Developing units of work

A process for developing the unit

The outline below suggests a process that might be employed by teachers to design effective units of work.

Identify the focus of the unit reflecting:

• the school plan
• the class plan for the year.

Identify the specific outcomes to be addressed by the unit. All units of work should include:

• process outcomes
• content strand outcomes
• values and attitude outcomes.

Analyse the outcomes in relation to underpinning ideas or concepts. Additional outcomes may be added as the unit is further developed and implemented. Refer to the big ideas (PDF 126 KB) (Word document 39 KB).

Assess students' prior learning and canvass points of interest or curiosity. Students’ prior achievements in the learning processes need to be assessed as well as their content knowledge.

NB: In all units of work, students will develop process skills relating to investigating, designing and making, and using technology. Since process outcomes will be revisited regularly, their development can be addressed in a structured manner.

On the other hand, specific scientific and technological concepts will be addressed less regularly, i.e., re-visited at different times from Early Stage 1 to Stage 3, according to a school plan for learning progression. Under these circumstances it is important to take more formal steps in assessing students’ prior learning.

Identify general ideas or themes that will engage the full range of students. Consider:

• areas of interest or curiosity
• issues that may impact on the learning of boys and girls
• the social and cultural diversity of the class group
• the range of students' prior learning
• the use of an STS—science, technology, society—model of learning*

Identify resources that may be used in the implementation of the unit of work.

Generate ideas for tasks that will clearly address outcomes that are the focus of the unit of work or key parts of target outcomes.

The stated task must be sufficiently open-ended to encourage creativity, yet specific enough to direct learning toward the targeted learning outcomes.

All tasks must address both process outcomes and content outcomes. The task will provide a pathway between students' interests and targeted outcomes.

Use tasks to develop a logical sequence of activities
The sequence of activities must relate to elements in the processes of investigating, designing and making, and using technology.

For example:

Devise learning experiences that suit particular tasks and activities.
Teaching strategies are used to stimulate and encourage students’ engagement with tasks and activities, i.e., to create learning experiences.

Identify specific resources required to support learning experiences.

Devise an assessment program for the unit
In any assessment program, a range of strategies will be used to assess students’ progress toward achievement of the targeted learning outcomes. Assessment methods must be well-matched to the task being assessed and should include self-assessment and peer assessment.

Assessment programs should make allowance for the recognition of learning that occurs incidentally during the unit of work.

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