Activities:
Tip: Answer these questions on your own before checking the answers provided on this web site.
Question 1: What are the barriers for developing communication skills?
Question 2: List the five important things that you would include in your ‘portfolio’ as a pre-service teacher.
Question 3: What are some of the benefits of understanding the needs of learners within the various phases of learning?
Question 4:
Do you believe in catering for the emotional, social, physical and intellectual development of students?
If you do Then you must also believe that students should have learning opportunities appropriate to their social, emotional, physical or intellectual development.
Then you will ......
Question 5: Adolescent brains differ from adult brains, neurochemically and anatomically, and in terms of activity levels. A number of dramatic changes begin to occur in the brain in early adolescence. What is the resolution for this challenge?
Question 6: Middle school students often display poor cognitive performance in situations such as timed examinations. What strategies would you use for their cognitive development?
Question 7: Do you believe in assessment and evaluation?
If you do You must also believe that your effectiveness as a teacher should be continually evaluated.
Then you will.....
Question 8: Do you believe student is a unique individual living in a unique environment?
If you do You must also believe that students should be accepted as people in their own right.
Then you will.....
Question 9: Do you believe in involving parents in the school community?
If you do You must also believe that the influences of home and school should be in harmony
Then you will.....
Question 10: Do you believe in students developing a realistic self-concept?
If you do You must also believe that students should develop the confidence to make choices and be adaptable
Then you will......
Question 11: Do you believe in helping students develop communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with others?
If you do You must also believe that the development of skills in all forms of communication should be an important aim
Then you will.....
Question 12: Do you believe in students being actively involved in their learning?
If you do You must also believe students should interact with their environment, both natural and man-made.
Then you will.....
Question 13: Where are you now in your professional development? Write specific statements that could be included in your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) in the professional strengths and professional challenges resource.
Question 14: Research shows that middle year learners are disengaged? How will you engage them in learning activities?
Question 15: How will you make lessons relevant and meaningful for middle phase students?
Question 16: Aristotle described young people as passionate, irascible, and apt to be carried away by their impulses (Larson & Lampman-Petraitis, 1989, as cited in Knipe, 2007, p. 106). How would you deal with this situation?
Question 17: Research shows that middle year student’s school retention rate is low (Education and Training Reforms for the Future, 2002). What is the role of teacher in assisting students to develop positive attitudes and perceptions towards learning?
Question 18: Young adolescents crave the attention and response of others (Ewing et al., 2010, p. 191). What is the most effective strategy to address this objective?
Question 19: What is the benefit of journals with metacognitive reflection strategy?
Question 20: Young adolescents go through tremendous brain growth and development at different times and progress through it at different rates (Lorain, n.d.). What strategies can help students to learn regardless of their designated differences?
Question 21: Young adolescents have a low threshold for boredom (Pickhardt, 2012). How will you design learning experiences suitable for young adolescents?
Question 22: What are the benefits of interactive on-line activities for young adolescents?
Question 23: How will you help students who have developed negative disposition and fear towards a particular subject?
Question 24: Young adolescents often exhibit disruptive behaviour and rebelliousness towards control (Coil, 2003, p. 38). How will you manage this behaviour?
Question 25: What are the advantages of small group activities in the middle phase of schooling?
Question 26: Teens may suffer dips in their self-esteem and have tremendous anxiety over their looks, schoolwork and friendships, etc. (King, 2002). How will you help them to develop self-confidence?
Question 27: Research shows that goals for middle school learning is more oriented towards using their minds to think critically and less about mastering basic skills (Braggett, 1997). List few teaching strategies that would help students to accomplish this goal?
Question 28: How will you induce energy within the middle phase of students to improve their academic learning?
Question 29: Research revealed that middle phase students possess inadequate listening skills (Braggett, 1997, p. 74). How will you enable students to improve their listening skills?
Question 30: Many middle school students do not know ‘how to learn’ on their own (Kiddey & Robson, 2004). How will you help them in learning how to learn?
Question 31: How online collaborative learning mechanism helps students to succeed academically and beyond?
Question 32: Why podcasts, blogs, wikis, glogster, prezi, interactive quizzes and educational games are becoming popular in 21st century classrooms?
Question 33: Why lifelong learning is important?
Exploratory activities:
Question 1: Consider the curriculum continuum within one of your teaching areas between Year 8 to Year 12. After viewing the relevant curriculum documents from the QSA, outline the curriculum documents you will need to be aware of
Question 2: What are different learning theories? Which learning theory is best?
References:
Braggett, E. (1997). The Middle years of schooling: An Australian perspective. Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Coil, C. (2003). Surviving the middle years: strategies for student engagement, growth & learning. Victoria, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Education and Training Reforms for the Future. (2002). Queensland the Smart State: Education and Training Reforms for the Future. Retrieved from http://deta.qld.gov.au/corporate/pdf/etrf-whitepaper.pdf
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional experiences. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Kiddey, P., & Robson, G. (2004). Make their heads spin: Improving learning in the middle years. Victoria, Australia: Curriculum Corporation.
King, R.A. (2002). Adolescence. In M, Lewis (Ed.) Child and adolescent psychiatry: A comprehensive textbook (pp.332-42). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Knipe, S. (2007). Middle years schooling: Reframing adolescence. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Lorain, P. (n.d.). Brain development in young adolescents. Good news for middle school teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm
Pickhardt, C. (2012). Psychology today: Surviving (your child's) adolescence. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201208/aspects-adolescent-boredom
Tip: Answer these questions on your own before checking the answers provided on this web site.
Question 1: What are the barriers for developing communication skills?
Question 2: List the five important things that you would include in your ‘portfolio’ as a pre-service teacher.
Question 3: What are some of the benefits of understanding the needs of learners within the various phases of learning?
Question 4:
Do you believe in catering for the emotional, social, physical and intellectual development of students?
If you do Then you must also believe that students should have learning opportunities appropriate to their social, emotional, physical or intellectual development.
Then you will ......
Question 5: Adolescent brains differ from adult brains, neurochemically and anatomically, and in terms of activity levels. A number of dramatic changes begin to occur in the brain in early adolescence. What is the resolution for this challenge?
Question 6: Middle school students often display poor cognitive performance in situations such as timed examinations. What strategies would you use for their cognitive development?
Question 7: Do you believe in assessment and evaluation?
If you do You must also believe that your effectiveness as a teacher should be continually evaluated.
Then you will.....
Question 8: Do you believe student is a unique individual living in a unique environment?
If you do You must also believe that students should be accepted as people in their own right.
Then you will.....
Question 9: Do you believe in involving parents in the school community?
If you do You must also believe that the influences of home and school should be in harmony
Then you will.....
Question 10: Do you believe in students developing a realistic self-concept?
If you do You must also believe that students should develop the confidence to make choices and be adaptable
Then you will......
Question 11: Do you believe in helping students develop communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with others?
If you do You must also believe that the development of skills in all forms of communication should be an important aim
Then you will.....
Question 12: Do you believe in students being actively involved in their learning?
If you do You must also believe students should interact with their environment, both natural and man-made.
Then you will.....
Question 13: Where are you now in your professional development? Write specific statements that could be included in your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) in the professional strengths and professional challenges resource.
Question 14: Research shows that middle year learners are disengaged? How will you engage them in learning activities?
Question 15: How will you make lessons relevant and meaningful for middle phase students?
Question 16: Aristotle described young people as passionate, irascible, and apt to be carried away by their impulses (Larson & Lampman-Petraitis, 1989, as cited in Knipe, 2007, p. 106). How would you deal with this situation?
Question 17: Research shows that middle year student’s school retention rate is low (Education and Training Reforms for the Future, 2002). What is the role of teacher in assisting students to develop positive attitudes and perceptions towards learning?
Question 18: Young adolescents crave the attention and response of others (Ewing et al., 2010, p. 191). What is the most effective strategy to address this objective?
Question 19: What is the benefit of journals with metacognitive reflection strategy?
Question 20: Young adolescents go through tremendous brain growth and development at different times and progress through it at different rates (Lorain, n.d.). What strategies can help students to learn regardless of their designated differences?
Question 21: Young adolescents have a low threshold for boredom (Pickhardt, 2012). How will you design learning experiences suitable for young adolescents?
Question 22: What are the benefits of interactive on-line activities for young adolescents?
Question 23: How will you help students who have developed negative disposition and fear towards a particular subject?
Question 24: Young adolescents often exhibit disruptive behaviour and rebelliousness towards control (Coil, 2003, p. 38). How will you manage this behaviour?
Question 25: What are the advantages of small group activities in the middle phase of schooling?
Question 26: Teens may suffer dips in their self-esteem and have tremendous anxiety over their looks, schoolwork and friendships, etc. (King, 2002). How will you help them to develop self-confidence?
Question 27: Research shows that goals for middle school learning is more oriented towards using their minds to think critically and less about mastering basic skills (Braggett, 1997). List few teaching strategies that would help students to accomplish this goal?
Question 28: How will you induce energy within the middle phase of students to improve their academic learning?
Question 29: Research revealed that middle phase students possess inadequate listening skills (Braggett, 1997, p. 74). How will you enable students to improve their listening skills?
Question 30: Many middle school students do not know ‘how to learn’ on their own (Kiddey & Robson, 2004). How will you help them in learning how to learn?
Question 31: How online collaborative learning mechanism helps students to succeed academically and beyond?
Question 32: Why podcasts, blogs, wikis, glogster, prezi, interactive quizzes and educational games are becoming popular in 21st century classrooms?
Question 33: Why lifelong learning is important?
Exploratory activities:
Question 1: Consider the curriculum continuum within one of your teaching areas between Year 8 to Year 12. After viewing the relevant curriculum documents from the QSA, outline the curriculum documents you will need to be aware of
Question 2: What are different learning theories? Which learning theory is best?
References:
Braggett, E. (1997). The Middle years of schooling: An Australian perspective. Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Coil, C. (2003). Surviving the middle years: strategies for student engagement, growth & learning. Victoria, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Education and Training Reforms for the Future. (2002). Queensland the Smart State: Education and Training Reforms for the Future. Retrieved from http://deta.qld.gov.au/corporate/pdf/etrf-whitepaper.pdf
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional experiences. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Kiddey, P., & Robson, G. (2004). Make their heads spin: Improving learning in the middle years. Victoria, Australia: Curriculum Corporation.
King, R.A. (2002). Adolescence. In M, Lewis (Ed.) Child and adolescent psychiatry: A comprehensive textbook (pp.332-42). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Knipe, S. (2007). Middle years schooling: Reframing adolescence. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Lorain, P. (n.d.). Brain development in young adolescents. Good news for middle school teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm
Pickhardt, C. (2012). Psychology today: Surviving (your child's) adolescence. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201208/aspects-adolescent-boredom