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EDSS279 Assignment 2

EDSS 279: Assignment 2. Part 1. Cognitive inquiry Sequence

Sequence Inquiry Question: What contributions have migrants made to our country?

Answer (generalization):

Students will be able to determine three categories of how immigration has contributed

to Australian society, 1. Economically, 2. Socially and Culturally & 3. Environmentally.

The contributions will be found to be predominately positive however, there are

arguments against high levels of immigration as well, but the supporting evidence of this

is difficult to find. Students may also discover a major contribution of immigration is the

effect on Australia’s comparatively high population growth rate.

Outcome being addressed: Stage 3 - AUSTRALIA AS A NATION

A Student identifies change and continuity and describes the causes and effects of

change on Australian society HT3-3 (Board of Studies NSW, History K-6 Syllabus, p.54).

LEVELS (stages) of

Inquiry

ACTIVITIES

1. Get interested

Thinking processes

engaged are:

observing

recalling

interpreting

comprehending

- A review of Unit, focus question and previous two sequence

questions reveals Australia is an immigration nation. Through

British colonization and government immigration controls

Australian society once had a largely uniform white British

population up until WW2. Since then, successive waves of non-

British immigration have occurred as well, resulting in a highly

multicultural society. (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2013,

para. 22). The main waves of immigration have been illustrated on

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EDSS279 Assignment 2

a class wall timeline. Prominent sources of immigration in

approximate order have also been included.

- On Smart board show pics of bland British food, Eg. Bangers and

mash. Contrast this with some tasty, colourful and rich ethnic food

such as pizza or Chinese food. Ask students how they would like to

only eat bangers and mash for the next 3 years? Short discussion

to follow.

- Introduce next sequence question – What contributions have

migrants made to our country?

- Show clip from My Place for Teachers ‘A Greek garden’, 1.37min.

Question and discuss some of the positive contributions to

Australian society shown by these immigrants? Eg. Positive family

structure, new babies, hard work, resourcefulness, different

produce grown.

- Read excerpts from an article highlighting arguments against large

population growth. Eg. Sydney Morning Herald regarding Dick

Smiths TV population growth documentary.

- Having attended a previous excursion to Parliament house and

successfully learnt the role play activity of the House of

Representatives (Parliamentary Education Office (PEO), 2014),

explain that the next sequence question will be researched in

order for the class to enact a second role play. This time, role

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EDSS279 Assignment 2

playing the debating and voting process in the Senate (PEO, 2014).

Students will be placed on opposing sides, ie. The Government

verses the Opposition, while a few will be independent. The

debate and voting procedure will concern a fictitious new bill that

will dramatically reduce immigration to Australia.

ASSESMENT: Observation of contributions and participation.

2. Find out

Thinking processes

engaged are:

observing

recalling

interpreting

comprehending

defining

evaluating

Targeted syllabus

skills:

Group work

Research skills

- For 5 – 10 minutes use Inside / Outside Circle brainstorm

technique (Reynolds, 2012, p. 106) for students to explore how

immigration helps Australia by giving examples of what’s cool

about having people from other countries in our country.

- Repeat the brainstorm technique to explore potential problems

caused by overly high immigration and why some people may not

want more immigrants in Australia.

- Take some notes of the contributions given to use in the

evaluation stage.

- Explain that the student’s research and findings need not be

overly in-depth and detailed as we are looking for the main

general points in which to construct short stated points in

debating the proposed immigration restriction law in our Senate

role play. We are however looking for reliable historical evidence

to support our case. Teacher gives some advice and gets students

to give verbal feedback about the richness, reliability and

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EDSS279 Assignment 2

Analysis and use of

sources

Explanation and

Communication

(ICT)

relevance of the web sites they are researching.

- Explain that in order for our classroom ‘Senators’ to be able to

argue for or against the case for continued high levels of

immigration, students will be divided into small groups to research

via the provided websites. (see below)

- Findings will be recorded in either MS Powerpoint of MS Word

doc. Or handwritten in work books.

(Students are supplied list of helpful sites, see below)

What three areas within society has immigration impacted

upon?

Find examples of positive contributions within these three

categories; Economic, Social and Cultural & Environmental.

Conduct a web search and compile a list of ‘prominent

Australian immigrants’.

Each group is to identify the main broad arguments against

high levels of immigration and or multiculturalism.

- At the conclusion of this stage of the inquiry each group member

is to share reading a chosen success story from the Department of

Immigration and Border Protection site to the class.

-Extension activities could include a pictorial powerpoint

presentation making a comparison between Australian society at

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EDSS279 Assignment 2

federation and Australia today focusing on particular aspects of

society like architecture, art, music, sport.

ASSESMENT: Observation of participation and marking of research

presentation providing feedback.

3. Sort Information

Thinking processes

engaged are:

Analysing

comparing

contrasting

classifying

defining

Targeted skills:

ICT skills

Targeted syllabus

skills:

Comprehension:

Chronology, terms

- Compilation of the class’s points made about the contributions

of immigration. These are randomly listed and saved on

interactive smart board as they are received from students.

- A drafting template page is provided for students to classify each

point made as either support for or support against immigration

as well as and accompanying evidence. This is pasted in

workbooks for assessment.

- A whole class graphic organizer is now constructed on smart

board arranged with; the three categories of society; economic,

social & cultural and environmental, the listings under both

positive and negative reasons for immigration to continue at

current levels and examples of supporting evidence that the

students have found.

- This supporting evidence can also be classified as either primary

or secondary source information.

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and concepts

Analysis and use of

sources

ASSESMENT: Observation and marking / feedback of work sheet.

4. Answer the

question

Targeted thinking

processes engaged

are:

synthesizing

interpreting

comparing

critiquing

reflecting

Targeted syllabus

skills:

-Perspectives &

interpretations.

-Empathetic

understanding.

-Explanation and

communication.

This will be achieved by conducting the Senate roll play including

the prescribed duties and procedures, debate and voting.

- Some explanation of values education teaching can be applied

here to explain considerations when teaching controversial issues

as there will most likely be students with recent immigration

backgrounds.

- Negotiate and arrange students positions and rolls for instance,

asking for volunteers to argue against high immigration based on

the research of what some people say from the research.

- Make provision for a small audience to attend the Senate role

play, Eg. parents, School executive, another class.

- Conduct a debrief of the experience asking students to reflect on

how challenging was it to argue their case in front of others. Who

would have preferred to have made their case in writing rather

than public speaking? What points were the most convincing and

why? What evidence was missing from the points made?

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ASSESMENT: Observation and notes made of student

participation.

5. Make

connections

Thinking processes

engaged are:

evaluating

critiquing

interpreting

comprehending

comparing

Targeted syllabus

skills:

Perspectives and

interpretations

Explanation and

communication

questioning

Conduct an in class interview of the Orange City Council’s migrant

support officer.

- Preparation before the visit will involve guiding the students in

composing particular questions to ask. This will be done either

individually or in pairs however, each student will be assessed on

their recorded questions in work books. This will indicate what they

have learnt in the inquiry sequence thus far.

- The student’s questions can be sorted to correspond along the

lines of the following and seek to include all students in

contributing and having their questions answered.

Why does the council have a migrant support officer?

Can you tell us about your role and what you do.

What contribution do immigrants make to a community like

Orange?

What challenges are immigrants faced with when moving to

Orange?

What are some of the challenges for the community in

accepting immigrants?

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EDSS279 Assignment 2

social skills

affective skills

(values analysis)

What considerations should governments have when deciding

how many immigrants to accept?

How many new migrants come to live in Orange each year?

What are the main countries they come from?

What do you think of the current level of immigration to

Australia? Do you think we should accept more or less

immigrants?

- Obtain all relevant material for the next ‘Harmony day’ activities.

- Debrief after the guest has left and ask the students to consider

would they support the employment of a migrant support officer.

ASSESMENT: Marking of questions in workbooks.

6. Evaluation

Thinking processes

engaged are:

recalling

reflection

metacognition

judging

evaluating

- In workbooks, ask each student to describe and comment on one

or two contributions that immigrants make or have made to

Australian society.

- Ask each student to share what was the most difficult activity of

the inquiry.

- Read out some examples of the brainstorming session to give

students some insight into how their learning progressed.

- How have your opinions changed through the inquiry?

- Comment that the activities were not just designed to teach them

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facts or get them to prove the details of a point but it was mainly

about teaching them the skills of thinking and learning through the

inquiry process stages.

- Students complete a reflective matrix sheet (Reynolds, 2012, p.

111) which also includes assessing their own learning in the two

main activities of researching and the role play.

- Wrap up with an explanation of how Australian immigration has

always been strictly controlled by the nation’s government. Noting

from what students have discovered the importance and impact of

these decisions on individuals, families communities and nations.

- Introduce the final contributing question to be addressed next,

How have the immigration policies changed over time?

ASSESMENT: Observation and marking of workbooks

Information sources used to teach this inquiry sequence:

Level 1. Get interested

http://www.peo.gov.au/teaching/role-play-lesson-plans/law-making-senate.html

My Place web clip Episode Episode 6 / 1958, ‘A Greek garden’, 1.37min clip from My

Place for Teachers.

http://www.myplace.edu.au/teaching_activities/2/a_greek_garden.html?idSubtheme=3

382

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/dicks-about-on-population-puzzle-

20100804-11elm.html

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Level 2. Find out

http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-112_t-301_c-1015/opposition-to-multiculturalism-

and-immigration/nsw/opposition-to-multiculturalism-and-immigration/changing-rights-

and-freedoms-migrants/multiculturalism

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-01/new-sa-governor-hieu-van-le-sworn-

in/5710954

http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/newaustralia/building-the-snowy/

http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/strive/they-came-they-conquered-20130423-

2i4wf.html

http://www.immigrationplace.com.au/immigration-place/w4/i1040467/

http://tenpoundpom.com/famous-poms.php

http://www.immi.gov.au/Stories/Pages/Stories.aspx

https://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/04fifty.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_history_of_Australia#Opposition_to_immigrati

on

http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/

Level 5. Make Connections

http://www.orange.nsw.gov.au/site/index.cfm?display=147085

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Indication of where and how assessment will occur:

Assessment of the knowledge and understanding of targeted outcome HT3-3 will be

assessed with some observation however this will predominantly be made through

assessment of recorded book and ICT presentations as noted in plan.

Assessment of targeted syllabus skills will be made with notes of observations and results

of bookwork.

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References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2013). 100 years of Australian Lives – Population.

Retrieved from

http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2071.0Main%20Features952

012%E2%80%932013?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=2071.0&issu

e=2012%962013&num=&view=

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2014). History (Foundation

to Year 10). Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Download/F10

Board of Studies, NSW (2012). History Syllabus part 1 K-6. Sydney, Australia: Board of

Studies, NSW.

Cornish , L. & Garner, J. (2009). Promoting Student Learning. Frenchs Forest, Australia:

Pearson Education Australia.

Keller, W. (2014). EDSS279: Topic 4: Inquiry learning [Topic notes]. Armidale, Australia:

University of New England, School of Education.

Keller, W. (2014). EDSS279: Topic 5: History content and skills [Topic notes]. Armidale,

Australia: University of New England, School of Education.

Keller, W. (2014). EDSS279: Topic 6: Perspectives in History [Topic notes]. Armidale,

Australia: University of New England, School of Education.

Reynolds, R. (2012). Teaching history, geography and SOSE in the primary classroom.

Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.

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Department of Immigration and Boarder Protection (DIBP)

http://www.immi.gov.au/Pages/Welcome.aspx