LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 1

102086 Designing Teaching & Learning 2H 2017

Assignment 2: APST and QT Analysis Template

Section 1: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

1 Know students and how they learn

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: No mention of how the lesson could be adjusted to meet the diverse needs of
students. This could be improved by adjusting learning activities to cater for the wide
range of abilities within the class.

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: No mention of strategies for teaching this group of students. This could be
improved by including more imagery and symbols when explaining tasks that would meet
the learning needs of these students.

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is an adaption of the lesson for gifted and talented students. However,
there is no mention of how the lesson or teaching could be adapted for students with
lower academic abilities.

1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson accommodates for students with visual impairments and reading
difficulties. It does not mention any other disabilities that students may have and how
these would be overcome.

2 Know the content and how to teach it

2.2 Content selection and organisation
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The content of the lesson is organised in a logical and fluid way. Students are
asked to brainstorm ideas to begin with, which then flows into the experiment and
discussed to consolidate the main ideas.

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Curriculum outcomes are used to inform the lesson plan. Observations and
questions made by the teacher throughout the lesson are used to assess a student’s
understanding. There is no reference to how reporting of student learning will occur.

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The only form of ICT used in this lesson is a video that will be shown “only if
time is available”. There is scope within the lesson to incorporate more ICT that would
expand the learning and deepen the understanding of students to the concepts in the
lesson.

3 Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: No learning goals are clearly stated in the lesson plan. It would be assumed
that all students would be required to complete the experiment, but no goals are set for the
standard of learning that should be achieved by students of varying abilities.

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson plan does not clearly state if this particular lesson is building on a
previous or will be built on by an upcoming lesson. It is difficult to know what prior
knowledge students have, with the exception of the brainstorm which draws upon the
student’s current knowledge and understanding of freezing point. This would indicate that
students have some sort of prior knowledge even though it is not simply stated.

3.3 Use teaching strategies

LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 2

1–2–3–4–5 Comments: Teaching strategies are mainly teacher led, this includes discussions and
questions put forth by the teacher. There is group work involved in the experimental
aspect of the lesson, but this could have been improved by more student based learning
and less teacher direction.

3.4 Select and use resources

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Experimental techniques are used to help develop student knowledge, this is
accompanied by the use of model kits to help explain and develop a deeper understanding
of the experiment. The lesson is limited by its lack of ICT which could have easily been
incorporated into this lesson. There is reference to a video if there is time, this is a
valuable resource and should be integrated into the lesson to help engage students in the
content.

4 Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

4.1 Support student participation
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students are to participate in class discussion led by the teacher prompting
responses through questions, this supports student participation. Students are placed in
groups and allocated jobs by the teacher which also supports participation of students in
the experiment.

4.2 Manage classroom activities

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson is teacher led and the lesson plan identifies how the teacher will
manage the experiment. The teacher explains each step of the experiment to the students
and guides them through the task.

4.3 Manage challenging behaviour

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson plan states once about checking that students are on task. The
teacher guides a lot of the lesson and this could be to help manage behaviour during the
hands-on experiment.

4.4 Maintain student safety

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Several safety issues have been raised and the teacher has identified ways in
which they could be prevented and how to respond if injury does occur. The teacher
explains these safety procedures to the students prior to commencing the experiment.

4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Minimal ICT is used, there is scope for its use within the lesson. ICT is only
available to gifted and talented students and a video will be watched by all students if
there is time. There is no explanation in the lesson plan of how ICT will be used safely by
gifted and talented students.

5 Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.1 Assess student learning
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Assessment occurs during the lesson, this involves questioning students to
gain an understanding of how well they are learning the content and also observing and
recording how students are working on particular tasks. It would be hard for the teacher to
assess all the students understanding of the content within the allocated time especially
since the lesson is mostly teacher led. A written task handed in at the end of the lesson
could be a better representation of student understanding and would allow for feedback
and reporting.

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Feedback in this lesson is given in the form of addressing misconceptions
made by students during discussions or questioning. Notebooks are looked at before
leaving class but no explanation of how feedback will be given to students on their
achievement in class is specified in the lesson plan. Student learning would benefit from
feedback on how well they met the lesson outcomes.
LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 3

Section 2: NSW Quality Teaching Model

1 Intellectual quality
1.1 Deep knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Focus on the key concepts of freezing point and chemical reactions is evident
throughout the lesson. There could be times in the discussion where unrelated ideas
surface, but with the mainly teacher led lesson the discussion can be directed back to the
key concepts.

1.2 Deep understanding

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson is teacher led. The lesson does not allow for students to
demonstrate a complex understanding of the topic. The only demonstration of
understanding is the involvement in group discussion at different points as the lesson
progresses.

1.3 Problematic knowledge

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson allows for discussion and questions which could allow for
different perspectives. Students are asked to think critically about the experiment and
make predictions, but the lesson is mostly facts based as misconceptions are addressed.

1.4 Higher-order thinking

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students participate in the experiment and are mostly guided by the teacher
throughout the lesson. Students are involved in class discussions where they are asked to
predict aspects of the experiment and key concepts, which involves higher-order thinking.

1.5 Metalanguage
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Chemical formulas are used in this experiment to represent the reactions
observed in the experiment. This is a low form of metalanguage and is only touched upon
a couple of times throughout the lesson.

1.6 Substantive communication

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students are asked to participate in class discussions and questioning
throughout the lesson. Students are asked why they came up with certain predictions
related to the experiment. They are also asked to make observations during the
experiment and copy notes from the board.

Quality learning environment

2.1 Explicit quality criteria
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is no quality criteria for the quality of work expected from the students.
The lesson plan explains that the teacher is to observe the students during particular
activities but no criteria for what is considered satisfactory for each task is described.

2.2 Engagement
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: The lesson appears to be engaging with students participating in the
experiment and class discussions. There could be a chance of students becoming
disengaged from the task when having to move between the desk and freezer to record
results. There could also be disengagement from students when the task is not catered to
meet their learning ability. Engagement could be improved by including different content
for the range of abilities.

2.3 High expectations

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is an adaption to the lesson for gifted and talented students, however
this activity does not seem available for other members of the class who excel during this
lesson. Students would benefit from having challenging work available to them during the
lesson regardless of the learning ability.

2.4 Social support

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher prompts responses from student’s during class discussion and
tries to engage all students. Misconceptions during discussions are addressed and the
LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 4

teacher responds positively to student comments and questions.

2.5 Students’ self-regulation

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher leads the lesson, prompting the students in what they should do at
each stage of the lesson. There is no student autonomy or initiative. Students are not given
the chance to be self-regulated.

2.6 Student direction

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: This is a teacher led lesson, there is no choice or student direction in the
activity. The lesson and all tasks are predetermined by the teacher and students are asked
to follow instruction and participate in the task as it is.

3 Significance
3.1 Background knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students use their current knowledge of freezing points and chemical
reactions to participate in class discussions, this is mentioned once in the lesson plan.
Though it is not explicitly stated in the lesson plan students will also draw upon their
chemical knowledge when constructing chemical equations.

3.2 Cultural knowledge

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is no mention of cultural knowledge and this is not implemented within
the lesson plan.

3.3 Knowledge integration

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The video that will be presented to the class (if there is time) shows the real-
life use of salt to depress the freezing point of water. This shows a connection between
what is taught in class and a real-world application helping to deepen a student’s
understanding and appreciation of what is being taught. The lesson would benefit from
the video being integrated into the lesson rather than only being shown if there is time.

3.4 Inclusivity
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: All students are included in all aspects of the lesson. There are lesson
adaptations for gifted and talented students and students with disabilities. There is no
explicit accommodation put forth for students from other groups so it is assumed that they
are all included and can participate in the prepared lesson without alterations.

3.5 Connectedness
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The use of the video helps to convey the importance of what is being taught
in class to the real world. However, this is not explored past the classroom.

3.6 Narrative
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: There is no narrative used in this lesson. There is scope within this lesson to
add a narrative which may help contribute to a student’s engagement in the lesson.

Section 3: Identifying Areas for Improvement

Identify the two APST standards and two NSW QT model elements you are targeting for improvement.

APST
1) 1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres 2) 2.6 Information and Communication Technology
Strait Islander students (ICT)
QT model
1) 2.1 Explicit quality criteria 2) 2.3 High expectations
 LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION
Modified Lesson Plan - Science
Topic area:
Science (Chemistry)
Date:
29/09/2017
Time:
60 minutes
Outcomes
Chemical World (CW4): Different
types of chemical
reactions are used to
produce a range of
products and can occur at
different rates and involve
energy transfer.
C. Describe the effects of factors,
e.g. temperature and catalysts, on
the rate of some common chemical
reactions.
Life Skills outcomes:
SCLS-4W asks questions that can
be tested and makes
predictions.
5
Stage of Learner: Syllabus Pages: N/A
Stage 4
Location Booked: Lesson Number: 2 /4
Science Laboratory
Total Number of students: Printing/preparation:
24 Method/safety sheet x 30
Worksheet for the experiment x 30
Materials for students: 100mm clear
plastic test tubes, test tube lid or cork,
test tube rack, water at 10C, salt,
sugar, periodic table, freezer,
teaspoon., marker, timer, foam
spheres of different sizes and colours
to represent the elements: Na, Cl and
H2O. Small wooden sticks to
represent connections for the
elements and compound.
Additional materials: Freezer,
monitor in front of classroom, access
to the internet, computer, projector,
large bottles of water at 10C, correct
chemical and physical equations for
both salt water and sugar water.
Assessment Students learn about Students learn to
Lesson assessment: The freezing point of - Explain how dissolving
water and how it is salt and sugar into water
Check the student’s affected when salt and will affect the freezing point
worksheets to gauge sugar are added. depression of water
the progress and if
they are on task Chemical and physical - Predict the freezing points
during the class. reactions that occur of the water solutions
between water and salt and containing either salt or
Ask questions to/and sugar. sugar and which will freeze
evaluate the first
student’s thought
process and - Demonstrate the ability to
direction. record and analyse the data
collected from the
Observe and record experiment as they engage
the foam sphere in critical thinking about the
models the students topic
are making to
evaluate their level - Display the ability of
of understanding of formulate equations of salt
elements or dissolved in water and sugar
 LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 6

formulas. dissolved in water

Collect worksheets - Explain the different

at the end of the between a physical and
lesson and return chemical reaction
them in a later
lesson with
feedback.
Cross Curriculum themes & General capabilities Explicit subject specific concepts and skills

The common concept is that water freezes at 0C without

General Capabilities:
Information and communication technology capability –
much thought as to why and how it occurs.
Wordle, YouTube video & Google Docs
Salt will reduce the freezing point of water when it is
Literacy – writing answers on worksheet based on
dissolved. The salt ionic bonds break making sodium and
experiment
chlorine molecules in the solution, the water molecules are
attracted to these elements preventing them to re-join
Personal and social capability – working individually and
together again. This is classified as a chemical reaction.
in teams and communication through group discussion
Although when sugar is dissolved in water it is a physical
change as sugar simply changes from a slid to a liquid in
the water.

Students will perform an experiment on the effect that salt

and sugar dissolved in water have on the solutions
freezing point.

Time Teaching and learning actions Organisation Centred

T/S
Intro Start the classroom with a brain storm on Wordle to Teacher: Load Wordle page and Student
draw out students current understanding and ask for a student volunteer to
5 min knowledge of freezing points and common chemical enter the responses on Wordle.
Encourage students to participate
reactions.
and ask upon students who
haven’t contributed (try to engage
Ask the question “Ok class what comes to mind them).
when you think about the word freeze?”
Student: Participate in
Prompt student responses by asking: brainstorm.
How does something freeze?
Why it freezes? Resources: Computer with
What happens when something freezes? internet access.
Body Explain to the class the aim of today’s lesson will be Teacher: Hand out method/safety Teacher
on the freezing points of water, salt water and sugar sheets and the worksheet which is
5 min water. to be completed during the lesson.

Student: Listen to the teacher’s

Explain safety procedures of the experiment before
instructions.
commencing.
Resources: Method/safety sheets
Explain that the worksheet is to be completed
and worksheet.
during the lesson and handed in at the end of the
lesson.

Ask students in their groups to read through the
10 min methods sheet (the method has been broken down to
include picture representation of the steps which
will help to increase understanding of the
experiment).
Teacher: Assign students into Student
groups. 4-5 students per group.
Give the students roles within the
group: timer (keeps track of the
time), recorder (writes down
 LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 7

results), handler (mixing the

Teacher to answer any questions regarding the
method or what to do in the experiment.
Ask students to make their predictions on what will
happen to the three solutions before and during the
practical. Predict the aim of the experiment, if
students are confused or haven’t identified the
correct aim help them factor it out or provide the
aim if necessary. (All predictions, aims and results
are to be recorded in the relevant sections of the
worksheet).
solutions together) and retriever
(takes and places the test tube
rack in the freezer).
Walk around room and guide
students at the start of the
experiment.
Student: Form allocated groups,
collect equipment for given role
and read through method sheet.

Guide or provide assistance at the start of the Perform experiment and record
experiment without influencing the students’ results.
thought processes.
Resources: Method/safety sheet
and worksheet.

After students record the first lot of results for the Teacher: Hand out boxes of Student
10 mins practical introduce the boxed foam spheres spheres to each group.
representing the elements: Na (sodium), Cl
(chloride), C12H22O11 (sucrose or table sugar) and Student: Listen to teacher’s
H2O (water) to each group. instruction and perform tasks.

Ask students to identify the elements and Resources: Foam element

compounds represented by the spheres, spheres.
representation of these should be drawn in the
relevant section of the worksheet. Encourage them
to move on to the harder more challenging
questions.

Instruct the students to predict what is happening to

all three solutions in the experiment using the foam
spheres and record on worksheet.

Show students using an online molecular modelling Teacher: Load modelling page Teacher
5 min kit what their molecules and interactions should and go through examples.
look like.
Link to online molecular modelling kit: Student: Listen to teacher’s
http://chemagic.org/molecules/mini.html instruction and see how many
elements/compounds you
correctly identified and if your
prediction was correct.

Resources: Computer with

internet access.
Show students video representation of why salt Teacher: Load YouTube video. Teacher
5 min reduces the freezing point of water. Ask each student to contribute to
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? the class discussion, and
v=JkhWV2uaHaA encourage them to contribute an
answer.
The video links the experiment to a real-life
situation. Ask if students can think of other Student: Watch video.
examples of how the reactions from today’s lessons
could be used in real-life. Resources: Computer with
internet access.
 LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 8

Conclusion Discussion and evaluation of the practical. Teacher: Make a Google Doc that Student
all students will be able to access
20 min Prepare a Google Doc for the combined results of at the end of the lesson.
all the class. Have the recorder of each group enter
their results in the document. Student: Contribute to class
discussion and Google Doc. Hand
Discuss the predictions and errors from each group in completed worksheet at end of
and compare them with the class. Correct any class.
misconceptions the students may have, this should
not be done to discourage them but to help them Resources: Computer with
build a further understanding. internet access.

Discuss if by dissolving salt and sugar is a chemical

change or a physical one referring to the experiment
the students performed and foam models.

Ask a student to demonstrate on the board the

correct formula for salt water and sugar water.

Discuss and compare the video with the experiment

the student performed and demonstration with the
class.

Students are to hand in worksheets before leaving

the class.

How am I measuring the outcomes of this lesson?

Learning Outcome Method of measurement and recording

C. Describe the effects of factors, Worksheets will be handed in at end of the lesson and given
e.g. temperature and catalysts, on back in subsequent lesson with feedback. Will observe
the rate of some common student contribution to class discussion.
chemical reactions.

SCLS-4W asks questions that can
be tested and makes
predictions.
Observe student’s experimental technique comment on any
misconceptions during the experiment. Observe student
interaction in discussions. Predictions will be made on
worksheet which will be handed in at the end of the lesson
and given back in a later lesson with feedback.
LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 9

Academic Justification

The original science lesson plan had both its strengths and weaknesses in regard to the

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and the NSW Quality Teaching

Model (QT Model) (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL], 2011;

Department of Education and Training, 2003). This lesson would benefit from adjustments

according to the scaling described by these frameworks. This short justification focuses on

four main areas for improvement which are outlined below and would enhance the learning

outcomes of students.

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

All students learn differently and pedagogies give teachers the skills to adjust their

teaching to fit the array of student needs. Just like all other groups of students Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students have different learning needs if they are to reach their

academic goals. The original lesson plan had little in the way of Indigenous pedagogies. One

way in which the original lesson plan has been adapted to meet the learning needs of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is the use of image representation in the

methods sheet. Perso and Hayward (2015) describe the use of symbols and images as

powerful learning methods for Indigenous students and that many Indigenous students prefer

this method of presenting information. The visual representation combined with the written

instruction for the experiment would help students develop a deeper understanding of the

experiment.

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in classroom learning

is an important tool in engagement, higher order thinking and can increase motivation
LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 10

(Dawson, 2008; Lim & Tay, 2003). The integration of Wordle, online molecular modelling kit

and the video into the lesson, instead of it only being shown if there is time, are positive

modifications that would increase student engagement in the lesson. The use of the video is

an important resource as it illustrates the real-life applications of what has been learnt in the

experiment. This further develops engagement as students think about other uses of the

concepts of this lesson in real-life. Also, the addition of the Google Doc platform into the

class discussion would allow for students to gain access to the information at home and

enables collaboration. This would allow students to focus more effort on participating in the

class discussions rather than being focused on writing down content from the board. Perso

and Hayward (2015) state that Indigenous students also benefit from the integration of ICT

into learning as it promotes engagement, is a visual learning strategy and enables

collaboration, which are powerful teaching strategies for Indigenous learning.

2.1 Explicit Quality Criteria

Explicit quality criteria explains the quality of work necessary of the students during

the lesson, this can be either written or spoken, but should be made known to the students.

There was no mention in the original lesson plan of the quality of work that the teacher

expects of the students. The quality of work does not include the instruction, direction or

explanation given by the teacher about a task (Gore, 2007). To address this shortcoming of

the original lesson plan, a worksheet will be given to all students at the start of the lesson.

This worksheet explicitly states what is required of the students, what work they are expected

to finish and at what standard in order to successfully complete the lessons content. Clear

criteria of what constitutes as good work is important for all students and helps them in

achieving their educational goals. Quality criteria also provides access to all students and

bridges the gap of achievement between advantaged students, who are more readily prepared,
LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 11

and disadvantaged students (Gore, 2007). It is important to provide every student regardless

of their status or ability the chance to be successful at school.

2.3 High Expectations

Teachers set expectations of students, these can be either high or low expectations and

directly influence the learning outcomes of students. Gore (2007) states that student

performance is related to the expectation placed on them. This phenomenon is further

explained by the Pygmalion effect, where high expectations lead to increased student

performance and low expectations lead to decreased student performance (Rosenthal &

Jacobson, 1968). In the original lesson plan the expectations of students were low. There was

minimal communication of what the teacher expected from the students and there was no

challenging work allowing for students to take learning risks. Modifications to address the

lack of high expectation of students were to make challenging work available to all students

in the form of a worksheet and encourage them to take risks regardless of their preconceived

learning abilities. This is shown when students are asked to participate in discussions and also

encouraged to move on to further questions in the worksheet. Teacher expectations of

students are usually self-fulfilling; hence it is important to encourage students to aim high,

anything less than this would be a disservice to the student and their academic achievement

(Department of Education and Training, 2003).

e-portfolio URL: http://amryan1.weebly.com

LESSON PLAN ANALYSIS, REVISION & JUSTIFICATION 12

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL]. (2011). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards
Dawson, V. (2008). Use of information communication technology by early career science

teachers in Western Australia. International Journal of Science Education, 30(2), 203-

219. doi: 10.1080/09500690601175551

Department of Education and Training. (2003). Quality teaching in NSW public schools: A

classroom practice guide. Department of Education and Training.

Gore, J. (2007). Improving pedagogy. In J. Butcher & L. McDonald (Eds.), Making a

difference: Challenges for teachers, teaching, and teacher education (pp. 15-32).

Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Lim, C. P., & Tay, L. Y. (2003). Information and communication technologies (ICT) in an

elementary school: Students’ engagement in higher order thinking. Journal of

Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 12(4), 425-451. Retrieved from:

http://www.editlib.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Reader.ViewAbstract&paper_id=11931
Perso, T., & Hayward, C. (2015). Teaching Indigenous Students: Cultural awareness and

classroom strategies for improving learning outcomes. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen &

Unwin.
Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom. The Urban Review, 3(1),

16-20. doi: 10.1007/BF02322211