Pearlie Lam

Double-Entry Journal - The Junior Learner

1) Reflect on what you know about the junior age student and complete the left-hand side of the double-entry
Journal.

Pre-Task Writing:
Activate Prior Knowledge

Physical
Growth

- They start to go through a lot of

physical changes because puberty is
about to begin
- During this time, they tend to grow
more rapidly in height and their weight
fluctuates
- Girls are more likely to go through
these growth spurts sooner as
compared to boys

Post-task writing:
Ideas from the Course
- Junior age students will experience various physical changes at different
times and this may result in a class with a wide range of physical abilities
between the genders. Teachers should encourage all students to participate
within the best of their abilities, and ensure there are always both boys and
girls (of varying abilities) in each group during group work.
- Their strength and coordination become more developed and they have
increased energy levels. Teachers can incorporate activities that require
various gross and fine motor skills during class. Also, since it is not always
possible to get the students up and running around to release their energy,
teachers may assign students with classroom roles to get them moving and to
give them more responsibilities.
- Both boys and girls begin to develop insecurities and feel self-conscious
about the physical changes they are experiencing, but they are usually
unwilling to actively seek adults to talk about how they feel. As a result,
teachers can invite guest speakers to educate them about these changes,
allowing students to will feel more comfortable in their changing bodies.
- Dietary, exercise and other lifestyle habits are being formed at this age.
Teachers can plan a unit on body image and media influences to promote
healthy eating and active lifestyles, and encourage students to partake. Also
have parents involved with teaching about positive body image and habits for
a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Social
Growth

- They are highly influenced by their

friends and start to feel a sense of peer
pressure to be like others.
- They are also more sensitive to the
opinions and reactions of other people
as they notice that others are watching
their behaviours
- Being cool seems to matter a lot at
their age
- Students are becoming more
independent, but they still rely on
teachers and parents to guide them

- Students become more aware of how they present themselves to others and
they begin to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are based on
their own experiences and others feedback. Teachers need to frequently
provide students with positive encouragement, constructive feedback and
recognition of their strengths to aid in students development of positive selfesteem. Teachers should also aim to maintain a welcoming and respectful
classroom where students learn to speak to each other in positive and
constructive ways, in addition to feeling comfortable to freely ask questions,
make mistakes, and give their opinions while respecting the opinions of
others.
- They want to fit in with their peers and they are highly influenced by their
friends. Teachers can provide more opportunities for students to work in
groups or partners, which give students the chance to not only interact with
their friends, but also everyone else in their class. In the process, students will
also learn how to work together to reach a common goal.
- From my observations, junior aged boys are much more competitive than
girls. (They often say things like: Who is taller?, Im already on this question,
which question are you on?etc.) Teachers can use the students sense of
competition towards their own learning, for example: using a relay race activity
to review about a topic that was recently taught.

Cognitive
Growth

- Their critical thinking and problem

solving skills are constantly developing
-They are beginning to be able to tell
the difference between fact and fiction
- Students are also able to concentrate
on one thing for longer periods of time

- According to Bruner and Vygotsky, they believe the purpose of education is

to assist a childs development in their critical thinking and problem solving
skills, which can then be transferred and applied to real-life situations outside
the classroom atmosphere. As junior age students are still developing their
cognitive abilities, it is important for teachers to give students guided
opportunities to practice these skills until they gain the confidence and
independence to complete the work on their own.
- They are beginning to learn about concepts that require more abstract
thinking and they are starting to read and write with more complexity. To
promote students development of critical and abstract thinking along with their
problem solving skills, teachers should introduce more complex vocabulary in
the classroom (not only during lessons), ask more open-ended questions and
encourage students to join in on class discussions.
- Students have increased attention span and they begin to expand their

areas of interest. Teachers can tap into students interests by creating

independent study projects where students can choose their own topics. This
motivates students to learn new knowledge as they are actively participating
in their own learning process.
- At this age, students are now able to assess their own work, thus it would be
useful for teachers to incorporate peer and self-assessment in class so
students can reflect on their learning.

2) At the end of Module 1, complete the right-hand side by making reference to the activities you have
completed so far. Then add a paragraph at the end of the Journal explaining your greatest insight about
students at this level.
From this module, I have learned that junior age students are going through many developmental changes both socially and
cognitively. In particular, students are actively seeking for more independence and they are easily influenced by their friends
and others they look up to. They are also undergoing many cognitive developments, allowing them to process information on
a more complex level, and view the world and those around them in a different way. As a result, I think junior age teachers are
tasked with the responsibility to take on many different roles. Teachers must establish a safe, welcoming and inclusive
learning environment, so that students comprehend what is expected of them and feel comfortable to actively take part in their
own learning. Students should also be given many guided opportunities to interact and learn in collaborative ways, allowing
them to understand how to develop positive and respectful relationships with their peers. Lastly, teachers should often provide
encouragement and constructive feedback as students are developing their confidence, and remind them of the importance to
making healthy lifestyle choices.