Ed 101

The Child and

Adolescent Learners
and Learning Principles

LUCILA D. VIPINOSA,
EdD
 MODULE 1: CONCEPTS AND ISSUES ON
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Overview

Human development is the process characterized by the variation of the material

conditions that most influence the possibilities of satisfying needs and desires and to explore
and realize the physical and psychic, biological and cultural, individual and social potentials
of each person. Module 1 introduces the concepts and issues on human development. It
provides an opportunity for grounding future discussions to be included in this course. It is
divided into two lessons. For the first lesson, will tackle the meaning and introduce us to the
concepts related to human development. Lesson 2 discusses the different approaches to
human development.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of Module 1, it is expected that you can:

1. Define human development
2. Draw principles underlying human development
3. Distinguish approaches to human development

Indicative Content

Human Development
 Meaning of human development
 Concepts related to human development

Approaches to Human Development

 Traditional approach
 Lifespan approach
Lesson 1: Human Development: Meaning and Concepts
Growth and development are the result of both nature and nurture. They are influenced by
a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and experiential factors. An individual
child’s progression through the developmental stages is the result of a unique mix of physical
and mental predispositions and attributes, as well as environmental conditions, such as
poverty, prenatal drug exposure, or empathic parenting.

Development occurs across a number of interconnected domains. Development in each

domain is closely interwoven with development in the others, though it may not proceed
evenly across domains at the same time (ex. language development may at times happen
before physical development or vice versa.)

Development is progressive over time. It occurs in a series of stages in a consistent

sequence. Though each individual develops in a unique way, the sequence of development is
consistent for all individuals. For example, in general, children gain control over their bodies
from head to toe and from the center out (Fahlberg, 1991.) An infant will be able to focus his
or her eyes and follow an object before being able to lift his or her head.

For each stage of development, there are milestones that tell whether or not the individual
has achieved typical, or “normal,” development in the three domains. More broadly, there are
developmental tasks that each individual needs to complete for each major developmental
stage in each domain before he or she can proceed with optimum hope for success to the next
stage. If tasks at a particular stage are not adequately completed, problems are likely to
appear at future stages of development.

Individuals’ development does not always proceed evenly or at the same rate. Some
degree of variation around what is considered the normal time for an individual to complete a
developmental task should still be considered within the normal range. These normal
variations would be smaller in the case of an infant in a period of rapid growth and
development, but might be as much as six months for an adolescent.

Development proceeds most rapidly in the earliest months and years of life, especially
before age five. Deficiencies in care at that stage can have especially serious effects on
physical, cognitive, and social development. For example, rapid brain and body growth
before age two makes infants highly susceptible to malnutrition, which, if not corrected, can
lead to brain damage, mental retardation, and/or growth retardation.

For most individuals, growth and development occur within a family or family-like
context. Thus, the parent figures are the ones who are primarily responsible for seeing that
the child has needed supports for development and is protected from conditions that would
impede development. To do this, caregivers need to understand the developmental process.

Abuse, neglect, and poor parenting can severely undermine development, not just in the
psychosocial domain, but also in the moral, physical (e.g., failure to thrive,) linguistic, and
cognitive domains.

The effects of maltreatment on development are the result of a complex interaction of

factors, including nature, duration, and severity of maltreatment; developmental stage of the
child; need; physical and psychological constitution of the child; and environmental and
interpersonal conditions that act to increase or mitigate risk. The prenatal and infant periods
are periods of highest risk developmentally.

For individuals who are victims of maltreatment, or who have conditions that may
handicap normal development, it is important to understand optimum developmental
possibilities within each domain at each stage and what can support or impede optimum
development.

Exercise

“The effects of maltreatment on development are the result of a complex interaction of

factors, including nature, duration, and severity of maltreatment; developmental stage of the
child; need; physical and psychological constitution of the child; and environmental and
interpersonal conditions that act to increase or mitigate risk.”

In at least 250 words, cite a case where maltreatment or physical abuse has affected the
physical, mental, psychological, and emotional growth of a person.

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Lesson 2: Approaches to Human Development

There are two major approaches to human development: the traditional approach and the
life-span approach.

Traditional approach to human development have emphasized change from birth to

adolescence, stability in adulthood, and decline in old age. This approach emphasizes body,
personality, and abilities. Strong developmental tasks are imposed by marriage and
parenthood, by the waxing and waning of physical prowess and of some intellectual
capacities, by the children’s exit from the nest, by the achievement of an occupational
plateau, and by retirement and the prospect of death.

On the other hand, the Lifespan approach of human development explains that
development is lifelong and occurs from conception to death. It advances the following
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. specific changes in development can occur later in
life, without having been established at birth. The early events of one’s childhood can be
transformed by later events in one’s life. This belief clearly emphasizes that all stages of the
lifespan contribute to the regulation of the nature of human development.

Many diverse patterns of change, such as direction, timing, and order, can vary among
individuals and affect the ways in which they develop. For example, the developmental
timing of events can affect individuals in different ways because of their current level of
maturity and understanding. As individuals move through life, they are faced with many
challenges, opportunities, and situations that impact their development. Remembering that
development is a lifelong process helps us gain a wider perspective on the meaning and
impact of each event.

Development is multidimensional. A complex interplay of factors influence

development across the lifespan, including biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes.
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. But these are not the only
types of changes taking place; there are also cognitive changes, including the development of
advanced cognitive faculties such as the ability to think abstractly. There are also emotional
and social changes involving regulating emotions, interacting with peers, and possibly dating.
The fact that the term puberty encompasses such a broad range of domains illustrates the
multidimensionality component of development (think back to the physical, cognitive, and
psychosocial domains of human development we discussed earlier in this module).

Development is multidirectional. 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. For example, self-regulation is one domain of
puberty which undergoes profound multidirectional changes during the adolescent period.
During childhood, individuals have difficulty effectively regulating their actions and
impulsive behaviors. Scholars have noted that this lack of effective regulation often results in
children engaging in behaviors without fully considering the consequences of their actions.
Over the course of puberty, neuronal changes modify this unregulated behavior by increasing
the ability to regulate emotions and impulses. Inversely, the ability for adolescents to engage
in spontaneous activity and creativity, both domains commonly associated with impulse
behavior, decrease over the adolescent period in response to changes in cognition. Neuronal
changes to the limbic system and prefrontal cortex of the brain, which begin in puberty lead
to the development of self-regulation, and the ability to consider the consequences of one’s
actions (though recent brain research reveals that this connection will continue to develop
into early adulthood).

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. 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.
Exercise

Observe your older siblings or parents. What development could you observe now which
they did not manifest before, in terms of the following:

Physical Manifestation of
development

Emotional Manifestation of
development

Psycho-social manifestation
of development

Case Study

Michael's grandfather was teaching Michael how to drive a car. At first, Michael was
frustrated because his grandfather's reactions and driving were rather slow; his grandfather
explained that while he's not as fast as he used to be, he is more careful in his driving in later
life. When Michael followed his grandfather's example and avoided hitting another car due to
his cautious driving, he appreciated his grandfather's slow, but careful driving.

Reflect on this case. What do you think does the loss of speed but gain of caution try to
imply? How you understand this based on the principles of lifespan development.

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References:

Corpuz, B., et al. (2015) Child and Adolescent Development. Lorimar Publishing
The Lifespan Perspective. Available at https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-
lifespandevelopment/chapter/the-lifespan-perspective/
Lifespan development and lifelong learning. Available at https://infed.org/mobi/life-span-
development-and-lifelong-learning.