After exploring the school environment, your next journey to Episode 2

provides you an opportunity to observe learners of different ages and grade levels.
This episode will highlight the differences in their characteristics and needs. As a
future teacher, it is important for you to determine your learners’ characteristics and
needs so that you will be able to plan and implement learning activities and
assessment that are all developmentally appropriate.

At the end of this episode, you must be able to differentiate the needs,
characteristics, and behavior of learners from different development levels.

NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) for

principles of child development and learning that inform developmentally appropriate
practice:

1. Domains of children’s development--physical, social, emotional, and cognitive--

are closely related.
2. Development occurs in a relatively orderly sequence, with later abilities, skills,
and knowledge building on those already acquired.

3. Development proceeds at varying rates from child to child as well as unevenly

within different areas of each child’s functioning.

4. Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effects on individual

children’s development; optimal periods exist for certain types of development
and learning.

5. Development proceeds in predictable directions toward greater complexity,

organization, and internalization.

6. Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and
cultural contexts.

7. Children are active learners, drawing on direct physical and social experience
as well as culturally transmitted knowledge to construct their own
understandings of the world around them.

8. Development and learning result from interaction of biological maturation and

the environment, which includes both the physical and social worlds that children
live in.

9. Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive

development, as well as a reflection of their development.

10. Development advances when children have opportunities to practice newly

acquired skills as well as when they experience a challenge just beyond the level
of their present mastery.

11. Children demonstrate different modes of knowing and learning and different ways
of representing what they know.

12. Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where they are
safe and valued, their physical needs are met, and they feel psychologically
secure.

Read: https://www.virtualeduc.com/v7/resources/data/TAD.3/TwelvePrinciples.htm

Now, are you ready for your first learning activity? I bet you are, so let’s begin.

Your Activity 2.1

Observing Characteristics of Learners at Different Stages

To achieve your learning objective, you will need to pass the following steps:
 1. Observe different learners from different levels (kinder, elementary,
high school, and college).
2. Based on your observations, describe each learner.
3. Interview them to verify your observations and descriptions. Make
sure that health protocol is widely observed.
4. Compare the learners in terms of their characteristics, needs and
learners.

Now, use the observation guides and matrices below for you to document your
observations.

LEARNER’S CHARACTERISTICS OBSERVATION GUIDE

Read the following statements carefully. Then write your observation report on the provided
space. Your teacher may also recommend another observation checklist if a more detailed
observation is preferred.

PHYSICAL
1. Observe their gross motor skills on how they carry themselves, how they move, walk, run,
go up the stairs, etc.
2. Are gross movements clumsy or deliberate/smooth?
3. How about their fine motor skills? Writing, drawing, etc.
SOCIAL
1. Describe how they interact with teachers and adults.
2. Note also how they interact with peers. What do they talk about? What are their
concerns?
EMOTIONAL
1. Describe the emotional disposition or temperament of the learners (happy, sad, easily
cries, mood-shifts).
2. How do they express their wants/needs? Can they wait?
3. How do they handle frustrations?
4. Describe their level of confidence as shown in their behavior. Are they self-conscious?
COGNITIVE
1. Describe their ability to use words to communicate their ideas. Note their language
proficiency.
2. Describe how they figure out things. Do they comprehend easily? Look for evidence of
their thinking skills.
3. Were there opportunities for problem solving? Describe how the showed problem-solving
abilities.
 LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT MATRIX

Now, record the data you gathered about the learner’s characteristics and needs inthismatrix.Thiswillallow you to
compare thecharacteristicsandneedsof learners of different levels. The items under each domain are by no means
exhaustive. These are just simple indicators. You may add other aspects which you may have observed.

Development Preschooler Elementary High School College

Domain
Physical: -Runs all around and -Sits properly and - Can perform -Developed writing
Gross sits on the table. make no unnecessary activities well like skills.
motor skills -Can write his name movements. running and can lift -Can lift heavy
Fine motor with guidance and - Can write his name heavy objects. objects.
skills can draw and color by himself, can draw - Can write faster -Can perform any
Self-help simple objects like and can cut paper -Can make art activities.
skills ball, table, square, using scissor. projects.
circle, etc.
Social: -Can’t stay focused. -Can't stay focused for -Has ability to stay -Good listener
-Does not listen a longer time. calm and focused. -Interacts with adult
Interaction well. -Gets bored -listens very well in a proper way.
with teachers -Easily gets -Listens to adults. -Shares ideas -Asks questions and
Interaction distracted. -Communicates with -Talks when necessary gives ideas.
with friends adults. -Respects the adult
Interest -Asks questions about
the topic.
Emotional: -Can't handle his -very happy -mood shifts -Shows pride in
anger. -If he wants -Gets very sensitive accomplishment.
Moods -Easily cries something he asks for -Can't handle stress -Mood shifts
and -When he wants it and gets mad when -Have patience in -Easily feels stressed
temperament, something and refused. expressing their when there's a lot of
expressions and doesn't get it, he -lack of self- wants/needs. things to do.
feelings becomes aggressive. confidence. -Easily gets frustrated. - They can wait and
-very shy -has lower self- understand if they
confidence want something.
- Becomes more
conscious on his self
Cognitive - Can't speak -Has good -Communicates well. -observes correct use
directly and can't communication skill. -Can answer open- of words and
Communication express their ideas - Has the ability to ended questions. grammar while
skills clearly. However, speak clearly and be -Can use appropriate having conversation.
Thinking skills they were able to understood by others. words - Can answer difficult
Problem- express what they're -Can retell and -Applies logical questions.
solving skills thinking and tell summarize stories. reasoning. -Can fully understand
stories. -Can perform simple -Develop creative abstract and
-Can comprehend tasks and can solve thinking skills. hypothetical
easy things. simple problems. concepts.
-Can classify things - Can identify the
such as colors, cause and solution of
shapes, animals, etc. the problem.
 Write the most salient development characteristics of the learners (from kinder to high school) you observed.
Based on these characteristics, think of implications for the teacher. Present your data through graphical or tabular
presentations. Use the space provided.

Development Characteristics

Shows problem- The students were Lack of self- Easily gets bored
solving abilities active confidence and distracted

The teacher should be The teacher must

Teacher should apply
energetic to encourage and
real-world problems
encourage his/her motivate his/her
to fully develop The teacher should
student more. students and must
cognitive aspect and give enjoying
to maintain the develop activities and
The teacher should activities that is
student's ability to let the students
give appreciation and perform in front related to their lesson.
solve problem.
positive feedback to either by group or
his/her students. individually.
1. What comes to mind while you were observing the learners? Have
you recalled your experiences when you were at their age? What
similarities or differences do you have with the learners you
observed? Use Venn Diagram to illustrate your idea.

Venn Diagram

Similarities:
Other Student Me

Lack of confidence ✔️I make questions

Can make art projects and answer them by
✔️Asks questions Listens to the teacher my own
✔️Mood-shifts participates ✔️I always find myself
✔️Gets mad when not Easily gets bored happy
given with his wants Can't handle stress ✔️I patiently wait
✔️Pride in accomplish- Has ability to solve ✔️I don't want anyone
ment problem to know about my
accomplishment

2. Do you have teachers that you will never forget for positive or
negative reasons? How did they help or not help with your needs
(physical, emotional, social, and cognitive)? How did it affect you?

Yes, she was my high school teacher and one thing that I will never
forget is on how she treats me. She was like a friend that whenever I have
problems, I don't hesitate to tell it to her. She's also like a mother that
whenever I have serious problems and whenever I need guidance, she always
gives her best advices. She was not just an ordinary teacher. She was an
extraordinary teacher with a heart of a friend and a mother. With that, we
developed a strong relationship and I have developed confidence.
 Which is your favorite theory of development. How this theory guides you as a
future teacher? Clip some readings about this theory and paste them here.

Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erikson's theory posits that every human being passes through several distinct and qualitatively
different stages in life, from birth to death. As a future teacher, this theory will serve as a guide
to better understand the different personalities and characteristics of my students. In that way, I
could prevent conflict and have good relationship with my students.

Wow! Congratulations. You are done with the observation activity for
Learning Episode 2. To successfully end your Learning Episode 2, go to your LMS
and answer the Learning Episode 2 Quiz.