102086 Design Teaching and

Learning

Assignment 2:
Lesson plan analysis, revision and justification

Table of contents
1. QT analysis template………………………………………………2
2. Modified LOTE lesson plan……………………………………….4
3. Academic justification……………………………………………..6
4. Reference list………………………………………………………9
5. Learning Portfolio Web link……………………………………..10

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 1. QT Analysis Template

1 Intellectual quality
1.1 Deep knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: All parts of the lesson focus on achieving learning outcomes by developing listening and
writing skills. Key concepts and ideas are strongly present.
1.2 Deep understanding
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: With sufficient background knowledge, contextualisation and time, students should be
able to perform the task relatively well. To enhance a deeper understanding, we can dedicate more
time to the main listening task and add elements of interactions between students.
1.3 Problematic knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The nature of the task is to listen to a news report and answer specific questions to test
the student understand key ideas. One type of answer is therefore expected.
1.4 Higher-order thinking
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students engage in high-order thinking during the whole lesson as listening to a news
report in the target language requires analysing information through prior knowledge and reflect on
the content of the recording. Students are also invited to critically assess their own produced text.
1.5 Metalanguage
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The key metalanguage is pre-taught at the beginning of the lesson to facilitate the
understanding of the news report. During the whole lessons, all students manipulate spoken and
written elements in the target language.
1.6 Substantive communication
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is limited occurrences for communication during the main listening part as the
students primarily work independently. Students are invited to suggest grammatical structures
before the recording and discuss areas for improvement at the end of the class.
Quality learning environment
2.1 Explicit quality criteria
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson clearly defines the quality criteria the students have to follow. Students are
repeatedly invited to check the quality of their produced text: accurate grammatical structures,
sentence coherence and one or two areas of improvement.
2.2 Engagement
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher provides guidance throughout the lesson. Sufficient scaffolding of the lesson
should keep students on task, although there is a potential for disengagement during the listening
task due to its challenging nature.
2.3 High expectations
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Listening to a news report is a challenging task for language learners. All students are
required to produce quality work as they are invited to reflect on the accuracy of their answers and
provide one or two areas of improvement.
2.4 Social support
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher seems to provide support and guidance throughout the lesson. Collaborative
work on how to improve their writing task sets a positive classroom environment

2.5 Students’ self-regulation

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson requires student’s autonomy and a self-regulated environment to be
successful. The teacher encourages student self-evaluation of progress and achievement on learning
tasks.

2.6 Student direction

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Most of aspects of the lesson are designed by the teacher. However, students have some
control over the number of times they can listen to the recording which is a critical factor in the
successful completion of the activity.

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3 Significance
3.1 Background knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students are expected to draw on their prior knowledge of German grammar structure
to produce accurate answers. Listening to German news report enables students to make
connections with out-of-school background knowledge.
3.2 Cultural knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is no reference to cultural diversity within the classroom. It is possible that the
news report may allow comparison between different cultures and the German culture.

3.3 Knowledge integration

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: No explicit knowledge integration but a potential relation to other KLAs such as HSIE
(history, business, society and culture) could emerge from the topics discussed in the news report.

3.4 Inclusivity
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: Although there is no reference to inclusivity in the lesson plan, we can expect the lesson
to include all students in the classroom. This is mainly due to the focus of the lesson being on the
target culture and no apparent negative form of prejudice and discrimination being demonstrated.

3.5 Connectedness
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher uses real-life authentic material to connect the student’s learning of the
German language to the outside world. The students relate the need to understand the language to
learn about the German culture.

3.6 Narrative
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: The news report is likely to use narrative through the use of documentaries, guest
speakers and personal accounts. The lesson uses narrative to enhance listening, reading and writing
skills.

Identifying Areas for Improvement

Identify the four NSW QT model elements you are targeting for improvement.

QT model
1) Problematic knowledge 2) Substantive communication
3) Student direction 4) Knowledge integration

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 2. Modified LOTE lesson plan

Topic area: German Stage of Learner: Stage 4 Syllabus Pages: 38; 40

Date: Location Booked: computer room Lesson Number: /

Time: 1 hour Total Number of students Printing/preparation

26 German television news
report
Transcript of tv news report
Headphones, book computer
Room
Word search

Outcomes Assessment Students learn about Students learn to

• demonstrates understanding Peer review • the importance of • deduce meaning from

of the main ideas and understanding the context and prior
supporting detail in spoken Collect worksheets intention of the knowledge of subject
texts and responds from students speaker/s and the matter when listening
appropriately context in for main ideas.
• applies a range of linguistic Collect reflection / interpreting • identify specific
structures to express own news report from meaning information, eg by
ideas in writing students • the importance of identifying
the logical statements as true or
development of false, answering
ideas in questions in English
constructing text or German, choosing
the correct word.
• select and
incorporate modelled
linguistic structures in
own writing.
• express ideas and
provide additional
details in a series of
linked sentences, eg
using conjunctions
such as und, aber,
oder.
Time Teaching and learning actions
Begin the class by asking the students who has watched the news recently? In groups of four, students need to
discuss what topics are usually discussed in the Australian news (2 mins). In the meantime, the teacher writes some
5 mins key German words used in German news reports. The whole class has a two-minute discussion about typical topics
discussed in the Australian news.

10 mins Read and explain the meaning of the German words on the board. Practice their pronunciation. Recap main
pronunciation rules from the vocabulary in the text. Hand out a word search with key words from the text. As
students do the word search, they should pay attention to how the words are written e.g. capital letters, umlauts
etc. Once the students have found all the words, they need to pair up with someone and read them out. Still in
pairs, students should discuss the meaning of all new vocabulary. The teacher then leads discussion on what the
students think the text will be about.

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 10 mins Students should be given the questions in German relating to the recording they are about to hear. They should
read them through, asking for clarification of vocabulary as they do so. They may then be able to anticipate more
details of the dialogue they are about to hear. They should also look at the title.

In pairs, discuss what the dialogue will be about. Look at the formation of the questions and encourage students to
suggest the grammatical construction that might be appropriate in the answer.

Groups feedback their grammar structures and anticipation of topics to the whole class

15 mins The whole class listens to the dialogue once from beginning to end, to ascertain length and get an overall
impression. Student learn to listen to the gist, main ideas.

In groups of four, students talk about the news report in English. They discuss their general feeling about the text.

Computer task: Students work independently as they try to listen for specific information and answer each question.
They can play the recording again, as often as they like within the overall time limit and write answers to the
questions. They should be encouraged to write answers in rough first. Individual headphones should be used.

5 mins Students should check their work, ensuring that their answers make sense and are grammatically accurate.
Meanwhile hand out a transcript to each student, face down.

5 mins Students swap their answer sheet with a classmate who marks their work for comprehension, under the teacher’s
guidance, using the transcript as an aid. Students highlight appropriate phrases on their transcript. (The teacher
takes in the work to assess the language.) Use explicit assessment criteria for students to be able to assess the
quality of work of their classmate. In pairs students identify one or two areas that they could improve.

10 mins Students are divided in two groups depending on the activity they choose to conduct.

1. Students will discuss about the content of the news report and link it to their own culture by comparing
similarities or differences. Small group discussion about the similarities and differences between the
German culture and Australian culture related to the news report topic.
2. Students will research a region mentioned in the news report using the website provided. They will look at
the region’s landscape, climate, food speciality and tourist activities.

Group 1’s students will then have five minutes to write their reflection using complex sentences, eg using
conjunctions such as und, aber, oder. Students should incorporate learnt linguistic structures in their own ideas.

Group 2’s student will have five minutes to write a short news report on the region they researched. The students
should use the learnt linguistic structures and write complex sentences using conjunctions such as und, aber, oder

The teacher will collect the answer sheets and reflections or short news reports

Homework Depending on the activity they have chosen to do, the students will have to prepare the other one at home. For
instance, if a student has chosen to write the reflection in class. They will have to research a region at home and
write a short new report.

How am I measuring the outcomes of this lesson?

Learning Outcome Method of measurement and recording

• demonstrates understanding Listen to German news report to understand main ideas

of the main ideas and
supporting detail in spoken Answer appropriately to the questions about the news
texts and responds report. Correct use of learnt grammar structures and good
appropriately understanding of the recording and main ideas.

• applies a range of linguistic
structures to express own
ideas in writing
Respond to questions in German about the television news
report
Write a reflection between the German and Australian
cultures or Write a description of a German region
discovered during the news report

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 3. Academic justification

Although the initial LOTE lesson plan addresses the knowledge students need to acquire and should

achieve the desired learning outcomes, the tasks are too teacher-centred. By developing a

constructivist approach and engaging the pupils in student-centred learning, one should see an increase

in students’ engagement and therefore an increased chance of meeting the desired outcomes. The

benefits of the constructivist approach go beyond this as it promotes learning through problem-solving

skills and high-order thinking and enables concepts to be understood and manipulated more effectively.

Capel et al. (2013) draw attention on the teacher’s role which is “to help pupils find new ways of

recalling previous knowledge, solving problems, formulating hypotheses” (p.717). Furthermore, it is

also advised that the mere copying from a book or dictating notes to students is “very unsuitable for

promoting concept development” (p.717).

The four quality teaching model elements that have been the basis of improvement are: problematic

knowledge, substantive communication, student direction and knowledge integration.

Gore (2007) asserts the importance of creating lessons where students will have a high level of

problematic knowledge. Therefore, the modified lesson plan includes social and cultural dimensions

that will enable the students to reflect on the information in the news report and to compare it to their

own culture. Thus, the start of the lesson holds multiple purposes. It sets the tone of the class to engage

the students in thinking about the news sphere and it prepares them for the cross-cultural reflection at

the end of the class.

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In order to improve the substantive communication element several group work activities have been

added. This will change the dynamic of the class and should promote thinking and reflecting on the

news report. The importance of learning through interactions with others was first discovered by

Vygotsky (1896–1934). Arnett (2014) describes Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1896–1934) as very

influential in modern teaching. By breaking down the listening task into two parts and including a group

discussion after the first recording to discuss the general topic, we enable the student to use their

interactions with others as a learning tool that will provide them with additional clues about the content

of the news report. The pair activity during the question reading task adds a communicative and

interactive dimension which otherwise would be limited to the teacher speaking and students working

autonomously. By working in pairs students who might struggle with the task can benefit from another

student’s knowledge. Students learn to brainstorm ideas and think about the task more actively.

Although the student gains power in their learning, Ayres et al. (2004) stress it is essential the teacher

keeps a very active role in the classroom. The teacher facilitates discussions among the students and

promotes high-order thinking by actively taking part in the different discussions happening in the

classrooms.

Student direction was included so that students have a more active role in their learning. The students

will be able to listen to the recording and work at their own pace giving students from all levels entry

into the task. Braggett et al (1997) suggest gifted students thrive through autonomous learning.

Students also have the opportunity to peer mark which enhances their critical capacity to relate to the

task as well as give them a sense of responsibility and control over the subject matter (Wilkins, 1994).

Furthermore, Eka Wulandari (2016) shows that games are a fun and interesting way to address a

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challenging task such as writing in a foreign language as they enhance “students’ motivation to be

involved in the teaching and learning process” (p.145). With the time constraint in mind, the idea of

creating a word search for students to focus on how to spell new words seems appropriate. Finally, the

added task at the end of the class clearly intends to give students’ a voice in the classroom as they can

choose to work in group and write a reflection on the news report or work independently and produce

a news report on a region.

The purpose of developing further knowledge integration during this class is to provide students with

connections between various subjects they study at school and create a coherent learning experience

(Gore, 2007). Clear links to the literacy skills are made when students are requested to write a reflection

about similarities and differences between their own culture and the German culture. There is also a

need to build a narrative in the news report about the region the student has just learnt about. The

students need to master the fundamental aspects of the Australian and target culture and country and

use those skills in this language class. Through this task, the students will continue to develop skills they

need in an English, geography and social studies class.

This adjusted lesson plan aimed at improving the elements of the NSW quality teaching model. Strong

attention has been placed on ensuring students stay focused on this difficult task by creating engaging,

challenging yet fun student-centred activities.

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 4. Reference list

Arnett, J. (2014). Adolescence and emerging adulthood (Fifth edition, Pearson new
international ed.).
Ayres, P., Sawyer, W., & Dinham, S. (2004). Effective teaching in the context of a grade
12 high-stakes external examination in New South Wales, Australia. British Educational
Research Journal, 30(1), 141-165.
Braggett, E., Day, A., Minchin, M., & Northern Territory. Dept. of Education.
(1997). Differentiated programs for secondary schools: Units of work for gifted and talented
students. Cheltenham, Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Capel, S., Leask, Marilyn, Turner, Tony, & Ebooks Corporation. (2013). Learning to
teach in the secondary school: A companion to school experience (6th ed., Learning to
teach subjects in the secondary school series).
Eka Wulandari. (2016). PROMOTING FUN LEARNING IN WRITING THROUGH
GAMES. Edulite: Journal of English Education, 1(2), 143-157.
Gore, J. McDonald, L. (2007) Improving pedagogy: The challenges of moving teachers toward
higher levels of quality teaching, Making a difference: Challenges for teachers, teaching, and
teacher education (pp15-33) Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers
New South Wales. Professional Learning Leadership Development Directorate.
(2006). Quality teaching in NSW public schools: A classroom practice guide (2nd ed.).
Ryde, N.S.W.: The Directorate. Retrieved from
http://mscplc.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/0/8/4808031/quality_teaching_guide.pdf
Wilkins, L. (1994). Peer marking: Specific benefits for classes with an international
student component. EA Journal, 12(1), 43-47.

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5. Learning portfolio weblink

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