McKAY, Denise

Student number: 222105489

EPR721 Assessment Task 2

Tutorial: Rebecca Claire

 Contents

INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
What is noticing?

Noticing method
Ethical considerations
OBSERVATION
THEME 1 – Collaboration

- Learning from other students

- Learning from the teacher
- Reflection – what now for the learner?
THEME 2 – Growth mindset

- Learning from mistakes

- Questioning
- What now for the learner?
SELF REFLECTION
Ongoing professional development

CONCLUDING REMARKS
APPENDICES
Appendix A
Appendix B
INTRODUCTION
In this paper, I will cover the concept of ‘noticing’ students and the importance of this in
professional teaching practice. I will discuss a particular noticing exercise I have undertaken of a
student, including the documenting process I used. I will discuss ethics and regulatory concerns
of noticing. I will cover two themes that I found relevant to this student, how the student
interacted with those themes and what further learning opportunities there might be for this
student. Finally, I will discuss professional development relevant to this noticing exercise and
summarise with concluding remarks.

OVERVIEW

What is noticing?

Noticing students is described as looking beyond what is seen on the surface to what else is
influencing the situation and how these elements affect learners (Dixon et al. 2004). It is an
important skill for teachers as it influences decision-making and therefore student outcomes.
Dewey (cited in Erickson 2010) theorised that students have two different types of attention
behaviour – outer behaviours and inner attention. Observation of outer behviours can lead to
misreading student behaviour and misunderstandings (Dewey cited in Erickson 2010).

A model of noticing by Moss et al. (cited in Dixon et al. 2004) suggests that teacher beliefs,
identity, and decision / action (pedagogy) are influenced by noticing, which in practice looks like
an active awareness of what is occurring, reflection in the moment or later and the response
you provide. Schon and Mason (cited in Dixon et al. 2004) recommend detailed records of
noticing but suggest avoiding rigidity as this can interfere with the lightness of noticing.

Noticing method

I noticed a learner from an illustration of practice from the Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership (AITSL) (2016) website of a mathematics extension class for high ability
students, see Appendix A. I will refer to the student I am analysing as Student 1. Student 1 is a
male student in a grade 5/6 mathematics extension class for high-ability learners. He is closest
to the teacher at the start of the video, the second to answer a question. I chose this video
because I am interested in discovering more about the wellbeing of high ability learners. Whilst
there is focus on them having access to opportunities to succeed, I am curious about how other
aspects of their education can be managed. I chose this learner as I am interested in what
outwardly looks like disengagement, but I realised there was more to it and wanted to explore
this. To document the noticing, I used Critical Reflection Proforma Sample A as provided in the
unit content. Please see Appendix B.

I watched the whole video once, stopping to mark the points when Student 1 came into and out
of view. The second time I watched the video, I stopped after each section Student 1 appeared
in to type into the reflection proforma what I noticed. The third time I watched the video
without sound. The fourth time, I played the first section that Student 1 appears in with sound
only, not watching, then stopped the video as this is the only section when Student 1 speaks.

Ethical considerations

I used an existing source, so I didn’t need to obtain consent from the learner myself. In Victoria,
if recording is specifically for research, a Research in Schools and Early Childhood Settings
application must firstly be approved by the Department of Education and Training (DET 2021).
Recordings of people are personal information, so consent needs to be obtained prior to
recording so that the person understands what it will be used for (DET 2021). The creator of the
video, AITSL, was required to obtain consent from the parent or carer prior to recording (DET
2021). When considering whether to research humans, risks to the individual need to be
considered alongside the benefits. For this assignment, risks of harm to the learner have been
minimised, with the foreseeable risk being one only of discomfort or inconvenience, hence the
activity is categorised as low to negligible risk (National Health and Medical Research Council
2018).

OBSERVATION
THEME 1 - Collaborative learning

This class is set up for collaborative learning, with students in groups of 4. Collaborative
pedagogy is based around Vygosky’s theory of social constructivism; he believed that
intellectual and social perspectives are not separate, that they are closely intertwined, and that
learning is therefore collaborative by nature (Darling-Hammond et al. 2001). The DET (2019)
recognises collaborative learning as a high impact teaching strategy (HITS) and suggests
examples. The classroom in the illustration of practice is using one such example, group
problem solving, where the teacher presents students with a problem to work with, gives
guidance and structure to assist with solving the problem, and the group reaches an outcome
(Center for Teaching Innovation 2022).

- Learning from other students

The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (Council of Australian Governments

Education Council 2019) Goal 2 refers to ‘successful lifelong learners who are able to plan
activities independently, collaborate, work in teams and communicate ideas.’ Collaborative
learning requires students to develop skills in teamwork, with individual learning contributing
to the success of the group (Berkely Graduate Division 2015). Small groups of four to five
students facing each other are ideal (Johnson and Johnson cited in Churchill et al. 2022).

In the illustration of practice at timestamp 2:40, Student 1 is talking with a member of his
group, however, he does seem to be working quite individually with the dominoes. This might
indicate that Student 1 is collaborating verbally, but that he is thinking and learning
independently through being the only one working with a domino.

At timestamp 5:17, the other students in Student 1’s group initiate a high five around the
table. Student 1 sees this and looks down, as though he doesn’t want to take initiative to
celebrate success as a group. When another student holds up a hand for a high five right in
front of him, Student 1 high fives him then looks down at the table again. I am curious
whether Student 1 is familiar socially with these peers, as he seems uncomfortable and
lacking confidence with them, compared to other student interactions within his group and
in the classroom.

Student 1 reacts to students outside his group. When the teacher speaks to the whole class,
Student 1 looks to the students beyond his group rather than the teacher or his own group.
At timestamp 4:49 he raises an eyebrow and fixes his gaze toward a student who answered
a question, seemingly interested in their answer, as if he learned something from it. Student
1 looks to be learning from other students in his class.

- Learning from the teacher

Within the framework of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model, Student 1 is interacting
with the structure of this lesson with Practice Principle 5 – ‘Deep learning challenges students
to construct and apply new knowledge’; and delivered through the pedagogical model ‘Explain’
(DET 2020). Through this structure, content is taught explicitly and makes links between new
learning and existing knowledge (DET 2020). This ‘scaffolding’ approach stems from Vygotsky’s
concept of the ‘zone of proximal development’ which proposes that students learn most
effectively when the subject is just beyond their current knowledge, where bridging the gap to
what they are about to learn requires explicit assistance from a teacher or peer (Shunk cited in
Darling-Hammond et al. 2001).

Student 1 answers a question at timestamp 1:00 and engages with the teacher, and then his
interest is with the rest of the class beyond his group. From timestamp 1:13, he seems to be
listening to the teacher but does not look directly at her for more than a second as many other
students do. As other students answer questions, Student 1 looks towards the teacher, as if he
is interested in whether the answer was correct, indicating he may be learning from those
answers.

From timestamp 4:35, Student 1 seems to become restless, moving around a lot and rocking in
his chair. When the teacher asks questions, Student 1 doesn’t look interested in what she is
asking, but when other students answer, he stops fidgeting and seems genuinely interested in
their answers. This might indicate that even though Student 1 looks to have disengaged from
the teacher, he does seem to be taking in what is being taught through his interest in the
answers from the other students.

- Reflection - what now for the learner?

It is often expected that students know implicitly how to work as a group, however Marzano
and Hattie (cited in Churchill et al. 2022) suggest that students be taught explicitly how to work
together in groups. Churchill et al. (2022) explains how students can be in a group seated
together, however they may not be ‘working as’ a group. Student 1 seems to be engaged when
the wider classroom is addressed but looks to have some detachment from his group. Student 1
might benefit from explicit learning regarding group work.

Role-giving is common in group work situations, with some roles being more highly valued than
others, leading to feelings of unequal status; therefore, getting to know all students and
discussing the strengths of each student prior to group work could help Student 1 feel like he
holds an important position, something he is valued for (Doubet 2022). Providing time before
group work to set goals as well as reflecting on what has been achieved could help Student 1
feel like there was meaning to the work he has achieved with his group (Doubet 2022).

THEME 2 – Growth mindset

Dweck (2015) proposes that students can have a with growth mindset, where they believe that
hard work will develop their intelligence, or a fixed mindset, where they believe that they have
a certain amount of finite ability; however, these are fluid and can change depending on the
situation. The fixed mindset can become truth for a learner, where they ‘give up’ when they
don’t achieve, thus reinforcing their belief that they can’t learn well (Wilson & Conyers 2020).
Whilst high-ability learners can ‘look smart’ from their grades, they may still develop a fixed
mindset, where academic tasks are achieved easily but they seek praise rather than further
development (Ricci 2018). A supportive environment helps students develop a growth mindset,
with students responding to how they perceive the teacher’s mindset beliefs (Kroeper et al.
2021).
 - Learning from mistakes

Teachers can demonstrate behaviours that infer growth mindset to students, such as messaging
about success (hard work and perseverance as opposed to natural talent), numerous
opportunities for practice, responding to students needing help with the exercise and valuing
learning and development rather than a perfect result (Kroeper et al. 2022). If risk-taking is
encouraged, where students give it a go rather than trying to work out the ‘right way’ before
proceeding, then they will understand that making mistakes and reflecting on failed attempts
lead them closer to success (Ricci 2018).

At timestamp 2:40, Student 1 is seen working in his group trying to find the right position for
the domino. He holds the domino over the worksheet but doesn’t put it down, he seems to be
trying to work out the correct position before committing to it. I wonder whether he is
reluctant to give it a go until he knows that it will be in the correct position.

- Questioning

Questioning is one of the HITS from the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (DET 2020) and
the Critical and Creative Thinking general capability of the Australian Curriculum (n.d.) requires
questioning skills for relevant engagement.

Effective questions are important for a growth mindset, as open questions provide an
opportunity for students to present their ideas (Rudolf 2015), whereas closed questions can
lead to students not attempting to answer for risk of failure (Ricci 2018). Bloom’s Taxonomy
provides a framework for questions, which has been translated to a tool kit by the Chicago
Centre for Teaching and Learning (Cline 2022). ‘Knowledge’ questions require students to recall
information (Cline 2022) and are therefore closed questions as they have one correct answer.
‘Comprehensive’ questions are more open as they require students to give examples (Cline
2022), however there is still the risk of incorrect answers. Furthermore, teachers' response to
questions is important because whilst affirmation is useful, over-use of praise can stop students
taking risks with their answers, as this encourages students to only get the ‘right’ answer rather
(Godinho & Shrimpton cited in Churchill et al. 2022), rather than being encouraged to take risks
for a growth mindset (Ricci 2018).

In the illustration of practice at timestamp 0:57, the teacher asks students to give examples,
thus using comprehensive questioning (Cline 2022). Student 1’s eagerness to answer a question
is apparent, he gives a correct example, and the teacher praises him by saying ‘great one’.
Student 1 responds with a small smile, seemingly joyful that he had been praised. It is apparent
that Student 1 had an emotional reaction to the praise. I am curious if he would be willing to
take risks in answering closed questions if he wasn't entirely sure of the answer, as the opposite
emotional response might occur.

- Reflection - what now for the learner?

To demonstrate for Student 1 the advantage of having a go and advantages of making mistakes,
he might benefit from a program explicitly taught with metacognitive thinking around the
process of learning, ‘growing your brain’ and increasing intellectual abilities (Dweck 2015).
Incorporating growth mindset activities into lessons could help, such as writing about how his
abilities have grown after a struggle and how his future goals can be accomplished with a
growth mindset (Stohlmann 2022).

A meta position could be taken, with Student 1 discussing or writing what he would share with
a student with a fixed mindset (Stohlmann 2022). An emphasis could be made on valuing effort
and mistakes and demonstrating how failure provides important feedback for improvement
(Stohlmann 2022). Rather than teacher feedback being provided simply by grades and focusing
solely on outcomes, Student 1 could benefit from written or verbal feedback on his effort and
process, as well as building on the notion of learning from failure (Ricci 2018).

SELF RELFECTION

Through completing the noticing exercise and this paper, my understanding of the nuances of
noticing learners has improved substantially. I now realise that moments in time can provide
valuable insight into how students are learning. I am more aware that there is much more than
surface level ‘seeing’ and that effective noticing takes time, practice, collaboration with other
teachers and professional development.

Ongoing professional development

Adoniou (2015) explains that the knowledge requirements of teachers are vast – they are
required to have knowledge of theory, content, school context, teaching, and the politics of
teaching. The Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders
asserts the importance of improving professional knowledge to improve student outcomes
(AITSL 2018). The Victorian Teaching Profession’s Code of Conduct Principle 3.2 states ‘Teachers
are aware of, and comply with, the legal requirements that pertain to their profession’
(Victorian Institute of Teaching [VIT] 2021). The Victorian Teaching Profession’s Code of Ethics
requires that teachers maintain and develop professional practice to provide students with
quality teaching (VIT 2022).

In order to improve my understanding of group work, mindset and questioning, I can seek
formal training to improve my understanding and skills, speak with teachers during placement,
observe teachers and notice with documentation how they incorporate these skills. For
example, resources such as Team Based Learning Collaborative (2022) provide online courses to
improve specific areas for development. Practicing noticing of students and collaborating with
my mentor on placement could provide great insight, as they know their students better than I
do. I understand that it is imperative that professional learning expectations are upheld and
that teachers are constantly developing and improving their knowledge and skills.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

In covering the concept of noticing, I highlighted the importance of looking beyond what is seen
and considering how the student is learning without assumptions. The noticing analysis
demonstrated how understood Student 1’s interaction with the learning that was taking place. I
covered the importance of ethics and how regulatory concerns are addressed. I discovered the
benefits of collaborative learning and how Student 1 interacted with this pedagogy in his
learning from other students and the teacher. I developed my understanding of a growth
mindset and how Student 1 approached mistakes and how he responded to questions. Finally, I
discussed the importance of professional development and how this impacts student
outcomes. I look forward to improving my noticing skills further to develop my teaching ability.
 References

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 Appendices

Appendix A
Link to the illustration of practice – Around the world mathematics
AITSL (Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership) (2016) Around the world with
maths illustration of practice, AITSL, accessed 15 June 2022.

Screenshot of Student 1 in the red circle, the learner I am analysing:

Appendix B

CRITICAL REFLECTION: PROFORMA SAMPLE A

Context (grade/ class/ group):
IoP Around the world with maths.
Year 5/6 extension class for students at the top of
their cohort for maths. Whole class and
collaborative learning with small groups.

Focus of critical reflection: Other important learner context to note:

Noticing Student 1, male student, first hand
up, closest to teacher at front of room, start
the noticing at 0:57
What? In this section, describe what happened in relation to the learner and focus for
the critical reflection. Who was involved? What was my role in the event? What
were my feelings during that experience?
0:57 The learner is seated at a table of 4. He puts his hand up to answer the
teacher’s question, when he’s not the first one to be called on, he raises his hand
further. He is then called on to answer the question which he gets correct. When
teacher tells him the answer was correct he smiles. Looks at the table and other
students outside his group quite a lot, attention seems to go towards the
students who are answering the questions. Touches the desk and paper with
fingertips a lot.
1:54 and 2:22 Learner in background while teacher and other students speak,
arms crossed. Looking out to the wider class. Turns neck, maybe neck stiffness.
2:40 Learner speaking to others students in his group at the table but no eye
contact with them. Concentrating on the dominoes and where to put them on
the table. Holds domino over the worksheet.
4:15 Learner looking down at table and touching the paper on the table while
teacher speaks, he looks up briefly at teacher.
4:35 Towards the end of the session. While the teacher speaks, learner getting
fidgety, rocking on chair, moving backwards and forwards in chair, head going
back at times. Bumping up and down in chair. When an answer to a question
from the teacher is being given by another student, Student 1 pays attention to
the other students outside his group and stops moving in chair and focusses on
the other student. Briefly looks at board. Slight eyebrow raise after question
answered. When teacher starts talking again, student 1 starts moving in chair
again.
5:17 Teacher at the group’s table. Student 1 moving in chair, looks up at teacher
and straightens tie. Fiddling with pencil in hand, touching the paper on the table.
Other students at his table initiate a high five around the table. Student 1 sees
that this is happening and looks down at paper again. Another student holds up
a hand for a high five, Student 1 high fives him then looks down at paper and
table again.
So what? Why did this experience occur? What does it mean? How else could it be
interpreted? Why did I respond the way I did? Why might others have responded
in that particular way? What other perspectives, theories or concepts could be
applied to interpret the situation?
0:57 Learner seemed keen to answer the question by extending hand further in an
attempt to be chosen to answer. Seeking approval from teacher, happy that he got
answer correct.
1:54 and 2:22 Seems to be listening and interested in how other students are
answering questions. Crossed arms might be interpreted as disengaged but I think
that with his eyes on the students that are answering shows he is interested. Easier
to see with sound off.
2:40 At table with other students but is he working cooperatively? Seems to be
working in a group but thinking by himself.
4.15 Starting to get fidgety.
4:35 Attention on teacher has waned. Perhaps student has met their learning
threshold. Might need to get up and do something physical now. However, when
another student answers a question, he stops fidgeting and pays attention,
including raising an eyebrow at the answer, indicating he may have learned
something. So whilst he is not engaged much with teacher at this point, he is still
interested in the other students.
5:17 Seems to not initiate much contact with other students in his group, might
not know these students very well or might have a shy disposition.

Now what? How can I learn more about what I experienced? What should I look for next time?
Try to provide some specific actions that you can follow up. These might lead to
additional reflections and therefore a deepening of your understanding of the
ideas/issues that underpin the selected experience.
0:57 Questioning – the difference of impact of open and closed questions. Which
to use when?
1:54 and 2:22 Switching between whole class and collaborative learning smoothly
2:40 How to engage students to work cooperatively, not just individually within a
physical group
4:15 Onset of threshold. How to respond to students when they are finding it
difficult to focus.
4:35 Finding ways to peak students interest when they start to disengage.
5:17 Know your students and their dynamics. How to group students most
effectively.