1.

Explain by means of examples from your subject area how you

will use group work as a teaching strategy by making use of the
following sub-headings:

Learning assumptions underlying group work:pg125

Social constructivism sees learning not only as a cognitive activity,

but also as a social process whereby learners get knowledge through
interaction with their environment and other humans. Educators
should encourage learners to construct knowledge through
negotiation.

 Give learners the opportunity to learn from each other.

 Some problems better solved through cooperation

Advantages and disadvantages of group work: pg125

1. Involvement: all the learners will get an opportunity to air

their view. Because more learners have an opportunity to

speak, more opinions are heard and the learning experience is

much greater. However a disadvantage is that some learners

may sit back and let others do the work.

2. Reduced group pressure: learners are sometimes shy of

speaking in a large group. In a small group they experience less

pressure and more willing to express their ideas.

3. Responsibility for personal learning: group work forces

learners to depend less on the educator and makes them more

reliant on their own capabilities and those of fellow learners.

Disadvantages of group work:

 1. Participation is voluntary, cannot force anyone to

participate.

2. Sometimes there are learners who dominate the group and

waste time with irrelevant contributions or jokes.

3. Unacceptable noise levels in the classroom owing to loud

talking and restlessness

4. Continued loss of overall focus owing to interruptions

5. The average well behaved participating learner receives very

little attention from the educator.

The use of small group discussions: pg126

 Skills building: involves brainstorming where you ask learners

to be creative to generate ideas and exhibit leadership

qualities.

 Task building: this covers tutorial, task group, role playing, and

panel discussions. This develops individual skills, encourages

planning, fosters role clarification and stimulates robust

debate.

 Problem solving skills: there is simulation and inquiry learning.

The learners are more organised, show more initiative and are

able to synthesise knowledge and predict novel situations.

 Read more pg 126

Cooperative learning: pg 127

Multiculturalism is the norm in most south African classrooms,

critically discuss how you will ensure that all the needs of learners

from diverse cultural backgrounds are supported in the classroom.

Pg 101

 Educators must consider learners cultural differences and

their culture based belies and should teach in a culturally

responsive way

 This means being sensitive to the backgrounds, experiences

and contexts of learners

 In some cultural groups it is impolite for a child to make eye

contact, whereas in other cultural groups avoidance of eye

contact is a sign of guilt.

 Some groups avoid visiting the school and the teachers, others

want to be involved in their childs school and work

 Gender and roles of boys and girls differ

 Some cultures still discourage girls from academic studies and

see certain occupations as unsuitable for girls. Boys are

required to be macho, more involved in physical activity:

mechanical skills

 Always scrutinise the study materials you use to make sure it

reflects all cultural groups.

 Incorporating music from different cultures into learning

situations is often effective way of sharing diferent cultures.

 Demonstrate respect for all learners in class.

 Teaching should be racially and culturally inclusive.

 Incorporate the cultural wisdom and experience of students

from different cultural groups into the daily educational

experience

 Collaborate with parents to discover their values, attitudes,

expected behaviour and traditions

 Learn more about cultural learning style theory

 Include many opportunities for experiential learning, where

learners can learn from their own and others experiences,

values, traditions and attitudes.

 Encourage cooperative learning so that learners learn from

each other, and learn to appreciate the richness and diversity

2. Differentiate between lower order levels and higher order

levels of cognition and evaluate their importance by indicating

to when, how and why you would use them in a teaching-learning

situation. Pg 80

*KNOWLEDGE: simply knowing facts, definitions or

terminology. Knowledge level focuses on memory or recall.

Learner must beable to recall information and reproduce it in

the exact way. Knowledge is important for thinking and

reasoning.
Define, where, who, when, how much, list, name, what…

*COMPREHENSION:this requires learners to understand the

information and say it in their own words, and comparing it with

other info. Learners should translate, interpret info based on

their prior knowledge.

Why, compare, distinguish, explain in your own words,

rearrange, describe.

*APPLICATION: learners should be able to apply previously

acquired knowledge to situations which differ from the one in

which the information was originally acquired. Application

requires knowledge and understanding.

How would you? Solve…, calculate, demonstrate, explain how.

Higher order levels of cognition

*ANALYSIS: learners need to break up info into its component

parts. They must be able to identify the elements or parts

which comprise the information and determine how the parts

are connected to each other. Identify determine, analyse,

deconstruct, find the cause, distinguish.

SYNTHESIS: analysis is not enough, they must be able to add

info to make a new set of info. They must be able to analyse

the topic to arrive at their own conclusion. Plan, construct

formulate, design, suggest, what would happen if?

 *EVALUATION: on this level learners to produce well-

reasoned judgements, or to invaluate info, learners must give

their opinions, and be able to substantiate their opinions.

Read further pg 81!!!

*CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: being able to evaluate data,

they include seeing cause and effect, solving open ended

problems; making inference forming relationships, doing

problem solvings, using logic, understanding contradictionsm

identifying fact and opinion identifying the credibility of a

source.

*CREATIVE THINKING: involves the ability to produce new

and original ideas, demonstrating originality.

*PROBLEM SOLVING: involves the ability to use complex

thinking to solve problems.

3. Howard gardner distinguishes eight domains of ability in his

theory of multiple intelligences. Briefly discuss any four of

these intelligences and explain how you will accommodate the

four chosen intelligences in your classroom.

4. Discuss the theory of constructivsm and explain the

implications of constructivism for mediation of learning. Pg 6

 Learning is an active process of constructing meaning.

 Acc to constructivism, learning is individualised, social

and occurs within context, and knowledge is acquired

 through active construction and reconstruction of

meaning.

 Learning is a process whereby a learner constructs his or

her own understanding and knowledge of the world based

on information received through experience and

reflection on experiences rather than mere absorption of

information that is passed on.

 Constructivism does not focus so much on what learners

learn but rather on how they learn it.

 As a mediator of learning you should not ignore the

learners cultural background and the knowledge they

already possess. You should rather use it as a basis to

which new knowledge can be attached.

 Realistic n authentic settings

 Testing should not be a separate activity

 Learners should be actively involved

 Learners should be placed at the centre of teaching

activities. Construct learning activities that help learners

to construct knowledge instead of merely absorbing

information.

 Teacher needs to provide guidance and assistance that

makes it easy for students to learn.

  The focus of mediation of learning should be on the

construction of knowledge, not the reproduction of

information.

 Learning should take place in a realistic setting and an

authentic real world environment should be created.

Focus on realistic approaches to solve real world

problems. Educator should help learners acquire

strategies to solve these problems,

 Learners should be encouraged to constantly reflect on

their experiences, their own learning strategies and

processes, and how an activity is helping them to gain

understanding

 Learning is a social activity, and depends on interactions

with other learners. Cooperative learning should be

fostered and encouraged.

 Educators must pose problems and questions. And guide

learners to find solutions.

5. According to the norms and standards for educators, there are

three specific applied competencies as well as ten specific

characteristics that the learning mediator should have. In 2 –

3 pages, discuss these competencies according to the ‘norms

and standards’ and name the characteristics of a good learning

mediator.

Refer to pg 3 of textbook
6. Chose five teaching strategies and describe how you would use

them.pg106

 Inductive strategy: one proceeds from the known to the

unknown. Learners themselves discover rules based on a

number of common examples. Read pg 106

 Deductive strategy: educator provides the general rule,

law or definition and supports it with different examples

to substantiate the law, rule or definition, read more!

 Direct, whole class instruction as a teaching strategy:

Pg 107

 Effective explanations: means to make clear or

intelligible. That is to make others understand. As an

educator you should clarify explanations by using

examples, illustrations, stories or analogies. They should

define new terms in clear language. Your choice of words

and phrases is very important and should be appropriate

to both the topic and learners concerned. Language

should neither be too abstract or too simple. Use

teaching media, and vary the mode of delivery. Good

structure is of utmost importance in explanations.

Sequencing means arranging the information in an order

conducive to learning. Gradually increasing the level of

 difficulty or complexity. Use words such as firstly,

secondly, in conclusion, finally. Avoid vague or confusing

language. Conclude your explanation in a coherent way

either with your own closing review. A clear voice varied

in tone and pace, amplified by gesture, movement,

emphasis, facial expression, enthusiasm and energy.

 Use questions.

 The most important aspect of explaining is to decide on

the amount of information suitable for a specific group of

learners.

 Effective demonstrations: when a skill has to be learnt,

verbal explanation is not sufficient and the educator has

to physically demonstrate the skills to the learners.

Demonstrate the skill step by step like a show and tell.

Africans as performative people used to demonstrate the

intellectual properties they wished to impart to their

offspring. Their was no written word, and learners had to

observe and believe what their parents taught them.

Sotho saying: child does what its parents do. Poor demo

can be harmful. Educators need to know how to

demonstrate. Break up the whole into parts, define

terms. Learners attention must be focussed on the key

points without distracting their attention from the demo.

Sequence needs to be pointed out. Always repeat the

 main points at the end. Ask learners to write down the

main points. Once demo is complete, learners must

practice skill on their own. Allow learners to master one

step at a time, watch and check learners actions, point

out mistakes. – focus attention, give a general orientation,

label new objects or concepts, go through the process

step by step, perform each action slowly with

exaggerated motions, repetition by learners,

redemonstrations.

 Role play: - learners engage in acting out a theme,

unrehearsed, dramatization of problems enables learners

to scrutinise feelings, attitudes and values, to deepen

problem solving strategies and to feel more empathy

towards others. Eg, dramatization of a novel.

Role play exposes the attitudes of learners towards

different situations, and attitude change can be fostered

through role play. –use to deepen human relationships and

develop an appreciation of life.

7. What methods of punishment would you use to punish learners

with behavioural problems to administer discipline?168

 Corrective & nurturing rather than punitive n humiliating

 Additional work

 Detention

 Involvement of parents
  Counselling

 Suspension and expulsion

8. Discuss factors in the classroom that may result in barriers to

learning?

 A lack of female role models: a lack of role models can

discourage girls from achieving in science, maths and

technology

 Ineffective learning content or resources: learning

content that is too difficult or too easy, not enough

textbooks, outdated worksheets, and a lack of

stimulating learning material can cause a barrier to

effective learning

 Large classes: overcrowded classes could hinder

effective learning is ecucator does not use group work

 The educator: if educators lesson plans are

unstructured, if educator is apathetic, if educator does

not have enough subject knowledge, if educator does not

communicate effectively, educator can hinder learning

instead of promoting it.

 Lack of feedback or delayed feedback: neglecting to

mark learners work quickly and thoroughly, failing to give

feedback on tests and failing to show interest in your

learners progress will hinder effective learning.

  Gender stereotyping: stereotyped assumptions about the

abilities of boys and girls can also obstruct learning.

People often assume that boys do better than girls in

maths, science and technology. Etc

 Inability to maintain discipline: educators who are

unprepared, unmotivated and incapable of maintaining

good discipline in their classes contribute to learning

problems.

9. Gravett distinguishes between meaningful learning and rote

learning. Compare and contrast these two types of learning and

demonstrate how each type can be applied in practice.

Rote learning involves the acquisition of single, somewhat

contrived concepts, the solution of artificial problems or the

learning of arbitrary associations. The effect is short term,

Meaningful learning has a long term effect, and involves the

acquisition and retention of the complex network of

interrelated ideas characteristic of an organised body of

knowledge that learners must incorporate in their cognitive

structures.

Rote learning implies that the learner did not construct his own

knowledge and attach his own meaning to the content.

Meaningful learning should not be acquainted with mere

memorisation.
10. Discuss piagets 4 stages of cognitive development.

he identifies 4 distinctive stages of cognitive development,

sequence of stages are always the same, a child cannot bypass any

of the stages because each stage builds on the accomplishments

of the previous stage.

 The sensorimotor stage:

Earliest phase of cognitive development, beginning at birth

and lasting until approximately 2 yrs of age. Children think

by manipulating and interacting which physical objects.

 The preoperational stage

- 2yrs to 6/7yrs

- Develop various methods of symbolic representations so

that their sensorimotor schemes can be expressed to

others.

- By the end of this stage they have the ability to conserve

matter, they realise even though the form of something

has changed, the quantity remains the same as long as

something is not added or taken away.

 Concrete operational thinking

-important stage for adolescent development

Lasts until 11-12yrs

Many adolescents do not advance to the next stage (formal

operational thought)
 - This stage is about the transition from the pre-logical

thought of younger learners to logical thought of

adolescents

- The term concrete refers to the childs dependence on

the ability to observe and manipulate elements to solve

problems

- Children can use logical thought processes to solve

concrete problems which exist,

- They cannot solve abstract problems that are

hypothetical, purely verbal, or involves multiple variables.

Read pg 92

 Formal operational thought

- Final stage of cognitive development

- Begins in adolescence and continues into adulthood. At

the stage the learner in no longer restricted to reasoning

based on concrete evidence, but can use his or her

imagination.

- 3 characteristics of formal operational thought:

- 1. Abstract thought: ability to think abstractly, deal with

abstract concepts, and understand abstract relationships.

- They able to think and reason about love and hate, justice

and injustice.

- They are able to question and examine social and political

systems.
 - Adolescents capable of abstract thought are much more

critical of themselves, they constantly measure

themselves with others.

- 2. Propositional thought:

- Reality and possibility.

- Adolescences focus is now on the future and realities of

the present.

- He becomes concerned with general social and political

issues.

- 3. Hypothetical deductive thought

- It involves arriving at conclusions from hypothetical

premises rather then from verified facts.

- Adolescents who reach this phase are able to formulate

and test hypothesis. Adolescents are able to reason

deductively and systematically.

- Reason about untrue hypothesis.

- Learn educational implications pg 93

11. An educator who is acting competently is expected to

integrate knowledge with skills and values in diverse situations,

and will be capable of reflecting on and learning from his or her

own experiences. Define the following:

 Practical competency: pg3

  Foundational competency. Pg4

 Reflexive competency pg 4

 Applied competency pg 2

12. Differentiate between ‘educator as mediator of learning’

and ‘educator as transmitter of information’ give 2 examples of

each concept to illustrate that you understand them well.

 Teacher centred strategy

 Focussed on teacher as transmitter of information, with

info passing on from expert teacher to novice learner,

 It is the responsibility of the teacher to pass on

information, knowledge and understanding in a topic

appropriate at the stage of their studies.

 Traditional role of teacher as provider of information

 Educator orientated, content based.

 Educator merely communicated information from text

book to passive learners

 Learners had to reproduce it unchanged

 One way communication. What an educator said was

undebateable.

 Educator as mediator:

 Educator needs to help learners to bridge the gap

between what they cannot do on their own to what they

can do with a little help from someone.

  Educators should intervene and direct learners in the

learning process, but should not tell them what to think

 Educators need to be sensitive to diverse needs of

learners, adapt his teaching strategies to learners needs

 Use the medium of teaching effectively and create a

learner friendly environment and classroom culture.

 Educator needs to have a sound knowledge of his learning

area and to be an inspiration.

13. Choose one type of a barrier of learning, and give 5 ways

to support a learner that suffers with that barrier.

Barriers caused by behavioural problems:

 Learners with BP have difficulty relating to their parents,

educators and peers

 They underachieve

 They have a pattern of negative behaviour which disrupts

their own learning and the entire class.

 Stealing, running away from school or homes, lying,

vandalism, cruelty to others, disruptive behaviour.

 Hyperactivity or add

 Poor interpersonal or social skills and rejected by peers

 Some suffer from anxiety and depression, they have a

poor self image.

 Parental supervision is inadequate, either too strict or

too lax.

 Add, aspergers syndrome and tourettes.

 In high school it manifests in alcohol and drug abuse,

gangsterism.

 Sometimes learners who have intellectual difficulties

have behavioural problems.

 Some learners are too intelligent and get bored.

Dealing with learners with behavioural problems:

 Provide emotional support

Behavioural problems are a cry for help

 Seek help

Get advise from psychologists, social workers, counsellors

and even teachers.

 Establish the learners weaknesses and strengths

Help the learner to use and develop his or her strong

social skills wherever possible. Try help the learner

achieve success in some area. Try and define their

leadership qualities.

 Analyse the learners behaviours

Make notes of things that trigger the learners

destructive and aggressive behaviour.

 Keep the learners busy

 Control and organise the classes and the lesson situation

effectively. If learners are kept busy throughout, there

is less chance of destructive behaviour occurring.

 Let the learners help

If you give these learners responsibilities this gives them

a sense of importance and improves their self confidence.

 Establish rules

Lay down clear rules regarding the behaviour of learners

in the class, and guidelines on the punishment for

disobeying the rules. Write it down where all can see.

 Use positive reinforcement

Praise for good behaviour, take care not to humiliate

them.

14. Explain what classroom climate entails, and indicate how

you will ensure a positive classroom climate.pg 160

Classroom climate is the overriding atmosphere in the

classroom. This can be related to the psychological and social

feeling that exist in each classroom. Although the physical

settings of a class can be similar, the atmosphere in one may

be warm, supportive and inviting, while the atmosphere in

another may be tense and threatening.

-ecology: physical aspects of classroom.

-milieu: refers to feeling in the classroom. Includes both the
educators and the learners morale.
 -the social system: refers to the interpersonal relationships in
classrooms and schools. Positive expectations, constructive
feedback, appropriate praise, occasional rewards, open and
lively communication, a sense of humour, a caring attitude,
consistency.
-Culture: refers to values, beliefs, systems and norms existing
in classrooms and schools. It is determined by the schools
policy on discipline and the rules and code of conduct
formulated.

15. Name the qualities that an educator should possess to

increase learners level of motivationpg 169-170

 Knowledge: know each learners needs

 Interest: show interest in each learners development, and

always display positive feelings about everyones ability to

succeed.

 Firmness and consistency: always take firm consistent

action in terms of riles and limits

 Democratic treatment: behave justly towards all learners

 Warmth: warm personality

 Respect: show respect for one and all

 Enjoyment: enjoy your work

 Discipline without humiliation:

 Encouragement: encourage learners to take risks

 Moderation: do not expect perfection

 Sense of humour: display a sense of humour

  Persistence: never give up

16. Explain how the following factors can affect the

classroom environment positively: pg 161

 Positive expectations: by doing so you lay the foundation

for the learners to attempt new tasks and reach new

goals. Mediation of the search for an optimistic

alternative is very important.

 Learners should believe that they are able to solve

problems and should always anticipate positive outcomes.

 Constructive feedback: educators classroom environment

should be such that the learners look forward to your

class because they know that they will learn something

from you, that they will receive apathetic assistance

when they encounter difficulties, and they will be

supported in their efforts. Learners need constructive

feedback that will tell them how they can improve.

 Appropriate praise: if educators use praise well in a

sincere way can be uplifting and encouraging. Especially

for a learner with limited potential who has put in a great

effort. If you have to crit something a learner has done,

criticise the learners behaviour and not the learner as a

person.

 Occasional rewards: need to reward learners from time

to time. Book prize, let them do something enjoyable.

 Field trip. All these can build a positive climate in which

the learner feels that their efforts are valued. Display

learners work. Merits.

 Open and lively communication: communication between

learners that is open, honest and lively will be conducive

to a positive classroom climate. Never humiliate learners

or use sarcasm. Language should always be positive and

indicate to learners what to do, rather than what not to

do.

 Sense of humour: do not take yourself too seriously. Be

friendly, but not too friendly. Laugh with learners.

Control anger.

17. The question and answer methods is one of the oldest

strategies in the history of teaching. Write down any 5 ways

that a teacher can improve his questioning skills. Pg 130

 Thorough planning: plan a few questions in advance, it will

reassure you that you heading in a definite direction.

 Avoid unnecessary repetition: do not repeat or reword a

question before the learner has tried to answer it.

Rather ask another learner for the answer if the first

learner cannot answer it. Do not replace one question with

another before waiting 3-5 secs.

  Allow waiting time: do not become anxious if the learners

cannot answer immediately. They need enough time to

think about a question that required a complex answer.

 Try not to answer your own questions: answer your own

questions only after you have given the learners enough

time to think about the question and they have incorrect

answers.

 Do not bombard the learners with questions: ask one

question at a time.

 Ask penetrating questions: questions which require

further explanation.

 Questions must be clear and unambiguous.

 Ask all learners questions.

Indicate your understanding of barriers to learning by defining each

of the following types of barriers and give two examples of each.
Indicate how each of the barriers can hinder effective learning if
not taken care of. (NAME 6 TYPES OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING,
GIVE 5 WAYS TO SUPPORT A LEARNER WHO SUFFERS FROM
THIS BARRIER)

Pedagogical barriers: extrinsic factors that causes barriers to

learning and development. Eg: 1. Negative attitudes to and
stereotyping of differences

2. an inflexible curriculum

3. inappropriate languages or language of learning and teaching

4. inappropriate communication

5. unsafe environment
6. inappropriate and inadequate support syllabus

7. inadequate policies

8. non involvement of parents

9. inappropriately trained education managers and educators.

Medical barriers: include sensor impairments that could be either

visual or auditory, impaired mobility and chronic and infectious
diseases. – hearing loss, visual impairments, neurological disabilities,
cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, academic learning difficulties,
communication disorders

Societal barriers: barriers which are caused by external societal

influences: sever poverty, late enrolment, natural disasters, abuse
crime an teenage preganancy, violence at home, gender issues, lack
of basic amenmitys, home languages differs from lolt.

Systematic barriers: lack of appropriate and basic learning and

support materials, lack of assistive devices, inadequate facilities at
school, overcrowded classrooms, lack of mother tongue educators.

Behavioural problems are not uncommon in classrooms today indicate

how you can deal with such a barrier? (5)

Provide emotional support

Seek help

Establish the learners weaknesses and strengths

Analyse the learners behaviour

Keep the learner busy

Let the learners help

Establish rules

Use positive reinforcement

Gifted learners

Gifted learners sometimes have learning and behavioural problesm

because their special needs are unattended to.

The following are characteristics of giftedness:

 Early use of advanced vocab

 Keen observation and curiosity
 Retention of a variety of information
 Periods of intense concerntration
 The ability to understand complex concepts
 Perceive relationships and to think abstractly
 A broad an changing spectrum of interests
 Strong critical skills.

When mediating learning it is imperative to understand that gifted

learners have special needs, but not all gifted learners have a
problem.

Educators need to understand the nature of giftedness to

understand the learners. Giftedness includes: exceptional creativity,
musical talent, leadership qualities, sporting ability or intellectual
ability.

Gifted learners may be very sensitive, perfectionist, vulnerable to

stress, and some may even question authority.

Educators should not be threatened by them, but seek advice on how

to support them.

2 strategies to use is 1) acceleration: learners move through the

lower levels of the curriculum faster than their peers.

2) enrichment: means to supplement the standard curriculum with

activities that will provide the learners with the opportunity to
broaden and deepen their knowledge in a given field of learning.
Proposals for dealing with gifted learners in the classroom:

-develop skills to identify gifted learners:

Look out for learners who ask unusual questions or have original ways
of looking and doing things

-use stimulating materials or activities

Make sure your lessons and overall programme are varied and rich
enough to cater for the needs of learners with emerging giftedness.

-consider different and new teaching approaches for a learner

with outstanding ability

Organise work at various levels, give gifted learners more work or

work which is more demanding.

Build a collection of classroom materials, including stimulating and

challenging materials for gifted learners.

-contact mensa

Mensa is an international org that caters for the needs of gifted

learners. They can provide info and guidelines.

Other things to learn for exam!!

*Meta learning

*lotl