Part 1
The case study simulates a teacher’s experience of working with diverse gifted students in a regular classroom. It is written as a sequence of events and information over a period of time to simulate the way a teacher is acquainted with their class and gradually finds out about their students over time and with thoughtful purpose.
You, as the teacher Mrs Lipman, in collaboration with your topic colleagues, will consider the questions arising in the case notes and discuss your responses. This will document your ideas about the students and the teacher’s response. There are opportunities here for you to read the literature about the issues raised to help inform your ideas and responses.
PART 2
Readings review & critical reflection (approximately 1500 words)
There will be a discussion thread on for each student. (willSign up to research one student) and use the thread for that student to discuss, share research findings and critically reflect on the behaviours, needs and provisions for this student.
There are 3 aspects to this assignment
• Discussing your student, their needs and possible provisions with your collaborators in a Internet discussion forum. There will be a sign-up sheet on Internet for you to select one of the 8 gifted students in the case study for further investigation. You and a partner will take on the role of Mrs Lipman, and discuss on Internet that student’s characteristics, behaviours and consider their learning needs.
• Completing a review of 2 readings that explore the theories and implications for teaching that relate to your student’s specific needs. Use the 3 column critical reflection format and post this on Internet Each person who is researching a particular student will read 2 (different) papers that help to inform knowledge about the issue, student needs and appropriate provisions. The review will be posted to the discussion forum for their student (approximately 500 words, NGP).
• Writing an individual critical reflection to submit on internet (approx. 1000 words) Using all the information from the case notes, the discussions, and the literature review, critically reflect on what you have learned. Your critical reflection will address the following questions:
* What is this student’s affective issue of most concern and how is it defined or explained in the literature and evidenced in the case study?
* Why might this student experience difficulties at school and in general?
* How might you (as Mrs Lipman) address this student’s needs within the regular classroom?
In conclusion, you may wish to reflect on what this PBL assignment has taught you about yourself, your beliefs and your approach to teaching.
Explanation of the 3 column approach to reviewing the readings:
Eliciting important ideas and impressions from reading the literature involves more than simply summarising what was written (particularly at Postgraduate level). Much of our knowledge is acquired through reading, so it is important to get the most out of the readings as possible by focusing on a range of different questions.
By writing these ideas in this way,
– you are more likely to learn and remember the content of what you have read
– you will build a useful ‘library’ of reference notes that you may well come back to in other contexts
– your reactions to what you are reading are captured in the moment
– the process will provide useful insights when it comes to writing your assignments
You may need to read the article a few times – once for meaning and general impressions and secondly for deeper interpretation of ideas, meaning, perspective…
