Kate Rayner

Hi everyone. Thanks for accessing this HSC hub, Community and family studies support resource. I'm Kate Rayner, the Curriculum Support Advisor in the PDHPE Secondary Education team. This resource is a part of a suite of videos focused on building understanding around the New South Wales Education Standards Authority, Glossary of key words. This resource aims to take a deeper look at the glossary words and how they can be explicitly taught in the subject of community and family studies. It focuses on the key words most commonly used in HSC examinations. The CAFS glossary of key words resources can be accessed and watched in any order. Each resource is designed to build an understanding of a single glossary word and it does this by breaking that word down, understanding how it can be represented in a marking criteria and then using students' sample responses to demonstrate the language of the word. Each resource models a step-by-step approach to building understanding. It shows teachers a way the glossary words can be explicitly taught. Teachers may decide they want to use parts of this resource with students as a guided model with a series of classroom activities allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of each glossary word and the language of the glossary word in responses. This resource uses student sample responses or paragraphs to model the language of the glossary word and we'll do so in the context of Community and family studies core content only. It's important to note though that the glossary of keywords can be directly transferred to the option content as well.

Glossary of key words, what do they mean? And how do I support my students to use them? The purpose behind the glossary is to help students better prepare for the HSC by showing them that certain key words are used similarly in examination questions across different subjects they're studying. In classrooms, teachers of different subjects could use the glossary to help students to better understand what the exam question in their subject requires. Students should recognise the consistent approach of teachers of different subjects and get cues to how to approach exam questions. When using keywords to construct questions, task and marking criteria, it's helpful to ask what the use of the word in a particular question requires students to do. Key words are best discussed with students in the context of questions, content and tasks they're working on rather than in isolation. Teachers must ensure that they do not use them in ways that conflict with their particular meaning within subjects. For example, a word like evaluate requires a different kind of response in mathematics to that from history. Account for in history requires a different response to that in CAFS. It's important to know where the similarities are and where the differences are and talking to teachers across different KLA faculties will help to do this.

It's important to explain to students what the Glossary of key words are and why we need to respond to them. We can see the glossary of keywords as a set of verbs and we know a verb is a doing word like skipping or hopping. So if I asked your students to do something like hop and then gave them the success criteria for it, such as move up and down off the ground continuously on one foot, what would it look like? How confident do you think they would be to start hopping? How confident would you be to make a judgment on how well they achieved it? Do you think any of them would have skipped? Probably not and that's because they know what hopping looks like and you gave them the success criteria to achieve it. The glossary words can be seen in the exact same way. Stage four and five and the prelim course are for students to learn what the verb looks like and build understanding of criteria to achieve success when responding to them, the same way they could achieve success when they responded to the doing word hop.

Therefore the glossary of key words is asking students to do something with the content. The content, the information that's learned dictated by the syllabus doesn't change, how it's represented on paper does. It's important to know that the complexity of these words changes. It starts with something simple, like identify which involves recall, moving in complexity to a word like explain where students use the skill of identifying multiple concepts and show the effect of these concepts on each other. To analyse where students are using the skill of identifying concepts, creating a relationship or effect between concepts and then thinking critically to demonstrate the impact of that relationship. So when teaching these words, we can't just apply the glossary word as it sits with the content in the syllabus. Students should not be rote learning responses. Teaching and learning activities are needed that offer the opportunity to think critically about the content to enable opinions to be formed and judgements to be made or to problem solve so that students would be thinking about impact of actions. This learning and thinking will help students apply these glossary words to any content. In this CAFS course through key words resource, we'll take a deeper look at the word discuss.

This next section will model a step by step approach to building understanding for this word and it will show you a way this glossary word can be explicitly taught. This section is designed to be delivered direct to students. Teachers may choose to use this for their own learning. Alternatively, teachers may consider showing the video direct to their classes as they unpack the glossary words together. What is it to discuss or to create a discussion? Even without the NESA definition, if we really think about it, it's merely an open or informal debate around an idea. In CAFS, the idea is usually a content learn about dot point or student learn two point from the syllabus and because our course is so broad and the same content points can be vast in interpretation or broad examples can be used, It's really important to give a background or detail on the issue or idea and then allow the opportunity to openly discuss it. Discuss is seen as a middle order glossary word. It's more difficult than just a recall of content or developing a set of characteristics and features. However, these skills are essential for responding to the first part of the definition, identify the issue. Discuss is the middle step to the higher order glossary words, evaluate, assess and to what extent because the discussion or the argument that you're creating by offering points for and or against the issue that this word means, initiates the opportunity for the writer to further attach the judgment or voice of opinion that the higher order glossary words expect. So when we get to questions like this, we simply need to think about it as what's the issue or the content dot point that I need to introduce and create a set of positives or negatives to suit the diversity of the situation.

In order to create a discussion, you might follow the following steps. One, identify the issue and provide detailed content knowledge to provide a background for the reader. Two, present the positive side of the argument. This usually contains example of where there's been the positive impact. Three, stronger responses will show both sides of the argument. Therefore, they're also providing the points against or the negatives that's creating the discussion. This will usually show elements of critical thinking, showing that there are both positives and negatives depending on the situation. This is why identifying the issue and providing deep content knowledge of the issue is important because it creates the backstory for the positives and negatives to be linked to. Sometimes students begin their paragraph with a sentence like a positive of is or a negative of is. While this might be okay if the issue is clearly identified through very detailed points, it usually makes it difficult to understand why the point is a positive or a point for or against because we have no background knowledge to allow ourselves to understand the point. Therefore, it's really important to begin the paragraph with the issue by providing a range of characteristics and features as this will ensure you're hitting the detail needed for this type of glossary word, as you're going to see in the next slide. Sometimes students will divide their page down the middle and provide dot points. Again, it's not an incorrect way of approaching this type of question. However, the simple error students make when responding like this is they forget the detail and forget the examples to support these points. I would respond like this only if you're running out of time or the marks attached were minimal.

I've used the online program Wordle to create the visual representation you can see on screen. The visual represents a summary of the language for the marking criteria for the top marks of all the questions that use the glossary word discuss from the last seven years of New South Wales HSC examinations. The words that showed the characteristics from the top marks of the marking criteria were directly copied and pasted from the NESA examination packs into Wordle. For every time a word is repeated, the word within the Wordle increases in size. Therefore the larger the word, the more common it was seen in the marking criteria. from the image on screen, you can see that the words for, against, and/or, points are the largest and therefore the most common words proving that to provide points for and or against is what discuss questions are asking you to do. A quick clarification though, due to these words coming from the marking criteria from the last seven years where content language was no longer relevant from the changes to the amended syllabus in 2015, I did remove it from the Wordle. Interestingly, when analysing the marking criteria language, this word discuss was less likely to be used and higher order language like evaluate, assess and to what extent was more likely to be used. Therefore, despite this being a less common glossary word, the skill to create a discussion and respond to this glossary word is still essential to practice as it's the stepping stone to be able to attach a clear judgment that these higher order glossary words expect.

When I look at the image, there are three ideas that are really jumping out to me. The first is seen in the largest text, all of equal size and of various colours, points ‘for’, ‘and or against’. Note that the ‘and/or’ is of equal size to points, ‘for’, ‘against’ meaning that this word only has an expectation of ‘and/or’. However, it can be said from the broad interpretation of our syllabuses, stronger responses will try and demonstrate critical thinking and offer both. The second relates to the second largest text in the Wordle. ‘detailed’ and ‘information’. ‘Detailed’ on the right hand side of the image in the dark text and information in the red text in the middle. This suggests to me that there's high value placed around the ability to show knowledge and understanding of the content. This is essential so that students build their argument around deep understanding of the content knowledge. These also suggest to me that if you are demonstrating the or of the and/or, meaning you're only offering positives or only negatives, offer a broad range of them. The third key idea and this is a little bit more difficult to recognise from the image as the text size is smaller, but is the language of clear, relevant and examples. This just shows that examples must be explicit to the question and clear. Examples will only be relevant if they link directly back to the content and are highly specific in nature. This is important as they will prove or validate a positive and/or negative statement.

The smaller language around these keywords is interesting, because this shows where in the syllabus the discuss questions have come from to date. For example, on screen, you can see words like ‘step-parenting’, ‘sampling’, ‘parenting’, ‘legal’, ‘sensitive’,’ conducting’,’ research’, ‘methods’ and ‘attitudes’ indicating that questions using this glossary word are being used to address content from both Parenting and caring and Research methodology cores from the syllabus. You'll notice that there's no language from the core two content groups in context. This doesn't mean that this won't occur in the future. It just means currently and from the examinations from 2013 to 2019, they haven't occurred. However, I'm going to point out at this point, this core to date has attracted many evaluate, assess, and to what extent, higher order glossary words. Thus, consistently using these skills of creating an argument or discussion by asking students to identify the issue and provide points for and or against before making their judgment. Just remember that if you can show you've got the skills of recall to identify and the skills to develop a description of content by providing the characteristics and features, then students who perform well have the ability to think about the positives and/or negatives to create a discussion. Stronger students will naturally demonstrate both the positives and/or the negatives or points for and/or against through the skills of critical thinking and will be able to apply this to all areas of content.

In our next section we'll use a set of classroom activities which can be used in a range of ways as individual tasks for students to work through. These are also available as Word docs for download on the HSC hub. Teachers may choose to use this section for their own learning or use the activities with the class. Teachers may consider showing the video direct to their class as they unpack the glossary words and work through each activity together.

[Slide reads: Activity

1. By using the sample exemplar script or sample paragraphs, find the language that corresponds to the glossary word to show they are ‘doing’ what the glossary word tells them to do.
2. As a class, create a word bank of the glossary language that can be applied to future responses
3. Search for writing tips:

• How does the sample introduce the issue?
• How are the points for and/or against/ positive and or negative shown?
• How many are there for a single issue?
• How much content knowledge is shown?]

The following slide show three samples. There's a full script and two half scripts that respond directly to discuss questions. These can be printed and worked on individually or pulled apart as a class. However, due to the broad nature of the content, where examples are different to what you've been taught in class, seek clarification from your teacher. When reading through these, see if you can identify and highlight to create a visual of the language within the texts that shows the formation of a discussion, specifically the points for and/or against. Write these words on a post-it and create a word bank for yourself or if in class, create a word bank for your classroom. Note, the discussion language is different to the content specific language. However, the content language will have positive or negative connotations through it. When you're reading and pulling apart these samples to find a discussion, note, where does this language sit in the paragraph? How has the issue or idea been introduced? And how do you know what the issue is from the question? How are points for and/or against shown? Are there always both? Does there need to be equal number of points for and/or against? How did the examples support these statements? These are all important things to consider when you're responding to discuss questions. If you can see how these things are modelled in the samples, you can take this modelling and apply it to your future responses.

[Slide reads: Discuss sources of data (6 marks)

Individuals, a single source of information provides data of both qualitative and quantitative data nature. Individuals can provide data for methodologies such as interviews, observations or case studies. The positives of gaining data from individuals is that opinions can be clarified so the researcher can ensure correct interpretation. Individuals can also offer large amounts of qualitative data, especially if interviewing an expert in the field, such as Dr Michael Carr Gregg on Youth mental health. The reliability of using individuals as a source of data relies on choosing the correct subject; one who is not bias, building trust with the subject of research and ensuring ethical behaviour is adhered to. If any of these are not valued, then the data collected will lack integrity and the data collected will not test what it is meant to test, meaning data is invalid.

Groups of people can be from a formal source such as an organisation for example the employees at the Homeless Hub or from an informal source such as perspectives of new mothers from a mother’s group. The reliability of sampling (size, method and groups) is essential in ensuring the accuracy of the data collected from groups. When data is gained from formal groups both qualitative and quantitative data can be gathered with an increased likelihood that is reliable as these groups are seen as professionals with a qualification and study to support their opinions. When a sample group is based on convenient sampling, such as using family or friends or only one mothers group (small sample size) as opposed to a wide range of different mothers groups from a number of geographic locations the data collected is completely unreliable and can be seen as bias (one sided).]

Use the following half script from Core one, research methodology to find the points for and/or against language for the question, discuss sources of data. Six marks.

How did you go? On screen you'll see the exact same half script as the previous slide. I'll draw your attention to the dark red writing that you can see on screen. This is all the language that has created a discussion about accessing a particular source of data. This language has allowed the reader to see the positives through the language such as the positives and with an increased likelihood and the negative of accessing the source of data through language such as if these are not valued, will lack, will not, completely unreliable and seen as bias. This question is totally directed by the glossary of key word and there's little direction on how to apply content dot point knowledge. Therefore, it's essential that you understand the meaning of the word discuss. On screen you'll say three colours in each paragraph. These represent where the issue has been identified and characteristics and features has been offered. That's in the black font. The light blue font represents the points for using individuals as a source of data such as in the case of the first paragraph and the pink font displays where the responses are for points against using individuals as the source of data.

This same process of building the following paragraph has been used for the next content dash point of groups. Let's break this response down because this is a six mark question. If it was an eight mark question, it would be easy to know what to do because you'd write four clear paragraphs, one on individuals, groups, print and digital but this is only worth six months. How do you make sure you respond to the discuss aspect of this, but not run the risk of quickly describing all four sources of data? This is a typical scenario and you have to be strategic about your next step. Assume the marking criteria has something about detailed information. Therefore, you'd like to respond with all four sources of data. So far you've responded well with two clear paragraphs, one on individuals and one on groups and you're running out of room. This response could then follow with print and digital data as the source in a combined paragraph, they both share a negative of accessing them as a source of data and the negative could be built around the sheer number of secondary sources, therefore recognising and using credible sources of secondary data is essential but can be difficult. To show the difference between print and digital as sources of data which is valued to demonstrate content knowledge, offer a positive, make sure you offer a positive of accessing print sources, plus an example and then a positive of accessing digital sources, plus an example.

The strength of the response you can see on screen are the number of examples such as for individuals naming the expert Michael Carr Gregg for data on mental health and for groups naming the Homeless Hub employees as a group and mother's group. The critical thinking also strengthens this response and is demonstrated by linking in ethical behaviour and bias showing understanding of how the syllabus links. You can notice in this response that there are many positives and negatives. This creates the discussion. However, you could see that this glossary word could be replaced with an evaluate because following the steps that you can see on screen, all students would need to then do is make a judgment or voice their opinion on the value of particular source of data and use a focus of research as an example to support that judgment. This is possible as all students have engaged with the IRP process.

[Slide reads: Discuss the implications if significant needs for the group are not met. 8 marks

The Aged are considered to be those in the community sixty five years plus. The natural aging of the body means that the processes of the body are slowly deteriorating and the health needs of an aged person need to be prioritised. The messages from the five senses to the brain are slower and the brain needs time to decode these messages from the nervous system and respond appropriately. Sounds are more muffled and rumbled as high pitch noises are not picked up, colours are visually dulled due to developing cataracts. The aged need messages to be communicated louder and slower and to visually see the message giver or cost effective hearing aids and regular audiology check and access to bulk billed medical optometrists for regular vision assessments. When these needs are not met the increased processing time needed, leads to the incorrect perception that the aged are confused, a lost their intelligence or have a reduced brain function and they may be seen as angry due to their own frustration. Society may question their relevance or their value in a work place reinforcing negative societal attitudes that this group are incapable and a burden. Further reducing the likelihood that young people will enter careers to care for the aged, leaving a shortage of carers. This limiting of communication skills through poor hearing and limited vision will mean this group lacks the confidence to use their previous employment skills to boost support to local community services and schools through volunteering and it will limit caring for grandchildren reducing much needed support to families and the community. When this group’s vision needs are not met, it will increase a reliance on carers and reduce interaction in the local community, economically disadvantaging it by not spending in local shops and negatively influencing tourism through limited travel. There are no positives for the group when these essential health needs are not met.]

Use the half script below from core two groups in context to find the points for and/or against language for the question, discuss the implications if significant needs for the for the group are not met. Eight marks. This content is related to both the category A and category B groups and so for this response I've used the category B group, the aged. However, you could respond with your knowledge of any of the groups you've studied. People with disabilities, youth, culturally and linguistically diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, rural and remote families, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex communities, sole parents or the homeless.

How did you go? On screen you'll see the exact same half script as the previous slide and I'll draw your attention to that dark red writing. This is the dark red writing throughout the response that creates the discussion by providing all the implications if the need is not met. That's the negatives of the discuss. This language is not met, may question relevance or value, reinforce negative, reducing the likelihood, lacks the will limit, reducing, are not met, disadvantaging it, negatively influencing and further supporting. To understand this question we can substitute the definition of the glossary word into the question and it would sound like provide the positive implications and/or negative implications if the significant needs for the group are not met. A weaker response would start the paragraph with an implication if the need wasn't met. However, for a question like this, there would be an expectation that we first unpack the significant need. This is due to the full definition of the word discuss, identify the issue. In this case, it is the significant need of the group. To do this deep content knowledge of the need is essential as the links between the characteristics and features of the issue allow for the positive-negative statements to make sense. Here, you will see this deep content knowledge in the black writing.

You might look at this response and suggest that it's a really large paragraph for only half the response and there's only one need discussed. In the following paragraph it's suggested that only one other significant need is discussed. This decision is backed by strong syllabus knowledge. The syllabus ‘student learn to’ that this question relates to uses the language ‘justify the two most significant needs for each group’. So rather than risking describing all six of the specific needs, this response focuses on explicit syllabus understanding to guide the response in discussing only the two most significant needs. You'll notice that there is more content knowledge than the last group and that's because eight marks are allocated to this response but only two needs need to be discussed. In order to respond to the detailed information that we could expect in the marking criteria, we're going to take the opportunity to really show markers a strong understanding of the group.

Again, you'll notice the three colours in the half script as previously stated and following the same structure as previous scripts, the black writing is the identification of the issue and provides detailed characteristics and features. The light pink is the application of the content knowledge to provide understanding of the negative implications if the need is not met and the light blue is the application of content knowledge to demonstrate the positive implications if the need is not met. However, you'll notice there's a stark difference in the number of negative implications compared to the positive implications. So, when you get a question like this where it's difficult to find positive implications if the need isn't met, offer a really broad range of negative implications. If possible, acknowledge that the lack of positive implications or vice versa.

The strength of this response is the broad range of negative implications and while they're broad, it's been made sure that they really link back to the initial health need relating to a reduction in hearing and sight. This language is, these are perceptions, they are confused and seen as angry. Question their relevance to society and a burden. The group will lack confidence to support the local community and shy away from interacting and poor vision will lead to reduced travel and spending. These directly link back to health needs and are important as they and the examples will be validating the statements offered.

[Slide reads: Discuss the impact modifying the physical environment can have on the wellbeing of dependents. 6 marks.

Changing the environment when a dependent ages, gets sick, injured or when a new dependent is born is essential to the wellbeing and meeting the dependents security and safety needs. Modifying dangerous areas by installing ramps, non slip mats/tiles, hand rails, widening door ways, removing rugs and increasing lighting and heating will aim to increase likelihood of meeting physical factors of wellbeing if taking on the caring role for an ageing parent. If these modifications were made for those who have become a biological parent of a newborn, many of these modifications would have little impact on the wellbeing of the dependant because these do not meet a newborns needs. However if these modifications were made for a dependent who may have mobility issues will it reduce trip hazards, limit risks of falling and maintain body temperature for those with poor circulation. Physical factors of wellbeing will be further enhanced when the dependent can feel they can move around without fear of falls, meaning they can access food and the bathroom for hygiene. This independence can promote the emotional factors of wellbeing by creating some independence for themselves to maintain sense of identity and privacy. However, all of these modifications can be costly and may influence a carers ability to make these modifications.

Modifying the physical environment for a newborn dependent would mean parents have to control heating, having a cot or bassinette within a parents room, ensuring the sleeping environment isn’t too soft, removing all toys and ensuring there is no second hand smoke near the child. When this is done it would significantly reduce the likelihood of SIDS, maintaining life and impacting positively on the dependents physical wellbeing.]

Use the script below from Core three Parenting and caring to find the points for and against language for the question, discuss the impact modifying the physical environment can have on the wellbeing of dependents. Six marks.

How did you go? Are you finding it easier to find the language showing the positives and/or negatives or points for and or against? Firstly, I'm going to draw your attention to that dark red writing. Like always, that's the language where we are creating the discussion. These words are increased likelihood, would have little impact, further enhanced, can promote, however, it would significantly reduce the likelihood and impacting positively. These are all phrases that show the positives and the negative impacts on wellbeing. Can you identify which ones are positive and which ones are negative? Again, you'll see the same colours that I outlined in the previous script. The light blue is showing the positives and the pink is demonstrating the critical thinking, thus offering negatives of those positives to show that the same modifications will impact positively on the wellbeing of some dependents but not every. The modifications might be positive for some but not every dependent in the same scenario and it's the ability in a question like this to show a wide variety of positives and negative impacts on the wellbeing of different dependents that will ensure a stronger response.

You'll notice that these two colours, the light blue and the light pink dominate their response. That's just emphasising that although content knowledge is important, the ability to apply that knowledge and offer a broad range of points for, and/or against to create the discussion around the impact on wellbeing and validate it with specific examples is seen as the more difficult skill and therefore valued more. This highlighting can be a simple tool to use when practicing your discuss questions or when offering feedback to a classmate. The dark blue writing at the beginning of the first paragraph is identifying the issue. In this case, modifying the physical environment and offers the characteristics and features of different dependents and why there is a need to modify the environment. This is the recall of content coming from Preparations for parents and carers are italics heading of the syllabus. These two sentences are rich in the characteristics and features from across the syllabus demonstrating the importance and therefore the impact of modifying the physical environment, such as fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of parents or carers to show a holistic view of the course through examples of meeting the needs of security and safety and the responsibility of meeting duty of care. These are supported by highly specific examples which are linked to specific dependents needs. This is where it may be seen as an advantage of studying the aged as a category B group. As the aged are considered a dependent for carers in this core and again, where strategically students can show their ability to interlink content while specifically responding to the question.

I'm going to give you a quick recap of some of the key tips that you may have picked up on throughout this video. There must be a really clear establishment of the idea or what the issue is. Content knowledge must be demonstrated and this is done through offering a strong background of the characteristics and features of the idea or issue. The discussion can then be initiated from these characteristics and features. This begins with language showing positives and/or negatives and that was the dark red writing in the scripts. This language could be the start of the sentence, in the middle or at the end of the sentence. There's no set expectation. For this glossary word we'd hope to see a number of the dark red phrases that show points for and/or against, the wider variety, the stronger the response provided that they're not isolated sentences. In responses, a wider variety of points for and/or against would support a marker to see the depth of content knowledge and to show critical thinking that a positive for one could also be a negative depending on the situation. Therefore, we strongly recommend offering both positives and negatives or for and against. Examples are essential to support and validate these statements.

Usually, and we saw it in these samples that for glossary words like discuss, the detail of the content knowledge is important but more so is the application of that content knowledge. This is the more difficult skill than just identify and recall the characteristics and features and therefore trying to dedicate more of your response to it. So, if we're going to talk in colours, we saw more of the light pink and the light blue with the dark red writing than the dark blue unpacking the issue or the idea. So by now you would have collected on post-it notes, a word bank of all the positive and negative or the points for and against language that you could apply if you were to get a similar question in a HSC examination. However, what other language could be used? Build on the word bank that you've got in other ways of showing the word, discuss.

Here's some extension activities that you could complete by yourself with a friend or together as a class. Use the paragraphs that you've been given as a beginning paragraphs for whole script. For each of the questions, identify exactly where in the syllabus it comes from and then identify other student learn about dot points or ideas that could be used to create a clear structure for the new paragraphs. Use the paragraph that you've been given to model what the other paragraphs might look like. Think about the marks that are being allocated. How many more paragraphs do you think would be needed to complete the response? What about if the marks changed? Would you need more or less paragraphs? How big would the paragraphs be? Use the guide of three lines per mark to think about how much space you would have to respond to for these questions. Whilst this is not always the case but just a general guide, practice in the space that you think you would be allowed but be sure to fill up every line, write Small and go all the way to the edges of the lines.

Time yourself. After planning what you next paragraph looks like, allow yourself the time to write the rest of the response. Replace the discuss with another glossary word. How much more would you need to write if you replaced discuss with evaluate or to what extent? Would you need to add more content detail? What if you put the word describe? How might this change the response? Would it change the number of paragraphs or the number of examples needed or just how you represent the content? Finally swap your response with a critical friend, use the highlighters to show where you and your classmate demonstrated points for and/or against and develop the readers understanding of the issue. Use the tips as a checklist and offer feedback to a classmate.

I hope that you've been able to build your understanding of these glossary words and armed yourself with some tips and strategies that you could easily apply if you were to get questions like this as the doing word in the HSC examination. Good luck.

[End of transcript]