This section contains case studies and video samples of teachers demonstrating the 20 elements of Productive pedagogy
Integrated school knowledge is identifiable when knowledge is connected across subject boundaries.
Class context: New Basics Curriculum: Multi-age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including physical, intellectual, social impairment (challenging behaviour).
A group of years 7 to 9 students shop each week for ingredients for their catering class. Students choose a dish from the selection agreed to during an earlier brainstorming session. They identify ingredients to be purchased, check recipe book /stores in cupboard etc. Students push trolley, hold list, select purchases, pay the cashier, receive change and bag purchases. On returning to school, with support from the teacher, students identify the cost of each item, total, and calculate change.
Class context: New Basics Curriculum: Multi age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including: physical, intellectual, social impairment (challenging behaviour).
During a project on house design (rich task no. 9:3, The Built Environment: Designing a Structure), students were following the building of a two-storey home. They had become familiar with the house plan. On arrival at the building site they were able to move around the slab saying where each room was going to be. From the work they had done in class on measurement they transferred the design on the scale plan on to the slab, drawing chalk lines where the walls would be built. Some students were able to transfer some of the symbols including the stairs, wardrobes and cupboards. By identifying the pipes in the slab they were also able to accurately identify the location of water and sewerage systems.
Lessons provide students with opportunities to make connections between their own background knowledge and experience and the topics, skills and competencies they are studying and acquiring. This may include community knowledge, local knowledge, personal experience, media and popular culture sources.
Class context: New Basics Curriculum: Multi-age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including physical, intellectual, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour).
Having brainstormed with children and checking knowledge through questions, I identified their knowledge and understand of the meaning of ANZAC day. After reinforcing this knowledge, through video, books, readings and poetry, we explored local ANZAC history. Students accessed the community by visiting the local RSL to look at pictures on the walls and talk to PR person, they also visited the local war memorials. After these experiences parents were contacted and some shared stories about their family ANZAC connections.
Class context: New Basics Curriculum: Multi-age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including intellectual, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour), Down syndrome.
At the beginning of every unit plan, I give students the opportunity to share with me and the rest of the class what they know about the topic we are learning about. The technique I use is the stay n' stray technique (new window) 24k 
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Learning experiences that enable students to make the connections between what they are learning and the real world.
Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 1 to 3 students with a range of impairments including vision, physical, intellectual, multiple, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour), Down syndrome.
As part of rich task no. 3:2, Multimedia Presentation on an Endangered Plant or Animal, students chose to study the local endangered turtle, the Mary River Turtle. Students gained an understanding that the turtles ' restricted habitat left them vulnerable to threats from predation and habitat loss. As a result of this study students decided to take social action to protect the turtles by selling Mary River Turtle chocolates. In establishing a community partnership with Tiaro and District Land Care Australia, our proceeds assisted further research and rehabilitation of the Mary River Turtle.
Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 4 to 6 students with a range of impairments including vision, physical, intellectual, multiple, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour), Down syndrome.
While on a visit to the ambulance station, and listening to the ambulance officer tell us about the best way to wrap a bandage, a student 'plays the game' of being bitten by a snake. (He suggested this (snakebite) because no mention of specific reasons for using a bandage was mention previously). The student allowed the ambulance officer to wrap his arm in the bandage the way you would if you were actually bitten.
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Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including physical, intellectual, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour).
For rich task no. 9: 6, Opinion-making Oracy, students looked at local/state newspapers each week to develop their opinions about what happens in the world around them. After looking at a range of news items, students choose one article of interest to them and analysed it using a question sheet. One student developed an interest in the Iraq War and as a direct result of this unit, wrote to the prime minister expressing her concerns about the war.
Students are presented with specific practical, real or hypothetical problems to solve. Problems are defined as having no single correct solution requiring the construction of knowledge by the students.
Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 7 to 9 students with a range of impairments including physical, intellectual, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour).
Students visited a range of buildings (rich task no. 9:3, The Built Environment: Designing a Structure). Using a worksheet with structured questions, students identified the location, style, purpose of the building, material used etc. The students also had to write comments on the buildings regarding the cultural and aesthetic appropriateness of the structure. While visits were restricted to the local area, students researched building structures around the world with the use of the internet and compared cultural and aesthetic differences.
Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 4 to 6 students with a range of impairments including vision, physical, intellectual, multiple, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour), Down syndrome.
Students were paleontologists and had to reconstruct their dinosaur from the many pieces just as they would be found in the ground.
Class context: New Basics curriculum: Multi-age years 4 to 6 students with a range of impairments including vision, physical, intellectual, multiple, ASD, social impairment (challenging behaviour), Down syndrome.
For rich task no. 6:5, Oral Histories and Diverse and Changing Lifestyles, we brainstormed a variety of work roles and we roleplayed those jobs. The activity was primarily to establish a knowledge base if any of those roles but the activity continued to include such things as: while one student is the fireman, another faints, so what does a fireman do in this situation? The students began thinking and suggesting their own problems, which is evident in a students question at the ambulance station. He asked 'What does he (the ambulance officer) do if someone has rang (sic) for him to come, but the front door is locked and they cannot open it for you?'
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