Pedagogy Assignments

Assignment 1. Teaching Dilemma

As a transformative educator, you will be asked to make many decisions throughout the course of a day. Becoming a responsive decision-maker requires thoughtful, critical, and reflective analysis of the decision making process. In this journal, you are asked to examine a teaching dilemma. A teaching dilemma, like a critical incident, highlights a moment in instruction where an educator makes a decision. However, a teaching dilemma is morally, ethically, or otherwise ambiguous. There may not be a correct or incorrect response to a teaching dilemma, only multiple perspectives or points of view that inform actions. For example, schools have a limited budget: this creates a dilemma around how to spend funds. One school may invest in teacher assistants, and another in one to one technology. A teacher has a limited amount of time to teach: this creates a dilemma around how to use that time between whole class, small group, and one on one instruction. Other examples include how to use a scripted curriculum, prepare students for mandated tests, create a technology usage policy, or enforce a school wide tardy policy. Read the following case study that is appropriate for your level of Certification, and then follow the directions at the bottom of the assignment.

MIDDLE CASE STUDY:

Mr. Lyons does not believe the scripted curriculum provided by his district is rigorous enough for his 6thgrade Earth Science class at Mountain View Middle School. The provided curriculum calls for the teacher to show curated presentation slides with text and short videos about biodiversity, and for students to answer a series of multiple-choice questions at the end of each presentation. The curriculum does not provide much flexibility for deviation, particularly for projects that students can work on in collaborative groups. When Mr. Lyons approaches his administration about more flexible and rigorous curricular options, he is told that he must stick to the curriculum so that there is consistency throughout the school and district. Mr. Lyons left the office feeling defeated and did not make changes to his instruction.

Once you read and analyze the case study, write a response that includes answers to the following questions:

Describe with fact-based statements the teaching dilemma. This should include:

The stakeholders involved (e.g. teacher, students, Special Education paraprofessional, administrator, parents, families)

The dilemma

The historical, social, political, or cultural factors that created the dilemma

Describe three different potential responses to the dilemma. Connect each response to a different theory of teaching and learning (e.g. constructivism, cognitivism, behaviorism, sociocritical) or research on pedagogy (e.g. culturally responsive, best practices in teaching elementary math).

If faced with a similar teaching dilemma, what do you anticipate your response would be? Why? How does this align with a theoretical perspective or research?

The purpose of this assignment is to explore the decision making process from different theoretical and research based perspectives. The responses must integrate research and/or theory.

Assignment 2. Occupational Therapy

This is a child/pediatric development class in an occupational therapy program.

Please select one of the following topic areas of development in which to research.

Topics:

I. Gross Motor Development

II. Fine Motor Development

III. Cognitive Development

IV. Speech/Language/Communication Development

V. Sensory Processing & Sensory Integrative Development
VI. Activities of Daily Living Development
a) Dressing, Bathing, and Toileting

VII. Activities of Daily Living Development
b) Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing
VIII. Play and Social Development

Please write an 8-10 page review paper. This review should be typed, double spaced, with no grammatical/spelling errors, in APA format. There must be appropriate citations throughout the paper. All citations must be included on the reference page.

The review may include bulleted text when necessary. It is encouraged to include tables and images which are to be placed in the review’s appendix and are not included in the total page count.

1. A thorough description of the topic area: (~2 pages)
   • Discuss how the topic area contributes to participation in occupations for children
   • Discuss how deficits in this area can negatively impact occupational performance
2. Cultural considerations: (~2 pages)
   • Ways in which cultural differences may influence the development of your topic area
   • Use examples, cite literature as needed to support your statements
3. Milestones: (~3 pages)
   • Provide a narrative description of key developmental milestones in your topic area
   • Thoroughly describe each milestone and if/how they might vary based on environment
   • You may also include a list or table of the milestones in your appendix, be sure to include a reference from a scholarly source
4. Resources: (~1 page)
   • Provide a list of resources that parents/caregivers may find helpful, for your topic area, and descriptions of each (minimum of 5 total)
   • These may include: websites, books, therapy guides, etc.

   Cite each resource

5. Current research: (~1 page)
   • Identify 2 scholarly articles discussing the recent use (within 5 years) of your topic area in occupational therapy
   • This may include: the impact on a child’s occupational performance, development, and/or receiving of therapeutic services
6. Toys or Games: (~1 page)
   • Identify/describe 5 toys or games that are useful in the development of your topic area, including specific skills targeted.
   • Include the age(s) for which this toy or game is appropriate
7. References, APA format, grammar, no spelling errors, etc.

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