Towards Independence: Finding the right place

Syllabus outcomes: From the Commerce Syllabus: 5.5 evaluates options for solving commercial and legal problems and issues 5.9 works independently and collaboratively to meet individual and collective goals within specified timelines

Indicators of learning: Students evaluate and match types of accommodation to particular situations and needs including budget constraints

Assessment: Students work in small groups to research solutions for hypothetical scenarios, recording their answers on an individual work sheet and participating verbally in class discussion. Teacher to assess written work providing written feedback and offer verbal feedback for contributions to class discussion.

Resources required: Scenarios / Research Task worksheet. Available at: 4bdLwxx820pQGfV_Hfwpvw/edit?usp=sharing 4bdLwxx820pQGfV_Hfwpvw/edit?usp=sharing Whiteboard or Smart Board and markers. Students workbooks and pens and laptops (with internet access). Local newspapers, including property listings. (Newspaper content may need to be filtered, taking out any inappropriate content/ads before being given to students) Commerce textbook eg: Commerce.dot.com (Farr Books), New Concepts in Commerce, 3 rd Edition (Jacaranda Plus) or similar.

Lesson Content Class Instruction: Teacher asks students to recall some of the types of accommodation options available to young people moving toward independence, allowing for class discussion until all options discussed last lesson have been covered. Management Plan: Teacher to give students some time to think before asking for responses from class, may also prompt with descriptions and further questions as needed. Teacher may ensure all students are included by calling on various students, encouraging participation. Teacher may prompt students struggling to stay on task but instructing them to look back on their notes from previous class to refresh their memories.

Lesson Content Cont. Class Instruction: Teacher to explain students will continue to look at the accommodation options, working in small groups on a research task. Teacher to instruct students they will need to use newspapers provided and/or the internet to find a suitable accommodation option for each of 4 hypothetical scenarios provided in a handout. Students will need to record and justify why each option was chosen and show how it meets the constraints of the situation by completing the worksheet using their research. Management Plan: Teacher to strategically predetermine groups, to minimise unhelpful scenarios, where possible limiting group size to 3 students. Teacher may help progress and encourage focus on the task by moving around the classroom during the research task and engaging with students who seem to be struggling. Teacher may provide some prompting questions, suggestions or offer feedback where appropriate to students who are off track or distracted.

Lesson Content Cont. Class Instruction: Teacher to collect completed worksheets from students. Teacher to facilitate class discussion on ‘finding the right place’, asking what were the types of accommodation best suited to each scenario and what were some of the challenges in finding appropriate options? Management Plan: Teacher to ensure a range of people are included by calling on various students from different groups.

Differentiation Ideas: Physical Impairment – Muscular Dystrophy By allowing students the choice to complete work in handwriting or on their laptops, the teacher may be better able to include students with physical impairments, for example, a student suffering from Muscular Dystrophy (MD). By providing this choice, teachers may be able to differentiate for some students without singling them out or making them feel self-conscious about being different (Heller, Mezei & Thompson-Avant, 2008). By providing a soft copy of the textbook and scenarios worksheet in this lesson, students with limited strength or fine motor skills may be able to participate at a rate more approximate to that of their peers and complete their work with limited physical discomfort or difficulty (MDA, 2008).

References: Chapman, S., & Freak, M. (2013). New Concepts in Commerce (3rd ed.). Milton, Australia: Jacaranda Plus. Heller, K.W., Mezei, P.J., & Thompson-Avant, M.J. (2008). Meeting the Assistive Technology Needs of Students with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Journal of Special Education Technology, 23(4), Kleeman, G., Adnum,J., Farr, R., Hamper, D., Hartley, S., Lane, R., & O’Connor, T. (2004). Commerce.dot.com; Concepts and Skills. Wilston, Australia: Farr Books. Muscular Dystrophy Association (2008). A teacher's Guide to neuromuscular disease. Retrieved from