Part 1: Curriculum-Informed Pedagogical Statement of Intention
As an emerging senior secondary Media educator, my overarching intention in designing this learning sequence is to create a curriculum-aligned, research-informed, and engaging program that fosters both critical understanding and practical application of Media at Year 12 level. By focusing on VCE Media Unit 3, Areas of Study 1 and 2 Narrative and Ideology and Media Production Development this sequence balances theoretical analysis of media texts with hands-on creative production. My goal is to provide students with opportunities to critically interrogate how media narratives reflect and shape ideology, while also equipping them with the production skills and conceptual thinking necessary to plan their own short film projects.
Coherence Across the Assessment Components
This assignment is structured into five interconnected parts that collectively form a coherent and comprehensive package for learning and teaching.
The Curriculum-Informed Pedagogical Statement (this section) articulates the guiding philosophy, pedagogical approaches, and curriculum foundations underpinning the sequence.
The Analysis of ICT and Website as Pedagogical Tools demonstrates how digital tools can expand learning opportunities, provide differentiation, and foster collaboration.
The Learning Sequence translates theory into practice, offering both teacher-facing and student-facing guidance through scaffolded activities.
The Annotated Resources and Links provide a curated set of high-quality, discipline-specific materials that empower teachers and students.
Finally, the Website presentation and referencing section discusses how this content will be curated for accessibility, engagement, and professional authenticity.
Together, these parts demonstrate my capacity to plan, justify, and deliver curriculum-informed media education that is aligned with the VCE Media Study Design (VCAA, 2025) and the AITSL Graduate Standards.
Curriculum Alignment and Rationale
The VCE Media Study Design (VCAA, 2025) specifies that Unit 3, Area of Study 1 requires students to examine how narratives are shaped by media codes and conventions, institutional contexts, and ideological frameworks. In Area of Study 2, students begin the production process, developing their own media product through conceptualisation, planning, and pre-production. My sequence integrates these two areas to ensure students not only understand how meaning is constructed in professional media texts but also apply this knowledge in developing their own creative projects.
This aligns with AITSL Standard 2.2 (Content selection and organisation), as I have structured learning around critical inquiry and production practice, and with Standard 3.2 (Plan, structure and sequence learning programs), ensuring a logical flow from analysis to application.
Pedagogical Underpinning
My approach draws upon a combination of constructivist, socio-cultural, and experiential learning theories. Constructivist theorists such as Vygotsky (1978) argue that learning occurs through active engagement and social interaction, which is why peer discussion, collaborative analysis, and production workshops are central to my sequence. Dewey’s (1938) experiential learning theory and Kolb’s (1984) cycle of experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and experimentation also underpin the emphasis on hands-on production, reflection, and iteration.
In line with High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) promoted by the Victorian Department of Education (2017), I will integrate:
HITS #1: Setting goals making success criteria explicit for both analysis and production tasks.
HITS #2: Structuring lessons sequencing learning from foundational narrative concepts to complex ideological critique and production development.
HITS #4: Questioning using Bloom’s Taxonomy to scaffold from comprehension (“What ideologies are evident in this narrative?”) to evaluation (“To what extent does this narrative challenge dominant cultural assumptions?”).
HITS #6: Multiple exposures revisiting narrative concepts through different media forms (film, television, online platforms).
HITS #8: Feedback providing targeted formative feedback during workshops and concept development.
This pedagogical approach not only reflects best practice but also prepares students for success in the School-Assessed Coursework (SACs) and final examination.
Equity, Engagement, and Differentiation
A critical feature of my intention is ensuring the sequence is accessible and engaging for diverse learners. Differentiation will be embedded through:
Choice of case studies (e.g., mainstream Hollywood films, Australian cinema, and international streaming texts) to reflect diverse cultural perspectives.
Scaffolded production planning that allows students to work individually or in collaborative groups, depending on their strengths.
Digital platforms (website hub, collaborative documents, production software tutorials) that provide flexible access to resources and support (Flipped Classroom model, see Bergmann & Sams, 2012).
This commitment aligns with inclusive pedagogy (Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011) and with AITSL Standard 2.6 (ICT integration), ensuring equitable learning opportunities.
Emerging Professional Voice
As a pre-service teacher, my professionalism is developing through the integration of curriculum expertise, pedagogical theory, and reflective practice. This task sharpens my emerging professional identity by demonstrating how I can design coherent, student-centred, and discipline-specific learning sequences that meet curriculum requirements while fostering creativity and critical thinking.
In practice, this means positioning myself not just as a deliverer of knowledge but as a facilitator of inquiry and a mentor for students’ creative aspirations. I view the teacher role in Media as one of guiding students to see themselves as both consumers and producers of meaning, capable of critically engaging with the world around them and expressing their perspectives through media production.
Anticipated Impact
The inherent features of this learning sequence critical engagement with media narratives, hands-on production development, explicit alignment with curriculum outcomes, and embedded use of ICT are intended to enhance the effectiveness of senior secondary Media teaching and learning. Students will gain not only analytical skills to unpack complex ideological messages but also practical competencies in production planning and creative problem-solving.
This dual focus prepares them for assessment success while also equipping them with transferable skills such as critical literacy, collaboration, and digital communication, aligning with the broader goals of the Victorian Curriculum and the Mparntwe Education Declaration (Education Council, 2019).
In summary, my intention is to create a learning sequence that is curriculum-aligned, theoretically grounded, inclusive, and engaging, reflecting both my emerging professional values and best practice in senior secondary Media education.