Respond to 3-4 items from the list below that demonstrates your engagement with the concepts and
principles we are learning in this unit. You will need to integrate the relevant ideas and principles
you are learning into your response for each item you select, to appropriately address the issues
and/or questions inherent in the item. Use classroom examples where possible to illustrate your
ideas and understanding.
Item 1 Considering the following statement, reflect on the degree to which nature (genes) and
nurture (the environment) might influence an individual’s sporting ability:
So, you’ve got your father’s blonde hair and your mother’s brown eyes – these are genetic traits. You
and your family are also very good at sport. Is it your genes or your environment that’s responsible
for your sporting ability?
Item 2 Critically review the theoretical perspectives of Piaget, Vygotsky and Information Processing
Theory as presented in the tutorials, and the readings. Choose one of these theories and reflect on
how that theory can be applied to your teaching via a hypothetical classroom example.
Item 3 The development of vision in infancy, including acuity, colour perception, depth perception,
face perception, and object perception, is essential to learning and development across the lifespan.
Our experiences in moving, exploring independently, and manipulating materials contribute to our
visual development. Briefly explain the implications this has for instructional guidance at the early
childhood level, and discuss whether it can also have implications for teaching older children and
students. You might like to include “epigenetics” to further your understanding of the nature/nurture
relationship for this particular item, as this will give you additional insights into how the environment
can affect genetic expression across development.
Item 4: How might scaffolding for the use of Vygotsky’s ZPD need to be differentiated for a student
who experiences generalised anxiety? Describe how you would approach this in relation to your KLA.
Item 5: a) Reflect on student wellbeing – What is wellbeing? Why is it important? What sorts of
things effect it and what are the important wellbeing risk factors?
b) On the basis of these initial reflections, provide a clear example of how the classroom teacher can
promote wellbeing.
Item 6: According to ACARA the Australian Curriculum has ‘personal and social capability’ as a
general capability to be carried out across all learning areas. ACARA, 2017 states that:
Students develop personal and social capability as they learn to understand themselves and others,
and manage their relationships, lives, work and learning more effectively….
Provide a theoretical analysis of why this statement is so relevant in classrooms and schools.
Criteria
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant core concepts, principles, and practices
2. Demonstrate how theories that inform learning and development are implemented in learning
and teaching contexts
3. Demonstrates the use of compelling statements and arguments to support a point of view.
4. Applies correct referencing when citing authors and listing references.
