts are not accurately reported.



68


Making a Brochure Assessment Rubric



Topic: _________________________________


3 Meets Standard

2 Approaching Standard

1 Below Standard

TOTAL

Writing - organisation

Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle and end

Almost all the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end

Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning middle and end

Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning middle and end

Writing – Grammar

There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure

There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after feedback from teacher

There are some grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from the teacher

There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from the teacher.

Spelling and Proofreading

No spelling errors remain after teacher reads and corrects the brochure

There are not many spelling errors after teacher reads and corrects the brochure

There are some spelling errors after teacher reads and corrects the brochure

There are several spelling errors after teacher reads and corrects the brochure

Writing- Vocabulary

The student/s correctly use/s several new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader

The student/s correctly use/s a few new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader

The student/s try/tries to use some new vocabulary but may use 1-2 words incorrectly

The student/s do/does not incorporate new vocabulary in the text and uses simple structures incorrectly

Writing – Mechanics

Capitalisation and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure

Capitalisation and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure after feedback from the teacher

There are some capitalisation and/or punctuation errors in the brochure even after feedback from the teacher

There are several capitalisation and/or punctuation errors in the brochure even after feedback from the teacher

Content – Accuracy

All the facts in the brochure are accurate

Most of the facts in the brochure are accurate

Some of facts in the brochure are accurate

Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate

Attractiveness & Organisation

The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well organised information

The brochure has attractive formatting and well organised information

The brochure has well organised information

The brochure’s formatting and organisation of material are confusing to the reader

Sources Careful and accurate records are kept to document the source of the facts and graphics in the brochure

Careful and accurate records are kept to document most sources of the facts and graphics in the brochure

Careful and accurate records are kept to document some sources of the facts and graphics in the brochure

Sources are not documented accurately

Knowledge gained

Student/s can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the brochure

Student/s can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure

Student/s can accurately answer some questions related to facts in the brochure

Student/s appear to have little knowledge about the facts used in the brochure

Graphics/ Pictures

Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics

Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text

Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems ‘text-heavy’

Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen



69


Making a Poster Assessment Rubric



Topic: _________________________________

CATEGORY

4 Above Standard

3 Meets Standard

2 Approaching

Standard

1 Below Standard

TOTAL

Graphics – originality

Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect an exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display

Most of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity and/or display

The graphics are made by the student but are based on the designs or ideas of others

No graphics made by the student are included

Graphics – Relevance

All graphics are related o the topic and make it easier to understand. All the borrowed graphics have a source citation

All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation

All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation

Graphics do not relate to the topic or several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation

Labels All items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from a distance

Almost all items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that can be read from a distance

Several items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled and can be read from a distance

Labels are too small to view or no important items were labelled

Required Elements

The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information

All required elements are included on the poster

Some required elements are included on the poster

Several required elements were missing

Knowledge gained

Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster

Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster

Student can accurately answer some of the questions related to the poster and processes used to create the poster

Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster

Content Accuracy

All facts are displayed accurately on the poster

Most facts are accurately displayed in the poster

Some facts are displayed on the facts

There are insufficient facts displayed on the poster

Attractiveness

The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness

The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness

The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy

The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed.

Title Title can be read from a distance and is quite creative

Title can be read from a distance and it describes the content well

Title could have been larger so that the content could be distinguished better

The title is too small and /or does not describe the content of the poster well

Mechanics Capitalisation and punctuation are correct throughout the poster

There are little errors in the capitalisation and punctuation

There are some errors in the capitalisation or punctuation

There are several errors in the capitalisation or punctuation

Grammar There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster

Most of the grammar on the poster is correct

Some of the grammar on the poster is correct

There are several grammatical mistakes on the poster



70


Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric



Topic: _________________________________


3 Meets Standard

2 Approaching Standard

1 Below Standard TOTAL

Preparedness Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed

Student seems quite prepared but might have needed a few more rehearsals

Student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking

Student does not seem at all prepared to present.

Evaluates Peers

Fills out peer evaluation completely and always gives scores based on the presentation rather than other factors (e.g.: person is a close friend)

Fills out almost all of the peer evaluation and always gives scores based on the presentation rather than other factors.

Fills out most of the peer evaluation and always gives scores based on the presentation rather than other factors

Fills out most of the peer evaluation but scoring appears to be biased.

Listens to other presentations

Listens intently. Does not make distracting noises or movements

Listens intently but has one distracting noise or movement

Sometimes does not appear to be listening but is not distracting others

Sometimes does not appear to be listening and has distracting noises or movements

Speaks clearly

Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, with a good pronunciation

Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, but mispronounces a few words

Speaks clearly and distinctly most of the time. Mispronounces quite a few words

Often mumbles or can not be understood or mispronounces many words

Content Shows a full understanding of the topic

Shows a good understanding of the topic

Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic

Does not seem to understand the topic very well

Posture and Eye Contact

Stands up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone during the presentation

Stands up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone during the presentation

Sometimes stands up straight and establishes eye contact.

Slouches and/or does not look at people during the presentation

Stays on the topic

Stays on the topic all of the time

Stays on the topic most of the time

Stays on the topic some of the time

It was hard to tell what the topic was.

Volume Volume is loud enough to be heard by the audience throughout the presentation.

Volume is loud enough to be heard by the audience most of the time

Volume is loud enough to be heard by the audience some of the time

Volume is too soft to be heard by all audience members

Pitch Pitch was often used and it conveyed emotions appropriately

Pitch was often used but the emotion it conveyed sometimes did not fit the content

Pitch was rarely used OR the emotion it conveyed often did not fit the content

Pitch was not used to convey emotion

Vocabulary Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Extends vocabulary by defining words that might be new to most of the audience.

Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Includes some words that might be new to most of the audience but does not define them

Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Does not include any vocabulary that might be new to the audience

Uses several words or phrases that are not understood by the audience.


Created from Rubistar: http://rubistar.4teachers.org

71


Reading – Analysing Information Assessment Rubric



Topic: _________________________________


3 Meets Standard

2 Approaching

Standard

1 Below Standard

TOTAL

Identifies important information

Student lists all the main points of the article without having the article in front of him/her

The student lists all the main points but uses the article for reference

The student lists all but one of the main points, using the article for reference. S/he does not highlight any unimportant points

The students cannot list important information with accuracy

Identifies details

Student recalls several details for each main point without referring to the article

Student recalls several details for each main point, but needs to refer to the article occasionally

Student is able to locate most of the details when looking at the article

Student cannot locate details with accuracy

Identifies facts

Student accurately locates at least 5 facts in the article and gives a clear explanation of why these are facts, rather than opinions

Student accurately locates 4 facts in the article and gives a reasonable explanation of why they are facts, rather than opinions

Student accurately locates 3 facts in the article. Explanation is weak.

Student has difficulty locating facts in the article.

Identifies opinions

Student accurately locates at least 5 opinions in the article and gives a clear explanation of why these are opinions, rather than facts

Student accurately locates 4 opinions in the article and gives a reasonable explanation of why they are opinions, rather than facts

Student accurately locates 3 opinions in the article. Explanation is weak.

Student has difficulty locating opinions in the article.

Relates graphics to text

Student accurately explains how each graphic/diagram is related to the text, and accurately determines whether each graphic/diagram agrees with the information in the text

Student accurately explains how each graphic/diagram is related to the text

Student accurately explains how some of the diagrams are related to the text

Student has difficulty relating graphics and diagrams to the text.



72


Reflective Questions to Ask at the End of Class

Observations about reflection

• Reflection makes all of us self-aware. It challenges us to think deeply about how we learn andwhy and why not.

• Reflection deepens ownership. When we reflect, we become sensitive to the personalconnection that exists between ourselves, our learning, and our work. The more we considerthese connections, the deeper they seem to become. Reflection makes things matter more.

• Reflection helps us get comfortable with uncomfortable. It also helps us fail forward. It’sthrough reflection that we’ve discovered our greatest power as a writing community: ourcollective expertise and our willingness to encourage and celebrate risk-taking.

• Reflection helps us know ourselves better. It helps us sharpen our vision, so we can align ouractions to it. Reflection also helps us notice when we’re getting off track.

• Perhaps most importantly, reflection helps us advocate for ourselves and support others.Taking the time to reflect enables us to identify what we want, what we need, and what wemust do to help ourselves.

Ten reflective questions to ask at the end of class

1. Reflect on your thinking, learning, and work today. What were you most proud of?

2. Where did you encounter struggle today, and what did you do to deal with it?

3. What about your thinking, learning, or work today brought you the most satisfaction? Why?

4. What is frustrating you? How do you plan to deal with that frustration?

5. What lessons were learned from failure today?

6. Where did you meet success, and who might benefit most from what you’ve learned alongthe way? How can you share this with them?

7. What are your next steps?

8. What made you curious today?

9. How did I help you today? How did I stop you making progress today? What can I do nextlesson to help you more?

10. How did you help the class today? How did you stop the class making progress today?What can you do next lesson to help other learners more?

The learners can capture these reflections in a special section of their notebooks or you can ask them orally at the end of class.

73


Characteristics of Effective Assessment

The purpose of assessment is to gather reliable information for teachers to make informed judgments

about the progress of students against specific task criteria and achievement against common

standards. Characteristics of assessment that will effectively gather this information are outlined

below:

1. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance Good assessment is

based on a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and how they might best achieve

these. It sets out to measure what matters most.

2. Assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn Assessment is most

effective when it reflects the fact that learning is a complex process that is multi-dimensional,

integrated and revealed in student performance over time.

3. Assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add

afterwards The teaching and learning elements of each program should be designed in full knowledge

of the sorts of assessment students will undertake, and vice versa, so that students can demonstrate

what they have learned and see the results of their efforts.

4. Good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student

achievement A variety of assessment methods fit for purpose provides teachers with evidence of what

students know and can do, and their particular strengths and weaknesses. Teachers then can report to

parents on how far their child has progressed during the year, where they are compared to the relevant

standards, and what the student, the parent and the teacher need do to improve the student’s

performance.

5. Good assessment requires clarity of purpose, goals, standards and criteria Assessment works

best when it is based on clear statements of purpose and goals for the course, the standards which

students are expected to achieve, and the criteria against which we measure success. Assessment

criteria in particular need to be understandable and explicit so students know what is expected of them

from each assessment they encounter. Staff, students, parents and the community should all be able to

see why assessment is being used, and the reasons for choosing each individual form of assessment in

its particular context.

6. Good assessment requires a variety of measures It is generally the case that a single assessment

instrument will not tell us all we need to know about student achievement and how it can be improved.

We therefore need to be familiar with a variety of assessment tools so we can match them closely to

the type of information we seek.

7. Assessment methods used should be valid, reliable and consistent Assessment instruments and

processes should be chosen which directly measure what they are intended to measure. They should

include the possibility of moderation between teachers where practical and appropriate to enhance

objectivity and contribute to a shared understanding of the judgments that are made.

74


8. Assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes Information about the outcomes

students have achieved is very important to know where each student ends up, but so too is knowing

about their experiences along the way and, in particular, the kind of effort that led to these outcomes.

9. Assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic Student learning is best fostered

when assessment involves a linked series of activities undertaken over time, so that progress is

monitored towards the intended course goals and the achievement of relevant standards.

10. Assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection All assessment

methods should allow students to receive feedback on their learning and performance so assessment

serves as a developmental activity aimed at improving student learning. Assessment should also

provide students and staff with opportunities to reflect on both their practice and their learning overall.

When assessment is addressed in terms of the principles outlined above it not only becomes a key part

of the planning process for improved student learning, but a powerful source of personal and

institutional professional development and learning as well.

Last Updated August 5, 2009 Copyright © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority,

State Government of Victoria, 2007

75


Student Assessment and Writing Reports

Assessment and report writing go hand-in-hand. They are two fundamental elements of the teaching and learning cycle. Throughout the year, formal and informal assessment inform your teaching practice and the data you gather provides the evidence you use in your feedback to parents and students.

VSL reporting schedule

Term 1 – End of Term 1 VCE (Unit 1 & 3) students receive an interim report that provides a snapshot of current progress and also highlights students at risk of not satisfactorily completing the unit.

Term 2 – End of Term 2 students receive their end of semester report and F-10 students have a formal parent-teacher-student conference to receive their report as well as showcase their portfolio to their parent.

Term 3 – End of Term 3 Year 12 students receive a progress report highlighting recommendations for study to achieve their personal best for their oral and written exams. This is their final report for the year from the VSL.

Term 4 – End of F-Year 11 students receive their end of semester report.

All VSL reports are completed online through the VSL portal and Area Managers will provide training regarding how to access and complete the reports.

Student assessment

In collaboration with your learning teams and in compliance with your school’s curricula and assessment policy, you will be structuring student work towards the achievement of specific outcomes. You will be constantly engaged in the collection of different types of data – from observation to formal assessment tasks. The information you collect during these observations and tasks will inform the next stages of the learning process.

Remember, when you are doing assessment, the most valuable source of information and assistance is the expertise of your colleagues, the curriculum leaders in your school, your team members and your mentor.

Writing reports

Comprehensive written reports are usually produced at the end of each term. The Victorian Curriculum provides the format for these reports and detailed guidance for writing them. Written reports provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue with the parents/carers of the students in your care.

Just as with parent-teacher conferences, reports are a very important task for a teacher. You are representing the profession to the public – to the parents/carers, but also to whomever else might read those reports in the future. Information from the reports you write will be collected and used at the school, region, state, and national level to describe educational achievement in a general sense and to set targets for improvement.

Your school will offer you guidance and information to prepare for writing reports. Your mentor might also offer guidance or advice.

Report writing and proof reading is often done in pairs, so guidance and feedback is available at all stages of the process.

76


F-10 Parent-Teacher - Student Conference

The VSL Parent-Teacher-Student conference is scheduled at the end of term 2. This is accompanied by an end of semester one report giving some broad indications about each student’s progress, and a completed Student Passport which is a record of the student’s language learning progress through a collection of work samples.

Parent-teacher conferences are an important way of providing feedback to parents on their child’s progress. It is also important for you to hear about concerns that parents may have. It is critical that each student knows that their teacher and their parents share goals about their learning.

The first time participating in Parent-Teacher Conferences may be daunting. Don’t worry parents can also be apprehensive about them. This is particularly the case if their child has not been succeeding at school or they have received negative feedback on these occasions in the past.

The school wants parents to attend and often puts considerable effort into encouraging them to do so. It is important that it is a productive experience for them, and for you.

Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Area Managers will provide you with details about the scheduling and format of the conferences.

However, there are a few things you can do.

• Arrange the furniture in the room so that you and the parents and student are sitting together at a table.Placing yourself behind a desk may not set the right tone.

• Prepare the room so that it is tidy and attractive. Display student work where possible.• Present yourself professionally in dress and manner.• Be prepared. Have evidence of the student’s progress and learning behaviour. Samples of work,

assessment records, diary notes or printouts make good examples.• Conference times are usually about ten minutes, so be clear about what you want to communicate.• Greet parents in a warm and welcoming manner. Introduce yourself if you have not met them before.• Be confident but respectful. You are the professional educator but they know their child well. Do not

forget that some of your parents may also be teachers.• Practice active listening. Do not get so caught up in what you are saying that you do not listen properly

to what the parents are telling you.• Begin and end with something positive. Show that you know the student and are committed to their

progress.• If you need to draw attention to some negative behaviours do it in terms of their impact on the student’s

learning. Do not engage in personal comments or characterisations.• Involve the parents by asking for their thoughts on what you are discussing.• Have a place where you take notes about the interview, particularly if you have promised some follow

up.• End the conference by smiling and thanking them for coming.

77


Student Passports

78


Student Language Passports

The VSL Language Passport is provided to all students in Years F-10. It provides students an opportunity to set individual learning goals and then reflect on their achievements during the course of the year. It also provides the framework for the collection of samples of individual student work, which provides a record of the student’s activities and achievements in relation to the teaching and their language learning over time. The portfolio enables students to reflect and take more responsibility for their learning. Teachers and students can work collaboratively to make choices about the content of the student portfolio (6-8 samples per Semester).

Portfolios A portfolio is a structured collection of samples of individual student's work, for example, reports, electronic files, posters, summary notes, annotated illustrations, models, design briefs, business plans, photos, multimedia presentations and reflections – designed to provide a record of the student's activities and achievements in relation to teaching and learning goals over time.

A record of skills and evidence of performance (both ongoing and summative) incorporating self, peer and teacher assessment, is an essential element of a student's portfolio. Teachers and students work collaboratively to ensure that appropriate choices of materials are made that provide evidence of a student's performance in terms of purpose and audience.

Portfolios are most effective when they are embedded into a triangulated interview where they provide a discussion point for teachers, parents and students. Wherever possible students should be given the opportunity to present or speak to their portfolios, outlining the learning they achieved and the strategies which helped them achieve their goals.

Supporting Students Develop and Monitor their Learning Goals

Developing personal learning goals

Students need to understand that the process of setting learning goals is a key part of their learning. Learning goals can help students close the gap between what they have achieved and what they want to achieve.

Effective personal learning goals:

• Are personally important to the student• Have a reasonable chance of being achieved in a set time (e.g. a semester)• Answer the student’s questions:Ø What do I want to be able to do?Ø How will I succeed in this goalØ What do I need to learnØ Why will this help my learning?Ø What actions should I take to help achieve this goal?

Support activities:

Ways to support students to develop personal learning goals:

• Support students to reflect on themselves as learners, and become more aware of their strengths andweaknesses

• Provide students with a set of statements to focus on their goals, such as:Ø ‘My strengths are…….’ Ø ‘I feel frustrated when…..’ Ø ‘I need help with…..’ Ø ‘I need to find out more about…..’

• Discussing with students:Ø Achievements and challenges from the previous semesterØ Their strengths and areas for improvementØ Their goals for short and long-term

79


Monitoring personal learning goals

Monitoring requires reflection. Reflection leads to conclusions about the extent of success or improvement, and allows for explanations for lack of improvement. It also provides a basis for establishing future goals and a sense of achievement.

When teachers help students reflect on and monitor their progress towards achieving their learning goals, they are asking students to think about their learning.

Support activities

Some ways of supporting students to reflect and monitor their goals include:

• Students using portfolios, learning logs, learning journals and other simple devices to reflect on theirrecent work and how they have progressed towards achieving their personal goals. Students may reflect ontheir learning at set times during the term. There may be regular prompts to respond to, such as:Ø This week I have learned…. Ø I am now able to…. Ø For next week I am focusing on…. Ø I will know I am getting better when…

1. Annotating lesson plans and programsWhen analysing and reflecting on teaching and learning, teachers could ask themselves the follow questions:

• What worked well in terms of the students’ learning? Why did it work well?

• What did not work as well as expected?

• What would I do differently given the opportunity to repeat the activity?

• What would I do next in the light of what the student responses have told me about their understandings,difficulties and misconceptions?

2. Annotating student work samplesAnalysing samples of student work provides an opportunity to improve teachers’ knowledge of their students as well as the effectiveness of the teaching/learning cycle. It also provides insight into the complexity and depth of the student learning which has occurred. Be sure to include where the sample fits in the sequence of learning experiences, and the nature of work eg title page, group task and test. The annotations and notes the teacher provides for the work samples submitted should answer these questions:

• What does the work sample demonstrate about the student’s progress towards the established learning goals(including literacy and support needs)?

• What does the work sample tell you about the effectiveness of the teaching and learning which you plannedand delivered?

• Where would you go next with this student?

• How would you communicate feedback to students or supervisors/parents/caregivers?

Collecting Evidence of Learning Introduction In planning activities and managing assessment, teachers should ensure that assessment is based on a variety of tasks and is inclusive of the learning needs of all students. Multiple sources of information should be used to make judgments about specific skills and depth of understanding. Assessment tasks need to be developed with the goals and objectives of the unit in mind and must reflect the learning objectives outlined. These sources include:

• negotiated tasks with negotiated assessment criteria• self assessment and reflection• group assessment• portfolios• learning journals• observations• presentations• demonstrations• peer evaluations.

It is important that unexpected outcomes, both positive and negative, are also acknowledged.

80


Negotiated tasks and assessment A collaborative approach to developing assessment criteria for different purposes and audiences can enable students to become better focused and engaged in learning. In relating assessment criteria to clearly developed learning expectations within a given task, students think carefully about what is being assessed and the kinds of evidence that would need to be provided to show their understanding. The negotiation of assessment tasks is central to contract work and teachers need to maintain accurate records of the tasks being undertaken to ensure that students are demonstrating their skills and knowledge across a wide range of options. Teachers lead the discussion by presenting students with options for decision-making about the kinds of evidence that might be provided to assess negotiated tasks. (For example, see options under Group assessment)

Reflection, peer and self-assessment is a powerful tool in empowering students to monitor their learning and set goals for improvement. Effective self-assessment includes the student as an active partner, enabling them to evaluate their strengths and attitudes, analyse their progress in a particular area, and set goals for future learning. With practice, students who self-assess become more conscious learners, able to apply knowledge of their learning needs and styles to new areas of study. Before engaging in self assessment students must be aware of the assessment criteria and objectives of the unit being taught. Within this framework they need to examine their work and think about what they do well and in which areas they still need help. Once students have reflected on their learning they are ready to set new goals for themselves. As they work toward these goals they should be encouraged to reflect on their learning journey at regular intervals. The quality of the self-assessment will depend on the tools, support and modelling given by the teacher (which will depend on the age and skill level of the students), the way in which self-assessment is built into the learning process, the guiding questions asked and the opportunity to regularly engage in self-assessment. Possible tools, self-assessment checklists and inventories to aid self-assessment include PMI graphic organiser, de Bono’s six thinking hats and Reflective journals.

Peer assessment This is assessment of students by other students. It benefits the learning for the student receiving the feedback and the student conducting the assessment. It encourages student autonomy and higher order thinking skills as students develop skills in evaluating and justifying the decisions they make. Peer and self-assessment are often undertaken together as evaluating the work of other students helps students to reflect on their own work and learning more effectively. Peer assessment is most effective when it is embedded into the learning in the unit and students are provided with the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a non threatening environment.

Group assessment Groups of students (class or small groups) negotiate and develop their own criteria for participation in discussion and in teamwork. For example:

• listens to, builds on or challenges the ideas of others through questions of clarification and amplification• poses and answers questions clearly• responds sensitively to other participants• encourages others to participate• responds flexibly to group interactions• deals with interjections• maintains eye contact with speakers and listeners.

Criteria for assessing contribution to teamwork might include:• participates constructively in group activities• helps to define team goals and tasks• fulfil and, where required, modifies a particular role• identifies problems and poses solutions collaboratively• supports group decisions.

81


Student Success Plan & Portfolio examples

Instructions for students to put together the portfolio: • Include 6 pieces of your best pieces of work• Include 2 pieces of your favourite pieces of work

Examples of pieces of work:

• Assignments• Projects• Worksheets• Models• Drawings• Tests• Essays

NOTE: some pieces of work are difficult to include in their portfolio (drama performances,larges models etc.).However, they can still answer the questions below about them:

Ø Describe each piece of work- What did you have to do to complete it?Ø What was your feedback and result?Ø Why was it your best piece of work?Ø What did you do really well on each piece?Ø What could you have done better to improve?

Years 7-10

Setting Goals

• What I think I could do to help me improve and extend my skills and understanding (see ideasbelow

• What I think my teacher could do to help me improve/extend my skills• What I think my parent/s could do to help me improve/extend my skills

Some ideas to help students decide on areas for improvement/extension

ICT use Drama More confidence

Grammar Presentations Behaviour Read more challenging

books

Concentration Organisation Spelling Developing writing/oral

ideas

Work habits Hand/script writing

Being a positive role

model

Reflection for Student

Consider a piece of work which you were not happy with, or didn’t do so well on….. • What advice would you give yourself for next time you try some work or a task like this?

82


Curriculum Planning Models

83


Curriculum Planning Models

There are many different models that can be used for planning teaching, learning and assessment

activities. Effective teaching will draw on a range of these and other models

Problem-based learning Problem-based learning (PBL) is an active learning approach that

involves students in solving problems similar to those they may find in life. In a PBL environment,

teachers act as facilitators and coaches, enabling students to take responsibility for learning and

developing higher order thinking skills.

Inquiry-based learning Inquiry-based learning is a student centred or active learning approach

that takes as its starting point the natural process of inquiry, building on this to develop information

processing and problem-solving skills. The focus is on 'how we know' rather than 'what we know',

with students actively involved in the construction of their own knowledge.

Bloom's taxonomy Bloom's taxonomy is a useful model for ensuring that higher order thinking

tasks are included in curriculum planning. It was revised by Anderson in 1999 and is based on a six-

level classification of cognitive development:

• remembering

• understanding

• applying

• analysing

• evaluating

• creating.

Gardners theory of multiple intelligences Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences

describes learning styles in terms of different kinds of intelligences. Teachers can refer to these to

support them in constructing units which cater for a range of learning styles:

• verbal-linguistic

• logical-mathematical

• visual-spatial

• body-kinaesthetic

• musical-rhythmical

• interpersonal

• intrapersonal

• naturalistic.

84


Thinker's keys The thinker's keys are a range of question starters developed by Tony Ryan in

1990. They are designed to engage and motivate students in divergent thinking activities and provide a

framework for teachers when developing units of work. The thinkers keys include:

• the reverse – name 10 things you cannot eat

• the what if? – what if the sun stopped shining?

• the alphabet – compile a list of words on a topic from A to Z

• the BAR – make an item bigger, add something to it, replace something on it

• the combination – list the attributes of two dissimilar objects. Combine all the attributes to make a

single object

• the disadvantages – choose an item and list all of its disadvantages

• the different uses – find 10 uses for empty plastic yoghurt containers

• the prediction – predict what children will be like in 10 years

• the picture – draw a simple diagram and students work out how to link it to the topic

• the ridiculous – make a ridiculous comment that would be impossible to implement and then attempt

to substantiate it.

Six thinking hats The six thinking hats and the Cognitive Research Trust technique (CoRT)

programs were developed by Edward de Bono. The six thinking hats are a model for the direct

teaching and practising of parallel thinking. Each hat represents a different type of thinking and

students are initially formally taught the meaning of each hat and the rules for their use. The six hats

are:

• white hat – information

• red hat – feelings

• black hat – caution/problem

• yellow hat – benefits/value

• green hat – ideas/creativity

• blue hat – facilitating/organising

Presentations, demonstrations and interviewsThese are authentic assessment tools which help students to develop key, transferable skills, highlyvalued by the community, and to make the connection between their learning and real world learningcontexts. The ability to actively engage in the assessment process through the verbalisation ordemonstration of their learning provides students with the opportunity to apply a range of skills inmeaningful, everyday situations.

Interviews or conferences, which can include any combination of student, peer, teacher, or parent,assist students in reflecting upon and demonstrating their learning in another context. Students aregiven an outline, program or criteria to guide them in preparation for the interview or conference. Theyare also given time and assistance in developing support materials and gathering samples of work toillustrate their learning and skill development. During their interview students are active participants indiscussing their learning, in demonstrating how they have developed this understanding, and in settinggoals for their future development. This process can be used in conjunction with a portfolio or learningjournal which contains samples of the students work and reflections over time.

85


Making a planning matrix

• Taking into account the various theories of learning and the students' stages of development, Bloom's

taxonomy and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence can be combined in a grid to help plan

selection or modification of activities, or to record what was done. It is unlikely that any one unit or

section of work will offer a full range of activities addressing all learning styles, student attributes and

competencies.

• The sample matrix planning document, however, provides a useful reference for checking the range of

different learning styles, key ideas and concepts covered over, say, a term or semester.

• Sample matrix planning document

• Unit: ___________________________________________

Level: _____________

remembering understanding applying analysing evaluating creating

Verbal

Logical/ mathematical

Insert the activity

Visual

Body

Musical

Interpersonal (social)

Intrapersonal (self)

Naturalist

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/129125/20121206-0015/vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/models.html#problem

Observations are a powerful way of gathering ongoing evidence of students' learning development. They can take place in a variety of settings, across many activities, using a range of tools.

When planning to observe students, teachers should consider who they want to observe, what to observe, and how to evaluate and document what they see. Teachers may choose to select smaller groups of students over longer periods of time and focus on particular skills or knowledge to be observed. Observational checklists can be developed to act as a recording guide for progress towards the standards.

86


Observations Date Comment - examples Follow up to occur

1 Monitors own behaviour

2 Takes on group roles

3 Respects the opinions of other people

4 Shows empathy for others feelings

5 Reflects on values and beliefs of individuals

and groups

6 Uses a range of strategies to manage conflict

Establishing Roles for Collaborative Learning

To ensure effective collaborative learning students need to be aware of and assume designated roles. Roles may be negotiated within the group or allocated by teachers. Roles should be rotated ensuring, that over the course of a term or semester, students gain experience in developing a range of capabilities. Some possible roles are:

Manager

• keeps the group on task• ensures everyone has the

opportunity to contribute and thatthe recorder notes the individual'scontribution

• is responsible for monitoringprogress according to themanagement or action plan andcalling them together if/whennecessary

• liaises or negotiates with othergroups and with the teacher

• contributes appropriately todiscussion, listens to others.

Time keeper

• monitors progress according tothe group's overall timeline andduring sub-tasks as appropriate

• liaises with the manager• contributes appropriately to

discussion, listens to others.

Recorder

• listens carefully todiscussion and records mainpoints

• notes decisions made by thegroup and any other mattersas directed by the manager

• has notes checked by thegroup/manager forreliability

• contributes appropriately todiscussion.

Reporter

• reports to the class or teacherif/when necessary

• ensures that the group membersknow what should be included intheir portfolios

• contributes appropriately todiscussion, listens to others.

Resourcer/materials manager

• gathers materials/resources forthe group

• liaises with the manager• develops outside contact with the

community• monitors the use of materials and

gathers more when needed.

Interpreter

• may be called upon to reportto the class

• restates decisions,discussion to the groupmembers

• paraphrases• asks questions of the group

members to help unpack themeaning of the discussion.

Privacy Statement | Copyright | Disclaimer Last Updated September 23, 2009

Copyright © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, State Government of Victoria, 2007

87


Collaborative Learning Strategies

Inside/outside circles Students are placed in two circles. Students in the inner circle face outwards, directly facing another student in the outer circle. This strategy enables discussion between students while encouraging movement and interaction.

Four corners Four corners is a strategy for developing students' collaborative skills, encourage reflection and for developing empathy for other people's points of view.

The corners of the classroom represent strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree. Students reflect on their response to an issue, statement or questions and which of the corners best captures their perspective and opinion. Students move to the relevant corner and pair up with another student in that corner to discuss their perspective on the issue. Students can also be paired with a student from the opposite perspective to discuss the issue with their partner.

Three step interview Students are encouraged to interview class members, share their thinking and ask questions on an interview topic. Students are divided into teams of three and are assigned a role as an interviewer, reporter or interviewee. The roles rotate after each interview. At the completion of a unit of work students can use this process to share and learn more about each others' topics. Students might, for example, interview each other about their thoughts on a book they have just read.

Jigsaw The jigsaw strategy is used as a random and socially sensitive way of forming students into groups. For example, a group of 28 students is to be divided into groups of 4 in order to conduct different aspects of an investigation:

• Divide the number of students in the class by 4, in this case, resulting in 7.• Number off each student in the class from 1 to 7.• All 1s work together (4 in each small group), all 2s (4 in each small group) and so on.• Each group of four then carries out its task and reports to the class.

The jigsaw strategy provides teachers with an equitable way of dividing and changing group roles anddynamics, and gives students the opportunity to work in different groups. Teachers can work with smalland larger groups according to the requirements of the activity, observing students and facilitatingprogress.

Fishbowl Fishbowl is a strategy for discussion. A number of students are engaged in the discussion,debate or activity with 'observers' (the rest of the class) sitting behind and around in a fishbowlarrangement. They observe, think about and feedback on the progress of the participants.

Debate This strategy lends itself particularly to analysing issues and expressing different points ofview. Students need to be aware of the rules of debating and to cooperate in establishing a respectfulenvironment.

Discussion Discussion provides opportunities for students to discuss in pairs, small groups, teams oras a whole class helps clarify their understanding. As with debate, protocols, norms or agreements needto be established by the class to ensure discussions progress in a focused way.

Role play and drama Role play and drama can be a positive way for students to workcollaboratively to research and express their ideas. Role-playing scenarios and strategies, for example,can help students develop collaborative skills and deeper understanding.

Code of cooperation To ensure that groups and teams are effective, students begin an activity bydiscussing the task to be undertaken, setting goals to achieve the task successfully and norms oragreements for how they will cooperate within the group.

88


Action Planning To assist groups with planning and staying on task during cooperative learning tasks, groups can develop an action plan which outlines the following areas:

• members of the group• the topic to be covered• the research and data to be collected – where and how they will go about this?• the group's goals/protocols/agreements• the action they plan to take• the steps will they take in putting the actions into place• the resources are needed• a timeline for the project• the format of the final presentation• a description of the audience for the report or presentation• the roles the various team members play.

Simple action plan

Project Time (dates)

What has to be done?

Whose responsibility?

Resources needed?

Review/ check point

Monitor progress Team

Final review Evaluation Team

Classroom meetings are a democratic process where the whole class meets on a regular basis to discuss and develop solutions for problems and issues which may be occurring within groups. Students can also share and reflect on learning tasks or discuss social issues that may be occurring in the classroom or school ground. Students are actively engaged in the process of running, organising and developing strategies in the meetings and assume the different roles required to run a meeting. Classroom meetings should be run in a circle with students sitting facing each other to facilitate discussion. There are different types of classroom meetings and the type of meeting to be run is influenced by the topic to be addressed. Teachers can use the meeting to evaluate students' progress, understanding and engagement with a task. An open-ended meeting allows students to agenda items to be discussed as they see fit. The meeting may focus on one particular problem or issue that is to be addressed.

Multi-voting technique This strategy is designed for groups and whole classes to vote on a particular topic to eliminate the least supported ideas. Brainstorm to compile a list of options or ideas under the topic heading. Students are given a number of coloured sticky dots. Each dot is worth a diminishing number of votes. The first vote may be a red sticker worth 5 points. Students decide which item they would like to give the most points to down to the least and place the relevant dot next to that item. The number of votes are then tallied and the most popular idea revealed.

Nominal Group Technique This is another strategy for groups to vote on and explore issues and ways to make improvements. Students are asked to list their views on a topic or issue. These are then collected and listed on the board with similar items being clustered together. Each participant is then allowed six votes and may choose to place all of the votes in one place if they feel strongly about it.

Last Updated August 17, 2009 Copyright © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority,

State Government of Victoria, 2007

89


Some websites for Course planning, Assessment

& Professional Learning for Languages VSL Teacher Website

https://www.vsl.vic.edu.au/Content/Resource/Teacher.aspx

VCAA (Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority)

http://vcaa.vic.edu.au

Victorian Curriculum F-10

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/f10index.aspx

DET – Department of Education & Training

http://www.education.vic.gov.au

Improve your teaching

Tools to help analyse and improve your professional teaching practice.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/default.aspx

1. Victorian teaching and learning modelThe model consists of four components: vision for learning, practice principles, pedagogical model, and HITS

2. Practice principlesNine principles to help develop your professional practice through collaboration and evidence based approach.These principles will replace PoLT

3. Pedagogical modelThe model which underpins teacher practice improvement

4. High impact teaching strategies (HITS)Ten instructional practices that reliably increase student learning

5. Student voice practice guide (Amplify)Having conversations to empower students

6. Peer observationObserving your peers to learn ways of teaching and provide each other feedback

7. Professional practice elementsPractice elements to achieve teaching and learning excellence, includes practice guide and notes

8. Principles of learning and teaching(PoLT)Six principles used to reflect on and support professional practice

9. Evaluate the impact of your teachingUnderstand assessment design, the knowledge, capabilities and skills of your students and how to interpretassessment data

Assessment & Reporting

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/assessment.aspx

LMERC – Languages & Multicultural Education Resource Centre)

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/lmerc.aspx

MLTAV – Modern Languages Teachers Association of Victoria

http://www.mltav.asn.au

Asia Education Foundation

http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/about-aef

Education Services Australia

http://www.esa.edu.au

90


Victorian School of Languages Contacts

Principal Mr Frank Merlino Assistant Principal Curriculum and Professional Development

Ms Angela Natoli

Assistant Principal Technology and Projects

Mr Stefo Stojanovski

Assistant Principal Strategic Planning, Staffing and Accountability

Mr Joe Tosic

VSL Head Office Address 315 Clarendon Street Thornbury VIC 3071

VSL Postal Address PO Box 1172 Thornbury VIC 3071

Head Office Telephone (03) 9474 0500Fax (03) 9416 9899

Languages taught at the VSL Albanian Filipino (Tagalog) Khmer Serbian Amharic French Korean Sinhala Arabic German Latin Spanish Bosnian Greek (Classical) Macedonian Swahili Bulgarian Greek (Modern) Malay Tamil Chin Falam Gujarati Malayalam Telugu Chin Hakha Hebrew Maltese Thai Chin Matu Hindi Mizo Turkish Chinese (Cantonese) Hungarian Persian Urdu Chinese (Mandarin) Indonesian Polish Vietnamese Croatian Italian Portuguese Zomi Dari Japanese Punjabi Dinka Kannada Romanian Dutch Karen Russian

The VSL enrols students from Foundation - Year 12 who are unable to study their language of choice in their home school. Students from all educational sectors (Government, Independent, and Catholic) are eligible to enrol. We also offer 12 languages via Distance Education: Arabic, Chinese, Classical Greek, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latin and Spanish. The provision mostly covers language courses from Years 7-12 with some languages becoming available in year 5 and year 6.

Registered Training Organisation The VSL is an accredited Registered Training Organisation (No. 21269) currently registered with the Australian Skills Quality Authority and offers Certificate II in Applied Language 10297NAT and Certificate III in Applied Language 10661NAT courses, as an alternative pathway to VCE. In this RTO capacity we teach vocational languages as part of our Distance Education and Centre deliver, as well as tailoring courses for assorted workplace setting and needs, such as the Victoria Police. The VSL RTO also currently auspices secondary schools around Victoria and interstate to deliver Certificate II and III in Applied Language in the following languages French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. Vocational Education and Training delivered to secondary schools is designed to provide additional pathways for school students to undertake a nationally recognised VET qualification while still at secondary school completing either VCE or VCAL. It is a key component of the Government’s strategy to increase student retention, improve Year 12 completion rates and address skills shortages. VET provides a vocationally oriented pathway leading to a senior secondary certificate. In addition to language courses, the VSL RTO has on its scope Certificate III in Learning an Endangered Aboriginal Language 10190NAT which is currently being delivered as part of a Department of Education and Training initiative to upskill teachers to teach Victorian Aboriginal languages in state schools and kindergartens.

91


VSL CENTRES

CENTRAL EAST 1

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Brunswick VSL Centre Brunswick Secondary College 47 Dawson Street BRUNSWICK 3056

Blackburn VSL Centre Blackburn High School 60 Springfield Road BLACKBURN 3130

Collingwood VSL Centre Collingwood College Cnr Cromwell & McCutcheon Way COLLINGWOOD 3066

Box Hill VSL Centre Box Hill High School 1180 Whitehorse Road BOX HILL 3128

University High School VSL Centre University High School 77 Story Street PARKVILLE 3052

Doncaster VSL Centre Doncaster Secondary College 123 Church Road DONCASTER 3108

EAST 2 NORTH


Carwatha VSL Centre Carwatha College P-12 43-81 Browns RoadNOBLE PARK NORTH 3174

Epping VSL Centre Epping Secondary College (Junior Campus) McDonalds Road EPPING 3076

Glen Waverley VSL Centre Glen Waverley Secondary College 21 O' Sullivan Road GLEN WAVERLEY 3150

Hume Central VSL Centre Hume Central Secondary College Blair Street BROADMEADOWS 3047

Mildura VSL Centre Mildura Senior College 261-289a Deakin AvenueMILDURA 3502

Lalor VSL Centre Lalor Secondary College 118 David Street LALOR 3075

Roxburgh VSL Centre Roxburgh College 60-70 Donald Cameron DriveROXBURGH PARK 3064

Thomastown VSL Centre Thomastown Secondary College 80-96 Main StreetTHOMASTOWN 3074

NORTH WEST

Email: [email protected]

Craigieburn VSL Centre Mt Ridley College 2-30 Hampton StreetCRAIGIEBURN 3064

Keilor Downs VSL Centre Keilor Downs College 100-110 Odessa AvenueKEILOR DOWNS 3038

Taylors Lakes VSL Centre Taylors Lakes College 1-39 Parmelia DriveTAYLORS LAKES 3038

92


VSL CENTRES

SOUTH SOUTH 2


Brentwood VSL Centre Brentwood Secondary College 65-71 Heath StreetGLEN WAVERLEY 3150

McKinnon VSL Centre McKinnon Secondary College 291a McKinnon Road MCKINNON 3204

Haileybury VSL Centre Haileybury College 855-891 Springvale Road

KEYSBOROUGH 3173

South Oakleigh VSL Centre South Oakleigh College Bakers Road OAKLEIGH SOUTH 3167

Mentone VSL Centre Mentone Girls’ Secondary College Cnr Balcombe & Charman Roads MENTONE 3194

Westall VSL Centre Westall Secondary College 88 Rosebank Avenue

CLAYTON SOUTH 3169

Traralgon VSL Centre Grey Street Primary School 30-44 Grey Street

TRARALGON 3844

SOUTH EAST WEST 1


Berwick VSL Centre Berwick Secondary College Manuka Road BERWICK 3806

Altona North VSL Centre Bayside Secondary College (Altona North Campus) 1 McArthurs Road ALTONA NORTH 3025

Dandenong VSL Centre Dandenong High School 92-106 Princes HighwayDANDENONG 3175

Footscray VSL Centre Footscray City College 1 Kinnear Street FOOTSCRAY 3011

Hampton Park VSL Centre Hampton Park Secondary College 58-96 Fordholm RoadHAMPTON PARK 3976

Sunshine VSL Centre Sunshine College Cnr Graham & Derby Streets SUNSHINE 3020

Ballarat VSL Centre Ballarat High School Sturt Street West BALLARAT 3350

93


VSL CENTRES

WEST 2 COUNTRY 1


Creekside VSL Centre Creekside Secondary College The Crossing CAROLINE SPRINGS 3023

Melton VSL Centre Staughton College 26-46 Wilson RoadMELTON 3337

Matthew Flinders VSL Centre Matthew Flinders Girls’ Secondary College Little Ryrie Street GEELONG 3220

North Geelong VSL Centre North Geelong Secondary College 86-132 Separation Street

NORTH GEELONG 3215

Truganina VSL Centre Truganina P-9 College 55 Clearwood Drive TRUGANINA 3844

Suzanne Cory VSL Centre Suzanne Cory High School 255 Hoppers Lane WERRIBEE 3030

Point Cook VSL Centre Point Cook Senior Secondary College Cnr Boardwalk Blvd & Bergamot Drv POINT COOK 3030

COUNTRY 2


Warrnambool VSL Centre Warrnambool Secondary College Grafton Road WARRNAMBOOL 3280

Bendigo VSL Centre Bendigo South East College Corner Curtin & Ellis Streets BENDIGO 3550

Shepparton VSL Centre Shepparton High School

31-71 Hawdon StreetSHEPPARTON 3630

Ringwood VSL Centre Ringwood Secondary College Bedford Road RINGWOOD 3134

Croydon VSL Centre Melba College 61 Croydon Road CROYDON 3137

COUNTRY 3


Wodonga VSL Centre Wodonga Middle Years College Huon Campus 22-24 Mitchell StreetWODONGA 3690

94


Appendix

95