Choose three (3) of the six (6) educational scenarios below and respond to the specific questions for each scenario in essay format; no bullet points.
You will refer explicitly to content covered in this unit. As a minimum, you are required to reference your set or essential textbook and at least two (2) additional sources for each (mini) essay. The additional sources must be academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, not Internet sites.
Give each scenario an appropriate title. You must include relevant professional services that can be utilised in responding to student needs. These may include speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, community elders and so forth. You may use first person point of view in your responses, however, any statements you make must be supported by references.
There are three parts to this assessment or three separate essays on different topics, each worth 15 marks (the remaining 15 marks are allocated to academic writing and referencing). You must complete all parts in order for your assessment to be considered submitted. Your submission will not be assessed if parts are missing.
Scenario 1:
Hannah and Amelia are in year 8. Both students want to do well in school, however, Hannah is very concerned about her performance in school, or receiving “high marks”, while Amelia gets very frustrated if she has difficulty understanding a concept, or working towards mastery of a subject.
What does the research on student motivation suggest about the different ways these two students approach their work? What can the teacher do to support both of the students and help them do their best, both now and in the future? Provide at least two specific examples of effective teacher support.
Scenario 2:
Marc is a Year 3 student with Downs Syndrome. His parents recently moved to a new suburb and with this came a change in schools. Marc’s new teacher was told by the school principal that because Marc’s parents insisted that he be included in the regular education class, he would be attending the year 3 class, but it wasn’t expected that he would do well. Rather, it was important that Marc was happy and doesn’t disrupt the class. What do you think the teacher’s response should be? Consider the moral and legal considerations of this situation and the research on methods for inclusive education.
Scenario 3:
You are an educator in early childhood setting. During an open house evening, two parents are discussing the importance of friendship development. One parent is adamant that his child is “here to learn, not make friends”, while the other is concerned because her child is very shy, and she wants her to develop more pro-social skills. Using the research on connections of cognitive and social development as the basis of your response, how would you address the concerns of both parents? Include at least two appropriate, research-based examples of educational activities to support both cognitive and social development.
Scenario 4:
In a high school that you teach in, there is a high rate of absenteeism. At a staff meeting, the principal tells all the staff that most of the absences are from a small group of students (about 20%) and appoints a committee of the teachers to develop a plan to decrease absences and increase student attendance. Design a plan, based on behavioural principles, and focusing on the strengths of the students, which would increase student attendance but also improve student morale. Include a method of assessing the plan to see if both goals are met after 2 school terms.
Scenario 5:
In your primary school classroom, your student, Angela, has always been a cheerful, highly engaged student who received good marks. However, over the past 3 weeks, she has begun to act out, arguing with other students, until finally today she punched a classmate. In addition, she often does not complete her work or completes it poorly. You have tried talking to Angela, however, she either cries or becomes very defensive and refuses to talk. Your attempts to contact her parents have been unsuccessful. Describe different strategies that you could attempt to help Angela, both within the classroom, and following school protocols. Be specific.
Scenario 6:
Tomas has just arrived mid-year as a Year 9 student at the high school where you teach. He has immigrated as a refugee with his parents from a country that is experiencing civil war. Tomas and his family have spent the past 6 months in a refugee camp. His English is poor, he is very quiet and interacts little with the other students. You worry that he might be vulnerable to bullying because of his differences from the other students. Discuss what you could do to help Tomas adjust and be successful academically. Include at least three research-based strategies that focus on (1) classroom climate, (2) Tomas’ individual strengths and (3) culture/community connections which you could implement to support Tomas.
Assessment Criteria:
Your work will be assessed in accordance with how well you are able to:
l provide specific information for each chosen scenario
l demonstrate a clear understanding of both the relevant developmental theory and practical,
research-based applications for the classroom environment
l write in a clear, academic tone, incorporating key references and using accurate APA(6) referencing
conventions
Textbook: Duchesne, Sue, and Anne McMaugh. Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching, Cengage, 2018.