Lesson 4

Lesson 4: Syllabus Challenges
What have they done well? Be specific.
Case Study Learner A

Learner A did show attempts to be collaborative with their team members. They did give
input to their team, whether it was accepted or not. They enjoyed learning from their team
and gaining new knowledge. They also were reflective in that they did contemplate about
the feedback given by their team members. They also conducted some research about the
topic which led to self-reflection about the issue regarding plastic cups.
Case Study Learner B

Learner B (Mary) did attempt to work with their peer to compare and collaborate with their
ideas. Mary also did conduct research before class about the rules that she follows so she
was well-prepared for the lesson. Overall, she was very confident and passionate about the
assignment.
What could they do better? Be specific.
Case Study Learner A

Learner A could have been more collaborative with her team. She stated in her reflection
piece that she was argumentative with most of her team members, which shows that she
might have been the aggressor and did not make enough of an effort to cooperate with her
team in an efficient manner. There didn’t seem to be a mutual respect, as she seemed to be
difficult to work with. I wish she would’ve been more reflective and thought about her
actions and contributions towards the group. Something else that they could do better is the
research and analysis aspect. I wish they researched more and gained more of an insight on
the issue of stopping the use of or decreasing the use of plastic cups. I wish more specific
examples were given and that they related this back to how it directly impacts their
environment and surroundings. I would’ve also hoped for them to target and reach their
own age group in primary and come up with more effective ways of getting the information
across to them.
Case Study Learner B

Learner B could have been more collaborative with her partner. Mary was very overbearing
and interrupted her peers and teacher. She did not give the learner the opportunity to share
their rules and feedback. She also then proceeded to interrupt the teacher and class when it
was a whole group discussion. She needs to improve her communication skills and
understand that part of communication is being able to listen and understand where the
other person is coming from, and to then respond to their comments. I would like for Mary
to be more reflective on how she is perceived and to have a mutual respect for her peers
and teachers.
What can you do differently to help learners understand how they can improve?
I would help learners to understand how they could improve by always focussing on the
learning objective and success criteria first. I would ensure that students are aware of
exactly what we are trying to achieve so that they can return back to this at any point of the
challenge. I would also encourage collaboration through more team projects and team
building activities. I believe that they would have to practice working with other in order to
improve their communication skills and build better relationships with their peers. I would
incorporate different roles in the classroom like class jobs or other roles for students to
practice working together and understanding that each team member has different roles. I
would also encourage self-reflection and peer-reflection as much as possible. This can be
verbally or written and be done at different points. I would also be sure to give my learners
positive feedback throughout the process. If they are working in groups, I would be sure to
walk around and give feedback when I can and guide them.
How can the way you approach formative assessment support learner progress?
For formative assessments, I would ensure that I look at the objective of the lesson and the
focus, whether its collaboration, research, analysis, etc. I would ensure that the assessment
focusses on this. I would also ensure that I am encouraging active learning in my learners
and that they are coming up with their own questions and are involved in their own
understanding and learning. As mentioned above I would also ensure that I am providing
feedback throughout the process and guiding them with my questions when necessary. For
the challenges, I enjoy assigning research projects that involve the student looking up and
learning about a topic on their own and then presenting this information to the class. It then
allows the teacher and their peers to ask questions and learn from them. Generally, I would
approach the formative assessment as a learning opportunity for all learners and a time for
reflection.
What feedback would you provide to the learners to help them improve?
I would provide both oral feedback and written feedback to my learners. I would ensure that
my feedback is positive and encourages them to make changes to their work or approach to
future challenges. I would smile, be gentle and mindful of how the feedback is given and ask
the right questions to ensure that they reflect on my comments. I would ensure that it has a
constructive impact on their skill development.
What type of questions could you ask to improve the formative feedback you give?
I would ensure that my feedback focusses on the skills (part of the objective) and also on
how to develop these skills in regards to their strengths and weaknesses. I would ask
questions that encourage reflection. For example, what did you do well so far? How does
this relate to the objective? Is there anything you would change or do differently? What is
your next step? Etc.
Is it important for learners to respond verbally to formative feedback – is this a two-way

or one-way conversation?
I think it is important for learners to respond to feedback. They can do this verbally, which
would be recommended as the most effective feedback occurs when the work is discussed
together face-to-face. If a student shows some avoidance, they can respond in writing and
we can discuss it after. It is best when it is a two-way conversation as this will allow the
student to express their feelings, whether they agree or disagree, and their next steps. It
also allows for the teacher to better assess their understanding and take-away from the
challenge.
How would you provide this feedback? Verbally, written or both?
As mentioned, I would give the feedback both verbally and written. Through our behaviour
and how the feedback is given is also feedback in itself. Being gentle, smiling, and showing
interest also shows the learners that you are interested and how you feel. I would be sure to
give oral/verbal feedback throughout the process. I would give written feedback at the end
when they write their reflection or complete a project.
Could you improve the success criteria to help learners know how they might improve?
I believe that the success criteria should be summative of the whole challenge or topic. I
would ensure that the success criteria sum up exactly what the objective is and what I am
looking for. The best way to form the success criteria is if the learners do it themselves by
looking at what the challenge or skill is and then arriving at what the goal is. This way when
they become involved in forming the success criteria, they are more likely to keep it in mind
and strive to achieve it.
Are there any other factors you would consider that might inform the formative feedback
that you give?
I would be sure that I know my learners well enough to know the best way to give them
feedback. Each learner is different and they may prefer verbal or written depending on their
personality. I would ensure I was sensitive to this and also was fully informed of their
weaknesses and strengths. I would lead with their strengths and suggest the next steps.
Explain how this feedback would support their progress.

This feedback would support their progress because it is given in hopes that they will be
able to identify the next steps needed to be taken and how they can improve for the next
challenge or topic. The feedback would also focus on a particular skill and they could use
this advice to improve on that skill. I would also allow time for them to do some self-
reflection about the feedback and give me their thoughts and ideas on how to move
forward and grow.
If these were your learners, what classroom activities would you have to put in place to
ensure your feedback is effective?
I would use the following activities and strategies:
Think-Pair-Share – this is a great way for students to first share with a friend or peer and to
then open up and share their ideas with the class.
2 stars and a wish – this is a great strategy that can be used for peer-reflection and self
-reflection. They can name 2 stars – 2 things that were done well and also 1 wish –
something they wish they could improve or could’ve been done differently for next time.
Prompt Cubes – I’ve used this for reflection with peers. It is a cube you can roll with
different reflection questions. Each person will roll the cube and answer the question it
lands on.
Self-reflection check-ins – these can be done at any time for learners to check in with
themselves and go back to the success criteria in relation to the skills they are trying to
achieve.
Team building/trust building actities – this would ensure that the students were
comfortable with their peers and teachers.

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Lesson 4: Syllabus Challenges

What have they done well? Be specific.

Case Study Learner A

Case Study Learner B

What could they do better? Be specific.

Case Study Learner A

Case Study Learner B

Is it important for learners to respond verbally to formative feedback – is this a two-way

Explain how this feedback would support their progress.

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