The Students
Every teaching and learning cycle should meet students at their specific point of need. Throughout my teaching education at university and my teaching experience I have begun to understand the nuanced way that students learn and express their understanding. During completion of the Master of Teaching (Secondary) at Deakin University, I learnt the importance of teaching explicit literacy skills while personalizing learning experiences for students with diverse abilities. My inquiry project is focused upon Year 9 Media Arts students from diverse backgrounds and who possess varying levels of skills and knowledge. Please see the detailed description of students below.
Focus Students
Student A- High achiever with issues expressing analysis in writing.
Student A is a hard-working and committed member of the classroom. His previous results reflect strong ability to analyse texts with excellent results in previous years' English assessments. He has proven to be a dedicated student who completes all work on time. Student A is a highly motivated, and capable learner with a high-level ability to break apart narratives and express his understanding during classroom discussion. During an early formative assessment of his ability to analyse texts and produce writing, it was discovered that while he has a keen ability to discuss his interests about a text, Student A needs further scaffolding to hone his ability and produce a more focused text analysis. Student A was chosen for my inquiry as he has the keen ability to identify parts of the text, however could progress to a higher level when it comes to focusing his analysis on the technical and symbolic elements of a media narrative. Throughout the sequence, Student A will learn how to harness his ability to identify the components of a film sequence and incorporate an understanding of the technical and symbolic elements involved. This scaffolding will sophisticate his analysis and writing ability.
Student B- An enthusiastic student with strong film knowledge and moderate writing skills.
Student B is highly motivated showing willingness to engage in the analysis of media texts. His previous results reflect an average level of ability to express his ideas within scene analysis tasks in English. An early formative task discovered that Student B has a high-level ability to produce ideas, analyze the film texts, however lacks the grammatical skills and knowledge to produce a refined piece of writing. Student B is a dedicated member of the class, completing all work on time and shows great enthusiasm contributing to class discussion. The student was chosen for the inquiry as he possesses the keen ability and knowledge of texts, however can be progressed to a higher level of writing skill with the scaffolding of clear worked examples of text analysis, explicit writing scaffolding and personalized feedback of his work.
Student C- Slightly above average student, first Nations person, low motivation.
Student C is a first Nations student local to the Ballarat area. He is involved in a large social network within the classroom that can sometimes impact is motivation. He has proven himself to be a capable student who contributes to classroom discussion, sharing his ideas and showed great enthusiasm to ask questions about structure and purpose of media narratives. His previous results across analysis topics in English reflect a student with the ability to analyze texts and produce writing. Student C has been selected for the inquiry as his ability to express his ideas using media language and produce analysis in writing can be improved. I endeavor to incorporate Yunkaporta (2008) ‘Eight Ways of Aboriginal Learning’ to differentiate instruction and provide feedback to Student C in a culturally appropriate and sensitive classroom environment.
Student D- Social Emotional Autism Spectrum Disorder- Moderate ADHD
Student D is currently working well below the achievement standards for English writing ability. He has an individual learning plan that outlines the support that he requires. Student D has Social Emotional Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as a moderate level of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). While student D is often a quiet member of the class, he has shown an interest in analyzing media narratives and enthusiasm to participate during class activities. Previous student school results reflect difficulties with writing and language-based tasks. Student D is a highly cooperative member of the class and shown an ability to complete classwork. He has been chosen for my inquiry project as he has shown an inability to identify elements within a text. Student D could benefit from explicit scaffolding of technical and symbolic elements within media narratives and how this translates into producing a written product. Student D will receive significantly modified classroom and assessment tasks during the sequence.
St Patrick’s College is a Catholic day and boarding school for boys, founded by the Christian Brothers in 1893. St Patrick's College aspires to provide all students copious opportunities to achieve personal excellence in a range of curricular and co-curricular areas. The College strives for the development in holistic manner, integrating spiritual development, academic success, cultural awareness and sporting participation in the spirit of the Edmund Rice Catholic tradition. Through a inclusive and nurturing environment the school's mission is 'raising fine boys to the status of great men'.
ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE VALUES
SCHOOL STATISTICS:
- 1270 student enrolments and over 100 teaching staff and support staff.
- Four percent of the student population identifies Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
- Three percent of students are from a language background other than English.
Classroom Context
My inquiry is based within my Year 9 Media class, made up of 26 students.
As the Year 9 Media classes is elective subject running for a semester, the class is not streamed and includes a diverse cohort of learning needs and abilities. The students in the class display a spread of internal school results from previous assessment tasks with the cohort demonstrating above average results within previous years’ English analyical assessments.
Characteristics of the class
- 1 student who identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- 11 students with allergies and/or other medical conditions
- 5 students with an Individual Learning Plan
I have not taught any of these students for Media Studies, however, I had taught some in Year 9 Computing.
Prior Learning of Students based on evidence
In order to develop an understanding of the student's prior knowledge and learning in regards to this unit, I have done the following:
- Had discussions with current and previous teachers and learning support staff.
- Looked at previous data and results of the Analysis tasks in English units, as well as other English results over previous terms.
- Reviewed other academic data e.g. School Reports
- Observations of current work ethic with classwork and homework
- Reviewed current Individual Learning Plans
Student A
After reviewing student A's work, discussing with colleagues and reflecting upon his learning - Student A is highly academic and possesses a strong work ethic. While student A is a quiet and reserved student in class, he has shown the ability to seek out information and communicate his understanding. Student A has proven himself to be a highly analytical student with an impressive ability to express ideas in writing. The media narratives unit focused on technical and symbolic codes will improve student A's fluency and ability to express their ideas using the language of the subject in a more sophisticated way.
Comments from previous teacher:
Previous results:
Year 9 English: Language & Argument Analysis Essay: 100%
English Exam: 55%
Year 8 English: Analytical Writing task: 90%
Scene Analysis: 72%
Student B
Based on reviewing work and discussions with colleagues, Student B has shown promising development in the areas of writing expression in the past twelve months. Early formative tasks reflect his ability to express his ideas on paper, however lack refinement and basic grammatical skills. Student B possesses a rich base of subject knowledge about media narratives. The learning sequence will assist student B to hone their writing ability and express themselves in a more sophisticated manner.
Comments from previous teacher:
Previous results:
Year 9 English: Text Response Essay: 56%
Year 8 English: Scene Analysis: 64%
Student C
Upon Reflection of past results and discussions with colleagues, Student C reflects a student who requires explicit instruction of writing skills in a manner that is engaging and meaningful. The student so far has shown great enthusiasm for the topic of media narratives and an ability to analyze texts. The learning sequence will support the student's ability to identify elements within media narratives and synthesize their ideas in writing. It will provide an opportunity for explicit scaffolding of writing skills and an in-depth look at the elements of story.
Comments from previous teacher:
Previous results:
Year 9 English: Persuasive Writing task: 43%
Year 8 English: Analytical Writing task: 47%
Scene Analysis: 56%
Student D
After engaging with Enhanced Learning Officers at St. Patrick's College, reviewing the student's previous work and reflecting upon their learning so far in the media classroom, Student D is a student who requires significant modifications in order to participate effectively within the unit. The student has shown enthusiasm to participate in the classroom and share their ideas about the structure of media texts. The learning sequence will assist the student to identify elements of a text and reinforce their ability to express their ideas in writing.
Comments from previous teacher:
Previous results:
Year 9 English: Text response essay: In progress
Language & Argument Analysis Essay: 8%
Year 8 English: Analytical Writing task: 60%
Scene Analysis: 60%