The task asks you to prepare a research paper. To do this, you must first research a chosen topic and then prepare and present a structured paper (essay) that:

• defines and explains the topic
• identifies how and why the issue impacts adolescents
• discusses the implications for the education of secondary aged students and their teachers
• and makes recommendations for classroom practice and/or a whole school approach.

Step 1

Choose an issue or concern specific to students in the secondary phase of their education.

Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• · Mental Health
• · Risk taking behaviours e.g. Alcohol, drug, crime
• · Equity and discrimination
• · Rural isolation
• · Access to technology
• · Youth (sub)culture/s
• · Body image, self-identity or sexuality
• · Any other issue specific to adolescence that results in disengagement from learning or school.

You will notice that many of these topics overlap with course topics in the first four weeks of the term.

Step 2

Research the topic using the library on-line materials and your textbook. It is suggested that you read information from at least seven different sources prior to beginning the construction of your paper. From your readings, define the boundary of your paper. For example, you might choose the topic of youth subcultures. This topic is too broad for a 2000 word paper. So to narrow the topic you might consider a specific topic with youth subcultures, e.g. the impact of being a 'gamer' on students' learning and their level of engagement in school. Please check your topic with your lecturer.

There will be more information on the research process provided throughout the Links to Assessment on the Moodle site.

Step 3

Write the research paper. This step includes considering a structure, writing a first draft, editing and referencing a second draft to produce a final piece for submission.

The following headings should guide the writing of your research paper:

Provide an explanation of your defined chosen topic.

Discuss and justify how and why this topic impacts adolescents as stated in the research.

Discuss the implications the topic has on the levels of engagement and learning outcomes for youth and their teachers' practice.

Conclude by making recommendations for how teachers, whole schools and education systems could respond effectively to address the implications of the topic and assist young people to achieve at school based on your research and what the content in this course suggests as best practices for secondary school teaching.

Support all of your work with links to current research in the area of adolescent development. This research must include journal articles, textbooks and professional readings.  You may include sources from the Moodle site but you should also include some information from data base searches.

The paper is to be written in third person and follow the recommended structure provided by the ALC.

Length: 2000 words

1. Examine the complex nature of teaching youth

2. Challenge contemporary thinking about teaching youth

3. Evaluate personal ethical dilemmas when teaching 21 Century youth

4. Demonstrates personal communication and professional literacy competence

This task requires you to demonstrate an appropriate level of personal competence in communication, literacy and numeracy required for teaching. You will complete Five on-line quizzes one per week for each from 7 to 11. The purpose of the quizzes is to show your personal competence in communication, literacy and numeracy appropriate to model effective speaking, reading, writing, spelling, oral language and numerate thinking for youth. (Cumulative score out of 25)

Essential preparation:

You must complete the readings and activities for each week as some of the questions are based on the information contained in the readings

Other questions are designed to test your application of basic skills in regards to content about communication, literacy and numeracy concepts that are important to your development as a teacher.

Further information:

You must complete the weekly quiz in the weeks in which they are allocated. (i.e. Quiz 1 must be completed in week 7, Quiz 2 in week 8, Quiz 3 in week 9, Quiz 4 in week 10, Quiz 5 in week 11). Each weekly quiz will be open for all of that week only (i.e Week 8 quiz will be open from Monday of Week 7 through to the following Sunday - so you have 7 days to complete the quiz). If you have extenuating circumstances that align with the extension policy, you may request an alternative time to complete your quiz. To do so you must submit an extension request through the Support link and provide documentation to support your request.

You have 1 attempt only at each quiz.

There are 10 questions per quiz, each question worth 0.5 of a mark.

Each quiz is timed - you have 30 minutes to complete each quiz.

Once you complete each of the quizzes you will know your score, but you will not know what answers were correct or incorrect. This information will be released to you at the end of the week once the quiz has been closed for that week. You will not be able to go back in and attempt the quiz again.

Your responses for each quiz will be recorded for assessment purposes.

The Quiz links are located within the Assessment Block

1. Apply personal competence in literacy and numeracy to model effective reading, writing, spelling, oral language and numerate thinking for junior secondary students
2. Engage in professional learning to improve personal practice and student learning.

This task requires you to demonstrate an appropriate level of personal competence in communication, literacy and numeracy required for teaching through a critical reflection of your skills. Your reflection will outline your strengths and professional challenges relating to personal communication, literacy and numeracy competency that demonstrates an understanding of impact on students and includes a plan for how you aim to improve your competency prior to your graduation.

Sources - using the feedback given to you from the first task, your experiences in the weekly activities, the Quizzes and your reflection on your personal circumstances, you are to write a 1000 word critical reflection outlining your strengths and professional challenges relating to your levels of personal communication, literacy and numeracy competency.

This critical reflection must:

• outline what you believe are your strengths and professional challenges in relation the communication, literacy and numeracy standards with supporting examples drawn from the sources listed above (approx 400 words)
• outline what you believe are the consequences of your current personal skill level for both yourself and your future students (approx 300 words - include academic references)
• outline how you intend to improve your personal communication, literacy and numeracy skill level in order for you to be prepared to competently teach secondary students (approx 300 words - include specific learning activities or sources)

This reflective piece allows you to demonstrate the following two Professional standards:

Professional Standard 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice - Understanding the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers*

Professional Standard 6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning - Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning*.

*A full copy of the AITSL Professional Standards for Australian Teachers is available here.

This reflective statement is due Friday 4-June-2021 (week 12) and must be uploaded through the Assessment Task 3 link on the Moodle site.