Unit: Mastering Digital Literacy Skills

Lesson 8 of 9: Reviewing and Refining Digital Projects - Peer Feedback Sessions

Year Level: 10

Duration: 60 minutes

Class Size: 25 students

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Australian Curriculum References

Learning Area: Technologies / Digital Technologies

• AC9TDE10P04: Develop design criteria independently including sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions.
• AC9TDE10P03: Select, justify, test and use suitable technologies, skills and processes, and apply safety procedures to safely make designed solutions.
• VCAL Literacies and Collaboration: Emphasised across activities by applying peer feedback to improve project outcomes.

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Provide constructive, specific, and respectful feedback to peers on digital projects in line with agreed criteria (AC9TDE10P04).
• Critically reflect on peer feedback and use it to refine and improve their digital projects (AC9TDE10P03).
• Demonstrate collaborative skills by engaging actively and respectfully in peer review discussions.
• Apply digital literacy skills to assess project effectiveness, usability, and design quality, including technical and aesthetic aspects.
• Incorporate sustainability and ethical considerations in peer evaluations where relevant.

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Lesson Structure

Activity	Approx. Time	Description
1. Introduction & Purpose Review	10 minutes	Brief recap of unit focus: Digital projects created and design criteria developed previously. Introduce peer feedback purpose, guidelines, and criteria. Emphasise respectful, constructive dialogue and focus on improvement. Students are reminded of their flexible learning context and encouraged to ask clarifying questions.
2. Peer Feedback Training	10 minutes	Mini-workshop in pairs: Given example project excerpts, students practice giving specific, actionable feedback using the “Two Stars and a Wish” approach (2 positives, 1 suggestion for improvement). Teacher models examples, scaffolds language for clarity and kindness to support learners who may find articulating feedback challenging.
3. Peer Review Sessions	25 minutes	In small groups of 5 (5 groups total), students present their digital projects for peer review. Each student receives feedback based on agreed criteria including: usability, design clarity, digital tool use, creativity, and sustainability considerations. Group members use structured feedback forms. Teacher circulates to support flexibility in pacing and scaffold extra help.
4. Reflection & Refinement Plan	10 minutes	Students individually reflect on the feedback received, identify key strengths and areas for improvement. Write a brief refinement plan outlining specific changes they will make before final submission. Offer sentence starters and visual organisers to support student expression.
5. Lesson Conclusion	5 minutes	Whole class debrief: Discuss how giving and receiving feedback helps improve digital literacy skills and projects. Emphasise growth mindset, collaborative learning, and value of iteration in digital design. Teacher reinforces key learning objectives and prepares students for the final project submission in Lesson 9.

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Detailed Activities and Teacher Support

1. Introduction & Purpose Review

• Recap essential learning from prior lessons on digital projects and criteria from the unit “Mastering Digital Literacy Skills”.
• Establish norms for peer feedback: respect, clarity, constructive language, focus on the project rather than the individual.
• Introduce the feedback criteria linked clearly to AC9TDE10P04: Functionality, Usability, Creativity, Sustainability, Technical skill.

2. Peer Feedback Training

• Use models to scaffold feedback: “I liked...”, “I noticed...”, “I think it would be better if...”
• Support scaffolded language for diverse learners, including sentence starters and prompts.
• Model and rehearse with a short extracted example from a previous digital project (teacher-prepared).
• Emphasise that feedback is a tool for improvement, not just evaluation.

3. Peer Review Sessions

• Organise students in small groups to foster safe, flexible learning environments.
• Ensure students have printed or digital copies of peer projects or project presentations ready.
• Circulate to monitor group dynamics and provide one-on-one support for any students needing help to understand or articulate feedback.
• Provide written feedback forms that directly refer to the design criteria and digital literacy expectations.

4. Reflection & Refinement Plan

• Support students to analyse feedback and identify actionable improvements.
• Provide graphic organisers for planning refinement (e.g., What I will change, How I will change it, Why the change is important).
• Encourage students to consider sustainability or ethical implications in their amendments.

5. Lesson Conclusion

• Facilitate a brief whole-class discussion on the value of peer feedback.
• Reinforce growth mindset language and iterative design principles as aligned with Australian Curriculum general capabilities.
• Preview next lesson’s focus on finalising projects and assessment.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation during peer review sessions and review of written feedback provided by students.
• Reflection & refinement plans collected and reviewed by teacher to gauge student understanding and responsiveness to feedback.
• Anecdotal notes from teacher on student engagement and collaboration skills for reporting and individual support plans.

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Resources and Supports

• Project presentations or digital artefacts (student projects from previous lessons).
• Peer feedback form template with clear criteria linked to Australian Curriculum standards.
• Sentence starters and scaffolds to support articulation of feedback.
• Graphic organiser templates for reflection and refinement planning.
• Flexible grouping to support diverse learners and extra scaffolding as needed.

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Differentiation for Flexible Learning

• Provide multiple modes for students to give feedback: oral, written, or recorded audio/video comments.
• Allow extra time or breaks for students who need it during peer review sessions.
• Offer direct teacher or aide support for feedback articulation and project interpretation.
• Use clear, accessible language and visual aids for all instructions and support materials.
• Encourage peer support buddies within groups to promote confidence and understanding.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts

• Were students able to provide and receive constructive feedback aligned with criteria?
• Which strategies best supported students who needed extra help?
• How did peer feedback influence students’ refinement plans?
• What adjustments are needed to improve peer feedback sessions in future?

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This lesson plan aligns closely with the Australian Curriculum v9 for Year 10 Technologies, especially content codes AC9TDE10P03 and AC9TDE10P04 which emphasise independently developing design criteria, evaluating solutions, and applying collaborative design processes. It incorporates scaffolded peer feedback practice to meet the needs of a flexible learning environment, encouraging iterative digital project refinement grounded in collaboration and critical reflection.