Burnham_PPA

Name: Alden Burnham BU ID #U21753174
Pre-service Performance Assessment
Professional Standards for Teachers: See 603 CMR 7.08
Please use this assessment in conjunction with the Pre-service Performance Assessment for
Teachers guidelines: the rating scale; evaluation questions relating to the standards; and the
license-specific questions per standard (b)2c. Candidates must complete the Evidence column for
evaluation by the program supervisor and supervising practitioner.
Standard A - Plans Curriculum and Instruction
Indicators Evidence
1. Draws on content standards of the
relevant curriculum frameworks to
plan sequential units of study,
individual lessons, and learning
activities that make learning
cumulative and advance students’
level of content knowledge.
(Specify Curriculum Framework
title, learning standards, and
concept and skills used [attach list
if necessary]).
i) Alden created a year 9 unit plan on the Reformation in
Europe, focusing on analysis of primary sources from
throughout the 15th and 16th centuries to drive content from
Early Medieval Europe to Luther and Calvin’s contributions.
ii) Alden created a year 10 unit plan on “Making a Nation,”
tracing content from colonial times through Federation and
early legislation while developing skills of inquiry and
argumentation.
iii) Alden created a year 10 unit on the Civil Rights Movement
in America, adapting sources and lessons to meet the needs
of Australian students and their curriculum and focus.
iv) Alden created a year 8 unit plan on Ancient China.
Alden consulted with both Massachusetts and US National
Frameworks and NSW outcomes when designing each unit
and its respective lessons. Alden consulted the (1)
Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum
Frameworks, (2) the National Curriculum Standards for Social
Studies Themes and (3) the College, Career, and Civic Life C3
Framework for Social Studies Standards (anchored in
Common Core Literacy Standards).
Alden’s Reformation Unit addressed the following
Frameworks for year 9
-C3 Framework: D1.2.9-12.; D2.His.1.9-12; D2.His.3.6-8;
D3.1.6-8; D2.Civ.14.9-12.;D2.Civ.7.9-12
-Massachusetts Curriculum FrameworksUSI.32, WHI.30
A,B,C,D
-NCSS Themes:2) Time, Continuity and Change 5) Individuals,
Groups, and Institutions 6) Power, Authority, and Governance
Alden’s “Making a Nation” Unit addressed the following
frameworks for year 10
-C3 Connection: D1.1.9-12 to 1.5.9-12; D2.Civ.3.9-12.;
D2.Civ.7.9-12.; D2.Civ.14.9-12 D2.Eco.1.9-12.; D2.Eco.3.9-12.;
D2.Eco.5.9-12.; D2.Eco.8.9-12.; D2.Geo.2.9-12;
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D2.Geo.4.9-12.; D2.Geo.6.9-12; D2.Geo.8.9-12.;
D2.His.6.9-12; D2.His.9.9-12 to D2.His.11.9-12;
D2.His.14.9-12; D2His.16.9-12; D3.2.9-12
-Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: 4.15 A, C, D, USII.3,
USII.5, USII.6; WHII.5 A, B, C, D; WHII.6 A,B,C,D; USG.3.1;
USG2.1; E.7.3;E.7.4
-NCSS Themes: 1) Culture 3) Individual Development and
Identity 4) People, Places, and Environments 5)Individuals,
Groups, and Institutions, 6) Power, Authority, and
Governance 7) Production, Distribution, Consumption
8)Science, Technology, Society 9) Global Connections 10)Civic
Ideals and Practices
-Australian Outcomes: HT5-1, HT5-3, HT5-5, HT5-7, HT5-8,
HT5-9, HT5-10
-Australian Concepts: Cause and Effect, Significance,
Perspectives, Contestability, Empathetic Understanding,
Continuity and Change
-Australian Skills: ACHHS164, ACHHS165, ACHHS169,
ACHHS171, ACHHS172, ACHHS173, ACHHS175, ACHHS168,
ACHHS182, ACHHS183, ACHHS186,ACHHS187, ACHHS188,
ACHHS189, ACHHS190, ACHHS191, ACHHS192, ACHHS193
Alden’s “Ancient China” Unit addressed the following
frameworks for year 8
-C3 Connection:D2.Geo.2.9-12, D2.Eco.5.6-8, D3.1.6-8.
-Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks4.6
-NCSS Themes4) People, Places, and Environments 5)
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions 6) Power, Authority, and
Governance
-Australian OutcomesACHSEH 133, ACDSEH 132, ACDSEH046,
ACDSEH043, ACHHS209, ACHHS 152
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2. Draws on results of formal and informal
assessments as well as knowledge of
human development to identify teaching
strategies and learning activities
appropriate to the specific discipline, age,
level of English language proficiency, and
range of cognitive levels being taught.
i) Assessments used and how those assessments guided
planning
-26/10/15 Alden marked Year 10 inquiry essays as their
culminating task based on research of primary and secondary
sources about the issue of genocide in Tasmania (formal
assessment). Students responded to this essay by handing in
hardly complete or late assignments, plagiarism, and a
general resistance to the task. Alden responded by increasing
scaffolds for reading (1/11/15), increasing the time given to
complete assignments for example on the Industrial
Revolution (6/11/15) and the essay on Federation (9/11/15),
meeting individually with students who plagiarised to suggest
a course of action and hear their concerns (2/11/15).
-28-30/10/15 Alden marked Year 9 Group Projects as their
culminating task based on research of cultural, political, or
religious influences on the Reformation (formal assessment).
After marking this, Alden adapted lesson plans to fill in the
gaps in the presentations and build on that base of
knowledge. In later assignments, including the essay on the
spread of the Reformation (11/9/15), Alden would move
students away from the scaffolds he used (providing internet
resources, mandating that specific questions are answered)
so that students could participate more in the inquiry
process.
-31/8/15 Alden observed grading of International
Baccalaureate exams using the criteria from the developed
sense of the skills students will need to be equipped with in
order to succeed (formal assessment)
-8/9/15 Using background knowledge of class and analysis of
informal questioning at the beginning of year 9 Civil Rights
class, Alden modified primary source analysis task by 1)
turning it into a “read, think, wonder” activity 2) giving
students more time to read than originally planned (informal
assessment)
-11/9/15 Alden used informal assessment in the form of
questioning the class and checking for understanding to
adapt secondary source reading for Year 9 Civil Rights unit by
extending reading time for students (informal assessment).
-8/9/15 Alden gave students in both year 9 classes on the
Civil Rights Unit in America a short, one question quiz to
summarize what they had learned at the end of class. Alden
then modified instruction in the next class based on student
understanding (informal assessment)
-14/10/15 Alden taught a lesson on analyzing primary sources
from humanists for his class on the Reformation and “read”
the students reactions to gauge their level of experience and
abilities with analyzing primary sources. Alden subsequently
modified his lesson plan to include a more thorough
skills-based class where students examined strategies for
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learning about a source (origin, summary, and overcoming
vocabulary barriers), and then modified other lesson plans to
include a scaffolded reading at the beginning and then
independent or group readings at the end of lessons, rather
than having students do most of the work. (informal
assessment)
-16/10/15 Alden taught a lesson on analyzing primary and
secondary sources, and noticed that students were familiar
with the concepts and skills necessary to analyze these
sources based on their enthusiasm answering questions and a
simple formative assessment asking students to answer
questions. As a result he modified the lesson by shortening
that component, and then using the extension he had
planned where students read an additional secondary source.
-16/11/15 Alden took results collected through a homework
quiz about sources from Ancient China and the Qin dynasty to
elaborate on evaluating sources as class task, and he assigned
a similar project to evaluate student progress towards the
learning goal.
ii) Rationale grounded in research and common sense
-2-4/9/15 Alden planned both his Reformation Unit and
“Making a Nation” Unit and their respective plans by using a
“backwards planning” method, which involves developing
inquiry questions before planning assessments, tasks, or
assignments. The Inquiry Questions are a synthesis of 1)
Personal intuitions about key student understandings and the
significance of historical events 2) The curriculum frameworks
3) Key skills students should develop through the unit based
on cumulative assessment task students complete at the end
of the term.
-8/9/15 Alden developed the rationale of each lesson about
the Reformation and “Making a Nation” and made it explicit
to students orally and visually on powerpoint. These
justifications for each lesson generally involve some kind of
prosocial purpose related to helping their community,
country, or the world and individual skills benefits that would
help them later in life. Alden based the method of using
individual “rationales” for each lesson on Bransford, Brown,
and Cocking’s book How People Learn who explain that
“learners of all ages are more motivated when they can see
the usefulness of what they are learning and when they can
use that information to do something that has an impact on
others” (61). Yeager, Henderson, Paunesku, Walton, D’Mello,
Spitzer, and Duckworth confirm that creating an explicit
“beyond the self purpose for education” has been shown to
increase self regulation and motivation in students. Finally,
Alden based this component of his lesson plans in his
philosophy that learning should be independent from marks.
Peter Demerath describes the problem of hyper-credentialing
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in schools and how students do not gain true understanding
when they are merely jumping through hoops to get an “A.”
Alden, having noticed student behavior in IB classes that
some students refused to collaborate and share resources
with others in the class in order to help their own mark,
believes that instating a “call to action” in students with a
pro-social rationale can overcome this problem.
iii) Teaching strategies appropriate for content, grade level,
and students. Learning strategies suitable for advanced and
below grade level students.
-22/9/10, 30/10/15, 3/11-12/15, 6/11/15, 10/11/15, Alden
planned a “jigsaw” group activity that moved from classwork
where the teacher modeled or heavily scaffolded students
(note taking guides, highlighting important information, or
direct questions to answer using the text), into group or peer
work where students could look to their peers for help and
informal assessments could be conducted, into individual
work where students could employ strategies on their own
and build cognitive pathways and develop their own skills.
-15/9/15 Alden cut one of the readings out of his lesson plan
noting the abilities of his students, and this allowed for the
class as a whole to get more quality of reading rather than
quantity.
-13/10/15 Alden analyzed primary and secondary sources
from colleagues in the History Department to evaluate
whether they were grade appropriate, and constructed
language scaffolds (definitions of major terms) and direct
questions to target major points in the reading.
-18/11/15 Alden planned an assignment where students
analysed primary sources at their own pace, then took
questions from the whole class about where they struggled.
He planned and developed specific scaffolds for each
question, so when students had trouble he recommended
and explained visually (through guided practice on a projector
screen) and verbally how to approach the question.
iv) How did knowledge of human development and learning
guide planning
-4/9/15 Alden developed unit plans with “flipped classroom”
and “active learning” activities in mind. Bransford, Brown,
and Cocking would characterize this as “active learning” and
explain the positive cognitive benefits of students “taking
control of their own learning” (12). Alden’s knowledge of
cognitive development has led him to the teaching
philosophy that traditional unilateral transfers of information
in lecture style are largely ineffective and overused. As a
result, Alden included metacognitive exercises including
“Read, Think, Wonder” and “Know, Want to Know, Learned”
so students could monitor and adjust their own learning as
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they discover what strategies are most effective for them
personally.
-8/9/15 Alden wrote into lesson plans of socratic questioning
to use wait time so that the quantity and quality of student
responses would increase.
-2-3/9/15, Alden used progressive minimal cues to push
individual students to go one step further with their
responses to assignment questions
-2-8/9/15 circulated during class (moving to the back of the
class while students copied from Powerpoint), group (getting
the groups attention and scaffolding them through
motivation or breaking down the task or question to
comprehensible units), partner (using informal assessments
to modify ways of asking questions), or individual work
(pushing students to focus)
-14/9/15 Alden explicitly scaffolded year 9 students learning
about Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream Speech by
giving them summarization strategies, highlighting strategies,
and some minor prompting questions to drive at the major
points.
-15/9/15 Alden used turn and talk activities in lessons to get
students to collaborate in learning, explain their
interpretations and reasoning, and as a way of checking for
understanding informally.
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3. Identifies appropriate reading materials,
other resources, and writing activities for
promoting further learning by the full
range of students within the classroom.
i) Describe the reading being planned and which suitably
challenges students at every level (including below grade
level, ELLs, and students with disabilities)
-Throughout the term, Alden used cards to call on students in
his “Making a Nation” class, “Reformation” Class, and both
Ancient China classes at random to summarize what they had
read and answer prepared questions. By calling on students
at random, he ensured participation and critical thinking from
students who would otherwise not participate. Alden also
used constructive socratic questioning, where he would call
on students who raised their hands to critique or build on
what the previous student had said. This ensured that all
students participated, rather than a select few advanced
students. Alden used this specific strategy in every lesson.
-27/10/15, 18/11/15 Alden distributed a packet of primary
sources to the class, and gradually released control to
students in answering questions, such that they could all
participate but would be allowed the flexibility to go into
detail. Alden began by reviewing strategies for reading a
primary source and summarizing important information. He
then asked students in partners to do the next set of
questions, circulating throughout this process to assist
students who were struggling to analyze documents.
Partnerships served students who are at a higher level in
attempting to explain their reasoning to lower level students
(who learned by having someone explain to them the skills as
they were learning them). This variety of perspectives served
as a scaffold. Finally, Alden assigned the last set of questions
(which constituted a series of short essays) and let students
complete them for homework.
ii) Explanation of different writing activities for these groups
-16/10/15 While Alden had planned to have the group read
and summarize 3 readings, he modified the lesson plan to
meet student needs so they only wrote about two readings.
Given the fact that classes are tracked because of the size of
the school, Alden often modified the readings and
assignments depending on the group. Sometimes this meant
cutting out some portions of more dense readings for
students at different levels so they could be scaffolded to the
main idea, but other scaffolds including note taking guides,
frequent questions, “turn and talk” activities, “read, think,
wonder” activities, or guided questions were used. These
open ended questions left students able to elaborate based
on their own pace, but simultaneously highlighted the most
important things students should learn.
-22/10/15 Alden added extra reading material from Ryan and
Reynolds to Canvas, as well as a selection of primary sources,
to assist students in constructing their essay for the “Making
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a Nation” class. This extra reading was meant to help
students with topics related to those authors explore their
ideas further and bring in different types of evidence. By
adding this extra material to Canvas, Alden ensured that
students would be able to independently look further into
their inquiry question or to continue to use the sources they
had focused on in class.
-9-17/11/15 Alden assigned a project that required students
to examine a variety of sources on their own, and provided
bibliographies for the entire class on what primary and
secondary sources to look for so that they could go back and
do further research on their own, or merely use ideas from
class depending on their level of comfortability with the
content and skills.
Alden used the following resources for his “Making a Nation”
Unit
-12/10/15. 1)Maps and resources from the Library of New
South Wales for researching an explorer and their interaction
with the land. 2) Griffiths, Forests of Ash: An Environmental
History, Chapter 3 3) Kingston The Oxford History of Australia
Volume 3 1860-1900 Chapter 1 4) Making a Nation” Textbook
pages 57-58.
-13/10/15 1)Ashton and Anderson (2013) Macmillan History 9
for NSW The Making of the Modern World 2) Boyce excerpt
“Risdon Cove” 3)Maps of Language from Australian Broadcast
Network 4) Selected primary sources from Governor Sorell,
Governor Arthur, and a Hobart Town Colonial Advocate
-16/10/15 1) Lawson “A British Genocide in Tasmania” 2)
Connor “On Boyce”
-19/10/15 1) Windschuttle “The Invention of Massacre
Stories” 2) Ryan’s response to Windschuttle
-23/10/15 Documentary on “The Industrial Revolution”
-26/10/15 Selected primary sources on non European
immigrants to Australia
-6/11/15 Documentary on Working Conditions in the
Industrial Revolution, photos on Industrial Revolution and
working conditions, selected primary sources about
formation of Australian labour Party
-9/11/15-24/11/15 Federation unit: Grey, Hirst, Laidlaw,
Irving, Parkes, ABC video
-10/11/15-13/11/15 For Australia’s Sake
-13/10/15- 27/11/15 Making a Nation
Alden used the following resources for his Reformation Unit
-14/10/15. 1) Khan Academy video introducing the
Reformation 2) Selected woodcuts from the Reformation 3)
Excerpts from Luther’s life as a monk 4) Excerpt from the
Bible (Romans Chapter 3) 5) Luther writing on Indulgences
-15/10/15. 1) Tomlin “Luther and His World” Chapters 4 and
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5 “The Theory of Indulgences” 2) Luther’s Tower or
Conversion Experience 3) Selections from the 95 Theses 4)
Excerpt of Pope Leo X’s Bull
-16/10/15 1) Luther’s “A Sermon on Indulgences” 2)
-21/10/15 1) Excerpts from Tomlin 2) The 95 Theses 3)
“Luther’s Answer Before the Diet of Worms 4) The movie
Luther (2003) starring Joseph Fiennes
-22/10/15 1) Various internet resources and research for
students to use in groups 2) Various primary sources selected
for group work
-4/11/15 Tara and Randell
-11-13/11/15 Selected woodcuts, Luther’s Letter to the
German Nobility, Luther Movie, “A Merchant Outwits a
Bishop”
-18/11/15 Various primary sources selected for group work
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4. Identifies prerequisite skills, concepts,
and vocabulary needed for the learning
activities and design lessons that
strengthen student reading and writing
skills.
i) Skills necessary
-10/10/15 Alden planned lessons for his “Making a Nation”
Class after observing the students. Given his observations of
9th year at the end of last term, he recognized many of the
skills and concepts students had, and could use that prior
knowledge to build a foundation for lessons. Alden included
in every lesson plan a section for “prior knowledge” where he
elaborated on what students would need for the lesson.
-15/10/15 Alden recognized that students did not have fully
developed skills in analysing primary sources based on their
performance reading a selection from Erasmus in his 9th year
Reformation class. As a result, he added another lesson for
later in the week where students reviewed the concept of a
primary source, then collectively came up with ways to
analyze them and acronyms for recalling those methods
(OMAC for Origin, Motivation, Audience, Context). Alden then
created scaffolds for the next few lessons where this
information was reviewed or referenced in questions.
-22/10/15 Alden had students in his Reformation class come
up with their own criteria for what makes a good
presentation to evaluate their pre requisite skills and the
expectations he should have for them.
-6/11/15 Alden had students in his Reformation class come
up with the criteria for a good essay and used that to mark
them.
ii) Concepts necessary
-14/9/15 Alden planned his lesson on Year 9 Civil Rights to
connect it to their previous units on freedom from oppression
(The Reformation, Ghandi, the American and French
Revolutions) and connected it to their own country (the
Freedom Rides in Australia). Alden also recognized that
Australian students would have minimal familiarity with
concepts including the Declaration of Independence, Wording
in the US Constitution, and major events like the Gettysburg
Address. Alden took all these factors into account while
lesson planning.
-14/10/15 Alden recognized that students in his class did not
have a background knowledge of the Renaissance needed to
understand the Medici family, Humanism, or the concept of
Ad Fontes and as a result planned an additional lesson
informing students of these ideas to give them a background
of prior knowledge.
-29/10/15, 5/11/15 Alden linked to prior knowledge about
social structure from ancient egypt or social pyramids, then
built on that to understand how to civically engage in
different societies (Ancient China and. Feudal Europe)
iii) Vocabulary necessary
-10/9/15 After conducting informal diagnostic assessments to
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check for student prior knowledge, Alden realized that his
vocabulary and accent limited student understanding. As a
result, Alden modified his speech by talking more slowly,
enunciating, defining complicated terms with synonyms, and
frequently checking for understanding.
-Any time a student read aloud, Alden would scaffold them in
pronouncing more difficult words by explaining synonyms for
the words
-15/10/15, 4/11/15 Alden explained the words “Nationalism,”
“iconoclast,” and “protestant reformation” by breaking down
the words into individual phonemes and using word parts to
activate prior knowledge and make content comprehensible
to students. These words were then located in primary
sources that students were reading aloud.
5. Plans lessons with clear objectives and
relevant measurable outcomes.
i) Objectives for each planned lesson
-Alden incoporated an objective and clear rationale into every
lesson plan which was drawn from his larger essential
questions for the unit, which were collectively drawn from
the standards, materials provided from others in the
department, or general intuitions about what material was
valuable.
ii) Measurable outcomes expected and how they will be
measured
-Each one of Alden’s lessons had a performance objective
linked to the outcomes expected, which included a condition,
performance, and criteria. Those performance objectives
were assigned as in class assignments, homework, or
culminating tasks.
iii) Homework, learning activities, and assessments reflect the
objective
-In accordance with the “Backwards Planning” strategy
explained previously, all learning activities were planned after
the essential questions, rationale, and objectives in order to
match them accordingly.
iv) Suitable objectives for advanced and below grade level
students
-Culminating tasks allowed students the flexibility to do
external research or to draw on other primary sources made
available on Canvas. Many students capitalized on the
availability of these resources and came to see Alden outside
of class for help.
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6. Draws on resources from colleagues,
families, and the community to enhance
learning.
i) Resources identified by colleagues, families, or community
-16/9/15 Alden met with a colleague in the history
department on the Reformation (his area of expertise) by
having discussions with him, reading books and passages of
the bible he selected, and reading through some of the
papers he wrote at university on the topic.
-13/9/15 Alden worked with colleague in history department
to develop theological understanding of the Reformation in
order to better communicate it to students
-22-23/10/15 Alden worked with a colleague in the history
department who is an expert in archeology to construct a
lesson plan on the Industrial revolution specifically focused
on the archeological evidence.
-3/11/15 Alden drew primary resources on the Reformation
from a colleague in the history department
-11/11/15 Alden developed a lesson plan on Breaker Morant
using resources from a colleague in the History Department.
-10/11/15 Alden met with the Professional Development
coordinator at the school to develop tactics for teaching
through drama and using cognitive knowledge in lesson
planning
-10/11/15 Alden met with the Dean of Scholars to get
resources on Ancient China unit and archeology of
industrialisation
-12/11/15 Alden exchanged primary resources on the
Reformation with a colleague in the history department
-16/11/15 Alden met with another prac student to develop
archeology resources for his Ancient China unit
7. Incorporates appropriate technology
and media in lesson planning.
i) Incorporating appropriate technology and media
-Alden created powerpoints for each lesson that included
images, text, and videos. These powerpoints followed a
similar routine and structure by making objectives and
rationale explicit to students, then moving into class work,
followed by group or pair work, and finally individual work
and homework (provided time). Alden also converted these
powerpoints to note taking format and uploaded them
individually to a separate file on Canvas so students could
have them available during and after class.
-After every lesson, Alden created assignments online for
students and parents to check through Canvas so students
who were at camp or absent could always see the homework.
These assignments often included links to videos, primary
sources, or other references to scaffold students who needed
more help.
-Alden created online quizzes and marked them using the
Canvas Grading technology on Sima Qian (16-17/11/15) and
Confucius ( that allowed him to observe student progress in
analysing primary sources and understanding content about
ancient China.
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-Alden had students upload their essays (e.g. Tasmania
30/10/15, Spread of the Reformation 19/11/15) online using
Turnitin to check for plagiarism.
-20-23/10/15 Alden used a timer in each lesson for himself,
and later used an online timer with the smartboard to keep
students on task. For example, on 23/10/15 and 18/11/15
Alden said students had 20 minutes to work silently, then 20
more minutes
-6/10/15 Alden attended a professional development seminar
on using Canvas (Trinity’s database) and the methods for
moving old files into new folders as well as operating the new
system. He took advantage of these new skills immediately,
uploading files and categorizing them into folders based on
the authors and the sections in which students would be
doing them. Alden also uploaded the homework every night
for each of his classes in an assignments section that emailed
each student to remind them of what to do in detail.
ii) Identifying rationale for media in linking to objectives
-19/10/15 Alden’s students researched an explorer using
their iPads and searched for information to questions that
were provided.
-13, 16, 19, 20, 23/10/15, 2, 3, 6 9, 10, 13/11/15 Alden’s
students used iPads to read secondary sources on “Making a
Nation”, through Canvas, specifically focusing on settlers and
their relationship with the land and natives. Having iPad
access helped organize various secondary sources into the
groups that were in conversation with one another, thus
facilitating the lesson goals.
-21-23/10/15 students in Alden’s Reformation class used
their iPads to research the economic, political, cultural, and
theological causes of the reformation and construct a
presentation detailing their “expert” area in groups. This
effectively broke the topics down into comprehensible units
while simultaneously developing presentation skills in
students through a collaborative effort, facilitating content
lesson goals as well as democratic skills.
8. Uses information in Individualized
Education Programs (IEPs) to plan
strategies for integrating students with
disabilities into general education
classrooms.
i) How have IEPs shaped unit planning
-Alden did not have the opportunity to work with many
students with IEPs, but in a year 8 English class he observed
there was a student with hearing disabilities so Alden was
sure to wear the microphone and to use as many visual
sources as possible to encourage learning in multiple
modalities.
-Alden developed individual scaffolds for a student with
Dyspraxia in one of his classes, and incorporated various
reading and writing strategies into his lesson plans that
allowed the student to work at his own pace. For example,
Alden allowed this student extra time in completing an essay
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after an email exchange with the student’s parent (26/10/15).
In addition, Alden monitored the student throughout group
work to ensure their participation, and helped them develop
presentation skills and the content for the presentation
(4/11/15).
ii) What strategies are used and why are they expected to be
effective
-While many students did not have explicit IEPs, Alden made
sure to frequently use multiple modalities including images,
videos, text, and oral presentations. Alden provided his
Powerpoints on Canvas for students to access to scaffold note
taking and his lecture format reflected student led learning,
which allowed him to check for understandings and various
learning paradigms. Alden also would use the whiteboard as a
model for note taking and would verbally explain images or
text from a powerpoint slide, then write down what he
expected students to write down or draw in their workbooks.
This incorporated multiple modalities and learning strategies
with effective modeling and explicit instruction.
-12/10/15 Alden realized that he was using black text on a
white powerpoint and often crowded text, which was harder
to see for students in the back. He subsequently modified his
lesson plans and powerpoints to use dark backgrounds and
light text. In addition, he lessened the amount that he wrote
on the powerpoint and instead hand wrote it on the board
when it was of particular importance, modeling for students
how they should copy down notes.
-13/11/15 Alden re-arranged all of the desks in the
classrooms he taught in, making sure the board and projector
were visible. He also experimented with changing the
background color to blue instead of black to make it more
legible. He also changed the color of text on slides, the size of
text, and the use of images to scaffold students.
-17/11/15 Alden scribed an exam for a student with
disabilities.
9. Uses instructional planning, materials,
and student engagement approaches that
support students of diverse cultural and
linguistic backgrounds, strengths, and
challenges.
-16/11/15 Alden worked to find a copy of the textbook in
Chinese for a student that was more comfortable reading in
that language for his Year 8 Ancient China class.
-Alden encouraged all students to read aloud and engage
with the material by calling on them randomly using cards,
and frequently read difficult texts aloud to the class or had
students read to make text more comprehensible.
-2-5/11/15 Alden made use of the student’s backgrounds in
speaking Chinese in his Ancient China course to help the rest
of the class pronounce Xia, Zhou, Qin Shi Huangdi, Sima Qian,
Lao Tzu, etc.
14

Rating:

3
Explanation of Rating for Standard A - Plans Curriculum and Instruction:
Alden comprehensively plans for effective instruction. He incorporates NSW Board
of Studies National Curriculum outcomes within Massachusetts frameworks and
American NCSS Themes and the C3 Frameworks to ensure that each lesson is
effectively planned. He has planned out teaching units and individual lessons with
an outstanding level of detail. Each unit and lesson has integrated technology and
a clear rationale to engage student interest. Alden has scaffolded the unfamiliar
content areas to ensure that students are able to achieve the objectives of the
lesson.
Rating Scale: 1=Does Not Meet the Standard; 2=Meets the Standard, 3=Exceeds the Standard; NA=Not Applicable.
Candidate’s Name: Alden Burnham License: History
Program Supervisor (initial): Date:
Supervising Practitioner (initial): Date:

15

Standard B – Delivers Effective Instruction
Indicators Evidence
1.Communicates high standards and
expectations when beginning the lesson.
a. Makes learning objectives clear to
students.

i) Learning objectives communicated
-Alden began each lesson by explicitly stating orally and with
text on the powerpoint what the learning objectives were, and
what students would do at the end of the lesson to show those
objectives were achieved. Furthermore, during every lesson,
Alden had a rationale prepared for students and made it
explicit why they were learning the prepared material from
three different perspectives: a pro-social purpose, individual
skills benefits, or interdisciplinary skills and cognitive
development.
-12/10/15 Alden created a social covenant with his students
where they set goals for themselves and created a list of things
the class could do as a whole and they could do individually to
meet those goals.
-For his essay, poster, and group presentation assignments for
each of his classes, Alden developed a criteria with students by
which to evaluate them by asking what makes a good
essay/presentation. He then used their responses to generate
a rubric and used peer editing or individual editing to have
students evaluate each other using the rubric and gave them
time to improve to better meet learning objectives. Finally, to
make the objectives abundantly clear to students, he had them
mark themselves using the criteria, Alden’s feedback, and their
work, and then vetted the responses to ensure that students
were improving based on the feedback.
ii) Smooth transitions from the opening to the body of the
lesson
-After having some issues with transitions at the beginning of
the term and reflecting on Jones’ analysis that nearly 20
percent of class time was spent during transitions, Alden
incorporated individual activities for students to complete
once they walked in the door. For example, on 10/16/15 Alden
had a “Do Now” where students wrote 3 strategies for
analysing a secondary source. On 19/10/15 Alden began using
the strategy of having students read a brief piece and
summarise it individually. On 27/10/15 Alden began having
students get the proper sources and materials ready on their
iPads at the beginning of the lesson so that time would not be
wasted trying to get everyone online at the same pace later in
the lesson.
-13/11/15 After speaking with the professional development
coordinator at the school, Alden generated an action plan to
use less activities in class that were more focused on the
16

essential unit questions and understandings. This improved on
his transitions, clarity of instruction, and classroom
management because it allowed him to focus more on one
activity rather than rushing between activities in order to
cover the most ground.
b. Communicates clearly in writing,
speaking and through the use of
appropriately designed visual and
contextual aids.
i) Clear communication in speaking and writing
-During every lesson, Alden explicitly told students what
information was worth writing down from his explication and
the words on the powerpoint. He would also use the
whiteboard as a model notebook for students, where he
would copy down notes from the powerpoint and tell students
to do the same. Alden also included “A Takeaway” in most of
his lessons where he would summarise the lesson in one
sentence and have students copy it in their workbooks. Alden
would have the Takeaway displayed on the Powerpoint and
say it orally slowly while circulating ensuring that students
copied it down.
ii) Visual and contextual aids for ELLs
-Alden was sure to use a variety of modalities to scaffold ELLs.
Alden’s powerpoints included images, diagrams, and text
centering around something that he would orally explicate.
Furthermore, Alden often created note-taking guides or ways
of copying down information either on the whiteboard or
powerpoint. For example, he created a guide for analysing
primary sources for his Year 9 Reformation class on the Diet of
Worms (21/10/15)
-Alden used powerpoints with images (of maps, famous
people, important events, etc.) and short text on powerpoints,
as well as animations and graphics, and often short video clips
including excerpts from documentaries (including Klansville
U.S.A., Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech, the movie Luther, various
documentaries on the industrial revolution, and short video
clips from Khan Academy or ABC to make complex content
comprehensible).
iii) Modulating use of language to make instruction
comprehensible
-Alden was sure to speak slowly and modulate language use to
be as clear as possible. He overcame an early challenge of
talking into the board with deliberate attempts to speak
clearly. Furthermore, Alden would ask students at random to
summarize what he had said and if they failed to do so he
would use a different strategy or way of explaining something.
-13/11/15 upon feedback from students that he was “talking
like Shakespeare” he made a conscious effort to explain more
difficult words using synonyms or write them on the board.
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c. Uses engaging ways to begin a
new unit of study or lesson.
i) Describe types of learning activities ex. stimulating prior
knowledge, framing lesson, motivating students
-Alden framed each lesson within the larger agenda of the unit
and connected it to the unit rationale, but then also framed
the lesson with an agenda for the class and times allotted for
each task to give students an idea of “where they were” in the
unit “where they were going” “how they were going there”
and “why it matters” (as the slides were titled).
-16/10/15 Alden began a new unit of study in his Year 10
“Making a Nation” class with maps of the way Australia has
changed, and a video of Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech (with which
most students were familiar). Alden then asked students to
develop a hypothesis about whether there was a genocide in
Tasmania or Australia as a whole and how that hypothesis
could be tested. This interdisciplinary inquiry-based
problem-solving activity stimulated student interest and got
them focused on reading.
-14/10/15 Alden began his Unit on the Reformation by
attempting to motivate students with a 4 part content-based
rationale of using the knowledge they would gain to
understand themselves and the world they live in, relating the
changes that occurred to students as being so monumental
that they overturned even the most fundamentally accepted
truths. After some instruction Alden used a historical empathy
activity to get students to write a diary entry and try to
understand how important the church was and why changes
to that way of life would be radical. Alden also used an
additional skills-based rationale in teaching students to analyze
primary sources and evaluate them as an interdisciplinary skill
that would help them throughout their lives.
-26-27/10/15 Alden began his unit on Ancient China by asking
students to write down a question they had about Ancient
China or modern China. He then sorted these questions into
groups based on social, political, economic, religious, or
military and throughout the lessons he would answer the
questions by linking them to prior knowledge or the content of
the lesson.
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d. Builds on students’ prior
knowledge and experience.
-10/9/15 Alden began by teaching a Civil Rights Unit plan,
during which he made connections to the current state of
affairs in the United States and in Australia. Alden relied on
images for this, but also on students to supply background
knowledge.
-26/10/15 Alden generated prior knowledge from students
about the industrial revolution, specifically focusing on their
analysis of the French absolutist monarchy (something they
had studied in the previous year). He then build off of this
prior knowledge to get them to develop a hypothesis about
the impact of the monarchy on economic growth, and then to
evaluate that based on a documentary they watched. Alden
believes that learning is a process of connecting new
knowledge to old knowledge, as is described in Brandsford et
al., and therefore relied on stimulating prior knowledge for
nearly every lesson (For example in frequent ‘Know, Want to
Know, Learned’ reading activities or through individually
writing strategies for analysing sources that students knew
already as a way of refreshing that information, which was
done in his Year 9 Reformation Class 16/10/15 and his Year 10
Making a Nation Class 19/10/15)
-26-27/11/15 Alden conducted a “Know, Want to Know,
Learned, How we Learned” activity across an entire lesson by
using student knowledge about the Great Wall of China,
getting them to develop inquiry questions and group them into
guides, then scaffolding them through research.
-Alden drew on student’s prior knowledge about the skills
necessary to analyse sources or write effective essays
throughout the semester while planning assessments
built on that to understand how to civically engage in different
societies (Ancient China and. Feudal Europe)
2. Communicates high standards and
expectations when carrying out the
lesson.
a. Uses a balanced approach to
teaching skills and concepts of
elementary reading and writing.
-All students were expected to complete assignments or take
detailed notes when prompted, as part of the social contract
they made at the beginning of the year (this was the second
rule, the first was a code of mutual respect where students
would not disrupt or distract the teacher or other students).
Students were called on randomly to supply answers to
questions, summarize what they had written in notes, or share
their work, demanding their attention. Moreover, at random
points Alden would check the entire classes’ work and mark
the diaries of students who did not complete their work (which
requires a parental signature).
i) Phonetic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary skills practiced
separately and together with comprehension skills
-22/10/15 Alden provided students with a glossary with major
19

terms and highlighted those terms throughout the lessons in
the unit on the Reformation. In one lesson he introduced the
terms at the beginning of class and had students write
definitions and then use them in a sentence. In later lessons,
he would merely point out when a content word came up that
was in the glossary and ask students to recall its meaning (i.e.
indulgence, simony).
-15/10/15, 4/11/15 Alden explained the words “Nationalism,”
“iconoclast,” and “protestant reformation” by breaking down
the words into individual phonemes and using word parts to
activate prior knowledge and make content comprehensible to
students. These words were then located in primary sources
that students were reading aloud.
-9/11/15 Alden used word parts to explain the paradigms of
nationalism, communism, marxism, and capitalism to his
“Making a Nation” class
ii) Materials provided with practice
-22/10/15 Alden split the class into 3 groups, and gave each
individual a research task (whether it was through examining
specific portions of the reading or supplied internet resources
that were evaluated already). These students then had to
complete the task and then work collaboratively to construct a
cogent presentation on their general topic.
-20/10/15 Alden taught a Year 10 Lesson on “Making a Nation”
where students applied what they had learned in the past two
lessons in terms of analysing secondary sources to a new
secondary source. This gradual release of control scaffolded
students effectively so that students with less advanced ability
could review the past two classes and the acronyms supplied
(OMAC) to help them remember.
-28,29/10/15 Alden provided students with examples of
artifacts including cowry shells, pictures of bronze weapons
and religious relics, and images of oracle bones and got
students to infer what the artifacts could tell historians about
social, political, economic, religious, and military components
of life under the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
-12, 16/11/15 Alden assigned students an online quiz that
required them to apply their knowledge of analysing primary
sources, after the class had gone through a primary source
from Sima Qian together. Later in the week, on 18/11/15
Alden distributed a selection of primary sources with questions
that students completed and the class went over together to
identify the most difficult questions and strategies for
overcoming them.
iii) Decodable texts used for phonics
-27/10/15 Alden had randomly selected students read a
portion of a primary source aloud then summarise what they
had read.
20

-13/11/15 Alden read aloud a secondary source on the
Reformation that was particularly dense and broke down word
parts, used synonyms, and explained highlighting and
summarisation strategies to students.
iv) Reading Materials suitably challenging for students of
different levels
-16, 21/10/15 Alden selected primary and secondary sources
from a variety of mediums ranging from woodcuts to full
chapters in textbooks but the assignment always reflect the
demands of the reading. For example, in his year 9 Unit on the
Reformation Alden had students analyse 5 different woodcuts
and look at their purpose and usefulness, but the next lesson
he had students only read one document from Martin Luther
that was a few pages, and he asked them to summarise the
claim, evidence, and impact of Luther’s writing along with the
origin, motivation, audience, and context.
-13 to 24/11/15 Alden assigned a culminating project in his
“Making a Nation” class that required students to pick a factor
that caused federation and elaborate on its significance
compared to other factors. He selected a bibliography of
various primary and secondary sources for each of the
suggested 5 factors, allowing students to challenge themselves
to the extent they deemed appropriate.
v) Provisions made to develop automaticity and fluency
-21/10/15 Alden had students in his Year 9 Class on the
Reformation create a chart with the purpose and usefulness of
5 different sources, and had them analyse each of them. This
was an application of skills students had already learned but
served to further inculcate the strategies in student’s “muscle
memory’
-9 to 12/11/15 Alden worked on explaining a formula for
analysing sources from Ancient China (OMAC- origin, motive,
audience, context) and practiced it for one source in depth,
then allowed students to practice on their own for homework
and individually throughout the class.
-11/11/15 Alden suggested 3 strategies for planning a
structure for essays (hamburger, mr. essay man, spider web
chart) and had students practice writing an introduction
before developing their full essays. Further, throughout the
term Alden had students use summarisation strategies to write
“T’s” or topic sentences addressing example questions to
check for understanding.
-10-13/11/15, 4/11/15 Alden had students who were in groups
write on the board to fill in a chart about Social, Political,
Economic, Religious, and Military aspects of the focus of the
lesson.
21

b. Employs a variety of
content-based and
content-oriented teaching
techniques from more
teacher-directed strategies such
as direct instruction, practice, and
Socratic dialogue, to less
teacher-directed approaches such
as discussion, problem solving,
cooperative learning, and
research projects (among others).
i) Two or more techniques that address a full need of skills and
are appropriate for objectives and the group of students
-On the first day of the term, Alden handed out a deck of cards
and got students to write their names on it, and he used the
cards throughout the term to call on students randomly,
fostering egalitarian teaching strategies that kept students
focused.
-When watching films, Alden kept students on task. For
example rather than watching the entire movie Luther(2003)
in Alden’s Reformation class, he included a lesson on the
difference between myth and memory and had them compare
the movie to primary sources they read. Alden then used short
clips from the movie in 3 other lessons. Second, in Alden’s
“Making a Nation” class students were asked to explore their
prior knowledge, look for answers to questions in the film, and
employ paradigm analysis skills they had learned in previous
classes to the movie.
-Alden had students in his Reformation Class (4,5,6/11/15) and
“Making a Nation” Class (9/11/15) do group presentations that
they had researched using a webquest, the textbook, and
provided primary and secondary sources. Students in the rest
of the class had to take notes on the presentations make
connections between the content (a metacognitive exercise)
-Alden had students in all of his classes conduct a research
project about the unit of study drawing resources from lessons
c. Demonstrates an adequate
knowledge of and approach to the
academic content of lessons.
(Please attach documentation
that license-specific questions
were used to evaluate candidate
knowledge)
-Despite his unfamiliarity with the content (in particular of
Australian history and the Protestant Reformation), Alden
researched ahead of time in order to give students the most
comprehensive knowledge they would need. Alden also taught
topics he was familiar with from his studies at University
including the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and the Civil
Rights movement.
-See attached sheet
d. Employs a variety of reading and
writing strategies for addressing
learning objectives.
i) Reading and writing activities included in the body of the
lesson and / or the homework
-23/10/15 Alden had students write an inquiry-based essay on
the issue of genocide in Tasmania using primary and secondary
sources on a topic of their choosing. This involved reviewing
the various homework and in class assignments students had
done of primary and secondary sources, and evaluating how
those sources are in conversation with one another and how
the students individually felt about the issue.
-29/10/15 Alden had students in his Reformation class write
half a page of prose at the end of class and for homework
using primary sources to explain how the Church was seen as
22

corrupt.
-5/11/15 Alden had students in his Reformation class read a
variety of excerpts from primary sources about the peasants
revolt and write in their workbooks how the sources compared
in terms of their usefulness and reliability
-6/11/15 Alden had students read “On Translating: An Open
Letter” by Luther for homework and write answers to several
questions. The next day in class he reviewed their answers and
read excerpts from the source again aloud, modeling strategies
for summarisation and comprehensible input.
-9/11/15 Alden had students read primary sources in their
textbook about Ancient China, and use the strategy described
and practised in class (Origin, Motivation, Audience, Context)
to analyse it in writing.
-11/11/15 Alden had students in his Ancient China class
analyse a primary source and answer questions for homework
using a strategy described in class
-11/11/15 Alden had students in his Reformation Class fill in a
graphic organizer analysing woodcuts and strategies described
in class
-13/11/15 Alden had students write a paragraph of prose
answering an essay question, and had students peer edit it in
class the next day.
-18/11/15 Alden had students in his Reformation class write an
essay on why the Reformation spread in Germany using
primary sources and their own knowledge.
ii) Get students to describe, explain, and justify their ideas
-Alden used turn and talk activities throughout the semester as
a way of checking for understanding and getting students to
explain their work (Ex. Reformation unit 21/10, 16/10)
-22-23/10/15 Students worked in groups to become ‘experts’
in one of the larger-than-individual causes of the Reformation
and had to research it independently, construct a
presentation, and explain it to the class
-Alden emphasized in the Reformation class and Making a
Nation Class that students had to make a historical argument
using evidence, not merely craft a narrative. He showed
examples of this concept, and explained that all claims needed
evidence. Both the essays due on 30/10/15 and 18/11/15 are
examples of students being required to justify and explain
their ideas using writing strategies.
e. Uses questioning to stimulate
thinking and encourages all
students to respond.
i) Probing questions to help students understand concepts
-The content of Alden’s powerpoints was constructed with a
heading students would copy in their workbooks, and then a
series of questions next to an image or video. Alden would ask
the questions to the class and get them to discover the
answers, or he would explain the answers but then ask the
23

questions to random students (using the cards) to get them to
summarise the answer in their own words.
-Alden never lectured, he would always ask probing questions
by either calling on students after appropriate wait time or
using name cards to call on students randomly. There were
two main questioning strategies Alden used throughout the
term: “basketball questioning” and “socratic questioning” with
progressive minimal cues. In “basketball questioning” Alden
would ask a question to a student, then ask another student to
build on or disagree with what that student said, fostering
dialogue for the whole class rather than just between teacher
and student (“tennis questioning”). Alden also would push
students by asking them why or repeating their answer in a
different way and asking whether they agreed or disagreed
with the paraphrase. This stimulated students to be alert and
focused.
-Examples of when Alden focused specifically on using socratic
dialogue were Ancient China (2/11/15, 17/11/15) “Making a
Nation” (25/10/15, 3/11/15, 6/11/15, 9/11/15, 16/11/15) and
“the Reformation” (23/11/15, 4/11/15, 5/11/15, 13/11/15)
ii) Encouraging participation by addressing questions to all
students
-Alden used random selection to call on students, but also
attempted to maintain the dynamic of calling on students who
raised their hands. This perpetuated competition in the
classroom, and also allowed Alden to check for understanding
(by the number of hands being raised).
-Alden often praised students based on the quality of their
responses or effort and encouraged all students to participate.
f. Uses instructional technology
appropriately.
i) Smooth transition to and from technology use
-27/10/15-28/11/15 Alden began each lesson with a “Do Now”
that involved students getting the materials necessary ready
on their devices and then doing an activity to recall prior
knowledge or stimulate interest, so that when the time came
to use the devices for research or accessing readings, students
would already have it ready. This fasciliated transitions by
dealing with technology access issues at the beginning of class.
-Alden always planned an alternative to using technology, in
the case that it failed. For example, on 16/10/15 Alden had to
switch into a new classroom and as a result he had to change
the order of the lesson plan and get students working silently
on an assignment he planned for homework, then to move
into the general lesson. Further, on 26/10/15 students could
not access the online readings, so Alden pulled it up on the
projector and students read it aloud as a class . Another
example is on 17/11/15 Alden had primary sources ready to
examine to highlight the main points for his Ancient China
24

lesson, rather than having students access the textbook.
ii) Students are given instruction in use of technology
-8/9/10 Alden began lesson by re-iterating the rules about
technology: if it is distracting the privilege will be replaced with
other activities, the expectation is that students will be
responsible.
-23/11/15, 2-5/11/15, 18/11/15 Alden modeled how students
were expected to upload homework assignments, essays,
collaborations, check homework, and access his powerpoint
presentations before every lesson when it was necessary.
iii) Technology used as a tool to reinforce and develop skills
-19/11/15 Alden mandated that students type and upload
their essays to the website for marking, emphasizing the use of
technology and word processors to develop writing skills.
-Alden confiscated the devices of students who were
misbehaving twice during the term (13/11/15, 16/11/15) and
consistently emphasized that the privilege was something that
would only be tolerated with appropriate use.
-On the first day for all his classes, Alden emphasized that
devices could be a distraction (23/11/15) and would only be
tolerated if they were used to reinforce and develop skills.
Alden set clear consequences for misuse and emphasized the
agreement students signed, while valuing their input in
explaining how devices could be a distraction.
-28-30/10/15 Alden had students in his “Reformation Class”
create a collaborative powerpoint presentation and use the
projector to present it. He also allowed them to make brief
notes on their chromebooks.
-Alden used Tnet announcements and email system to alert
students of due dates and homework assignments after every
single lesson, and used it to collect assignments.
g. Uses effective strategies and
techniques for making content
accessible for English language
learners.
i) Research based strategies and techniques to adapt or modify
to make it more comprehensible but maintain academic rigor
-27/10/15 Alden explained the processes of connecting new
knowledge to old knowledgeand on 11/11/15 Alden
reiterated this metacognitive strategy.
built on that to understand how to civically engage in different
societies (Ancient China and. Feudal Europe)
-18/11/15 Alden emphasized Dweck’s growth mindset to his
students in marking their assessments and preparing for future
assessments.
-Glossaries: Alden’s Reformation unit included a handout with
all the key terms he expected students to know and he would
reference them directly in classes where they came up and
25

have students write the definitions (14/10/15). For Alden’s
Ancient China Unit, he asked students to define filial piety and
the Mandate of Heaven using their textbook glossaries to
model it and constantly re-iterated the definition of the terms
(10/11/15).
-Alden provided verbal and written instruction (on the board in
all capital letters blue or black ink eg. 21, 22, 27/10/15,
2/11/15, 9,10,12,17/11/15 Alden specifically made it a part of
his lesson plan to improve on it) for each student after waiting
for silence and the entire class to have eyes on him
(emphasizing listening to instruction), and would ask whether
students knew what to do and use wait time before getting
into an activity.
-29/10/15 Writing instruction. Alden explained note taking
strategies to his Ancient China class through modeling a
powerpoint slide, writing the heading and then the
information in quotes, then writing and copying diagrams from
the board.
-Writing instruction: during presentations, Alden made things
bold that he wanted students to write down or draw, would
explicitly say “note this” or “write this down” (ex. 4/11/15,
5/11/15, 29/10/15
writing instruction, visuals. Used videos to articulate content,
for example 14/10/15 Alden introduced the Reformation with
a video from Khan Academy. Used maps to articulate content
for example on 13/11/15 Alden used a color coded map he
made to show the spread of the Reformation.
-Writing instruction: Alden gave explicit instruction in reading
and writing essay questions using a variety of methods
including “the hamburger” “mr. essay man” and a “mind map”
for constructing strong topic sentences and introductions on
5/11/15
-16/11/15, 13/11/15 Alden had students write their answers
on the board in columns and had other students copy down
and make connections to what other students had written.
-Alden’s Ancient China class had two ESL students that sat
together and helped each other make content comprehensible
with the assistance of Alden’s scaffolds. In addition, Alden
worked to locate a copy of the textbook online in Chinese for
these students (9/11/15)
ii) Emphasizing academic and content related language
-Alden held students to a high standard in their writing to use
an academic register in their essays and homework
assignments for example on the essays due on 30/10/15 and
19/11/15 Alden’s marks emphasized proofread essays without
spelling or grammar mistakes.
iii) Modeling proper English
-Alden’s comments always were written in full, developed
26

sentences with appropriate grammar.
-Alden modeled proper english in his Powerpoint
Presentations and in his writing on the board, which he always
planned in advance to ensure clarity and comprehensibility.
h. Demonstrates knowledge of the
difference between social and
academic language and the
importance of this difference in
planning, differentiating and
delivering effective instruction for
English language learners at
various levels of English language
proficiency and literacy.
i) Explicit instruction in social and academic language with
opportunities to practice and get feedback on both
-5/11/15 Alden taught a lesson dedicated to developing an
essay. He first taught about reading the essay question and
underlining key terms that could be used in a topic sentence to
fully address the question. He also explicitly instructed
students on how to frame questions using the underlying
themes they had discussed. Next, he used the example of the
Reformation to model three different methods for developing
essays including a “bubble chart,” Mr. Essay Man, a
hamburger, and a mind map. Alden then provided an example
of his own work that students edited, focusing on clarity of
language as well as the content goals. Students then were
asked to write an introduction paragraph using this strategy,
and then peer edited it the next day.
-Alden’s generic lesson plan included powerpoint
presentations, and he thus modeled how to switch between a
social register and an academic register to engage an
audience. Students had explicit practice in this during their oral
presentations (e.g. 28-30/10/15, 4/11/15) where one of the
criteria was clarity of instruction and ability to engage in a
professional manner.
ii)Implement assessments appropriate for proficiency level
-Alden’s first assessment task was meant to be a gauge for
student proficiency level, and after the general lack of
enthusiasm and ability to synthesize secondary sources to
form an expository essay, he adapted to allow students to
construct presentations or posters (provided they also created
a short summary analysing the sources they chose and why) in
order to make content more accessible. Alden always offered
the option of writing a formal essay to allow more advanced
students to access this, but understood that students
sometimes performed better with multiple modalities.
expectations when extending and
completing the lesson.
a. Assigns homework or practice
that furthers student learning and
checks it.
i) Differential homework assignments or practice that furthers
learning of students who are academically advanced as well as
those performing at or below grade level
-Alden assigned long term projects that allowed students to
come up with an inquiry question of their own and research it
or rely on class materials to address one of several given
prompts in his “Reformation” class (4-18/11/15) and “Making
a Nation” class (20-30/10/15). These assignments allowed
27

students who were academically advanced to meet with a
tutor or Alden to guide their research, or to use the scaffolds in
place. During the time when students were completing these
larger projects, Alden would reference the assignment and
how instructional materials and sources could be used. When
materials were assigned for individuals to read, Alden would
always suggest that students write down how the sources
could be used in their culminating project once they had
finished, ensuring that advanced students were kept busy
while proficient students could complete tasks on their own
time.
ii) Include examples of assignments and rationale
-23/10/15 Students drafted, edited, and completed an essay
on the topic of genocide in Australia (the essay was inquiry
based so there was no specific question). Students had to
develop an inquiry question based on their analysis of the
conversation between academics and scholars, take a stance
on the topic, and use evidence to support their answer to their
question. The rationale for the skills component of the lesson
was that evaluating and rationalizing arguments on both sides
of an issue allows students to engage critically and be more
articulate, a lifelong skill for winning arguments.
-28-30/10/15 Students presented on a major cause of the
reformation they had researched using criteria they had
developed as a class for evaluating a good presentation that
was then compiled into a rubric. The rationale for this lesson
was in highlighting the competing historical paradigms of
structuralism and functionalism while simultaneously
delivering the content knowledge of why revolutions begin
and spread. These two historical concepts are essential to
understanding the identity of the modern world and also as
sociological concepts that equip students with the tools to
understand the themes of continuity and change.
-2-6/11/15 Students presented on a group of immigrants to
Australia prior to 1900 and how they lived, were treated, and
changed society. The rationale for this assignment was that it
allowed students to engage in historical empathy (a necessary
character building skill, especially in connection to the Refugee
Crisis facing the world and xenophobia in Australia as
demonstrated at the Cronulla riots and around the world, as
students connected treatment of immigrants to Mexicans in
the United States) while also delivering to them content
knowledge about how the identity of Australia and how
immigrants contributed to the economic, social, cultural, and
political development of the nation.
-18/11/15 Students handed in an essay on why the
Reformation spread in Germany. This essay was assigned with
the goal of improving student writing, use of sources, and
understandings about how revolutions begin (a useful tool for
28

any citizen of the world) and how they influence the modern
world (in terms of continuity and change as a major theme).
Student writing was improved through constant attention to
various tactics for developing argument and persuading a
reader using evidence. Evidence was provided and highlighted
throughout the term, but specifically some sections were given
to students to help them develop their essays.
iii) Examples of student homework provided
-Alden checked homework assignments by randomly calling on
students to give answers as the content was reviewed and
expanded upon. Alden also often pushed students to expand
on their answers or add to their answers given what other
students said. Examples of homework assignments checked in
this manner include: 15/10/15 Read “Luther as a Religious
Thinker” and answer questions. Also write one reason you
learned today that the reformation is important to learn about
16/10/15 Read and summarise “Indulgences” 21/10/15
Analyse Luther’s “Sermon on Indulgences” and apply skills we
learned in class (origin, purpose, context, reliability,
usefulness) 13/10/15 write ⅓of a page categorizing a selected
primary source from 18th century Australia in terms of what it
tells historians about geography, economics, politics, or
culture.
-18/11/15, 30/10/15 Alden checked homework assignments
through essays and short answers being submitted to
Canvas/Tnet
-4-5/11/15, 11-12/11/15, 23-24/11/15 Alden checked
homework through homework quizzes that were taken by
students on Canvas/Tnet
-Alden checked the homework for the entire class for the
following. If students did not complete it they had their diaries
stamped and had to have it initialed by their parents. 13/10/15
students were asked to categorize the primary source they
located online for homework in a previous lesson into Social,
Political, Economic, Religious, or Military. 16/10/15 Students
had to research an explorer of Australia and explain how they
interacted with the land and the geographical factors that
influenced their settlement and exploration. 10/11/15
Students were asked to use the mnemonic OMAC (Origin,
Motive, Audience, Content) to examine primary sources in
their textbook and write the answers in their workbooks.
19/10/15 Finish analysing primary sources from Ashton and
Anderson (class work). Read Boyce “Risdon Cove” and answer
questions. 22/10/15 Evaluate the purpose and usefulness of 5
different woodcuts provided.11/11/15 Students were asked to
complete a graphic organizer looking at woodcuts from the
Reformation and writing the origin, purpose, audience, and
content.
29

iv) How homework was evaluated
-Homework assignments that were checked in class were
evaluated on a pass/fail basis or through qualitative analysis of
responses
-Homework quizzes and longer term assignments were
evaluated using rubrics developed to target specific learning
goals that were created as a class.
-As a result of students handing in essays late, Alden made an
explicit late policy for students that they had to communicate
to him a viable excuse before the assignment was due or else
would lose a letter mark each day it was late. Alden followed
up on all late assignments and motivated students with marks,
but also faced obstacles in terms of technology, access to
resources (students did not always have functioning
computers or devices), and students being absent for personal
reasons or school related programs.
-Alden also faced a challenge early on where several of his
students plagiarised (30/10/15). Alden made it a policy to
speak individually with these students to understand their
behavior and seek to improve his own practice, and decided to
make an explicit and harsh plagiarism policy where students
received a 0 for a mark, would re-write the essay, and would
have to write an essay on how plagiarism contributed to the
moral decay of society.
b. Provides regular and frequent
feedback to students on their
progress.
i) Summarise what students have been expected to learn at
the end of the lesson or ask students to do so
-Alden began every lesson by referencing the “Macro” or
larger agenda of the term and explaining how the inquiry
questions addressed in prior lessons were necessary scaffolds
to answer questions from later in the term.
-Alden ended every lesson with a “Takeaway” where he would
summarise the lesson and what students should be able to do
as a result of the lesson. After students adapted to the routine,
they would look forward to “The Takeaway” and know to copy
it down, at which point Alden began asking students to predict
the takeaway before he showed it to them, fostering
metacognition.
ii) Regular feedback
-Alden gave brief feedback on quizzes, short answers, or in
addressing homework assignments as students read their
answers. He gave longer, more in depth feedback on longer
written responses or group presentations. On those
presentations, Alden would comment on the individual
student's ability to meet each of the criteria in the focus areas
(usually there were 2 or 3 focus areas with 2-4 criteria). He
would additionally write a note to each student on their
personal development and recommendations to help them
30

grow and praise their effort. Finally, Alden would not assign
numerical feedback, but would give students his qualitative
comments and have them mark themselves using the
comments to ensure they understood and progressed based
on the feedback.
-2/11/15 Alden returned his extended response question with
feedback and had students mark themselves
-13/11/15 Alden had students peer evaluate their essays on
the spread of the Reformation using the focus areas of topic
sentences and historical argument rather than narrative
-2/11/15 Alden handed back Tasmania essays to students with
feedback and had them mark themselves using the criteria he
developed
-25/11/15 Alden handed back the Spread of the Reformation
essays and had students mark themselves
-27/11/15 Alden handed back “Why Federation” projects with
marks after asking students to think about how they did, then
asked them to read the qualitative feedback and develop an
action plan for how they could improve in the future.
c. Provides many and varied
opportunities for students to
achieve competence.
i) Guide students to an adequate or useful conclusion
-26/10/15 Alden gave an extension on a homework
assignment and budgeted class time to allowing them to work
with teacher support in response to some students feeling
overwhelmed with the reading.
-18/11/15 Alden went over the answers to a homework quiz
that some students had struggled on, using the answers of
more advanced students as a scaffold.
-19/11/15 Alden gaven students an extension on completing a
homework quiz and provided feedback to those who
completed the quiz.
ii) Provide examples of how student work is evaluated and
how that evaluation is communicated to students
-23/10/15, 28/10/30, 6/11/15, 11/11/15 Before each major
culminating assignment, Alden would ask students to consider
what made a good essay, presentation, response, etc. and use
their prior knowledge and intuitions to develop a rubric and
standard for evaluating students.
expectations when evaluating student
learning.
a. Accurately measures student
achievement of, and progress
toward, the learning objectives
with a variety of formal and
i) Examples of tests
-While Alden did not take part in crafting assessments
developed for the whole school, he did have a say in
communicating the standard and expectations to students
about what the assessments would entail.
-18-19/11/15 Alden gave out an example assessment
developed using primary sources from a colleague in the
history department for his Ancient China students
31

informal assessments, and uses
results to plan further instruction.
-18/11/15 Alden gave out a sample practice assessment using
primary sources from the Reformation Reader he developed
with a colleague in the history department
ii) Examples of response papers
-30/10/15 After marking all the essays and giving individual
feedback, Alden developed the general things the class needed
to work on: creating a logical argument and defining key terms
in the question, using evidence to support or refute the
position of others, and scrutinizing evidence for its reliability.
He recommended that the class keep these ideas in mind for
their next paper, and used the results of the assessment to
plan a focus on analysing and using sources for the next part of
the term.
-19/11/15 Alden’s Reformation class handed in a formal
response paper via Tnet that had been developed with student
involvement to set high expectations and make the skills
explicit for students.
-24/11/15 Students handed in formal response papers about
the causes of Federation.
iii) Alternate forms of assessment (portfolios, projects)
provided
-9/11/15 Students were allowed to create a poster explaining
the working conditions in the 19th century and clearly
articulate a Marxist or a Capitalist paradigm.
-4-6/11/15, 10/11/15 Group Presentations and powerpoints
-14/10/15 students wrote “diary entries” to improve on their
historical empathy abilities. These diary entries targeted
historical empathy and student understanding of the centrality
of the Church to daily life in the 16th century.
-9/11/15 students wrote letters to family members in Britain
explaining the working conditions in Australia around the time
of industrialization.
-24/11/15 Students were allowed to create posters or
powerpoints instead of extended response papers (provided
they demonstrate analysis of primary sources) to address the
question of why Federation occurred.
b. Translates evaluations of student
work into records that accurately
convey the level of student
achievement to students, parents
or guardians, and school
personnel.
-Throughout the term, Alden compiled a list of recorded
grades and completed assignments that could be used to
monitor student engagement and progress in the class.
-18/11/15 sent back reports on student behavior, diligence,
and performance to parents
-18/11/15 Alden transferred the quantitative assessment
marks for student presentations in his “making a nation” and
Reformation classes, as well as the marks for the essay on
genocide in Tasmania, into an excel document which he sent
to parents and school personnel with interim reports.
32

Rating:

3
Explanation of Rating for Standard B – Delivers Effective Instruction:
Alden has delivered a range of teaching and learning strategies to instruct students
in an effective manner. Alden has demonstrated an excellent grasp of the content
which was clearly explained to the students, using technology to emphasise key
points. His engaging style and enthusiasm helped students to grasp his
explanations of concepts, historical skills and metacognitive strategies.
Furthermore, he has incorporated group and individual work; research and source
analysis skills. This differentiated approach has helped each student to engage in
his lessons. Alden has used a number of formative assessment tasks to monitor
student progress and he has adapted his teaching strategies as a result of student
performance. Alden used marking rubrics to provide students with formal
feedback on their work. This worked in combination with his verbal feedback and
question technique to help students improve and enjoy the subject.

34

Standard C – Manages Classroom Climate and Operation
Indicators Evidence
1. Creates and maintains a safe and
collaborative learning environment that
values diversity and motivates students
to meet high standards of conduct,
effort and performance.
i) Reducing environmental “affective filter”
-Alden worked to create a comfortable learning environment
for all students by democratizing the classroom (he used
cards with student’s names on them to randomly select
students to answer his questions after appropriate amounts
of wait time).
ii) Appropriate linguistic expectations
-Alden used classroom awareness and frequent informal
check ins (nod if you understand, raise your hand if you
agree, or randomly picking a student and asking them to
summarize what was just orally presented or define a term
on the powerpoint). For example, on 22/10/15 Alden had a
presentation on the “Macro Causes of the Protestant
Reformation” and called on students to recall word parts
about the reformation and “macro” versus micro to check
for understanding about the lesson goals.
-16, 22/10/15 Alden directed students in his Year 9
Reformation class to the glossary in their Reformation
Reader and explained how to look up and define terms, then
had students complete this task in order for them to be able
to access primary sources they were reading.
-10/9/15 Alden realized that his vocabulary was more
attuned to university classes when he got blank looks from
students as he said “manifested” or “exacerbated” or
“paradigm” and made a more conscious effort to use
synonyms or paraphrases to explain concepts. Furthermore,
Alden attempted to teach some of these terms to students,
and had a lesson on the concept of a “paradigm” in his Year
10 History class (20/10/15).
-15/10/15, 4/11/15 Alden explained the words
“Nationalism,” “iconoclast,” and “protestant reformation” by
breaking down the words into individual phonemes and
using word parts to activate prior knowledge and make
content comprehensible to students. These words were then
located in primary sources that students were reading aloud.
-15/10/15 Alden scaffolded students in accessing content
from primary sources about the reformation by providing
students with a glossary of terms and having them reference
it in class, as well as assigning definitions for the terms as
homework.
iii) Flexible grouping strategies (homogenous, heterogenous)
to promote inclusion
35

-12/10/15 Alden handed out individual cards from a deck to
all the students in his Year 9 Reformation class and Year 10
“Making a Nation” class and instructed them to write their
names on the cards. By selecting students randomly to
answer questions, Alden promoted inclusion. Furthermore,
as a classroom management strategy students had to be
attentive else face the consequences of social stigma or my
own authority.
-4-6/11/15 Alden randomly created groups using the list of
class names for his Reformation presentation assignment,
using a heterogenous grouping strategy to promote inclusion
-9-11/11/15 Alden moved students who were distracting
one another in his Reformation and Making a Nation classes
iv) Identifying when management issues stem from cultural
issues and address appropriately
-Alden began all of his classes by developing a set of
expectations for students that referenced their own goals
and the Trinity School handbook which explains clear
guidelines. For the most part, if students refused to become
a part of Trinity’s culture, they would not succeed in general
at the school
36

2. Creates a physical environment
appropriate to a range of learning
activities.
i) Physical environment appropriate to a range of learning
activities
-12/10/15 Alden created groups of desks in the classroom
rather than rows in order to foster collaboration and
communication between students, so that nobody could sit
lessons out.
-The physical environment of the classroom leant itself to
many different methods of teaching including reading and
writing, discussion, videos, and activities where students
moved around in groups (16/10/15).
ii) Positive atmosphere that encourages participation
-Alden aimed to create an environment where students
could offer their opinion even if they were unsure, and made
sure to recognize the validity of any questions in front of the
class.
-Alden used “cold calling” frequently, but also used
progressive minimal cues or warm calling (I will come back to
you for an answer) in order to encourage participation
among all students.
iii) Good rapport with students
-Walking through the hallways and corridors at Trinity, it was
not uncommon to see Alden giving students high fives or
handshakes. They noticed when he got a haircut and always
demonstrated an interest in the United States and his ability
to make connections. Students always laughed at the various
pronunciation differences between America and Australia,
and were eager to hear about life in Boston.
iv) Patient with students
-Alden occupied himself by trying to understand the student
perspective, and made adaptations such as furniture
re-arrangements to see the board, opening windows to let
light and fresh air in, and getting students to move around
the classroom when possible. Understanding why students
misbehave required patients, attention, and
experimentation, but Alden continuously modified his
practice upon reflection throughout the term.
-2/11/15 Alden met with students who had plagiarised, and
instead of beginning with a speech and reprimanding them,
he asked them what had caused them to take that course of
action, and pushed them to elaborate beyond “I don’t
know.”
-19/11/15 when a student refused to do a worksheet and
claimed that they were going to fail the assessment, Alden
pushed them to improve their attitude and explained the
concept of growth mindset to students.
37

3. Maintains appropriate standards of
behavior, mutual respect, and safety.
i) Communicating rules and procedures
-20/10/15 Alden checked homework for his Year 10 “Making
a Nation” class and noticed that a substantial number of
students did not do their homework and gave various
excuses. Alden explained that the agreement made with
students at the beginning of the year clearly commanded
student involvement and self regulation, and their failure to
do so should be disappointing to themselves more than to
him as a teacher. Alden also explained that he had given
them multiple warnings to listen for instruction despite their
talkativeness, and had even emailed them using Canvas what
the homework was. He stamped all of their record books so
their parents would see. Explaining these expectations
clearly in terms of the student’s own values commanded
high standards.
-23/10/15 While Alden made sure to re-iterate the
expectations when students began the lesson, during this
class on “Making a Nation” after recess students were
particularly talkative. Students stood until they were
instructed to seat, and during the time when they stood
silently Alden explained the class rules students had agreed
upon in order to maximize the learning potential of the class.
If students sat down and began talking, Alden would make
them stand up to make expectations clear from the
beginning for the lesson
-19/10/15, 9/11/15, 13/11/15 Alden held students into their
recess time to discuss general class expectations and their
behavior.
ii) Alert to student behavior at all times
-Alden demonstrated the use of his peripherals by always
identifying where private side conversations came from and
specifically calling on students who were disruptive by name.
Alden would ask these students what another student just
said or what he just said, and use the social capital from the
class when they condemned other students distracting
behavior.
-4/11/15 Alden noticed a student having a private
conversation and as he turned to the board to write, he
called on the student to stop talking while he continued to
write.
iii) Stopping inappropriate behavior promptly and
consistently
-3/9/15 Used Jones’ classroom management strategy of
moving in closer to students as a way of getting them on
track
-22/10/15 Alden noticed a student engaging in a private
conversation during a class discussion. Alden used Jones’
38

“move in” tactic, then when the student did not respond
Alden asked the student to summarize what his peer had
said in response to a question, and when he could not Alden
lowered his tone of voice and serious facial expression to
focus the student.
-20,23/10/15 Alden was struggling with general classroom
management of his year 10 class, and as a result he
researched scholarship by Jones on dealing with disruptions.
He employed two strategies that related to management of
the class. First, he used rewards such as showing a film clip
or having a class debate to motivate students. Second, he
attempted to use less activities that were more clearly
explained and detailed, thus reaching key “takeaways” with
more student involvement and less disruptions through
backwards planning.
iv) Treating students with respect and having respect
returned
-12/10/15 Alden created a social covenant with his students
to iterate rules and expectations. At the beginning of the
term Alden created a social covenant with his students to
garner the social capital to enforce consequences for
violating expectations. By treating students as serious
intellectuals that were responsible for their own behavior,
Alden set high expectations for them that were explicit and
could be referenced in later lessons. This gave him social
capital with enforcing punishments instead of only his
authority by making the classroom democratic. Alden also let
students participate in the “geography” of the classroom by
shaping it into groups rather than rows, and explained the
“economics” of classroom management in terms of the
“currency” of “marks” that tended to harm learning, and
how he would trust students to resist the urge to do the
minimal amount of work for the highest mark and rather to
try and expand their own learning. This lesson served a small
purpose in teaching the various historical categories for
analyzing events while simultaneously setting a groundwork
for understanding the classroom and expectations.
4. Manages classroom routines and
procedures without loss of significant
instructional time.
i) Using appropriate time periods to check for homework,
body of lesson, etc.
-Alden had students open and log into their chromebooks
before putting them aside to discuss the day’s activities or to
write, allowing time for the chromebooks to load before
they were needed.
-Alden always planned a “do now” or a “warm up” for
students to begin working on silently while he marked the
roll, which got them settled and focused, and also served to
introduce the lesson so students were engaged.
39

-Alden developed a classroom routine that involved a
powerpoint presentation for the early part and guided note
taking with socratic dialogue that developed into group or
individual work and ended with a class discussion and a
“takeaway.” As students adapted to this routine time
periods and the transition between activities improved.
ii) Are materials ready for distribution and is the candidate
organized in transitioning between activities
-Alden had all materials either uploaded and ready for
students to view with the location available on a powerpoint
slide or the page numbers ready for the readers he made.
-Alden always alphabetized quizzes and assignments so the
roll could be marked at the same time as assignments were
handed back.
40

Rating:

3
Explanation of Rating for Standard C - Manages Classroom Climate and
Operation:
Alden has developed positive relationships with his students, through his firm, fair
and kind approach. This has been the basis of his effective classroom management.
Alden has created a safe learning environment that has fostered collaboration
amongst the students. His regular encouragement, and rebuke of students where
appropriate, ensured that students felt emotionally safe as well as physically safe
to learn. He valued each student's opinion and ensured that all member of the
class had the opportunity to contribute.
He explicitly informed students as to the physical arrangement of the room as
supporting the teaching and learning. He created effective classroom routines that
helped the flow of the lesson.
He maintained an appropriate standard of behaviour, mutual respect and safety
and punished students where this was required. He patiently dealt with student
misbehaviour and ensured that each lesson was an opportunity for students to do
the right thing.
Alden has developed a great rapport with his students based on mutual respect.


41

Standard D – Promotes Equity
Indicators Evidence
1. Encourages all students to believe that
effort is a key to achievement.
i) Paying as much attention to advanced students as those
below grade level
-Alden encouraged reluctant students to make an effort in
class by personally speaking with them, or by giving them
commendations for answering questions.
-Alden’s system of randomly calling on students was the
most equitable way to encourage participation possible.
-Alden consciously tried to give words of encouragement
and commendations to habitually reluctant or nervous
students when they made an answer, and he specifically
commended the participation of students that were very
willing to participate but would look to students who had
participated less.
-Alden would circulate the classroom equally, focusing on
getting the attention and helping all students. For example,
on 13/11/15 Alden was observed by the Professional
Development coordinator as circulating effectively.
ii) Emphasizing growth mindset
-30/11/15, 25/11/15 When students got assignments back,
Alden made three explicit references to effort and growth
mindset. First, that the criteria was developed by students
and their own standards, and that the only thing between
them and their goal was their effort. Second, that students
should either create their own quantitative feedback or read
the qualitative feedback to understand how to best improve.
Finally, to develop a specific action plan beyond just “study
more” that allows them to achieve their goal.
2. Works to promote achievement by all
students without exception.
i) Provides opportunities for extra help outside of class
-23/10/15 Alden met with a students before the school day
to develop their essay ideas, and also made himself available
via email for students who were looking for help.
-Alden would circulate during group projects or individual
assignments to scaffold students who looked like they had
the least work done, and would also ask students how they
were going when they looked frustrated or distracted.
ii) Provides more challenging work on systematic or
accelerated basis for advanced students
-22-23/10/15 During group projects Alden would circulate
and offer advice to the group as a whole (who is going to do
what job and in what order) or guide students who were
42

distracted or frustrated so that every student had a hand in
completing the project.
-If students finished in class writing assignments or activities
before other students there was always an extension ready
for them to continue working on, or they were allowed to
begin their homework.
-24/10/15 Alden’s assignments always featured the
opportunity to use extra resources from his bibliography of
primary and secondary sources
-Whenever Alden assigned students to do work, he would
give an extra assignment to keep fast paced students busy.
For example, when students were writing about various
wars in the 19th century military development of Australia,
students who were not writing summaries had to make
connections to their group (10,13/11/15. When students
were observing the presentation of other students on the
Reformation and on Non-European immigrants to Australia
before 1900 they had to make connections between the
content presented and their own group (4-6/11/15,
10/11/15). When students were doing individual worksheets
analysing primary sources, the students that finished first
had to explain how they would use the sources in the
development of their essay (18/11/15)
3. Assesses the significance of student
differences in home experiences,
background knowledge, learning skills,
learning pace, and proficiency in the
English language for learning the
curriculum at hand and uses
professional judgment to determine if
instructional adjustments are
necessary.
i) what did the candidate do for students who needed more
foundational skills, or for students with more advanced skills
-23/10/15 Alden sat with a group of students who were
struggling to understand how to go about developing an
inquiry question in the essay, and Alden provided them
individual structure and guidance in structuring their essay
until they were progressing comfortably.
-23/10/15 Alden provided extra resources on Canvas for
students that were demonstrating more advanced skills and
had finished their drafts of essays earlier. Furthermore,
Alden had criteria sheets ready for students to edit a
partner’s essay, then allowed them to either revise their
drafts or get another student to take a look.
4. Helps all students to understand
American civic culture, its underlying
ideals, founding political principles and
political institutions, and to see
themselves as members of a local,
state, national, and international civic
community.
i) Explains adjustments made to explain American civic
culture, underlying ideals, founding political principles and
institutions, and seeing themselves as members of a local,
state, national, and international civic community.
-Alden taught lessons on the American Civil War (2/9/15)
and Civil Rights Movement (8-16/9/15) , explaining the
underlying ideals and principles of American Civil Culture
-Alden made comparisons throughout the entirety of his
“Making a Nation” unit to British imperialism and the history
of independence, federalism, and the civic relationships
43

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