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Professional Development/Portfolio Activities
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1

Kids Will Be Kids
Do children of the same age all think and behave in the same manner? Consider the students whom you hope to teach. Based on your observations of children and the information presented in this chapter, develop a list of characteristics. How do children think? How do they behave? Then make a second list of the ways in which you, as an adult, think and act. Compare the lists and note the differences between how the children and adults cognate. How will you ensure that you are teaching these students in a manner that is appropriate for their cognitive development level?
2

Thinking about Thinking
Understanding how children think is a step toward helping them learn. Make two lists: one of the characteristics of students who are thinking in formal operational ways, and the other of students who are thinking in concrete operational ways. Below the lists of characteristics, note how you might help these students develop better study skills. Use your ideas to write lesson activity plans that aim to help each of these groups develop study skills. Place the lesson activities in your portfolio as examples of your planning for instruction
3

Developing Language Skills
Language development is complex, but it generally follows a natural progression in child development. Recall the sections related to language development in this chapter. What information and ideas did you find that were insightful? How will you use these ideas in your own teaching practice? Create some activities based on these ideas for use with Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5 students. What do the activities have in common and how do they differ?
4

Thinking about Learning
Piaget, Case, and Vygotsky are developmental theorists who presented different perspectives on how children learn. Piaget believed in the personal discovery of ideas. Vygotsky believed in the social discovery of ideas. Case presented elements of both views, in combination with aspects of information-processing theory. Based on your experiences, readings, and reflections, how do you view learning? Is learning an individualized discovery of ideas, is it socially constructed, or is it a combination of both? Write a 500-word essay outlining your views and include it in your portfolio.





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