Billanook Reflective Journal:

Day 1 Monday 28
th
April 2014

8am: Meeting with Candice Rulach with Billanook documents

8.20am: Staff meeting introduced to staff

8.40am: Home group with Gayle Mackenzie

8.55am: Year 12 Business Management with Gayle Mackenzie
Operations Management Function Area of Study 3 (VCE)
Class of approx. 8 students
Self-motivated study where teacher acts as a guide/support
Students allowed headphones/iphones/laptops in class
Student got SAC practice back
Teacher helping individual students on specific questions eg. Lead time, logistics, vocabulary
Working through VCE study plan individually reading content etc
Seating arrangement: teacher up the from, but walks around. Students sit in a group facing each other

10.10am: Morning tea

10.30am: Year 12 Accounting with Gayle Mackenzie
Area of Study 3 Accounting Study Design (VCE)
Same to Business Management self-motivated study
students working through passed SAC questions and working at there own pace
eg depreciation, straight-line method etc
Class size of approx. 11 (4 international students working separately with international support staff
member)
Self-motivated study through textbook working towards SAC.
o Gayle wants me to prepare a powerpoint for next Monday introducing Cash Flow Statements
Chapter 12

11.50am: Assembly time House musicals rehearsal

2.00pm: Year 12 Legal Studies with Candice Rulach
Handing back of SAC papers and briefly going through each question with feedback
Bigger classroom than Accounting/Business Management
Students facing the front, rather than in groups
In Unit 3, Area of Study 3 Roles of the Court (new topic today) 3 weeks on this topic
o Victoria Court Hierarchy
o The role of the courts is to interpret legislation and create law through setting precedents
o Parliament makes legislation, courts make
o Operation of Doctrine of Precedent
The common law principle by which the decisions of courts higher in the hierarchy, are
binding upon courts in the same hierarchy where the material facts are similar.
A precedent will be considered persuasive if the facts are similar, but the decision was made
by another court hierarchy or by a court at the same level or below in the same hierarchy
o Latin Terms:
Ratio Decidendi: reason for deciding (binding part of a precedent)
Obiter Dictum: statements made by the way
Stare Decisis: Stand by the decision
Ex Post Facto: After the act or omission took place.
Ejusdem Generis: Of the same kind
Inter Partes: the decision as to which party wins the case
o PROBES: Persuasive, Ratio Decidendi, Obiter Dictum, Binding, Ejusdem Generis, Stare Decisis

Day 2: Tuesday 29
th
April 2014

8.40am: Walling home group with Paul and Denise

8.55am: Year 7 English with Kat Davies
Start class with quite reading for 20 minutes
Large class of 24 pupils all sitting in small groups
Working on narrative/story telling feedback from writing task. Things they need to work on:
o Punctuation, tenses, first and third person, narrative structure, no padding, conclusion on and then I
woke up, or it was just a dream
o SP = spelling, G = grammar, WC = word choice
Students are asked to fix two sentences that were incorrect/needed fixing within the story and swap with the
person next to them so make sure it was done correctly.
All stories are written and amended electronically on ipads
Need to proof read before submitting work
Students get out their opinion homework about animals in entertainment eg circus
o For or against activity
Brainstorm as many persuasive techniques as you can think of:
o Evidence personal experience, statistics, facts, examples
o Emotive language tries to get the reader to feels rather than think
o Strong language/word choices
o Rhetorical questions a question that doesnt require an answer because it is so obvious
o Humour jokes, pun, sarcasm
o Exaggeration (hyperbole)
o Connotations positive and negative
o Adjectives
o Appeals
o Metaphors and similes
Particular students a little distracted by ipads eg asking siri questions, looking at funny photos

10.30am: Year 12 Legal Studies with Candice Rulach
Case law/common law/judge-made law
Quite a didactic classroom
Donaghue v Stevenson 1932 an example of creating precedent
o Tort of negligence
o Manufacturers liability
o Neighbour principle
Rulach brought ginger beer in for the class to drink in relation to the case
Elements of a contract:
1. Intention
2. Offer
3. Acceptance
4. Consideration
Elements of Negligence:
1. Duty of care owed
2. Breach of duty of care
3. Damages incurred - monetary, physical, emotional, psychological
Grant v Australian Knitting Mills (1936) example of creating precedent in Australia
Avoiding Precedents
o Reversing: on appeal
o Overruling: on the basis of a different legal principle in a later and separate case in higher court
o Disapproving: in a later case usually a lower court because cant overrule but rights in obiter
dictum that the judge thinks the precedent is wrong (may result in plaintiff/defendant taking it to
higher court for appeal)
o Distinguishing: in a later and separate case where the court draws on some point of difference in
material facts
RODD methods of avoiding precedent

Ideas for lesson plan Legal Studies:
UQ Law Revue videos
Mabo movie clip
Native Title abolishing Terra Nullius
Land Resumptions
Business Law
Dads Family law child kidnapping case
ILAC Issue, Law, Application, Conclusion
Civil Law v Criminal Law On the balance of probability v Beyond reasonable doubt (year 11s know
thisassuming year 12s know this too then)

11.50am: Year 11 Accounting with Rory OHagan
Activity 7.11 Bank Reconciliations picking up discrepancies in a textbook example
Step 1: Compare Cash Receipts Journal to Credits
Step 2: Compare Cash Payment Journal to Debits
Step 3: Amend Cash Receipts Journal for Credits missed on Bank Statement
Step 4: Amend Cash Payments Journal for Debits missed on Bank Statement
Activity 7.12 for homework Bank Reconciliations

2.00pm: Year 11 Legal Studies with Candice Rulach
Unit 1, AOS 3 The Criminal Courtroom
Rulach gave out a hand-out made on Wordall which creates a diagram of words from a newspaper article
(more frequently used words are larger/bolder than smaller, less frequently used words) Class needs to try
and decipher what the article is about
Bodies in Barrel Case:
o Location: Snowtown, SA, Aus (1992-1999)
o Victim: 11, maybe 12
o Defendant(s):
1. Vlassakis
2. John Bunting (Ring Leader)
3. Wagner
o Crime: 12?? Murders, torture, sexual assault
o Turned into a Movie called The Snowtown Murders
Revision: Victoria Court Hierarchy
Rulach asked a student who would go to the Koori Court he responded derogatorily saying, you would
wouldnt you? Rulach acted professionally laughing it off and saying you probably shouldnt be making
racist remarks in a legal studies class.
Didactic class whereby Rulach prepared a theoretical Powerpoint slide and the student dictate what is on the
powerpoint either by hand or on their laptops Rulach talks most of the lesson explaining the powerpoint
slides
Adversary System: a system of trial where opposing parties present a case before an impartial adjudicator
o Based on a notion of winning
Rulach uses a lot of visuals/pictures to help describe what she is saying. Eg Boxing ring signifying Adversary
System whereby there is always a winner and a loser
Prosecution (criminal)/Plaintiff (civil) v Defendant
Rules of Evidence:
o Hearsay Evidence: A witness can only repeat what they know or heard directly, not what a third party
told them
o Opinion Evidence: Witnesses cannot give their personal opinion in court. Unless they are deemed by
the court to be an expert in a particular field
o Prior Convictions: Past convictions of the defendant cannot be discussed during trial. Prior
convictions maybe taken into account during sentencing if found guilty of a crime
o Propensity Evidence: is evidence that shows that a person has the tendency to behave in a certain
way. This type of evidence may be used in trial
o Privileged Information: can generally not be given without the consent of the parties. For example,
information shared between a:
Wife and husband
Doctor and patient
Confessions given to clerics
o Role of Parties, Role of Judge, Rules of Evidence and Procedure, Role of Legal Reps, Standard and
Burden of Proof in Adversary System
Criminal Trial:
Standard of Proof: Beyond reasonable doubt
Burden of Proof: Lies with Prosecution
Civil Trial:
Standard of Proof: Balance of Probabilities
Burden of Proof: Lies with Plaintiff


Away sick Wednesday and Thursday

Day 5: Friday 2 May 2014

Year 11 Legal: Finished Adversary System and finishing extended writing task.

Away sick all week

Monday 12 May 2014
Year 12 Legal: The relationship between Courts and Parliament
o Abrogate = Cancel
o Codify = Agree with
Murrell Case (1836)
o Court held that aboriginal culture had no formal legal structure
Gove Land Rights Case (1971) After 1967 referendum whereby Aboriginals were recognised as citizens
o Court held aboriginal culture did have a legal system. Native Title only exists if a continuous
relationship with the land be determined
Mabo Case (1982)
o Sparked Native Title Act
o Example of Parliament codifying decision made in Mabo (can only claim native title on Crown Land).
Searle v Wallbank (1947 UK)
o Farmers have no responsibility to maintain fencing
o Example of abrogate
Brisbane v Cross (1979 Vic)
o Used UK case as persuasive
Trigwell Case (1979 SA)
o Aus example of parliament abrogating a common law principle

Tuesday 13 May 2014:
Year 12 Legal: 10 Mark question
o Law making by the courts is often regarded as unimportant, but is nonetheless vital to a cohesive
society. As Parliament cannot be relied upon to make laws that reflect common values therefore their
cooperation with each other is paramount
Year 11/12 VCE Production: The Crucible

Wednesday 14 May 2014:
Year 10 Drama: beginning stages of devising ensemble performance related to Hope
Sports at Goodlife

Thursday 15 May 2014:
Year 11 Legal: Started teaching
o Marked role
o Watched 12 Angry Men and worksheet
Year 10 PEARS:
o Take a Stand task
o Helping groups formulate ideas, create action plans and start report/presentation
Year 12 legal: Students getting up to date with homework, VCAA questions, SAC prep

Friday 16 May 2014:
Read daily notices in home group
Year 11 Legal: Rest of 12 Angry Men movie + worksheet completion
Year 10 Drama:
o Various ensemble/impulse activities
o Sculpture creative process for performance on Hope

Saturday 17 May 2014 & Sunday 18 May 2014:
Year 11 Legal: Marking 12 Angry Men worksheets
Setting Practice and real SAC for Unit 1 AOS 3 The Criminal Courtroom
VCAA question and solution prep for Year 11 and 12 legal
Year 10 Drama prep

Monday 19 May 2014:
Home group: Daily notices
Year 10 Drama:
o Song to loosen up
o Friend/enemy activity
o HA HO vocal exercise
o King King One One activity
o Structure for devised performance
Homework: finish structure and find monologues for Wednesday