Welcome to the final instalment of our eSafety education series! In our previous blog posts, we explored the importance of teaching eSafety to 9-10 year-olds and the strategies, pedagogy, and inclusive teaching methods. You can find those articles here and here. Now, let’s delve into the critical aspects of resource considerations and the impact of our teaching approach.
Appropriate Resource Considerations
Effective eSafety education necessitates a wealth of resources to provide students with comprehensive support. One notable resource in our toolkit is the eSafety Commissioner’s website. Developed based on expert advice and research, this platform offers a national best practice framework for student online safety. It serves as a valuable repository of knowledge and tools to guide our students on their digital journeys.
Another valuable resource in our eSafety arsenal is ‘Bullying. No Way!‘. This website offers an array of resources including posters, videos, lesson plans, and teacher resources. It plays a pivotal role in instilling the importance of combating cyberbullying and creating a safe online environment.
For students who may need additional support, we turn to KidsHelpline and BeyondBlue. These resources provide information and a support network for children exposed to cyberbullying, ensuring that those in need have access to help and guidance.
Impact of Teaching Considerations
Any eSafety unit should be designed using the backward design approach proposed by Wiggin & McTighe. Teachers begin with the Achievement Standard in the Australian Curriculum and craft explicit learning outcomes. Lessons are then planned based on what our learners needed to know to succeed in our Summative Assessment. You can see an example of a unit plan and one of it’s lessons here and here.
Our teaching approach incorporates a growth mindset and performance-based observations that focus on student learning and understanding. These observations are essential in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and individual growth.
Formative assessment is supported through a learning wall that features tiered success criteria. This invaluable tool assists both teachers and learners in identifying any gaps in knowledge, enabling us to focus on closing those gaps effectively. This style of formative assessment is conducted throughout each lesson through tiered critical and creative thinking questioning, peer-to-peer discussions, and teacher observations as recorded on a prepopulated checkbox sheet.
Our lessons also include formative assessment through metacognitive traffic light exit tickets. These exit tickets serve as an efficient way for teachers to evaluate learning against the success criteria after each lesson. Post-class reflection is another key element of our approach, allowing for future lesson plans to be adjusted based on the students’ evolving needs and progress.
For the summative assessment, students are offered a choice of assessment based on their group’s personal strengths. This choice empowers students to select one of two project-based assessments to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of both cybersafety and cyberbullying, as well as their impact on safe online choices. An illustration of the assessment scaffolding and evidence of learning, as well as the marking guide against which students will be evaluated, can be found here.
In conclusion, our approach to eSafety education incorporates the use of valuable resources and an impactful teaching methodology, ensuring that our students are well-prepared to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.
For a tangible example, check out our unit plan and lesson plan exemplar.
