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Common use cases
Common use cases
Understanding these use cases is essential when designing and creating SLL resources. The use cases include, though are not limited to the following examples.
In school
Whole class use (with teacher guidance), on an interactive whiteboard to introduce or model an activity.
In-class activities using laptops or tablet devices. This may include independent tasks, small group work or activity rotations (e.g. literacy and maths groups).
Learning support groups, used with the guidance of a teacher or student learning support officer.
At home
Practising skills independently or with parent/carer guidance.
Practising or reviewing content from school, as requested by the class teacher.
Blended learning e.g. flipped classrooms.
Students exploring topics of interest.
Learning remotely e.g. school shutdowns, natural disasters, or other disruptions.
Use by teachers, parents and carers
Provide teachers with resources that model correct language and pedagogy, in line with the current syllabus and supporting curriculum documentation.
Raising parent’s and carer’s awareness of current pedagogical language and educational practice. This enables parents and carers to engage more thoughtfully in the content and methodology of their children’s learning.
Primary user
Primary user
Whilst resources may also be viewed by teachers, parents and members of the public, they are designed for students. All assets (videos and activities) should therefore be designed with students as the prime user.
Teachers in the resource videos should always talk as if they are presenting to students in a classroom, and activities are designed for mostly independent student use. Students are who we imagine on the other end, engaging with the resource.
Engaging with learning resources
Engaging with learning resources
Each SLL learning resource is published on its own webpage with a unique URL. Each resource webpage is adaptive and therefore the content responds to use on different size devices. This includes:
laptops and desktop computers
tablets (e.g. iPads)
interactive whiteboards (IWB) and smartboards
other devices, including smartphones.
Note: Parents, carers and teachers may explore or locate the resource on smartphones, but our data shows the majority of users engage with the resources from a computer.
Supplementary resources
Supplementary resources
SLL resources are supplementary and are intended for use in addition to direct instruction and other learning experiences in the classroom. They are one option for teachers to consider when sourcing resources to support student learning, and should be used in conjunction with other tools and content.
Resources are designed to complement the NSW syllabus and units, providing students with opportunities to practise and revise what has been learnt in class. They may also be used to introduce a topic, or to engage students in a different way (e.g. an online activity or a game with feedback).
Support and engage students
Support and engage students
Always keep the following in mind when designing resources and subsequent assets (i.e. videos and activities) for the SLL.
Keep it simple
Keep it simple
These resources are intended to be used independently by students.
The current resources being developed are for students in Years K-2. Due to their age and limited reading ability, it is imperative that instructions are in clear, simple, plain English. For this reason, it's also important to include supporting visual cues and audio prompts.
Segmenting tasks
Segmenting tasks
Each resource should address one specific learning intention e.g. using capital letters to start a sentence. The resource should focus on this, and this alone.
Bite-sized tasks have been shown to increase student engagement. Segmenting also keeps each task tightly linked to a key skill or outcome.
Feedback
Feedback
Activities within a resource should always provide students with feedback (e.g. identifying correct or incorrect answers, or providing examples of possible solutions).
However, the resource itself should not include any formalised assessment. Assessments (such as a pre or post-test) do not serve a purpose in this setting as student results will not modify or personalise the resource in any way.
Designing for a diverse range of users
Designing for a diverse range of users
Unlike a class teacher designing lessons for their students, we don't know each student accessing and using our resources. We must therefore design resources in accordance with Universal Design for Learning, accessibility and inclusion principles. This aims to ensure that a diverse range of learners can engage with the resources.
It is important to consider a variety of student users when planning and designing content. This includes ensuring the resource and each asset is inclusive, in regards to elements such as language, imagery, interactivity and design.
Consider the following students when designing SLL resources (select arrow).
Students:
who speak (or live in homes) that speak languages other than English (EAL/D and LBOTE)
with learning difficulties (e.g. low literacy levels)
with disability (including vision and hearing impairments)
who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
who have experienced trauma (e.g. natural disasters)
come from a wide range of cultures, communities and religions
are from low socio-economic areas, with limited resources and access to technology
are from various family structures, and have parents/carers with varying levels of education.
Accessing resources
Accessing resources
Navigating through the library
Navigating through the library
Teachers, parents, carers and students may access Student Learning Library resources in the following ways.
All users can access resources via the catalogue on the public website.
All users can also view the organised collections on the public website.
NSW teachers may access the content via the Universal Resource Hub.
All users can view the resources (individual webpages) via direct link. Teachers may share direct links to a resource with parents/carers and students, or teachers may share direct links with other teachers.
It's important to know that users (particularly the students who are engaging with the actual resource) will likely access the resource with no context. For this reason, each resource should be considered as a 'standalone' discrete resource. Meaning, if a user were to access the resource with no prior information, they could still understand and engage with the resource.
Catalogue
Catalogue
Users can discover resources via the Student Learning Library catalogue, where they can type keywords in the search bar or use the tickboxes to filter results.
Collections
Collections
Users can also browse collections to discover all published resources relating to a particular topic (within a grade and learning area). E.g. resources suitable for Year 1 Mathematics on the topic of 2D shapes.
The identified resources are presented in a sequence within that collection. This is the order a user could follow, should they want to.
However, resources must never reference other videos or resources, as users may not have accessed the resource via the collection.
Evergreen resources
Evergreen resources
In addition to designing each resource as 'standalone', you should also consider potential and future uses of the resource and its components. Whilst they are currently published on the SLL as one whole resource, assets (videos, offline activities, digital activities) can be taken and shared out of context.
Example 1: Saving and sharing single assets
All the Year 1 spelling worksheets are downloaded by a teacher planning their stage's spelling program. The teacher saves them all in a folder on their team's shared drive. They use this collection of worksheets to complement their existing spelling program. Some teachers decide to use them in class and others send printed copies home for homework.Example 2: Adapting resources for future projects
In a few years' time, the department decides to publish all the videos from the SLL on a video channel (similar to Vimeo or YouTube) available to NSW schools. Teachers and students now view these videos out of context of the SLL. They do not know there are accompanying digital and offline activities. Teachers use these videos in class to introduce a skill/topic, then proceed with their own activity to practise the skill.
With these examples in mind, consider your design and language choices. In a video, don't refer to the "worksheet below" or describe the digital task. In an offline activity, don't refer to "the game from the video". Instead, use phrasing that is accurate and relevant, but is also slightly generic. For example, "Now it's your turn to practise counting to 10!" as the final sentence in the video. This encourages students to complete a follow-up task, but it does not specify the exact activity.
Hint: Think of each asset as part of a resource that flows, but also think of it as its own (potentially separate) resource within itself.
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