Human Growth and Development

Application paper
Bailey Galyean

Bailey Galyean

Application Paper

I have chosen Music Education for my major. With my degree, I plan on teaching high
school band. This will include Music Theory, Jazz Band, Concert Band, and Marching Band
minimum. I want to teach at a medium sized school in a suburb. I plan on discussing a few of the
changes in adolescence. A physical concept I will discuss, is the hormonal changes they go
through during puberty. I will discuss the formal logical operations which includes abstract
thinking in adolescence and how it relates to their growth socially. On an emotional level, I will
discuss Eriksons Identity versus Role Confusion. And lastly, I will describe how peer
relationships evolve in adolescence. This will all be related back to InTASC Standard #1. All of
these are good things to know when educating adolescences.
I have learned that as Education majors, we rely greatly on the InTASC Standards.
Standard number one is the focus on this paper. The standard states, The teacher understands
how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary
individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and
designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Changes in adolescents can be directly applied to this principle.
Hormonal changes relating to puberty are complex and begin changing by the age of 8 or
9 (Berk p. 531). Hormones, are chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands. These
hormones are distributed through the bloodstream (Santrock, p.88). The interaction between

different structures is very important. The hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the sex glands
all have to communicate effectively during puberty (Santrock, p. 88). The pituitary gland sends
a signal to the specific gland to create the hormone (Hormones, web). Then, in combination with
the hypothalamus, identifies when the correct level of hormones has been reached. It then
responds accordingly. There are two primary classes of hormones associated with puberty.
These two classes is estrogen and androgen. Estrogens are the main class of female hormones,
dissimilarly androgens are male hormones (Santrock, p. 89). During this time height and weight
also increase (Johnson, p. 163). In girls it occurs 2 years earlier, on average, than boys.
However, by age 14 boys normally surpass girls in height (Berk, p. 532). Emotionally, girls
become less happy with their appearances than boys do. Boys become more satisfied, probably,
because of their increase in muscle mass (Santrock, p. 95). This is a big deal for changing
adolescents. They are going through a large period of change. Not just in height and weight but
hormonally as well. Their emotions will be running wild and they will be emotionally driven.
As an educator it is important to be patient with students when as an educator, we should
know that they are undergoing great changes. Voices are changing, self-esteem is fluctuating,
and they will become easily frustrated. Understanding these concepts about how they are
changing physically that is responsive to the students differences can definitely affect how a
teacher teaches a class (AGS 1.1). Being patient and supportive of them will make them want to
be more cooperative, because they will trust the teacher. It is good to know so that teachers can
keep a bit of a wrap on bad gossip. For example, if Sally is so much taller than anyone else, a
teacher may need to give her more attention based on the way the other students react to the

difference. This can also affect how a teacher makes their lesson plan. I might decide to plan
things out in a way that is inclusive of groups. Creating an environment that is conducive to
building relationships as well and building confidence can help them greatly. As the InTASC
standard states, Teacher understands how learns grow and develop, That is exactly true. We
do need to understand how they grow, physically as well as mentally.
In Piagets Theory stresses that adolescents are motivated to learn and understand their
environment because it is adaptive (Berk). They organize the things they see and experience to
create their own ideas. They separate ideas from important to least important. He believed they
adapted in two different ways. They adapted through assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation is when the adolescent bring and use new information with their already existing
knowledge. Accommodation happens when they adjust to the new information that they
gathered (Santrock, p. 105). Piaget stressed four main stages that he believed individuals went
through. These four stages are the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational thought stage, the
concrete operational thought stage, and the formal operational thought stage. The last stage is
directly associated with adolescents. The formal operational thought stage occurs between ages
11 to 15. This stage is significantly more abstract than the previous stages. They are not limited
to just concrete thoughts and ideas (Santrock, p. 107). They can think deeply and care more
about topics that are blurred when it comes to morals. They still rely on some concrete ideas but
at this stage they can add so much more to it.
Adolescents can participate in discussions more deeply. This widens the ideas and topics
for teachers to cover in class. We can use their abstract thought processes to help promote

creativity. Deep discussions can ensue because we dont have to only rely on concrete ideas and
topics. Knowing about a childs cognitive advancements affects the teacher dramatically. The
teaching plan is directly impacted by the childs learning stage. The educator should remember
this when creating their lesson plan. The ability to apply this knowledge to enhance learning is
within Standard 2 subsection 1 (AGS 2.1).This will open more doors and can be used as a tool to
challenge students within my classroom. I need to give my students an opportunity to explore
many different and challenging hypothetical questions. I can teach broad concepts and ideas,
instead of just hard facts. Standard 3 is a good representation of this. As a teacher I should also
make sure that the classroom is an open and understanding environment. And with that I need to
be able to plan accordingly and use my prior knowledge to create affective learning plans. This
can help with adding to a learning conducive environment as well as give us the opportunity to
be a role model for our students (AGS 3.3). Students at this age care about how they will be seen
to the point that if they think someone will laugh or make fun of them, they wont say anything.
Or they will be less likely to participate and think outside of the box. We shouldnt completely
get rid of concrete operational teaching strategies. It is still an extremely effective tool.
Erik Eriksons theory, Identity vs. role confusion the individual wants to become a part of
society. Adolescents in this age are concerned of what they appear to be in the eyes of other
people. They then compare this to how they feel about themselves. At this stage they ask
themselves, Who Am I? The danger is the role confusion. This is based off of previous doubt
in ones identity (Erikson, p. 262). In todays society, students are falling into categories such as
athletes, and art students. They are developing themselves, in what they believe to be true. When

a student is unsure about what role they play or what their own identity is, it could cause
adolescents to doubt or have trouble identifying an occupational identity.
Teachers need to be prepared to reinforce the children. A teacher should be a good role
model. The student might feed off of our good vibes and actions. This could help them choose or
understand their identity, or even put them on a closer path. It will be our jobs to help mold them
into what they can be. Teachers should help them find their identity. We should put them on the
right path. I plan on using this information. I will be able to understand a possible reason why a
student may be acting the way they are. Educators should pay attention to the student and watch
for the small things that would give them away.
Social relationships in adolescence has an increased significance with friendships.
Adolescents are establishing autonomy from their parents and they spend more time with their
friends than their parents. They rely greatly on their friends for emotional support (Underwood,
p. 165). Girls often define their friendships in terms of intimacy and supportiveness more so
than boys. They normally confide in their friends and talk to them more than boys as well
(Underwood, p. 166). But for both sexes, they both like each other and enjoy spending time with
their friends. This is the most important feature of their friendships (Underwood, p. 166). With
age, friends affect how adolescents think about themselves. Highs and lows in mood is directly
related to events that happened with your friends. It has also been proven that the adolescents
behavior is correlated with the quality of the friendship (Underwood, p. 168).

As a teacher, we need to support an environment that builds friendships. As a music

major, I know first-hand how music brings people together. Some of my best friends were in the
music department with me. InTASC principle 1 includes development in the social aspect as
well. As teachers we should use this to our advantage. Using group projects and performances
builds confidence in life. Friendships can make or break a person. As teachers we need to be very
aware of this and encourage students to build strong friendships. If the student has friends they
can confide in, their quality of life goes up. They need friends. At this point in their lives, they
are breaking away from their parents. They dont want their parents opinion or even care about
it. However, they do care about what their friends think, and some decisions are based solely on
that. I want to promote a learning and student friendly environment. I want to promote a place
that is safe for students to be creative, and to create long lasting, positive relationships. From the
Education Standards, I believe this relates to standard 5. We will have a comprehensive
understanding on planning and be able to use them in the correct environment while promoting a
creative atmosphere (AGS 5.1).
In conclusion, educators need to be aware of all of the stages of development.
Adolescents are still at an impressionable age. They are trying to determine their own identity
and figure out their sense of self. Adolescents are going through physical changes as well.
Teachers need to be able to react to this and act accordingly, with sensitivity. They need to build
lasting and positive friendships. Their friends determine some of their actions and how their days
are going to go. The InTASC principle associated with this paper, literally sums up everything a
teacher should know and be able to do. As a future educator, I will know these things as well,

and use them to my advantage in my classroom. Personally, I believe I have plenty of room to
grow with this standard.

RESOURCES
Erikson, Erik. Childhood and Society. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1963. Print.
Johnson, Francis E., Alex F. Roche, and Charles Susanne, eds. Human Physical Growth and
Maturation. New York: Plenum, 1979. Print.
N.A. "Hormones: Communication between the Brain and the Body." Brain Facts. Society for
Neuroscience, 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. http://www.brainfacts.org/brainbasics/cell-communication/articles/2012/hormones-communication-between-the-brainand-the-body/.
Santrock, John W. Adolescence. 6th ed. Chicago: Brown & Benchmark, 1996. Print.
Underwood, Marion K., ed. Social Development. New York: Guilford, 2011. Print.
Berk, Laura E. Infants, Children, and Adolescents. 8th ed. Pearson, 2012. Print.

Indiana Developmental Standards for Educators

Standard 1: Student Development and Diversity: Teachers at the secondary level have a broad
and comprehensive understanding of student development and diversity and demonstrate the
ability to provide instruction that is responsive to student differences and that promotes
development and learning for all students.
Subsection 1.1

Standard 2: Learning Processes: Teachers at the secondary level have a broad and comprehensive
understanding of learning processes and demonstrate the ability to facilitate student achievement.
Subsection 2.1

Standard 3: Instructional Planning and Delivery: Teachers at the secondary level have a broad
and comprehensive understanding of instructional planning and delivery and demonstrate the
ability to plan and deliver standards-based, data-driven differentiated instruction that engages
students, makes effective use of contemporary tools and technologies, and helps all students
achieve learning goals.
Subsection 3.3

Standard 5: Learning Environment: Teachers at the secondary level have a broad and
comprehensive understanding of student learning environments and demonstrate the ability to
establish positive, productive, well-managed, and safe learning environments for all students.
Subsection 5.4