FrameworksGp5

This workshop material is adapted from On the Cutting Edge, a professional development program for current and future geoscience faculty. 

Teaching a course involves making choices about what you will ask your students to do and why. External factors such as context of the course, student demography, and support structure are significant and should influence the choices that you will make as you design your course. Consider the external factors that influence a course and explain why these factors are important to consider before you begin to set realistic goals for the students in your course. **Start by choosing a course or a portion of a course to work on.**  Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**.  
 * Part 1.1 What are the course contexts and constraints**
 * Task 1.1a: How will your course work? **

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//Does your course serve as a prerequisite for a subsequent course or does it prepare students for a exam? If so, what?// =====

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Algebra is a topic that continues to be developed in Senior School. The topic has been introduced in Years 6-8. However, in depth considerations do not commence until Year 9. =====

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NAPLAN results have shown this area to be an area of lower achievement. The school, on reflection has identified the timing of our usual teaching as disadvantaging our students in the timeframe of National Testing. As a result this unit is to be moved to term 2 so that students have some experience prior to testing. =====

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//Does your course have prerequisites? If so, what are they?// =====

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Years 6 & 7 focus on patterning and physical manipulations. Theoretical considerations begin in year 8 (Term 4) and are consolidated in Year 9. =====

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//How big is your course, and what kinds of rooms are available for you to teach in?// =====

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Algebra is the focus for the term. =====

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<span style="font-size: 130%; color: #000000; font-family: Comic Sans MS; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastlanguage: EN-AU; msobidifontfamily: Arial;">//Does your course have a lab and/or on-line component, and do you teach it? What are your options for frequency and duration of class/lab meeting times?// =====

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<span style="font-size: 130%; color: #000000; font-family: Comic Sans MS; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastlanguage: EN-AU; msobidifontfamily: Arial;">No. Classes are able to book into computer laboratories. On line component will be introduced through the use of FWC. =====

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> //Are your students gifted & talented, middle-of-the-road, or learning support?//
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Task 1.1b: Who are your students, and what do they need? **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">

Classes are mixed ability groupings. Within each class there are students being supported by IEPs. Others have been recognised as having higher ability levels. Differentiated curriculum is part of our Middle School Curriculum policy.

//In what way might your students use what they have learned in your course in the future?//

Current and future problem solving. Foundations studies for senior studies.

//What is the demography of students in your course in terms of age, race, gender, and ethnicity?//

Age: 14 years (average). Reasonably equal gender mix. Dominant ethnic groups are Anglo Saxon and Korean.

//What percentage of students in your course have high-speed computer access outside the at home?//

The majority of students have internet access outside school. What is the support structure for your course?

**<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Task 1.1c: What is the support structure for your course? **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> //Are you the default computer troubleshooter, or do students and staff have other support people to turn to if they run into difficulty with a computer problem related to your course?//

The school has a combination of support structures. Technical difficulties are dealt with by IT specialists. Curriculum concerns are supported by the Teaching and Learning Facilitator IT Futures and other computer-skilled staff through collegial relationships.

//Does your school have writing, quantitative literacy, or oral communications skills centres that can provide supplemental help/instruction for students?// <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The school offers in class support through the use of teacher Aides. These are allocated to students funded due to their IEPs. Students are also able to select LNSK as an experience subject. This program provides skill development and individualized support. (2 lessons each week)