Comparative Table
Area of Strengths of the area of
consideration consideration
They got the booklet at the start
of the topic, so they can use the
Literacy booklet to revise/look back on
throughout the topic.
There was not many strengths
associated with literacy
throughout the unit outline.
Therefore, a lot of changes were
implemented to improve
student’s literacy skills.
Concerns of the area of
consideration
The original unit did not involve any
use of story telling or narrative
elements that could connect the work
to the student’s real life and add
meaning to their life.
The original unit lacks any form of
defining terminology. Especially for
the topic of Equations, there are a lot
of terminologies that students need
to be aware of, such as the definition
of a “Pronumeral” or “Coefficient”.
Suggested Changes to counteract
concerns
Story telling elements should be
added to the unit so that students
can be further motivated in their
learning and improve their literacy
skills.
Students at the start of any new
topic will create a terminology or
glossary sheet. This sheet will
provide them with the definitions of
all the terms they will be discussing
throughout the topic. This will assist
students in being able to know what
each term means.
Research support for the changes
suggested.
By utilising story elements in the
presentation of questions,
students can think more critically
and are given the opportunity to
express their knowledge of the
subject (Gore, Griffiths, & Ladwig,
2004).
A recent Australian review of
numeracy teaching noted
the significant role of language in
mathematics learning. The
National Numeracy Review
Report (2008), commissioned by
the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG),
synthesised
evidence on effective literacy
teaching to support the goal
of improving literacy outcomes
for Australian students. The
report of the review
acknowledged the significance of
language in mathematics and how
it has an impact upon student’s
literacy skills

Numeracy Throughout the booklets, it was
evident that there was “extension
work” highlighted for the gifted
and talent students.
Remedial work to assist students
who are struggling.
The original unit lacks any form of A
Learning and Responding Matrix
(ALARM)
In the original unit, there was no
evidence of any real-life application
towards the topic of equations.
In the original unit, there was no
evidence of any differentiation in
their learning. Since the unit outline
was working through a booklet,
students only learnt through.. and
didn’t have the opportunity to learn
the syllabus through different
mediums
Incorporate the use of the ALARM
framework within the lessons to
assist and improve student’s
literacy skills
Teacher should implement more
real-life application questions. So
many times, students ask “how do
we use this maths outside the
classroom” or “when do we ever
need to us this in the future”. Giving
students the opportunity to see
how important equations is by
providing them with real-life
application questions encourages
and motivates students to further
understand the topic.
Add different kinds of activities to
engage and motivate students.
These activities could include
 Incorporating ICT
 More open-ended
questions
 Collaborative activities
doing the same style of work every
day will unmotivated students.
Thus, students need a change in the
way they learn the syllabus.
ALARM is not just a literacy tool,
it also helps students to view
learning as a process. It promotes
deeper understanding by
employing higher order thinking
skills, such as analysis and
evaluation, and it enhances
student inquiry and reflection
(Moore, 2012)
Students are better able to
connect to the unit if they can
understand how the
mathematical concepts can be
used in their real lives to solve
problems that they may face. This
connection also allows students
to think more critically about
complex questions and break
them down into solvable
problems by relating them to real
experiences. (Anthony &
Walshaw, 2009).
The use of ICT elements in the
classroom increases student
engagement and thus increases
understanding of the topics. It
also enables students of different
skill levels to learn at their own
pace. (Williams & Otrel-Cass,
2016; Schmid, et al., 2009).
By using open ended questions,
students are able to show their
knowledge and express their level

Ethical There are no strengths, ethical The unit outline doesn’t provide any At the end of each lesson, give
Understanding understanding was not present opportunity for student feedback. students the opportunity to have a
within the unit outline say with regards to how the lesson
went. Students will understand the
work more thoroughly knowing
they can ask any relevant question
that seems fitting.
This can be done through class
discussions or exit slips. All of these
are examples of how students can
provide feedback in the classroom.
The unit does not have clear links Due to the limited activities in the
Understanding between the syllabus content and the unit that employ literacy, numeracy
by Design (UbD) learning activities. Due to students and ethical understanding, the
working through a booklet for the learning activities have been
of understanding. It also provides
differentiation in learning which is
important for engagement.
(Sullivan, 2011). By using creative
tasks, student engagement and
understanding is increased by
allowing students to connect with
the material in a more meaningful
way. (Bloom, 1956; Krathwohl,
2002).
Feedback is an essential part of
effective learning. It helps
students understand the subject
being studied and gives them
clear guidance on how to improve
their learning (Bellon et al, 1991)
Understanding by design allows
teachers to create a clear path of
learning from understanding core
basic concepts through to being
whole topic, they weren’t able to
meet all the requirements the unit
outline and syllabus had to offer.
redesigned. able to answer larger more
complex questions. This
maximises the time spent in the
classroom and builds stronger
foundations of understanding.
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).