Child and Adolescent Development

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
TAGUIG CITY UNIVERSITY
Gen. Santos Avenue, Upper Bicutan,
Taguig City

ED 202
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
DEVELOPMENT
Second Semester School Year: 2012-2013

“Enriching Myself as a Future Teacher
Through a Broader Understanding of the Child and Adolescent"

Submitted by:
Delgado, Aicel May D.
BSE Second Year Major in English
Submitted to:
Dr.Emelita Magsalin
AIMS OF THE STUDY:

* To introduce teacher education students to human growth, development and learning theories, concepts, stages, and processes- from conception to old age, focusing on the social, moral, emotional, and cognitive development of the learners whom they will be handling and/or dealing with in exercise of their chosen career.

* To describe the development of children’s ability to understand and express emotions from infancy through adolescence, and explain how teachers can foster the development of emotional competence in the classroom.

* To distinguish developmental changes in children's self-concepts and self-esteem, and discuss the ways of teachers and schools that can promote positive self-esteem of students which can also help a teacher to be effective in his profession.

* To give knowledge and develop the values and skills to effectively deal with the latter at different levels of students and also to assure that the future molders are knowledgeable enough and has the broad understanding to enter the world of teaching.

CHILD * Is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty.

* Is generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority.
Child Development * refers to the biological and psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development. Related terms include developmental psychology, referring to development throughout the lifespan, and pediatrics, the branch of medicine relating to the care of children. Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically-controlled processes known as maturation, or as a result of environmental factors and learning, but most commonly involves an interaction between the two. It may also occur as a result of human nature and our ability to learn from our environment. Human beings have a keen sense to adapt to their surroundings and this is what child development encompasses. Every child would struggle to find their culture and identity in child development.

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FACTORS AFFECTING EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT

* Parental Interactions
Parental interactions with children can have a largely positive or negative effect on child development. Parents who spend time playing and teaching their kids through reading and by performing various types of hands-on games and activities can have a positive impact on their child's development. On the flip side, parents who ignore or neglect to interact with their children in a positive way may be hindering their healthy development. * Learning Environment
Children who are surrounded, both at home and at school/daycare facilities, by a strong learning environment that is both informative and supportive may improve their development. EffectivePhilanthropy.com reports that research has shown children exposed to poor and underprivileged educational environments tend to be at a higher risk of being negatively affected in terms of their development. * Health
Proper nutrition can have a direct impact on a child's development both physically and psychologically. They point out that proper nutrition is related to functional outcomes for children as they get older. In other words, unhealthy eating can lead to weight gain and other negative effects if the child does not learn how to eat healthy early in life. The Children's Hospital stresses the fact that it is the increased duration and intensity of the exposures to healthy eating habits, through both hands-on learning and leading by example, that really make a positive impact on a child's development.

* Social Interaction
Research has shown that social isolation or lack of socialization can lead to early childhood development issues, such as speech problems or an inability to socialize with others in a civilized way. Effective Philanthropy mentions these very points in a report titled "Factors Affecting Early Childhood Development." They mention that the socioeconomic environment in which a child is raised can have a drastic effect on their development. An example of how this could affect a child negatively is if she is not socialized with other children, such as neighbors, classmates or family members.
ADOLESCENT

* is the transition period from childhood to adulthood, a period that brings sometimes tumultuous physical, social, and emotional changes. Adolescence begins with the onset of puberty and extends to adulthood, usually spanning the years between 12 and 20. Puberty is the period during which the reproductive system matures, a process characterized by a marked increase in sex hormones.

* is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development generally occurring during the period from puberty to legal adulthood (age of majority). The period of adolescence is most closely associated with the teenage years, although its physical, psychological and cultural expressions can begin earlier and end later. Physical growth, as distinct from puberty (particularly in males), and cognitive development generally seen in adolescence, can also extend into the early twenties. Thus chronological age provides only a rough marker of adolescence, and scholars have found it difficult to agree upon a precise definition of adolescence. * Development in Adolescence

* Physical development

Physical development in adolescence includes a growth spurt as the body fills out, voice changes (especially in males), and an increase in sex hormones. Secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts in females and beards in males, appear. Girls' first menstruation (menarche) usually occurs between the ages of 11 and 14.

* Social development.

According to Erik Erikson, appropriate social development in adolescence requires solving the major challenge of ego-identity vs. role diffusion. To resolve this life crisis, adolescents must form an ego-identity, a strong sense of “who I am and what I stand for,” or they may suffer role diffusion (running from activity to activity), with the increased likelihood of succumbing to peer pressure.

Peer Pressure A term used to denote legitimization of activities by a peer group, has been used to explain many adolescent societal difficulties. Although a peer group rarely forces an adolescent to try new activities, it may legitimize those activities by indulging in them.

CHART SHOWING THE STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT ADOLESCENT

“Enriching Myself as a Future Teacher
Through a Broader Understanding of the Child and Adolescent"

Based on my intense research regarding the factors of the development of child and adolescent, I can say that as a future educator, we must enlighten ourselves to be a better teacher to our students in the near future. A child, as we know, needs models and not critics. These models a child finds, first in his parents, and second in his teachers. It is very correctly said that the influence of the teacher is immense and no one knows when the influence becomes visible and where it stops. Since the teacher is one of the child's ideal, it is very important for a teacher to have qualities which impress the child and the qualities which he can imitate and thus become good.
A role model is, therefore, one who has some sterling qualities of head and heart, which the child gets impressed by. So now, when we look for the essential qualities in a teacher we have to be clear in what we want the children in her charge to become, for the influence of a teacher is very deep, far reaching and of course permanent.
We want our children, for instance, to develop the quality of honesty. The teacher must then be very honest in all her behavior with the children she is handling. In this regard, partiality and favoritism are the two most obnoxious qualities that a teacher should not have. This attitude of a teacher is noticed by the children and they do not like her for it, and they also feel that she is not very honest in her dealings with them.
Thus, an ideal teacher must be very honest and transparent in all her dealings with the children and with her colleagues. This folly of favoritism plays a double havoc with the children for, on the one hand, a child who is favored, becomes unnecessarily pampered and the child who is unduly differentiated against, either gets into his shell, and feels unwanted or, if he is bold by nature, he becomes a revolutionary. In either case this favoritism of the teacher plays hell with both, the favored and the not-so-favored. This attitude of the child, shown at this stage of his life becomes a permanent feature of the child's character, and he starts feeling rightly or wrongly that he is punished for the wrongs that he has not done, and as an adult he becomes a confirmed revolutionary. Thus, in a nutshell we can derive that, in her partiality the teacher damages both the child who is favored and the child who is not.
The next quality that we would like to find in an ideal teacher is that, he should be very affectionate to all the children in his care. The love they get at this stage of life is what makes them lovable and affectionate adults. Love has got to be inculcated in the children as, it is love only that makes life worth living. So it is very necessary for an ideal teacher to be loving and caring, then only he in turn infuses the finer quality of begetting love in the children in his charge.
A loving teacher is forever remembered and loved by students, who just admire him for his fountain of love, and they start believing that there could be no one more affectionate than their teacher of the past days. The students believe that their teacher is a fountain-head of all knowledge. This belief of the children must be kept alive by the teacher which is possible, only if he continues to learn together with his teaching assignments.

A good teacher is the one who is also a good learner. Besides, if a teacher does not happen to know a particular thing especially the factors that affect a child and adolescents growth, she should never pose as if she knows it. This is because, if at any stage, the children come to know that their teacher does not know, she only shows that she knows, they lose all respect for her. The teacher must know that, the children do not take much time to assess the stuff or the capacity of a teacher. It is not that the teacher must know everything on the face of this earth but, the moot point is that, he should not bluff the children into believing that his knowledge is absolutely complete. For an ideal teacher it is advisable to tell the children that he will find out the answer to their query, instead of giving them any wrong information. If he does this, the children will admire him for his honesty, and will not be disappointed in his lack of knowledge, for, they also, know that a teacher is also, besides being a teacher for them, a human being with limitations. This will unwittingly inculcate in the children a habit of accepting their own drawbacks and not nearly justifying whatever they do or say.
Another very important quality for an ideal teacher is to really understand and respect the behavior of the children. Though the teacher and the children are a generation apart, it would be great quality in a teacher if she could understand the woes of the children, and to help them out of their seemingly little problems, and also feel for them. With this attitude of friendship with the children, the teacher will win the confidence and they will always discuss their problems with him and they will also take him as their confidant. For this, the teacher has to put herself in the shoes of the children, understand their feelings, and she will be loved for this. In turn, his wards will also learn the art of helping their younger siblings or friends in solving their problems.

With all the above mentioned qualities of a teacher, the teacher will be an ideal teacher, she will be one who will leave an indelible mark on the minds of the young children in his charge. They will turn out to be exact replicas of their teacher. Thus, it is very important for the teacher to be a picture of what he would like the children to be. The impact of a teacher can be easily felt when we see the present deterioration in the younger generation. This is because our teachers are lacking in almost all the qualities required for an ideal teacher, and so, their wards are also lacking in all good qualities of head heart. A good teacher helps the students to develop all the great qualities of civilized human beings. An ideal teacher is thus one who leaves a permanent impact on the children he grooms, and they remember him for his great qualities at different times of their lives. A student is a mirror which reflects the learning and knowledge of a teacher. This must be kept in mind by a teacher as well us, future teachers.

“Every child should have a caring adult in their lives. And that's not always a biological parent or family member. It may be a friend or neighbor. Often times it is a teacher. “ -- Robert Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

Education is one of the most important parts of our life. The kind of education we all receives largely depends upon the kind of teacher we have in the school. A positive or negative approach could change the entire life of a child. A future of a child is depending on the teachers
We are all aware that being a teacher has a lot of responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable children. With this responsibility comes great pride and joy. Therefore all teachers should strive for what can be considered to be a “good teacher.” A good teacher can be defined as someone who always pushes students to want to do their best while at the same time trying to make learning interesting as well as creative. A positive or negative influence from a teacher early on in life can have a great effect on the life of a child. Teachers, especially at the elementary level, must be very creative with their teaching styles. Not every child learns the same way, nor are they interested in the same things. It is difficult to keep the attention of 15-20 children under the age of ten and as a secondary teacher we are going to handle the adolescence age which is also known to be critical, so, for us future educators we should be informed about the factors that affect a child’s development to really understand and have a broad enlightenment from what they are going through especially the time that they are confused about their changes.