A few weeks before each TMA is due, this section will contain some brief advice on how to answer the question and the kinds of things you need to consider to get higher marks.

Remember you ALWAYS get higher marks if you answer the EXACT question you are being asked – so in the posts in this section I will outline what the question is really asking you to do.

Your first TMA is due to be submitted using the online “eTMA” system by 12 noon on 13th March 2012. You will get your marks for this TMA by 27th March at the latest.

The first TMA is an essay which should be no less than 1,500 words and no more than 2,000 words. People who write nearer the maximum number of words tend to get higher marks.

Quotations
AVOID direct quotations. They do not show me how well you understand something, only that you can copy…! And copying is not a degree level skill….! Also, quotations make plagiarism more possible and there are severe penalties for such behaviour. If you do not use quotations, you are much less likely to be able to plagiarise. Also, when you write in your own words, rather than someone else’s you are much more likely to get higher marks. So, there are three good reasons NOT TO QUOTE.

References
Yes, I know you will have used different referencing styles in other courses or at school or a previous university. Tough…! You will be marked according to the referencing style in place on THIS COURSE. So, please make sure you have checked how referencing should be done on ED209. Don’t assume you know, because you have done another OU or psychology course – the rules may be different.  You will find the rules for ED209 in Section 4.3 of the Methods and Skills Handbook.

Option 1
To what extent do the ‘grand theories’ discussed in Book 1, Chapter 2 take account of the role of social experiences in child development?
Read the notes in the Assessment Guide and for this particular option. In addition please note this is a “to what extent” question. That means you need to provide evidence which shows that the grand theories DO take account of social experiences as well as evidence which shows that the theories DO NOT do this. Then you must sit in judgement and say whether the balance of the evidence is towards one end of the spectrum or the other. DO NOT SIT ON THE FENCE..! You will get higher marks if you say that “the extent” is one-sided.

Option 2
Review the evidence that infants are born with visual preferences and consider how such preferences can equip them to process stimuli that they encounter in the world.
Read the notes in the Assessment Guide for this option. In addition note that the first part of the question is asking you to “review” the evidence. This means you must have an opinion on it – much the same as you would if you were asked to write a play or film review. But this is an academic essay so your review cannot be opinion alone – your viewpoint needs to be backed with supporting evidence for your case. Also, this is a two-part question. The second part is only a “consider” question, so this means you cannot do as much in-depth analysis when you are only considering things. When a part of question signals not much analysis, it means it is the least important part of the question. This means that part one, the review, should be the main part of your essay.