STS Mini-Lesson Planning

Lesson Title: Perspective

Lesson Plan:
Intended Outcomes:
Students will learn that their own perspective affects their interpretation of a source.
Students will learn how to identify their own perspectives.

Every Chance to Learn ELAs:
ELA 1: The student uses a range of strategies to think and learn
ELA 2: The student understands and applies the inquiry process
ELA 11: The student critically interprets and creates texts
ELA 22: The student understands and values what it means to be a citizen within a democracy
This mini-lesson also engages with the "Problematic Knowledge" component of the Quality Teaching Model (McLeod & Reynolds, 2007, p. 51), and the following skills from the National History Curriculum:
H9SK3: Identify the origin, purpose and context of historical sources
H9SK6: Identify and analyse the different actions, motives, values and attitudes of people from the past
H9SK7: Identify and account for differing perspectives and historical interpretations

Importance of Learning:
It is important for students to recognise the power of individual factors such as gender, socio-economic status, context in place and time, culture, political opinions, religious faith, and so on, to influence their perspective and that of other people. An understanding of the nature of individual perspective will encourage a more compassionate and tolerant understanding of the perspectives of others.

Future Learning:
This mini-lesson can form part of a larger unit of study on almost any topic within the History discipline, but was developed with an eye to forming part of a unit of study on Revolutions. It is not intended to be an introduction lesson to the unit, but a mid-way point at which some of the key concepts and agents have been identified, allowing for some background knowledge to inform students' group discussions during the mini-lesson.

Lesson Resources:
- Teacher-developed Powerpoint
- Projection device eg. Interactive Whiteboard

Existing Student Understandings:
Students have begun to explore Revolutions within their Modern History course. It is assumed that students have a basic knowledge of the historical identities discussed in the mini-lesson, including Martin Luther King, Jnr., Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedung and Germaine Greer. Identification of some other personalities used in the presentation, such as Andy Warhol and Lady Gaga, rely on non-historical cultural capital; but this knowledge is not intergral to a student's understanding of the concept of perspective.

Possible Teaching/Learning Difficulties:
Lack of knowledge of any of the featured historical identities may impede the impact of the lesson. I am relying on at least one student knowing each personality in the presentation; but at a Year Nine level I hope this assumption is not unreasonable.

Teaching Strategies:
It should be clear from the group discussion whether any students do not understand the purpose of the lesson. My decision to choose personalities like Lady Gaga and Germaine Greer was taken to highlight the extent to which an individual's attitude to a source affects their interpretation of the source; but if the Lady Gaga example does not work as expected, I will invite comment on sources that the students would judge differently.

Teaching Considerations:
This activity may not work with certain demographics of students. If a large number of the students are from non-English speaking backgrounds or are recent arrivals to Australia, they may lack the cultural capital to engage with the discussion effectively. If this were the case, I would attempt to include a number of personalities that I might expect those students to be aware of; or change the activity entirely. If students with special needs are present, I would adjust my teaching strategy to accommodate their needs more inclusively. I hope that the activity would engage students with challenging behaviours, as it invites their comment and opinion in a non-judgmental environment and welcomes conflicting opinions for maximum effect.

Sources:
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2009). Draft Australian Curriculum www.acara.edu.au

McLeod, J. H., & Reynolds, R. (2007) Quality Teaching for Quality Learning. South Melbourne, VIC: Thomson Social Science Press.

Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training. (2010). Every Chance To Learn: Curriculum Framework for ACT schools preschool to year 10. http://activated.act.edu.au/ectl/resources/ECTL_Framework.pdf