The following Visual Communication and Design (VCD) teaching and learning sequence covers Unit 2 Outcome 1 “Design, place and time” of the VCD study design (VCAA, 2024). My practicum experience has significantly enhanced my understanding of the content knowledge and pedagogical strategies required to effectively deliver this learning outcome through the creation of relevant and contextual learning to support the engagement of all learners. Churchill (2022, p. 246) outlines the importance of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the importance of not only understanding the content that is being delivered but effective pedagogical strategies to teach these topics that should be strongly considered when delivering this content. This learning sequence has been designed to be delivered across 18.5 hours of study across an eight-week period of teaching and one that is to be used primarily as a student-facing resource. It is assumed that each week consists of two 50-minute study sessions with one 40-minute study session intended to focus on any theoretical aspects of the content. Students are required and expected to spend an equal amount of time on this learning outcome to achieve a high standard of understanding and outcome in their completion of their design portfolio. This learning experience is designed to scaffold student learning in preparation for unit 3 & 4 in their final year of VCE study, the assessment is to be conducted internally and will not be reported to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) however, teachers should consider the importance of preparing each learner for the assessment that they will encounter during unit 3 & 4.

This teaching and learning sequence has been created and planned based on the 2024VCD VCE study design (VCAA, 2024) and the unit content created by Target Learning (2024) being adapted and adjusted to provide a more contextual approach to the learning while similarly scaffolding each learner towards success by structuring the learning sequence similarly to that of unit 3 & 4. This teaching and learning website is designed as a pedagogical information and communication technology (ICT) tool that scaffolds the knowledge and understanding of key skills and concepts along with provide a step-by-step inquiry-based learning project for both students and teachers. The incorporation of ICT within the planning and delivery of content is important in creating relevant, meaningful and engaging learning activities for all students as shown in the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership’s [AITSL] (AITSL, 2018) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) Standard 2.6, with the incorporation of ICT within The Arts curriculum as a powerful pedagogical tool to enhance student creativity, problem solving and collaborative learning (Jamieson-Proctor, 2018).

Furthermore, this learning sequence encourages student engagement with collaborative discussions within the classroom among both students and teachers to analyse, synthesise and apply their key knowledge and skills.  Churchill (2022) emphasizes the significance of collaborative and place-based pedagogy, a concept supported by educational theorists like Vygotsky and Piaget. Vygotsky highlights the importance of learning within a social context, mediated by the symbols and languages of a culture (Churchill, 2022, p. 82). Considering this, it is important in the delivery of this teaching and learning sequence that all tasks, topics, key knowledge and skills are guided by class discussion and collaborative learning approaches in which students are encourages to share and discuss their ideas and themes. This teaching and learning website will be used as a tool for students to access the weekly content and tasks to guide their learning, along with by the teacher to direct each learner. The inclusion of clear learning intentions and outcomes along with key knowledge and skills should implemented by the teacher to contribute to student motivation in their learning while depicting a clear picture for each student displaying the learning intention along with outlining which strategy is being targeted for each lesson as outlined in the Department of Education and Training’s [DET] High Impact Teaching Strategies [HITS] (Churchill, 2022; DET, 2020). This teaching and learning sequence draws on contextual learning as a key factor in driving student engagement and relevancy to the content throughout the duration of the learning sequence with strategies such as the 10 HITS strategies being drawn upon throughout the learning sequence to not only support pre-service and graduate teachers (DET, 2020) but also experienced teachers in their delivery of this unit of work.

This teaching and learning sequence draws on multiple resources and tools to support the learning of each individual student throughout the weekly sequence, these resources have been developed by Target Learning (2024), Rachelle Criticos (n.d.), Damien Lees (2021) and created for this learning sequence along with many websites providing a starting point for the learner’s inspiration, brainstorming and ideation throughout the process. During this teaching and learning sequence, Strategy 4 of the HITS (DET, 2019) should be integrated at various stages of the weekly content. This approach not only illustrates the steps needed to complete a task or solve a problem but also scaffolds learners towards acquiring skills and knowledge in a realistic and attainable way. Both students and teachers should utilise and engage with the resource material created by both Target Learning (2024) and Damien Lees (2021) to assist in their development and understanding of the technical skills and processes of each learning task. Furthermore, these resources should be engaged with and utilised by teachers to promote the differentiation of work for all learners by engaging with Strategy 10 of HITS (DET, 2019). These resources are designed to both assist lifting the performance of all learners along with scaffold the learning of students who are behind the year level expectations.