WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE

Lesson 3

Introduction

Certain factors make us unique. In this lesson, you will know how vast is your
eccentricity compared to other people. Because of this, as teachers, we need to take a closer
study of the students we handle. Our students come from different family backgrounds, they
belong to different ethnic groups with varying customs and traditions, and they also interact with
other people coming from different walks of life. All these make people distinct from each other.

When you deal with young children you will get to know their individual capacities and
what makes them similar and special. This uniqueness must be embraced by you, as future
educator, to be able to know how to deal with children. You must always bear in mind, that
children are a result of the intermingling of nature and nurture and that both create an impact on
growth and development.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you can:

1. Demonstrate content knowledge in identifying and determining factors that affect human development
and how these affect the total development of an individual; (1.1.1)
2. Show skills in the positive use of ICT to facilitate the teaching and learning process ;( 1.3.1)
3. Demonstrate knowledge of learning environments that motivate learners to work productively by
assuming responsibility for their own learning; (2.5.1)
4. Apply teaching strategies that develop critical and creative thinking, and/or other higher order thinking
skills (1.5.1)

Topic Outline
1. Individual Differences
2. Influences of Development
3. The Role of Culture
 Try this!
Fill out the Eight Square. Ask eight people about their definition of these words. Fill in
each of the information needed. Time yourself before starting. Your time will be compared with
your classmates. Let’s see if you can fill out the squares faster than anyone!

Time started: ______2:30 PM_____ Time ended: _______3:30 PM__________

Name: Jericho Ivan Humao-as Name: Roslaini Autria

Heredity: Environment:
 For me, Heredity is about transmission  So, Environment simply means our
or you inherit from your both parents. surroundings or Everything around us,
Like for instance you inherit the including both living and nonliving
attitudes of your mother or some traits objects like soil, water, animals, and
of your father. plants that adapt to their
circumstances.

Name: Jasmine Hamid Name: Ferdawsia Hamid

Influence:
 Influence is about effect to other,
example for that is you influence your
friends to read books and complete
their assignments.
Biological Events:
 Biological events are documented that
are primarily connected to seasonal
variations in climatic circumstances.
It’s about life that move in this world
or in your body, like for example the
cell in our body.

Name: Princess Perez Name: Heart Napigkit

Critical period: Culture:
 So, Critical period is a period in early  Culture are about their beliefs,
postnatal life when the development practices, attitudes, one group of
and maturation of functional people from another, and also their
characteristics of the brain. Values.
Name: Anna Mae Abirun
Cohort:
 For me, A cohort is a group of people
who share particular characteristics.
Cohort is very useful when looking at
a group as a whole for statistical
purposes.
Name: Donald Faizal Hamid
Individual differences:
 All of us are unique and we have our
own individual differences and it
refers to the degree and kind of
differences between individuals in
some of the most important
psychological traits, personal qualities,
cognitive and emotional components.

Think ahead!

You did it! You are an awesome interviewer! Now answer these points.

1. Where you asked or interviewed too before? What was it about?

Yes, I was interviewed and that was about their Research, they were asking me if what
was my opinion about the Sanitization of our school because their research aim what was the
students side comment or our point of view of the School Sanitization, if we have a problem in
CR or the school ground cleanliness, especially the classroom and so on and so forth.

2. How was the entire activity?

The entire activity came out well, they delivered very well their opinion or their own
definition of words that was asked, they were supportive to my activity and participate nicely.

3. What do all these words refer to?

In my own opinion the words that was asked refers to nature of living of every individual
person, like we have a different culture, we have individual differences and we should respect
that.
 Read and Ponder
Individual Differences in Children

 Beyond the gender and physical differences of an individual are students from different
socioeconomic strata; students who come from various family configurations; students with special
needs, differing interests, and abilities; students with different cultural backgrounds, different
languages, different learning styles, and different attitudes toward the school.
 The psychology of individual differences is concerned with the systematic study of intelligence
and abilities associated with personality of learner, learning styles and needs and interests of learner.

Definitions
1. According to Borich & Tombari (1997), “Individual differences are the variations we observe
among members of any group in a particular characteristic, such as temperament, energy level,
friendship patterns and parent-child attachment.”
2. “Individual differences stand for the variations or deviations among individuals in regard to a
single characteristic or a number of characteristics.” – Carter B. Good
3. “The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been,
and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” – Pablo Casals
Individual differences stand for “those differences which in their totality distinguish one individual from
another.

Types or varieties of individual differences

1. Physical differences: Individuals differ in height, weight, colour of skin, colour of eyes and hair,
size of hands and heads, arms, feet, mouth and nose, length of waistline, structure and functioning of
internal organs, facial expression, mannerisms of speech and walk, and other such native or acquired
physical characteristics.
2. Mental Difference: Individuals differ in intellectual abilities and capacities like reasoning and
thinking, power of imagination, creative expression, concentration etc. On the basis of these
differences they are usually classified as idiot, imbecile, moron, border line, normal, very superior
and genius
3. Differences in Motor Ability: There exist wide differences in motor abilities such as reacting
time, speed of action, steadiness, rate of muscular moment, manual dexterity and resistance to fatigue
etc.
4. Differences in Achievement: Differences exist in achievement and in knowledge even among
individuals who have almost the same amount of intelligence and have been subjected to equal
amount of schooling and experience.
5. Emotional Differences: In some individuals, positive emotions like love, affection and
amusement and the like are prominent; whereas, in some negative emotions are more powerful. Some
are emotionally stable and mature, while others are emotionally unstable and immature.
6. Differences in Interests and Aptitudes: Variations occur among the individuals in relation to
the specific tastes and interests. Individuals are also found to have different aptitudes. Some have
mechanical aptitude, while the others have scholastic, musical or artistic aptitudes.
7. Differences in self-concept: Self concept reflects the images, considerations or judgement about
one’s abilities and limitations usually held by an individual not only projecting himself before others
but also for estimating his self in his own eyes. Low self-image can give rise to low self esteem.
8. Learning differences: Some learn more easily and are able to make use of their learning more
comfortably than others. For some, one method of learning or memorization is more suitable, while
for others, a different method suits.
9. Differences in social and moral development: Some are found to be adjusted properly in the
social situations and lead a happy social life while others are socially handicapped, unsocial or
antisocial. Similarly, people are found to differ in respect of ethical and moral sense.

 Two Factors Effecting Individual Differences

1. Heredity: (What occurs naturally as a function of the genes) includes all inherited traits.
2. Environment: (What is learned and communicated in different cultures or other social groups)
includes family, socio-economic status, Culture, previous knowledge, experience and gender
differences.

The Lifespan Perspective

Baltes’ lifespan perspective emphasizes that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional,

plastic, contextual, and multidisciplinary. Think of ways your own development fits in with each of these
concepts as you read about the terms in more detail.

Lifespan development involves the exploration of biological, cognitive, and psychosocial changes and
constancies that occur throughout the entire course of life. It has been presented as a theoretical
perspective, proposing several fundamental, theoretical, and methodological principles about the nature of
human development. An attempt by researchers has been made to examine whether research on the nature
of development suggests a specific metatheoretical worldview. Several beliefs, taken together, form the
“family of perspectives” that contribute to this particular view.

German psychologist Paul Baltes, a leading expert on lifespan development and aging, developed one of
the approaches to studying development called the lifespan perspective. This approach is based on several
key principles:
• Development occurs across one’s entire life, or is lifelong.
• Development is multidimensional, meaning it involves the dynamic interaction of factors like
physical, emotional, and psychosocial development
• Development is multidirectional and results in gains and losses throughout life
• Development is plastic, meaning that characteristics are malleable or changeable.
• Development is influenced by contextual and socio-cultural influences.
• Development is multidisciplinary.

Development is lifelong
Lifelong development means that development is not completed in infancy or childhood or at any specific
age; it encompasses the entire lifespan, from conception to death.

Development is multidimensional

By multidimensionality, Baltes is referring to the fact that a complex interplay of factors influence
development across the lifespan, including biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes. Baltes
argues that a dynamic interaction of these factors is what influences an individual’s development.
For example, in adolescence, puberty consists of physiological and physical changes with changes in
hormone levels, the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics, alterations in height and
weight, and several other bodily changes.

Development is multidirectional
Baltes states that the development of a particular domain does not occur in a strictly linear fashion but
that development of certain traits can be characterized as having the capacity for both an increase and
decrease in efficacy over the course of an individual’s life.
If we use the example of puberty again, we can see that certain domains may improve or decline in
effectiveness during this time.

Development is plastic

Plasticity denotes intrapersonal variability and focuses heavily on the potentials and limits of the nature of
human development. The notion of plasticity emphasizes that there are many possible developmental
outcomes and that the nature of human development is much more open and pluralistic than originally
implied by traditional views; there is no single pathway that must be taken in an individual’s development
across the lifespan. Plasticity is imperative to current research because the potential for intervention is
derived from the notion of plasticity in development. Undesired development or behaviors could
potentially be prevented or changed.

Development is contextual
In Baltes’ theory, the paradigm of contextualism refers to the idea that three systems of biological and
environmental influences work together to influence development. Development occurs in context and
varies from person to person, depending on factors such as a person’s biology, family, school, church,
profession, nationality, and ethnicity. Baltes identified three types of influences that operate throughout
the life course: normative age-graded influences, normative history-graded influences, and
nonnormative influences. Baltes wrote that these three influences operate throughout the life course,
their effects accumulate with time, and, as a dynamic package, they are responsible for how lives develop.
Normative age-graded influences are those biological and environmental factors that have a strong
correlation with chronological age, such as puberty or menopause, or age-based social practices such as
beginning school or entering retirement. Normative history-graded influences are associated with a
specific time period that defines the broader environmental and cultural context in which an individual
develops. For example, development and identity are influenced by historical events of the people who
experience them, such as the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, the Cold War, the War on Terror, or
advances in technology.

Nonnormative influences are unpredictable and not tied to a certain developmental time in a person’s
development or to a historical period. They are the unique experiences of an individual, whether
biological or environmental, that shape the development process. These could include milestones like
earning a master’s degree or getting a certain job offer or other events like going through a divorce or
coping with the death of a child.

The most important aspect of contextualism as a paradigm is that the three systems of influence work
together to affect development. Concerning adolescent development, the age-graded influences would
help to explain the similarities within a cohort, the history-graded influences would help to explain the
differences between cohorts, and the nonnormative influences would explain the idiosyncrasies of each
adolescent’s individual development. When all influences are considered together, it provides a broader
explanation of an adolescent’s development.
Other Contextual Influences on Development: Cohort, Socioeconomic Status, and Culture
What is meant by the word “context”? It means that we are influenced by when and where we live. Our
actions, beliefs, and values are a response to the circumstances surrounding us. Sternberg describes
contextual intelligence as the ability to understand what is called for in a situation (Sternberg, 1996). The
key here is to understand that behaviors, motivations, emotions, and choices are all part of a bigger
picture.

Culture is often referred to as a blueprint or guideline shared by a group of people that specifies how to
live. It includes ideas about what is right and wrong, what to strive for, what to eat, how to speak, what is
valued, as well as what kinds of emotions are called for in certain situations. Culture teaches us how to
live in a society and allows us to advance because each new generation can benefit from the solutions
found and passed down from previous generations.

Culture is learned from parents, schools, churches, media, friends, and others throughout a lifetime. The
kinds of traditions and values that evolve in a particular culture serve to help members function in their
own society and to value their own society. We tend to believe that our own culture’s practices and
expectations are the right ones. This belief that our own culture is superior is called ethnocentrism and is a
normal by-product of growing up in a culture. It becomes a roadblock, however, when it inhibits
understanding of cultural practices from other societies. Cultural relativity is an appreciation for cultural
differences and the understanding that cultural practices are best understood from the standpoint of that
particular culture.

Culture is an extremely important context for human development and understanding development
requires being able to identify which features of development are culturally based. This understanding is
somewhat new and still being explored. So much of what developmental theorists have described in the
past has been culturally bound and difficult to apply to various cultural contexts. For example, Erikson’s
theory that teenagers struggle with identity assumes that all teenagers live in a society in which they have
many options and must make an individual choice about their future. In many parts of the world, one’s
identity is determined by family status or society’s dictates. In other words, there is no choice to make.
Even the most biological events can be viewed in cultural contexts that are extremely varied. Consider
two very different cultural responses to menstruation in young girls. In the United States, girls in public
school often receive information on menstruation around 5th grade, get a kit containing feminine hygiene
products, and receive some sort of education about sexual health. Contrast this with some developing
countries where menstruation is not publicly addressed, or where girls on their period are forced to miss
school due to limited access to feminine products or unjust attitudes about menstruation.

Development is Multidisciplinary
Any single discipline’s account of development across the lifespan would not be able to express all
aspects of this theoretical framework. That is why it is suggested explicitly by lifespan researchers that a
combination of disciplines is necessary to understand development. Psychologists, sociologists,
neuroscientists, anthropologists, educators, economists, historians, medical researchers, and others may
all be interested and involved in research related to the normative age-graded, normative history-graded,
and nonnormative influences that help shape development.
 See if you can do this!

Read this article on the cultural practice in the Philippines amid the pandemic. Then write
a reflection paper on the article. Take note of the rubric for this activity.

As I read the article about the cultural practice in the Philippines amid the Pandemic, they
have used traditional rituals to lock down their communities against the COVID-19 outbreak. I
really admired how they protect their community and they also obeying the rules in their area
because in Bontoc, Philippines their policies are no one has crossed the boundary into the town
of Bauko, in the northern Philippine region of Cordillera. We know that we are not just the one
who are affected in this Pandemic, also our Indigenous people. This season of religious and
cultural celebrations will be markedly different for millions of people throughout the world, as
governments discourage or prohibit big gatherings and advise people to stay at home in order to
limit or stop the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Millions of Filipino
Catholics celebrated Easter at home, instead of attending mass, processions, and other festivities.

Like for example our Dia De Zamboanga is coming soon this October but the Zamboanga mayor
did not allow to have Street Dance or the usual doing when the festival comes, that is because of
Pandemic our health is more important than anything, we know that after the Outbreak and we
will soon be Covid Free we can celebrate that again next year. Also, the Hariraya of Muslim we
just celebrate it at home, we pray together at home because that’s the only way to protect
ourselves from Covid-19 Virus.

Retrieved from:
https://johnparankimalil.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/individual-differences-in-children/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-lifespandevelopment/chapter/the-lifespan-
perspective-2/#:~:text=Normative%20age%2Dgraded%20influences%20are,beginning
%20school%20or%20entering%20retirement.
https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2020/9/15/parents-children-home-education.html