Understanding Theories of Teaching, Learning & Development

EDU60017:  Understanding Theories of Teaching, Learning & Development

Assessment 3: Case study response

Word limit: 2000 (+/- 10%) Weighting : 40%

Assessment overview

This final assessment builds on Assessment 2, in which you began to consider the influence of developmental factors in teaching practice, by providing further opportunity for you to apply your knowledge of childhood development in a realistic classroom  situation. By responding to a case study, you will demonstrate your understanding of the intellectual, physical, language, emotional, moral, social and psychological  development of children,  as well as your ability to identify learning and teaching approaches  that cater to developmental needs.

This task is assessing your ability to demonstrate that you meet the criteria for the following unit learning  outcomes:

4. Demonstrate and communicate knowledge and understanding of the intellectual, physical, language, emotional, moral, social and psychological development of children and young people in contemporary society and how these may affect learning.

Assessment details

You are required to respond  to the following case study:

Robert, a 9-year-old boy, recently moved with his family to a new academically rigorous school. The school he now attends is an International School, which has a new curriculum following the International Baccalaureate program. Robert’s mother and father are both school teachers there. He also has a younger sister who attends the school who is age 6.

During the first few weeks of the school year, Robert’s classroom teacher said he was quiet and was not making an effort to seek friendships.  At lunchtime he spent his time sitting watching the other Grade 4 boys play four-square but never joined in. He rarely contributed to classroom conversations and only spoke when asked to respond to questions.

An early term classroom report from his teacher noted that he was struggling with his writing and reading.  His teacher was asking for more support from the learning resources unit to help him along with his writing. Robert was also having difficulty with mathematics – he was able to classify objects in to coherent categories using physical objects, but when it came to abstract reasoning, his confidence and skills were diminished.

During PE, it was noted that he had very good hand-eye co-ordination  and significant running pace on the field.  He has participated to a high standard, particularly in non-competitive sports. He has started co-curricular activities this term, including squash and drama.  Next term, he has been encouraged to start a musical instrument and join in a team sport.

Your case study response should contain the following sections:

1. An introduction, which provides an overview of the material that follows.
2. A description of the different areas of development: cognitive, physical, language, emotional, moral, social and psychological development.
3. An explanation of how each of these areas is impacting on the learner in this case.
4. Examples of practical teaching strategies that will support the developmental needs of the learner, including an explanation of why these strategies have been selected.
5. A conclusion that summarises the key features of your response.

Any statements you make must be supported by relevant literature. All sources must be appropriately referenced using APA conventions, including in-text citations and a reference  list (which is not included in the word count and must start on a separate page).

Additional Files:

EDU60017_-Assessment-3.pdf