What strategies were most likely to help Hama’s students learn what they needed to learn?
Diagnostic and formative assessment results were used to group students according to their needs, in order to provide extension and support. Peer feedback and guidance was a key element in this lesson. This process was carefully structured, as the students had a rubric checklist to help give each other specific feedback.
Video clip: Group work - audience and purpose
What evidence did Hama draw on?
As a Te Kotahitanga trained teacher, in a school where this is the primary professional development programme, the pedagogical theory of that programme informs all classroom practice, particularly in terms of engaging culturally diverse students. The school’s writing programme encourages teachers to target specific areas of writing skills.
What evidence did Hama draw on from his own practice or that of his colleagues?
The writing focus for this lesson was based on a previous film study. Student choice, which is an effective differentiation strategy for engaging students in the learning process, was a central feature of this lesson. Hama is aware of the importance of students finding answers and information for themselves and this is seen in students using online dictionaries to check that they have chosen the correct word for the context. The students are working at Curriculum Levels 3 & 4 - language features indicator “uses a wide range of strategies to self-monitor and self-correct spelling”. The next step is for the student to think about the effect of changing a word in a particular sentence - Level 5.
Video clip: Choice - student choice of tasks and words
Hama's class - learning inquiry
Published on: 26 Oct 2012
Utilize pre-tests to assess where individual students need to begin study of a given topic or unit.
Encourage thinking at various levels of Bloom's taxonomy.
Use a variety of instructional delivery methods to address different learning styles.
Break assignments into smaller, more manageable parts that include structured directions for each part.
Choose broad instructional concepts and skills that lend themselves to understanding at various levels of complexity.
