A Targeted Teaching Sequence Informed by ZPD and Assessment Evidence

Planning for targeted teaching

Please note that the work completed using this template will be copied into your presentation. This document will not be assessed as a standalone document. Instead, you will screenshot the completed planning templates and include in your presentation. If your tutor needs to read the detail, they can pause and review the information on the screen.

This task is a 10-minute ORAL PRESENTATION where you 1) plan using your assessment evidence from AT1 and AT2 and 2) justify the planning drawing on research. This is your pedagogical reasoning. This task can be considered a preparatory exercise for your capstone project, the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment.

Tips When Planning Your Sequence

Use the learning goals to frame each learning intention

Consider how you will know if student learning is ‘on track’? What formative assessment strategies will you use?

Consider the group organisation and include this in the template. For example, Group 3 may be working in pairs, Group 2 may be working collaboratively, Group 1 may be ‘explicit instruction’ and working with the teacher.

Be explicit about the instructional strategy you are using. Write this as if you must get your mentor teacher’s approval before teaching the sequence, or you are using it as part of your annual performance review with your principal or manager.

1. Justification of planning. You must justify your selection of strategies (i.e., use literature to support the inclusion of approaches with the intended students). To do this, you will discuss the evidence-base for the interventions used in your teaching, including the credibility of the evidence-base.

This will be a 10-minute oral presentation where you present your evidence that supports your strategies. The rationale for an oral presentation is based on our experience that preservice teachers find it easier to ‘think through’ through their pedagogical reasoning when talking about it with others.

A PowerPoint template is available on the LMS. You can use this as a base for your presentation. It is designed to focus on talking about your reasoning rather than a lot of writing. Time and support will be provided throughout the workshops to develop this presentation. You will record your presentation and share the link to your recording below.

Share the link to your recording here:

Purpose 

This assessment requires you to bring the understanding of this subject together, culminating in a targeted teaching and learning sequence designed to meet the needs of all learners in the class in an oral presentation where you present your pedagogical reasoning.

Task details

In Assessment 2, you used your analysis of the Guttman chart, along with moderation, to form ZPD groupings and identify learning goals for each of these groups. 

Now that you have established targeted learning goals for your class, you are ready to begin your planning. You will draw on your understanding of differentiation, UDL, backward planning and assessment to determine a sequence of 3 lessons that are targeted to the needs of your learners based on your selected construct. You will demonstrate your awareness of monitoring and reflection to ensure your teaching is impactful. You will present your planning and pedagogical reasoning in a 10-minute recorded oral presentation. A PowerPoint template for the oral presentation is provided.

Instructions

Assessment 3 asks you to plan a sequence of 3 lessons based on the learning goals set out in Assessment 2. In planning your sequence, you need to consider: 

• What are the learners ready to learn? 
• What are the possible evidence-based teaching strategies that are appropriate for the learners (this may be different for each group)? 
• What is the preferred teaching strategy for each lesson/group and how will it be resourced and implemented? 
• What is the expected impact of learning and how will this be evaluated? 

Part 1: Planning (1000 words): Use the 'Understanding by Design' table in the AT3 template to plan and record your sequence for each group identified in Assessment 2. Your sequence should demonstrate: 

• a range of suitably challenging and engaging teaching and learning strategies that connect to and build on from students’ prior learning
• differentiated teaching and learning opportunities
• formative assessment strategies that will allow you to make modifications as required. 

N.B. You will include screenshpts of this document in your PowerPoint presentation. It will not be marked as a separate document.

Part 2: Pedagogical reasoning presentation (10 mins): You must justify your selection strategies (i.e., use literature to support the inclusion of approaches with the intended students). To do this, you will discuss the evidence base for the interventions used in your teaching, including the credibility of the evidence base. Use the presentation template provided to ensure you address all required aspects of the task.

Watch the video below for more information about this task.

Use APA 7 referencing style:

• Acknowledges references used.
• Shows awareness of APA 7 referencing style.
• Adheres to in-text and post-text APA 7 referencing style.

Use of Gen AI

You are permitted to use Gen AI for the following aspects of this task:

• generating ideas for differentiated lessons/activities. You may like to try Diffit (there is a free version), ClickUp or any other lesson planning AI tool. You will need to make sure you review and adjust what is offered and can still justify the evidence base of the strategies you include.
• assisting you to develop formative assessment opportunities/activities.

You must include a statement that clearly states where and how you used Gen AI in this task. For example: Chat GPT was used to help formulate the construct definition, as well as identifying the indicators for the rubric.

N.B. Failure to acknowledge the use of Gen AI may lead to a report of academic misconduct. 

A note on the word count

The word count for each section is a guide only. This will depend on the range of strategies used and the level of detail in your lesson plan. For Part 1, make sure that your planning provides sufficient detail for an experienced teacher to be able to take the lesson in your absence. For Part 2, ensure that you provide sufficient justification, supported by literature, for each strategy/approach you use. You should aim for 10 mins, however, if your presentation extends to 12 mins, that is okay. Presentations that are longer than 15 minutes will be viewed to the 15 minute mark and no longer. 

Assessment criteria

1. Design sequence of lessons.

1. 1. Targets the construct:

1. 1. 1. Identifies a learning goal based on the curriculum.
      2. Modifies goals to match student learning needs.
      3. Describes the underlying skills and understandings to be learnt.
   2. Draws on universal design for learning principles (learner engagement):

• . Lists aspects of learner diversity.

1. 1. 1. Connects aspects of learner diversity to selected strategies.
      2. Justifies the incorporation of UDL principles.

1. Plans for differentiation:
   • . Identifies groups of learners.

1. 1. 1. Modifies planning for groups.
      2. Justifies differentiation practices to planning sequence (e.g., content, process, product, learning environment).

1. Plans for formative assessment:
   • . Identifies opportunities for formative assessment throughout the sequence.

1. 1. 1. Describes the formative assessment strategies.
      2. Aligns the formative assessment strategy with the learning goals to provide insight for teaching modifications.

1. Plans for evaluation of teaching:
   • . States the assessment evidence to be used at the end of the sequence.

1. 1. 1. Connects the assessment evidence to the intended learning goals.
      2. Designs differentiated assessments for the demonstration of a range of learning goals.
2. Identifies evidence-based strategies for use in teaching.

• . Describes evidence-based strategies:
  • . States the evidence-based strategies with reference to the source.

1. 1. 1. Explains the features of the evidence-based strategies using literature.
      2. Describes the alignment between the features of the strategies and the planned implementation of the strategies.

1. Discusses the credibility of the evidence base:
   • . Identifies the evidence base for interventions.

1. 1. 1. Explains the strength of the evidence base.
      2. Discusses the impact of the limitations of the evidence base on implementation.

1. Explains the suitability of the evidence-based strategies to cater for the range of ZPD group:
   • . Describes the suitability of the strategies.

1. 1. 1. Explains how features of the strategies cater for the ZPD group.
      2. Justifies how the intervention is suited for the diversity of students.

Submission details

Collate the following items in the AT3 template or add to the complete template if you have been using this. Submit the template as a PDF under Assessment 3: Submission:

• UbD planning sequence (included in your presentation - 1,000 words) 
• pedagogical reasoning presentation - link to recording (10 minutes)
• reference list (APA 7) (include in presentation slide deck)

Brief summary of assessment requirements 

This assessment requires a recorded 10-minute oral presentation that demonstrates targeted planning and pedagogical reasoning using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. You must:

• Produce a UbD unit plan (Stage 1: Desired results; Stage 2: Evidence; Stage 3: Learning plan) that records a 3-lesson sequence targeted to students’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) groups established in prior assessments.

• Show differentiated teaching and learning strategies, informed by Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, that address learner diversity.

• Include formative assessment opportunities throughout the sequence and explain how these will indicate whether learning is “on track.”

• Justify each chosen strategy with evidence from the literature (pedagogical reasoning), discussing the credibility and limits of that evidence.

• Submit: the UbD planning sequence (screenshots included in the PowerPoint), a link to the 10-minute recorded presentation, and an APA 7 reference list.

• Acknowledge any use of Gen AI in developing the plan or formative tasks.

Key elements to cover in the presentation: curriculum-based learning goal, modified goals for groups, specific lesson intentions, group organisation, instructional strategies and resources, formative checks (what, when, how), end-of-sequence assessment evidence, and literature justification for each intervention.

How the academic mentor guided the student 

1. Clarify the construct and learning goal (Stage 1)

   • Mentor reviewed the curriculum and the construct identified in AT1/AT2 and worked with the student to draft a single, measurable learning goal tied to the syllabus.

   • Mentor modelled how to write a transfer statement (“Students will be able to independently use their learning to…”) and formulated the essential question and key understandings.

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