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Effective documentary evidence
Stage 3 item
Samples of effective documentary evidence
The following evidence item provides a sample of effective documentary evidence at the Proficient Teacher level of the Standards.
It includes:
- details about the item, including the stage and Evidence Category
- the Standard Descriptors achieved
- the annotation.
NESA comments outline how each item meets the characteristics of effective documentary evidence.
The sample is not definitive and should not be applied in a prescriptive way or used as a checklist or template.
Standard Descriptors achieved
- 1.5.2 - Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
- 2.1.2 - Apply knowledge of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area to develop engaging teaching activities.
- 2.4.2 - Provide opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
Teacher’s annotation – Stage 3 item
The teaching activities in the Year 6 STEM unit ‘Beneath the stars’ included strategies to meet the specific learning needs of my students. I met with the learning support teacher last term to discuss strategies I could incorporate into my teaching to support 2 students who have been identified as having expressive/receptive language delay. Specific examples of strategies used within this unit included using a variety of stimulus materials such as images, texts, clips and word banks to support the development of new vocabulary. I also monitored the understanding of all students by providing small group support to explain or scaffold the learning. These strategies helped students engage with the content more successfully. During delivery of the unit, I used strategies that were differentiated to extend the thinking of students who were more confident with the skills and content. Examples of this can be seen in the ‘Reading the stars’ evidence, for example the use of open-ended questions and choice of research tasks aligned to their interests and questions 1.5.2.
The excerpt from ‘Beneath the stars’ demonstrates the way I used high quality resources and reference material to inform my own knowledge as well as content within the learning sequence (see References and resources). My evaluation of the learning sequences shows that the scientific inquiry approach used to guide the teaching and learning cycle was an effective strategy. It encouraged students to ask and explore questions. I also incorporated a balance of explicit, guided, independent and small group or team tasks and challenges, as can be seen in the excerpt. The variety of teaching strategies resulted in high levels of participation and students focusing on the learning tasks. The strategy of organising students into small teams, each with a specific role (researcher, data analyst and communications manager) during some activities resulted in teams being more productive and collaborative 2.1.2.
The learning sequence ‘Reading the stars’ enabled students to develop understandings about how Aboriginal Peoples use observations of the night sky to inform decisions about resources and record significant cultural events. This learning sequence provided a rich opportunity for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal histories and cultures and was developed in partnership with our school Aboriginal Education Committee and a local Elder. This demonstrates that I have followed the advice provided in the syllabus documents: involve local Aboriginal communities and/or appropriate knowledge holders in determining suitable resources. The involvement of local Elder, Aunty BW, supported student learning in an ongoing way. The respect the students held for Aunty BW as well as the knowledge that she shared with them was highly visible. Students showed a deep interest by asking many questions and they were highly engaged to learn about Aboriginal Peoples as the first astronomers 2.4.2.
NESA's comments
Accurate reflection of the Standard Descriptors
The learning sequence includes teaching strategies that have been differentiated to meet the needs of the students in the class (Standard Descriptor 1.5.2).
The teacher’s evaluation demonstrates that selected strategies were successful in meeting the specific learning needs of students across the range of abilities. For example, the teacher modelled the use of a retrieval chart and explained in the evaluation how this supported specific students to engage with the research task more successfully (Standard Descriptor 1.5.2).
Application of the teacher’s knowledge of Science and Technology and Mathematics content has been demonstrated throughout the planned learning sequence as well as within the teacher background information (Standard Descriptor 2.1.2).
A variety of teaching strategies have been included in the design of the learning sequence to engage students in the learning. Examples include use of inquiry questions to stimulate discussion and to provide a context for the research tasks, using a variety of modelled, guided and independent tasks as well as team challenges (Standard Descriptor 2.1.2).
The unit has been designed to provide students with opportunities to connect with a community Elder to develop an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal histories and cultures in relation to local astronomy (Standard Descriptor 2.4.2).
Learning activities have been designed to enable students to explore and develop knowledge about how astronomical patterns and observations of the night sky are used by Aboriginal people to track time, inform decisions about resources and record significant cultural events (Standard Descriptor 2.4.2).
Visible demonstration of teacher practice
Application of the teacher’s practice is visible in the sequence of learning. The teacher has developed the sequence of learning to reflect the local context of the students. The teacher has also included teaching and learning activities that have been personalised to meet the needs of the students across the full range of abilities within the class (Standard Descriptor 1.5.2).
The teacher's evaluation demonstrates they have implemented the learning sequence. The evaluation includes a critical reflection of the teaching strategies used and observations of student learning aligned to learning goals and inquiry questions.
Impact on child/student learning
The teacher's evaluation demonstrates the teaching strategies were effective in helping the students to develop new understandings. For example, the demonstration activity helped the students to conceptually visualise how the constellations seem to change according to the time of day, night or year. The teacher's evaluation demonstrates that modelling was effective in supporting the development of students' research skills.
The annotation explains the impact differentiated teaching strategies had on the learning of students across the full range of abilities within the class. For example, the use of a variety of stimulus materials and word banks supported the development of new vocabulary. The use of open-ended questions and choice of research tasks resulted in high levels of student engagement who as a result were more confident with the content and skills.
Effective annotations
The annotation provides the context for evidence. It explains how the learning sequence has been planned and implemented by the teacher to develop students’ understandings and skills aligned to identified syllabus outcomes.
The annotation clearly identifies how the learning sequence demonstrates the Standard Descriptors. For example, the annotation explains the differentiated strategies within the plan that were used to support the learning and engagement of all students in the class. Small group support was used to explain and scaffold the learning and enabled students to engage with new content more successfully (Standard Descriptor 1.5.2). The annotation explains the scientific inquiry approach used to guide the teaching and learning cycle was effective in encouraging students to ask and explore questions. This was also supported in the teacher evaluation. This explanation demonstrates the teacher’s understanding of practice described in Standard Descriptor 2.1.2.
The annotation goes beyond a description of the evidence and explains the impact of the teacher’s practice on student learning. For example, the use of stimulus materials and word banks supported students’ vocabulary development. The use of differentiated teaching strategies, open-ended questions and choice of research tasks resulted in high levels of student engagement across the full range of abilities.
Reflective practice
The teacher's evaluation following the implementation of 'Our view of the constellations’ includes a critical reflection of the teaching strategies the teacher used to support students’ exploration of the inquiry questions. For example, the teacher reflected on the demonstration used to help students conceptually visualise how constellations seem to change according to the time of day, night or year. The teacher concluded that the concrete nature of the activity was successful in engaging students and helped them to make connections to more complex concepts.
Both lesson evaluations include a reflection about strategies and resources the teacher could use towards the end of the unit to revise, consolidate and extend students’ understandings and skills.
The final evaluation demonstrates the teacher’s reflective practice through the analysis and evaluation of the process of developing the assessment criteria with students. The teacher concluded that the joint construction helped students to be more successful in their presentations because they were familiar with the success criteria and the specific areas for assessment.