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Whenever you enter a classroom on the
first day in a new school year, you meet a room full of learners,
each quite different from the other. Some of these differences
between learners will be obvious and observable, others not.
For example, you may find that some learners are talkative and
excitable while others are more reserved and shy. There will
be learners who readily follow your instructions and obey classroom
rules, while others need regular reminders about acceptable
classroom behaviour. Some learners are not academically minded,
or artistically inclined, or mathematically gifted. They might
be interested and capable of learning in some areas, but not
in others.
Learners are all individuals. Even though
they may be in the same class, and at the same developmental
level, they have individual characteristics which distinguish
them one from another. They may differ in their talents, abilities,
personalities and behaviours.
Some of the differences you will see among
your learners will be the result of differences in individual
development. As they grow, young people change in many ways,
and each individual changes at a rate slightly different to
any other. You may find that two learners in the same grade
differ considerably in their ability to think step by step
or to express their ideas clearly. You may also find that
they differ in their views about right and wrong, and in their
ability to see things from another person’s perspective.
As educators, we need to develop a better
understanding of how learners differ, to help us structure
suitable classroom activities. If we understand the diversity
and what is common in our learners’ development, we
will be in a better position to design suitable classroom
management strategies, instructional methods and assessment
practices. Studying developmental psychology can help teachers
in this process of understanding learner diversity. In this
activity we will consider learner diversity from a developmental
perspective.
You will also be introduced to the following
areas of development:
- physical,
- psychosocial and
- cognitive development
While we cannot explain all aspects of learner
diversity from a developmental perspective, it is an important
consideration when developing a better understanding of learner
diversity towards developing classroom practices which cater
for the diverse characteristics and needs of our learners.
Click
here to read more about Developmental Psychology
The following reading forms the basis of
Activity 5. It consists of excerpts from: Children of
the Garden Island, by Emmy E. Werner. While doing the
reading consider these questions:
- Werner describes her study as a longitudinal
one. What does this term mean? Give reasons why such studies
are important in studying development.
- What were some of the factors which
led to some of the children being placed in a ‘high
risk’ group? What sorts of problems might these children
have faced?
- Make a list of all the sources of data
used by the researchers. What different types of information
could they have gathered from these sources?
- Reflect on the figures she gives of
those who developed delinquency or mental health problems.
- Make a list of the factors which enabled
children to overcome life difficulties.
Click
here to do the reading.
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