Double-Entry Journal The Junior Learner Christina Mak

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

Physical
Growth

Social
Growth

Cognitive
Growth

Pre-Task Writing:
Activate Prior Knowledge

Post-task writing:
Ideas from the Course

In the junior years, students begin having accelerated physical

growth with both notable increases in weight and height. They
become less fidgety than their primary years and are able to
sit still and focus their attention for longer periods of time.
However, that doesnt mean that they can simply listen to the
teacher talking for the entire class. They still need to move
and learn through kinesthetic activities.

To promote a positive body image, we can encourage students to join a

sports team or participate in some form of physical activity. This way,
we can help them get used to their bodily changes while having fun.
We can also incorporate physical (kinesthetic) activities into the
classroom setting in order to keep them on their feet and moving
around, allowing them to feel good about themselves throughout the
day. Also take note of the ETFO Body Image Project, which instructs us
how to teach and promote self-esteem in our students.

The impact of peer pressure/support on the junior learner

increases significantly. They are getting to know more people
and figuring out who is in their close circle of friends. They are
starting to become more independent, but are still strongly
influenced by their teachers and parents. Academic pressure
also begins to intensify in these years.

As junior age students are not always able to consciously think about
how someone else might feel, its important for us to model empathy
and show them the steps to do so (saying please, listening to others).
It is also important to talk about bullying with the class and make sure
that students understand that everyone is unique and amazing in their
own way. As well, encouragement and positive reinforcement are
essential to alleviating the stress that juniors have both academically
and socially. This reinforcement need not come as extrinsic motivation,
but as fun activities and engaging dialogue that will spur them to
develop an intrinsic motivation to learn. Classroom tasks should also be
scaffolded, ensuring that learners are working at the right level of
difficulty in order to feel accomplished and confident.

The junior learner is more able to apply higher-order thinking

to learning tasks (analysis, synthesis, evaluation). In these
years, students are developing their ability to reason, make
decisions, and set future goals. They are becoming more
aware of the world around them as well as who they are in
this world.

To help students achieve higher cognitive levels, it is important to

provide them with inquiry-based and problem-solving tasks that will
allow them to practice these higher-order functions. It is also
important to show them how to apply these skills to reading and goalsetting (learning how to predict, infer, and plan).

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.
As I was a junior age student once before, I definitely remember the feeling of needing to be apart from my parents in one
way or another. Often, this meant a simple one-word answer to their questions or a desire to go out with my friends more
often than not. However, I never really thought of these types of actions as emerging from a desire for independence.
Reflecting on this thought, I can see how teachers can truly be a strong influence on a junior learners attitudes and
behaviours. Since they are trying to find who they are while seeking freedom away from their parents, their teachers may
become the main adult models that they look up to and learn values from. This makes it important for us, as educators, to
know how to let them feel accepted and comfortable around us. It also makes it important for us to model positive
behaviours that they can learn to adopt. Finally, it makes it important for us to help them find their independence and self by
providing classroom activities that lead to autonomous learning.