Age-related special characteristics

In your teaching work, you will encounter children of various ages. If the
students of a second-year Python Pro course calmly complete the tasks
and ask relevant questions, teaching a Computer literacy course may lead
you to encounter a total lack of attention from your charges and failure to
remember what you covered in lessons, forcing you to repeat material you
have already taught.
Obviously, children of different ages behave differently. And the techniques
that always used to work with your group may suddenly become
ineffective.
This lesson is devoted to the age-related characteristics of children, and
how to work with them.

Memory - a system for remembering, recalling and forgetting experience

gained over time.
Attention - the selective focus of one's consciousness on certain objects
and phenomena of reality, or of their particular properties and qualities,
while taking one's focus off of everything else.
Reasoning - the process by which complex links and relationships
between objects and phenomena in the surrounding world are reflecting
in a person's consciousness.
Early school age
Early school age- learning gradually becomes the dominant form of activity, with play
remaining in second place. At first, interest in the learning process is developed without
any understanding of its purpose. After developing an interest in the results of one's work,
children develop an interest in acquiring knowledge.
Memory
Special characteristics
image memory and emotional memory
predominate - the most memorable
things are dramatic and unusual, which
elicits an emotional response
the children do not yet know how to
organize the process of memorization or
use logical schema
children of this age have a distinct need to
memorize word for word (their speech is
not developed at an adult level)
Memory
Special characteristics
voluntary attention is not sufficiently
developed, involuntary attention
predominates
the attention span is shorter than an
adult's, the ability to switch focus
(consciously change the object of one's
attention) is lower and distractibility is
higher
How to work with this
● the most important things in the
lesson should be the most
dramatic;
● the material should be presented in
a clear and orderly way
● material must be broken into
sections, identifying key points for
mastery and explaining why;
● there must be instructions
● show how a plan is made - first in
picture form, then using
descriptions of pictures;
● take the time to review the material
covered in the previous lesson
● encourage remembering the
meaning of things, retelling in one's
own words;
● new words are remembered best if
they are part of a game
How to work with this
● analogous with memory,
meaningful moments must be
more dramatic and interesting
than less substantial ones;
● the material must be varied,
presented and revealed in an
orderly way
● the type of activity must change
during a lesson, elicit interest (pay
attention to the structure of
lessons);
● it is necessary to "switch" kids to a
new activity type, talk through the
new lesson stage; if something is
unfinished, you can return to it
 later;
● warm-ups are mandatory

Reasoning
Reasoning becomes more complex, moving from visual-image and visual-action oriented
to verbal-logical, conceptual thinking

Special characteristics How to work with this

it is difficult to absorb the instructor's ideas ● it is necessary to use a presentation

if they are expressed only in words, to illustrate one's speech -
without visual support presentations for the courses are
prepared by both the
methodologists and the designers.

during learning, an inner plan of action is ● encourage children to talk through

developed (the ability to perform actions their actions out loud (later, this will
in one's mind) become internal);
● make sure all of the children in the
group answer, but do not "call
them to the board"; instead, offer
them the chance to speak up.

intellectual reflection develops (the ability ● it is important to say what will

to evaluate, identify, analyze and match happen during the lesson and why;
one's own actions to a situation) ● at the end of the lesson, it is vital to
sum up the lesson and announce
the next lesson

The emotional sphere

● cannot control their own emotions - express them dramatically, which can seem
histrionic to adults;
● changes in mood and bursts of emotion are normal;
● spill positive emotions more easily than negative ones;
● may develop anxiety due to transitioning to school.

Summary
Lessons for early school-aged children must include changes in the type of activity, which
is taken into account in our materials. They will help us direct the children's attention. The
lesson structure enables us to use various ways of working with the material so that
children remember it better.
Early adolescence
Early adolescence - socially useful activity and communication with peers predominate.
Memory
● memorizing and recalling take on the character of meaning;
● logical memory is developing actively;
● memorizing comes down to reasoning - the construction of logical links inside the
material being studied, and recollection comes down to restoring the material
using these links.
Memory
Attention becomes completely voluntary and is controlled by the adolescent.

Special characteristics How to work with this

reduced attention is related to the ● the best way to hold attention is

adolescent's psychological characteristics active cognitive work.
or a lack of interest in studying;

Reasoning
Special characteristics How to work with this

abstract reasoning is developing, but a ● examples must be varied - the

lack of direct experience may slow it down; same object must be shown from
different angles

they invent their own ways of solving
problems and can compare alternative
solutions
● show different ways of solving
problems;
● encourage solving problems in
their own way; if the way is
incorrect, figure out why.

The emotional sphere

The primary trait is a changeable personality.
● adolescents may copy the behavior of important adults - clothing, accessories,
manner of speech;
● aspire to equal rights in relationships, may provoke a conflict while defending their
position (may change often, to its direct opposite)
● the manner in which they interact with their peers is changing;
○ at ages 10-11, children want to be in a group, do something together;
○ at ages 12-13, they strive to occupy a certain position in a group of peers;
○ at ages 14-15, they want to individualize and seek recognition of the value of
their identity - make note of their individuality, encourage searching for
different solutions.

Late adolescence (young adulthood)

The development of attention, reasoning and memory reaches adult levels.
Reasoning.
 ● upperclassmen attempt to figure out phenomena more frequently and
persistently, and tend to question the sufficiency and validity of the
explanations they are offered;
● the following characteristics of practical reasoning are being perfected:
○ an enterprising spirit - the willingness to seek a solution to a difficult
situation;
○ thrift - selecting a way of acting that leads to the desired result with
minimum costs and expenses;
○ prudence - the ability to foresee the consequences of certain
solutions and actions, accurately determine their result and evaluate
what it may cost;
○ agility - the ability to quickly solve the problems posed to them.
The emotional sphere.
In young adulthood, personalities stabilize and self-esteem is generally higher.
● control over one's emotions and behavior improves;
● they become less prone to conflict;
● they are constantly striving to evaluate their own personality, analyze their
actions, behavior and deeds, do not trust other people to evaluate their
"self", which makes them more introverted.