Significance of landscapes to people
Teachers of students with individual learning needs combine classes as part of their Year 8 unit of study: Landscapes and Landforms. The aim for this lesson is to develop students’ understanding of the connection Aboriginal Peoples have to the land through an interactive story. Teachers use an interactive story designed to engage all of the students through the use of multi-sensory experiences, rhythm and repetition. The teacher uses the interactive story to set up opportunities for students to demonstrate anticipation and to encourage the development of communication skills. At the same time, the teacher is providing opportunities for the students to learn about the interconnections between people, places and environments. In planning for, and implementing a lesson in geography for students with individual learning needs, the teacher demonstrates a number of approaches to personalise the teaching and learning program drawn from age-equivalent learning area content.
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Australian Curriculum
Learning area
GeographyYear level
Year 8Content description
General capability
General capability
Personalised learning
Teacher intention
To develop her students’ communication and social skills as they learn about the connection Aboriginal Peoples have to the land.Personalised learning
Plan from age-equivalent learning area content:
The teacher plans from year 8 Geography content to develop a teaching and learning program on Landforms and Landscapes, with a focus on the interconnections between places, people and environments.
• Use the General Capabilities and/or cross-curriculum priorities to adjust the learning focus and to personalise the learning:
The teacher uses the General Capabilities of Literacy and Personal and social capability to plan for the development of targeted communication and self-management skills within the geography teaching and learning program.
• Align individual learning goals with age-equivalent content to personalise the learning:
The teacher aligns the students’ individual communication goals with the geography content. The communication goals enable the students to develop their geographical knowledge and skills and the geography content gives an age-equivalent and authentic context for the students to apply their communication skills.
Questions for discussion
1. How would you develop an age-appropriate unit of work for students of different ages in the one class?
2. What strategies do, or could you use to make age-appropriate texts meaningful and relevant for students with an intellectual disability?
3. What indicators of student learning would you look for when aligning individual goals (eg. communication or social) with Australian Curriculum content?
Professional Standards for Teachers
Standard 1
Know students and how they learnFocus area 1.1
Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of studentsFocus area 1.6
Strategies to support full participation of students with disabilitySchool details
Clifford Park Special School (Rob Street Campus)
Toowoomba QLD Australia
School type
GovernmentSchool sector
SpecialSchool location
ProvincialSchool description
Clifford Park Special School in Toowoomba, Queensland, delivers educational programs to over 100 students aged from 12 to 18 years. Students at the school have individual learning needs.