It is recognized that effective teaching involves planning.

When
we plan a lesson as teachers we decide what to teach and how to
teach it

Teaching can appear to be an easy process, however in reality to be an

effective teacher there is the necessity to consider other influences at
play. Efficiency of teaching is predicated by many factors which are unique
to each classroom. These factors should be considered whilst creating a
lesson plan to develop a clear idea of the main purpose of a lesson
(Clarke & Pittaway, 2014, p. 118). The process of planning a lesson
includes assessing the Syllabus provided by the Board of Studies Teaching
and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES), proper teaching standards set
out by the National Professional Standards for Teachers, knowing the type
of students and their needs in the classroom and overall assessments of
students from either previous performances, or from other teachers and
their observations. To be able to pass on information effectively, teachers
should be well versed in knowing their students and their capabilities. This
essay aims to focus on how the four factors affect what a teacher teaches
and how they would do it. To further analyze the importance of the four
factors and its affect on the effectiveness of teaching, they will be applied
and compared to a pre-prepared lesson plan.

The Syllabus
One of the most key factors that must be considered when creating a
lesson plan is the Syllabus provided by BOSTES. When planning a lesson,
the Syllabus becomes the frame of reference that affects what a teacher
decides to teach. A Syllabus is essentially a guideline of specific outcomes
and content of materials that is to be taught in the classroom. When
creating a lesson plan, teachers must take into account the outcomes that
are required to be met in any particular subject. Each lesson plan is
created based on the outcomes the teacher wishes to achieve that are
determined by BOSTES in any given subject. Without taking into
consideration of the Syllabus when creating a lesson plan, teachers will
then have students who have difficulty in completing the national
assessments such as NAPLAN.

The National Professional Standards for Teachers

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is an
institution that develops a series of standards that determine whether
teachers are meeting their standards of both teaching and knowledge in
the classroom. Evidently, the National Professional Standards for Teachers
is a strong component of effective teaching and planning. Not only does
this allow for teachers to understand which level they are teaching at, but
also allows for personal assessment about teaching areas that need
improvement and creating lesson plans based on such observations.

Essentially, the National Professional Standards for teachers is a rubric for

the skills and understanding required for effective teaching and
leadership.

Student Learning Needs

Fautley & Savage (2013) state that good subject knowledge alone is not
sufficient for teaching (p. 25) and therefore for effective teaching,
catering towards student learning needs are important. When designing a
lesson plan, teachers should not only consider the curriculum that had
been planned, but ways to personalise such curriculums based on the
students in the classroom. In each classroom there are a diverse number
of styles of learning and also levels in which students absorb knowledge. It
is important for a teacher to consider the needs of students in each
particular classroom and assess how the lesson plan should go about for
any particular day. By taking into consideration of students learning
needs when creating a lesson plan, it compels for teachers to become
personal with the students and fully understand them on a personal level
which then creates the most effective teaching a teacher could possibly
provide for students.

Assessment Data

To be fully knowledgeable about the diverse student learning needs in the

classroom, teachers should also consider previous assessment data either
collected through earlier assessments or by other teachers observations.
By looking through previous assessment data, it allows for the teacher to
be able to evaluate which parts a particular student does well at and what
needs improving. When taking into consideration such data whilst creating
a lesson plan, teachers can gauge which teaching approaches are the
most \effective on students and also know which are the least effective.
Much like how a students assessment results and feedback inform them
on what areas they need improving, analyzing students assessment data
can be understood as the feedback for the teacher to see which methods
of teaching are the most appropriate for the class. Through the use of
previous assessment data, lesson planning is a part of a cycle which
begins with the evaluation of the previous lesson, [which] then inform[s]
what will take place in the next lesson (Fautley & Savage, 2013, p. 26).

Lesson Plan Analysis

The four key factors in establishing a lesson plan for effective teaching will
be analyzed through a sample lesson plan sourced from BOSTES. The
sample lesson plan used as a case study in this essay will be a History
lesson plan created for Year 9 (stage 5) developed in 2014.

The Syllabus
The sample lesson plan explicitly referrers to the content of Stage 5
History with the lesson topic being apart of Depth Study 1: Making a
Better World, focusing on the major development of Movement of peoples.
In addition, the lesson plan states that the outcomes addressed in the
class are as follows:
HT51 explains and assesses the historical forces and factors that
shaped the modern world and Australia
HT54 explains and analyses the causes and effects of events and
developments in the modern world and Australia

A common topic area between the content requirements and the lesson
plan is the discussion of the integration of the changes of the way of life of
people who moved to Australia and the impact of such changes on the
Indigenous Australians (BOSTES, 2014). The content requirements for
topic 1B determined by BOSTES is about the Industrial Revolution and its
impacts. The lesson plan achieves this by designing a lesson based on
students reading a chapter from Oxford Big Ideas Australian Curriculum
History 9 outlining the stages and the development of the Industrial
Revolution and its impacts.

Although the Syllabus content requirements focus more on the Australian

experience of the movement of peoples, the lesson plan leans more
towards an overall world experience of the movement of peoples.

However, as an overall, the contents of the lesson plan coincide with the
requirements of the BOSTES syllabus. It is evident that the lesson plan has
been developed well in terms of assessing what is required to be taught
and the integration of such information in to the lesson.

The National Professional Standards for Teachers

Through the analysis of both the professional standards of teachers and
the lesson plan, the lesson plan meets quite a few number of standards.
Evidently, some parts of the standards cannot be met due to the fact that
observing the actual lesson itself would be the only way to assess the
standards. However, significant parts of the standards for teachers are
met.

By implementing the influences of the industrial revolution and its impact

on Indigenous Australians, the standard of teaching under the category of
knowing the content and teaching is met. The integration of reflection of
such impacts, directly correlates with:
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians.
Due to the fact that the students are required to reflect on how the
Industrial revolution had the adverse affect of Indigenous peoples
[becoming] dispossessed of their lands and exploited (BOSTES, 2014).

Furthermore, the lesson plan meets two other standards through the
select[ion] and use [of] resources that help with the plan[ning],
structure and sequence learning programs (AITSL). The chapter that is
used as the main focus of the lesson plan, is well chosen to effectively
meet the language standards for Stage 5 students with the appropriate
information to allow for them to comprehend and also meet the topic
requirements set out by BOSTES.

Student Learning Needs

One of the most difficult tasks as a teacher is to plan out a lesson that has
the capability to ensure that each individual pupil maximizes their
learning opportunities within any individual lesson that you teach
(Fautley & Savage, 2013, p. 67) when teaching something new. This is due
to the fact that each student learns differently and have their own
strengths and weaknesses. The lesson plan addresses the diversity of the
styles of learning in the issue of meeting the student learning needs.
Although the lesson plan focuses on textbook learning, by reading a text
book and restating what it is about, the different methods of
reestablishing what is being taught allows for a wider coverage on the
different styles and methods that students learn.

The lesson plan has five significant components that target three different
types of learning. Firstly, the lesson begins with revision of previous
lessons and sets out the background knowledge for students. Next, there
is an explanation of the summary of the text explained to students which

targets those who are auditory learners. The detailed reading component
of the lesson in which students are required to highlight key information in
the text book caters for the visual learners. Finally, the not taking and
reconstruction segment of the lesson plan caters to the reading/writing
learners. Furthermore, the fluidity and malleability of the activities in the
lesson plan allow for the lesson to be integrated in classes that are more
well suited for group work or for classes where its strength is individual
work.

Assessment Data
Unfortunately, the lesson plan does not specify any elements that are
related to the collection for the use of assessment data. The closest thing
to reflection of previous assessments is the revision of what was taught in
previous years. However, due to the fact that the lesson is heavily based
on content, it is understandable that the lesson plan would be lacking in
terms of integration of previous assessment data. Particularly in a subject
such as History, it is difficult to accommodate to the use of previous
assessment data. Although that may be the case, it can be assumed that
with the different styles of learning being catered to in the lesson plan, the
lesson is also a way of determining what kind of teaching methods and
learning methods are the most efficient in any particular class.

Conclusion
As a teacher, it is important to be prepared for class and develop a clear
structure of a lesson plan to be able to teach efficiently and effectively. A

lesson plan is rudimental in develop[ing] a clear idea of the main purpose

of a lesson (Clarke & Pittaway, 2014, p. 118) and also ensuring that the
purpose of the lesson is executed in a timely manner. Through the
analysis of a sample History lesson plan, it is evident that the
consideration of the Syllabus, the national professional teaching
standards, diverse student learning needs and the use of previous
assessment data, are required to create an effective lesson plan. To be
critical, the lesson plan did not include the time frame that the lesson plan
was supposed to cover. When creating a lesson plan, time management is
crucial in making sure that the lesson goes to plan and has enough time
to correctly teach and allow for students to understand the content.
Although the lesson plan had lack in terms of the use of assessment data
and also initiating creativity in the classroom, it had presented the lesson
in an efficient manner as it directly correlated with the Syllabus provided
by BOSTES. A teachers choice on what to teach, and how to teach it is
ultimately determined by the four key factors of selecting content from
the syllabus, determining which teaching standards are required of them
and the use of previous assessment data to understanding the diverse
student needs in their class, establishing the needs of the lesson plan.