Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
SID: 10096097
Part 1
This assignment will focus on Jo*, a student in year 8. She was born in Vietnam and speaks
English as a Second Language (ESL) only. She and her family emigrated to Australia at the
beginning of the school year in 2018. She is quite intelligent but lacks the spoken and
written English communication and literacy skills to excel in her English classes. Her ability to
read English is average for her peers, yet she does not have confidence in her ability – a
common problem with ESL students (Pereira, 2009). She is currently enrolled in a peer-
assisted literacy program held daily to help improve her spoken and written English. She has
difficulty understanding the subtleties of English that her peers are able to easily
comprehend and as such, has great difficulty in completing assignments and in-class
assessments of learning that her peers are able to complete. Jo is often given alternate tasks
by her teacher that none of her peers are doing, thus limiting her ability to collaborate on
her work and have a social learning experience, thus creating an isolated learning
environment that may be detrimental to her education (Gaines, 2015). Jo is shy in class and
is reluctant to express her opinion either when asked directly, or in small groups.
When she understands what is required of her, Jo completes her tasks adequately. She has
good ideas and is able to be quite creative once she understands what is required of her for
language when given new tasks, regardless of how simply it was explained to the class. This
seems to stem from her lack of confidence as she will understand when it is explained to her
personally, even if it is in the same wording as when explained to the class. She seems
acutely aware of her limitations and has taken to looking to the teacher for help with each
Carys Arnold
SID: 10096097
new task despite having clear and explicit instructions, so it is essential to her progression
for her to gain some independence or the ability to work with her peers to assist her
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework requires teachers to provide multiple
means of teaching, learning and assessment through the three following areas. There
acquire knowledge, multiple means of expression so that students can show their learning
in the way that suits their abilities best, and multiple forms of engagement so that all
students have opportunities to connect with the learning in a meaningful way (Loreman,
Deppeler & Harvey, 2011). In this respect, Jo is somewhat limited in her ability to participate
in activities without being singled out since her teachers often give her a task to herself
rather than making a variety of tasks available to all students. The lesson plan has a
PowerPoint slideshow that lists a variety of utopian and dystopian features. Although it is
important to improve the vocabulary of students, it is also essential that they grasp the
concept behind utopias and dystopias. As such, a variety of sensory examples will be
included in the PowerPoint, including pictures and sound bites that represent both utopias
and dystopias. This will give students the opportunity to contextualise the sounds and
The lesson plan already includes a homework task that offers multiple options for
assessment, however, all of them are strongly writing-based and do not offer an
opportunity to students whose strengths lie outside of the traditional written response. It is
essential that there is more than one type of assessment task in order to adequately assess
Carys Arnold
SID: 10096097
the learning of students known to have difficulty in certain areas – otherwise the
assessment itself will do no more than point out the deficit rather than the learning (Hehir,
2009). The task has been modified to include a design-based alternative. This task will still
assess the learning of the student, but through a completely different medium as laid out in
the UDL (CAST, 2018). If the student does not possess the skills necessary to write a
complete sentence, the task may also be modified to have them add words to a vocabulary
list.
It is essential that ESL students feel supported in the classroom (Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012).
For Jo, this is the most notable impairment to her learning. She appears to have difficulty
to have a Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO) in the classroom with her, she needs to
receive that support in another way. For Jo, it may be useful to have a lesson outline at the
beginning of each class and explicit quality criteria for each assessment task (including
informal assessments). Explicitly stating quality criteria has been shown to narrow the
achievement gap between students of different cultural backgrounds (Amosa et al, 2007),
and should make it easier for Jo to complete her tasks without needing to be singled out.
Some examples of this could be to have a scaffold explaining each step of a task, examples
of exceptional work, or showing the marking rubric for assessments. The lesson plan has
been modified to show explicit quality criteria for each of the different assessment tasks.
The quality criteria offer an example of what will be marked the highest for each option.
In terms of building confidence in her English language skills, Jo will benefit from the social
through the talk which takes place between teachers and pupils, or between pupils
themselves” (Coyle, Yanez & Verdu, 2010). In order for ESL students to develop both
scholastically and linguistically, they require many opportunities to practice their secondary
language skills, and should be given the chance to interact with a variety of more
experienced speakers (Coyle, Yanez & Verdu, 2010). Learning is a social act (Smith, 2010,
Moore, 2012), so small group work will assist in increasing student motivation and
allowing them a broader range of experiences to learn from (Allen, Ellis & Pearson 2005;
Hall, Goswami & Harrison, 2010). In this respect, Jo’s opinions and experiences will be just
as beneficial to her peers as theirs are to her. Breaking into groups for the utopia and
dystopia tasks in the lesson plan will allow Jo to interact with her peers and give her a
chance to offer her ideas as a valuable part of the activity. All students would have
benefited from the small group activity as they have the opportunity to collaborate for
learning. The activity modified in the lesson plan is when students create their own utopias.
In the original lesson, Jo sat silently, out of place until the teacher went to her and explained
what to do. She was given a more simplified task that did not really address the ideas
behind utopian societies. The new lesson plan has students collaborating in small groups to
create a utopian society based on all of their desires, rather than one student listing a few of
their favourite things. Guidelines for discussion are set out at the start as this assists in both
keeping the students on topic and encourages them to build collaborative relationships
(Prince, Snowden & Matthews, 2010). This not only encourages them to deepen their
understanding of the task, it is much closer to the ideals behind a utopia serving all people
rather than just one. This activity would have given all student a better grasp of the concept.
Carys Arnold
SID: 10096097
Since student engagement is so important in the classroom, the use of games and humour
to assist in learning can be a useful tool in ensuring that ESL students are engaged through
strategies that draw on skills outside of language to encourage growth and learning
(Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012). It can also help the ESL student to build on their language skills
through learning in an informal environment (Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2012). Evidence suggests
that students are more likely to remember new information when they are enjoying
themselves whilst learning it (Willis, 2006), so the ESL student should have more success in
the classroom if they are enjoying themselves (as will their peers). For Jo, this will allow her
an opportunity to build her English language skills whilst participating fully in the lesson
alongside her peers. This leads directly back into the UDL framework for teaching – a
strategy that will assist all students in their learning. Games and humour have the ability to
produce not just laughter and enjoyment, but set off a “chain reaction by increasing the
learner's stimulus and confidence level, which creates a positive classroom atmosphere for
the smooth acquisition of English language” (Sam, 2017). It follows that the use of games
Research has found that short writing tasks of between three and ten minutes can be just as
beneficial as long writing tasks in increasing proficiency in English (Ferlazzo, 2018). In the
context of the UDL framework, this micro-writing can be used to assist all students in
context, empathy and engaging personally as is required as part of the syllabus. Some tasks
that are particularly well suited to micro writing is to have students rewrite a text in a new
style, for example; taking a traditional poem or an act in a Shakespearian play and rewriting
it as a haiku. The haiku is well noted for its ability to help students to engage with the
Carys Arnold
SID: 10096097
content and use critical thinking in order to make meaning (Lewis, 2017). As a simple literary
tool, the haiku promotes intensity of meaning and “directness of expression” (Academy of
American Poets, 2016) and encourages its authors to extract the main ideas and focus of a
text (Lewis, 2017). Since Jo lacks the confidence to express herself, having the entire class
write a type of poem that does not adhere to any strict language forms may present her
with an opportunity to interact with her peers and share in a small group setting when she
finds that most poems lack the basic English language structure. The micro writing task has
been added to the lesson plan in the form of a short descriptive paragraph about each
Part 2
Changes highlighted.
Lesson Plan
Class: 8 Time: 1 hour
Procedures
Time Activities Teacher activities Student Activities.
What is a utopia?
___________________________________________________________________________
What is a dystopia?
___________________________________________________________________________
Carys Arnold
SID: 10096097
HOMEWORK
Choose ONE of the following activities: 100 words minimum.
1. Create a slogan or motto for the inhabitants of the utopia or dystopia you created in
class (or create a new one). Explain the meaning and significance of the motto.
2. Write a review of the best book you ever read. Talk about the story and characters
and why you like it so much.
3. What elements of our society remind you of a utopia and what reminds you of a
dystopia?
4. Design a flag for your utopia or dystopia that represents its values. Explain the
meaning and significance of the flag.
References
Allan, J., Ellis, S., & Pearson, C., (2005). Literature Circles, Gender and Reading for Enjoyment.
Report for the Scottish Executive Education Department. Retrieved from
https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/3385/1/strathprints003385.pdf
Amosa, W., Ladwig, J., Griffiths, T., & Gore, J. (2007). Equity effects of Quality Teaching:
Closing the gap. Retrieved from
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/3623458/amo07284.pdf?AWSA
ccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1526610187&Signature=nEvIr7I0hNk
Fg1VKO9t6%2FhyJmEw%3D&response-content-
disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DEquity_effects_of_Quality_Teaching_Closi.pdf
Coyle, Y., Yañez, L., & Verdúa, M. (2010). The Impact of the Interactive Whiteboard on the
Teacher and Children’s Language Use in an ESL Immersion Classroom. Science Direct
38(4) 614-625. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0346251X1000117X
Ferlazzo, L. (2018). Micro-Writing for English Learners. Educational Leadership, 75(7), 48–49.
Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.uws.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t
rue&db=ehh&AN=129418894&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Ferlazzo, L., & Sypnieski, K. H. (2012). The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use
Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of all Levels.
Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Gaines, I. (2015). Increasing Confidence and English Use Outside the ESL/IEP Classroom for
Lower-Level Learners. ORTESOL Journal, 32, 56-67. Retrieved from https://search-
proquest-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1940965256?accountid=36155
Hall, K., Goswami, U., & Harrison, C. (Eds.). (2010). Interdisciplinary perspectives on learning
to read: culture, cognition and pedagogy. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwsau/detail.action?docID=496283#
Hehir, T., & Katzman, L. I. (2013). Effective Inclusive Schools : Designing Successful
Schoolwide Programs. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Hudson, Z. (2013). Haiku in the Classroom: More Than Counting Syllables. The English
Journal, 102(6), 54-57. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/stable/24484126
Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive Education: Supporting Diversity in
the Classroom. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Prince, T., Snowden, E. & Matthews, B. (2010). Utilising Peer Coaching as a Tool to Improve
Student-Teacher Confidence and Support the Development of Classroom Practice
Literacy. Information and Computer Education Journal 1(1). Retrieved from
http://infonomics-society.org/wp-content/uploads/licej/volume-1-2010/Utilising-
Peer-Coaching-as-a-tool-to-improve-student-teacher-confidence-and-support-the-
development-of-classroom-practice1.pdf
Sam, D. P. (2017). Using Humor as a Supplementary Tool in the ESL Classroom. IUP Journal
of English Studies, 12(4), 89-94. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1989835031?accountid=36155