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Brenton Hawken 11538282 Due date: Monday 1st August 2016

EED308 Assessment 1: Spoken Critical Reflection Value: 15%

EED308: Adolescence and learning

Assessment 1

Spoken Critical Reflection

Brenton Hawken
11538282

Word Count:

Due Date: Monday 8th August 2016

Q3) A huge proportion of unwelcome behaviours can be


traced to a problem with what students are being asked to
learn Student engagement and classroom discipline, do
teachers have any influence?
Brenton Hawken 11538282 Due date: Monday 1st August 2016
EED308 Assessment 1: Spoken Critical Reflection Value: 15%

I support the statement: A huge proportion of unwelcome behaviours can be traced to a


problem with what students are being asked to learn.

For teachers to be able to successfully navigate unwelcome behaviours and engage students
in the classroom, they need to understand and be able to apply the major theories of learning
and development. McDevitt argues, teachers must engage in developmentally appropriate
practices adapted to age, characteristics and the developmental progress of adolescents. By
examining the work of leading cognitive development theorists Piaget and Vygotsky,
teachers can better understand how their students learn and adapt their teaching methods
accordingly. According to Piagets theory, adolescents are motivated to understand their
world because doing so is biologically adaptive. Adolescents actively construct their own
cognitive worlds through organising experiences. This is achieved by using schemas, defined
by Santrock as a mental framework that is useful in organising and interpreting information.
It is important that high school teachers make learning relevant to the student, increasing
motivation to participate in class activities and engage in the content being delivered. If
students see a purpose to what they are learning, they are more likely to be engaged in the
work and as a result, classroom behaviour will be postitive. Piagets fourth stage of
development, the formal operations stage, strongly relates to adolescents. Beginning at 11
years of age and lasting through to adulthood, this stage is characterised by abstract, idealistic
and logical thought. According to Blake and Pope, as teachers develop a better understanding
of their students thinking, they can align their teaching strategies with their students
cognitive level, which increases student engagement and improves classroom management.

Vygotskys theory emphasises that cognitive development is essentially a social progress. He


viewed knowledge as situated and collaborative. Santrock identifies the the zone of proximal
development as one of Vygotskys most important concepts. This refers to the range of tasks
that are too difficult for an individual to master alone, but can be mastered with the guidance
and assistance of adults or more-skilled peers. Teachers should explain, model, and use
guided practice in the classroom, as by modelling what they want their students to do,
students will be better able to work through their assigned tasks. In a high school context, the
use of scaffolding would be an example of Vygotskys theory. For example, in a geography
class, students are asked to take notes during the teachers explanation. The students are
given a detailed outline so they can use this to organise their notes. Scaffolding is a tactic for
Brenton Hawken 11538282 Due date: Monday 1st August 2016
EED308 Assessment 1: Spoken Critical Reflection Value: 15%
helping the individual in his or her zone of proximal development in which the adult provides
hints and prompts at different levels. In scaffolding, the adult does not simplify the task, but
the role of the learner is simplified through the graduated intervention of the teacher.

There are two contemporary approaches to student learning. According to Santrock, the
constructivist approach is a learner-centered approach that emphasizes the adolescents active,
cognitive construction of knowledge and understanding with guidance from the teacher.
Students should be encouraged to explore their world, discover knowledge, reflect and think
critically with careful monitoring and meaninigful guidance from the teacher. Santock
describes the second approach, direct instruction, as a teacher-centered approach
characterised by teacher direction and control. Adovates of the constructivist approach argue
that direct instruction turns students into passive learners and does not adequaletly challenge
them to think in critical and challenging ways. This can impact on classroom management, as
disengaged students will lack the motivation to learn and paticipate in class. Direct
instruction enthusiasts say the constructivist approach does not give enough attention to the
content of a discipline. This can also affect classroom management as if the students cannot
see a purpose for what they are learning, they will become distracted and unmotivated.
Evidence based strategies can be used to promote learning and address classroom
management. These strategies include: constructivist learning (where there is emphasis on
collaboration, students working with each other), co-operative learning (where students work
in small teams of different ability levels, using a variety of learning activities), project-based
learning (where students gain knowledge and skills by working to investigate and respond to
an engaging and complex question or problem) and discovery learning (an inquiry-based
theory that takes place in problem solving situations). Effective teachers integrate both
approaches into their teaching methods, along with evidence based strategies to promote
learning, engage students and adress adolescent issues.

Social and ethical behaviour greatly improves motivation and higher order thinking amongst
adolescents. According to Clarke and Pittaway, there are many factors responsible for
students behaviours, some of which can be influenced by the activities of the teacher. How
the teacher plans and delivers a lesson has a great impact on social and ethical behaviour as
well as engagement and motivation of students. Social behaviour relates to how an individual
interacts with others around them. Ethical behaviour consists of students acting in a way in
which society and individuals typically think are good values. Teachers can influence both
Brenton Hawken 11538282 Due date: Monday 1st August 2016
EED308 Assessment 1: Spoken Critical Reflection Value: 15%
social and ethical behaviour by planning challenging courses with learning objectives and
activities appropriate to students levels and abilities, by creating assignments that encourage
learning, and by demonstrating and modelling social and ethical behaviour in the classroom.
Motivation is a force that strongly effects and directs adolescent behaviour, and by
understanding the different motivational needs of students, teachers can better provide
classroom environments that are more effective for student learning. Teachers who are
enthusiastic about their subject, who set goals that are meaningful, realistic and achievable,
and who use a number of strategies to develop and maintain a positive social and
psychological climate in the classroom, will best motivate students. Adolescents need to
engage in higher levels of thinking to reach their fullest potential. According to Santrock,
higher order thinking involves thinking reflectively and productively and evaluating the
evidence. This includes asking not only what happened, but how and why; examining
supposed facts to determine whether there is evidence to support them.
Brenton Hawken 11538282 Due date: Monday 1st August 2016
EED308 Assessment 1: Spoken Critical Reflection Value: 15%

References
Blake , B., & Pope, T. (2008, May). Developmental Psychology: Incorporating Piagets and
Vygotskys Theories in the classroom. Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in
Education, 1, pp. 59-67.

Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh's becomming a teacher. Frenchs Forest: Pearson
Australia.

McDevitt, T., Ormrod, J., Cupit, G., Chandler, M., & Aloa, V. (2013). Child development
and education. Sydney: Pearson Australia.

Santrock, J. W. (2016). Adolescence (16th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Education.

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