Diagnostic exercise
About this resource
How do I feel about school transition? What can I do about it?
Here are some activities to work on with students. They are divided into specific exercises for Year 6 and also Year 7 students and are found in the attachments section to the left.
There are printable documents to use low ink consumption.
- Build student understanding of and reflection on school change
- Build self-reflection skills
- Encourage discussion about change and associated emotions
- Begin to develop strategies for managing change (further developed in other Classroom Activities)
Students will understand what school transition has meant for them personally, and in general for others in their class.
Students will identify their emotions related to school transition, the reasons or influences behind these emotions, and will brainstorm ideas for managing potential or ongoing challenges.
Students will be able to provide the following evidence:
- an understanding of what school transition means for them;
- emoji drawings and annotations that signify and explain their feelings;
- a list of challenges related to school transition, with potential solutions or ways to make things easier;
- an indication of topics they would like to know more about; and
- an indication of how they might direct their learning further.
General coaching
General conversations – including teacher-student and student-student – related to improving learning
Peer discussion
Student to student conversations to check understanding and build further learning
Self-assessment
Students assessing their own learning, with a rubric or other instructions for guidance
Teacher observation
Teacher observation of student learning, with a simple rubric, tick-box or other protocol to record observations
Teacher questioning
Guided questioning from a teacher intended to prompt thinking related to the topic
Direct instruction
Explicit teaching of knowledge and skills to students. This could be through a variety of formats – lecture, readings, demonstrations, etc. Often used at the beginning of a unit or module to cover basic knowledge and set pathways for learning.
Peer discussion
Student to student discussion in the classroom. This is often guided by the teacher or the requirements of the learning task.
Self-reflection
Student reflection on their own learning. This is often guided or supported by a simple rubric or information on what learning progress looks like in a particular context.
General capabilities: Personal and Social Capability (Level 4/5 – in Year 7, students will begin to move from Level 4 towards Level 5)
- Self-awareness (recognise emotions; recognise personal qualities and achievements; understand themselves as learners; develop reflective practice);
- Self-management (express emotions appropriately; develop self-discipline and set goals; become confident, resilient and adaptable);
- Social awareness (appreciate diverse perspectives; contribute to civil society; understand relationships); and
- Social management (communicate effectively; work collaboratively; make decisions; negotiate and resolve conflict).
Year 6 Health and Physical Education
- Being healthy, safe and active (ACPPS051/053)
- Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing (ACPPS055/056/057)
- Contributing to healthy and active communities (ACPPS058, particularly the importance of social support and a sense of belonging; ACPPS060)
Year 7 Health and Physical Education
- Being healthy, safe and active (ACPPS070/071/072)
- Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing (ACPPS074/075/076)
- Contributing to healthy and active communities (ACPPS077/78/79)
AC content descriptors addressed will vary, depending on students’ context and individual challenges.
- Laptop or tablet device, projection device to show PowerPoint
- PowerPoint presentation that accompanies ‘Diagnostic exercise’ (primary or secondary version)
- Paper or plain text booklet for each student (Note: paper booklet needs to be printed on both sides, flipped on short edge, or, plain text needs to be pasted into your chosen app)
The PowerPoint presentation has the lesson plan contained within the ‘Notes’ pane. Read through the PPT in conjunction with the student booklet, as this will help you tailor the lesson plan to your class.