The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Lesson 14 Physical Development of the High School

Learners (Adolescence)

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:

described the physical and sexual changes during puberty stage

discussed the factors that contribute to early and delayed puberty

Introduction

You have learned the development in physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional aspects
that children go through in all the stages from infancy to late childhood. This lesson will unfold
the adolescents’ physical development. You will be able to describe the sexual changes
accompanying puberty. This is the age for the high school learners. Be ready!

ACTIVATE

Cite the physical changes that you noticed to yourself when you were this stage. You
may want to list them below.
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

ACQUIRE

Adolescent is a stage of human development that go with puberty, which is the biological
development occurring at the average age of 11 for girls and 12 for boys. There are contributory factors
to early or delayed puberty. These factors include heredity, diet, exercise, and socio-environmental
influences.

Maturation, early or late, in adolescence accompany the cognitive and socio-emotional

development of adolescent. In this situation, the teacher must be considerable providing guidance and
support to the learners in high school. The specific ages for this period vary from person-to-person but
early adolescence characterized by puberty may come at the ages of 11 and 12, middle adolescence may
meet identity issues within the ages of 14 and 16, and late adolescence marks the transition into
adulthood at ages 17 and 20.

During puberty, growth hormones gradually increases affecting the size and weight of the
body. Hormone flooding causes acceleration of growth spurts. Girls’ spurts begin at age 10 where its
peak is at 11-and-a-half. Slow but continual growth occurs for more years. For boys, growth spurts
begin at 12 reaching its peak at age 14, and declining at 15-and-a-half, then continual for several years.
All muscular and skeletal dimensions appear to take part in the growth spurts during adolescence.

There are factors affecting the physical development of adolescents. Hormones affect much the
development since these are specialized chemical substances that interact with bodily cells. The process
results to the secretion of gonadotropic hormones by the anterior pituitary gland. The gonads which are
the ovaries for female and testis for the male are stimulated by the gonadotropic hormones, and the
stimulation causes the secretion of testosterone in the male sex organ and of estrogen.

For boys spermarche happens. This is first sperm release due to the enlargement of the testis
gland in the scrotum. Penis grows for copulation and is capacitated for ejaculation of male sperms.
For girls, menarche happens. This is the first menstruation. And, menstruation occurs every after 28
days. Estrogen causes the enlargement of breast, appearance of pubic hair and widening of the hips.
Male needs to discharge semen (mixed with sticky fluid) produced by the prostate gland. This occurs
periodically. The ejaculation or discharge of semen happens also when the sexual organ is stimulated
—this is called masturbation, which is a normal phenomenon according to Science. It is understood that
adolescence is the time for sexual experimentation and exploration with sexual fantasies and realities.
You may also want to see more information about self-esteem, adolescent, and body image.
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

APPLY

Activity 1

Name: Date:
Student Number: Section Code: Rating:

Instructions: Describe the physical and sexual changes of male and female.

Male Female

2. Discuss the factors that contribute to early and delayed puberty.

Male Female
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Lesson 15 Cognitive Development of the High School

Learners (Adolescence)

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:

explained the consequences of the adolescents’ cognitive development on

their behavior
cited applications of adolescents’ cognitive characteristics according to
Piaget and Siegler to teaching-learning

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the cognitive development of adolescence. At this stage, the
development of this aspect is rapid. Biological changes in the structure of the brain and connectivity
plays a vital role. It is said that how the ideas and thoughts develop influences greatly one’s life in the
future. Before you continue with the lesson, take a little time answering the subsequent activity.

ACTIVATE

Write your experiences when you were at this stage. Recall the achievements you have
contributed to your class, school, district, or division. How these achievements help you?

ACQUIRE

Adolescence is a stage by which changes in the brain have interactions with knowledge, social
demands, and experience. Rapid cognitive growth is apparently observed. How adolescents think,
understand , and reason can be intense than physical changes. As Piaget terms it, this is the operational
stage marked by movement form the ability to think and reason logically about concrete and visible
events. It is the ability to think logically about abstract concepts.

While they increase in abstract ideas, they decrease in egocentric thoughts. This makes them
think and reason in a wider perspective. Behavioral studies show the development of executive
functions along with cognitive functions, enabling the control and coordination of thoughts and
behavior.
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Children of this stage are able to analyze logically, in terms of cause and effect, and to entertain
hypothetical situations. Differences among teens in terms of capacities make them be involved to
introspection and mature decision beyond their cognitive capacity.

Due to the brain weight increase and synaptic connections refinement (corpus collosum),
acquisition of new cognitive skills occurs. Brain development is the process of correlated temporal and
parietal areas (myelination). This development covers the brain systems whose executive functions
relate to attention, verbal fluency, language, and planning (Corpuz et al, 2018).

Three peaks in brain maturation have identified by neurological scientists and these are at age
12, age 15, and at age 18.5 coinciding with operational thinking process for logical reasoning results to
the secretion of gonadotropic hormones by the anterior pituitary gland. The gonads which are the
ovaries for female and testis for the male are stimulated by the gonadotropic hormones, and the
stimulation causes the secretion of testosterone in the male sex organ and of estrogen.

For boys spermarche happens. This is first sperm release due to the enlargement of the testis
gland in the scrotum. Penis grows for copulation and is capacitated for ejaculation of male sperms.
For girls, menarche happens. This is the first menstruation. And, menstruation occurs every after 28
days. Estrogen causes the enlargement of breast, appearance of pubic hair and widening of the hips.
Male needs to discharge semen (mixed with sticky fluid) produced by the prostate gland. This occurs
periodically. The ejaculation or discharge of semen happens also when the sexual organ is stimulated
—this is called masturbation, which is a normal phenomenon according to Science. It is understood that
adolescence is the time for sexual experimentation and exploration with sexual fantasies and realities.
You may also want to see more information about self-esteem, adolescent, and body image.

Formal Operational Thinking Theory according to Piaget is the cognitive capacity that enables
the adolescent to go beyond the sensible and concrete for possible, abstract and hypothetical. This
theory presents three types of thinking: propositional thinking, relativistic thinking, real versus
possible. See the table for the description.

Formal operational thinking is the ability of adolescents for combinational analysis, which is
taking stock of the effects of several variables in a situation. A new capacity known as the
Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning emerges in the adolescent reasoning from general facts to a
particular conclusion.

Types of Thinking Description

Making assertions outside visual evidence,

Propositional thinking and stating what may be possible in things
not seen by the eyes

Subjectivity making an opinion on facts

involving one’s own bias, prejudiced of
Relativistic thinking
distortion of facts, which may either bee
right or wrong

Examining a situation and exploiting the

Real versus possible
possible in terms of situations or solution

Only education allows them to practice formal operational thinking. This is according to
scientific proofs. Math and science activities (like pendulums, projections) help in actualizing formal
operation. Through mathematical and scientific studies, they acquire new capabilities that makes them
problem-solving thinker.

Robert Siegler’s Information Processing Theory sees environment on thinking. Cognitive

growth for him is not stages of development, but more of a sequential acquisition of specific
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

knowledge and strategies for problem-solving. He was able to draw out rules and models in
thinking and knowing. He is also able to process information. Theorist Robert Siegler observes the
quality of information processes that faces tasks at hand through strategies and rules. Adolescents are
able to display speed in information processing with greater awareness and control and acquired
knowledge base– more efficient kind of thinking compared with that of the child, complexity by way of
considering longer-term implications and possibilities beyond the here-and-now-, and increased
volume of information processing coupled with longer memory span.

Metacognition, Overachievement, and Underachievement

Metacognition, which includes the ability to identify one’s own thinking processes and
strategies (perception, memory, understanding, applications, analysis, assessment, and innovation), is
one of cognitive advances in adolescence. He is able to say ‘I know that” and ‘I know how’ as he
use mnemonic device in understanding. He is able to address queries of what, where and why. These
are all higher order thinking skills.

At this stage, he is able to achieve very high academic grades. In the case of overachievers, IQ
test in not the only determinant of achievement. Many factors are also contributory like interest,
motivation personality development and habit. Overachievers show superior performance in the factors
mentioned. The characteristics of overachievers are positive self-value (self-esteem, confidence,
optimism), openness to authority (repulsiveness to expectations of parents and teachers), positive
interpersonal relations (responsive and sensitive to feelings of other), less conflict on the issue of self-
autonomy (feels freedom to make right choices, initiates and leads activities), academic orientation
(disciplined work habits, high motivation to discover and learn, interest in study values and varied fields
of study), goal orientation (efficiency and energy in organizing, planning, setting target, prioritizing
long-term goals over short-term rewards), and control over anxiety (well composed and relaxed
performance or organized tasks).

On the other hand lies adolescent that performs below the standards. Underachievement may
become more pronounced when high school class work becomes more demanding. Withdrawn
achievers refer to those who have a more pronounced tendency to be passive resulting in being
submissive and docile. They resist and do not react at all. They do not participate un the class activities.
There are also aggressive underachievers. They are those who tend to be talkative, disruptive, and
rebellious. Adolescents also tend to show egocentrism, idealism, and increased
argumentativeness.

APPLY

Activity 1
Name: Date:
Student Number: Section Code: Rating:

Instructions: How is adolescents’ behavior affected by cognitive development? (20 points)

 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Activity 2
Name: Date:
Student Number: Section Code: Rating:

Instructions: Cite situations that apply the theories of the proponents indicated in the table.

Theories Application

Piaget’s operational thinking:

Thinking the possible but unseen

Thinking out your bias
Exploring solutions

Siegler’s information processing skill:

Increased thinking speed

Increased complexity
Increased volume
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Lesson 16 Socio-emotional Development of the High

School Learners (Adolescence)

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you must have:

illustrated strategies by which problems can be fought for a mature

adolescent life
discussed ways for high school children to cope with adversities of
everyday life

Introduction

Time for big social and emotional development for the child occurs in adolescence. It helps to
know what to expect and how to support the child through the changes. During adolescence, there are
changes in the way the child interacts with family, friends and peers. Every teen’s social and emotional
development is different. The child’s unique combination of genes, brain development, environment,
experiences with family and friends, and community and culture shape development. Social changes
and emotional changes show that the child is forming an independent identity and learning to be an
adult.(Healthy Families, 2014). In this lesson, you will learn about the socio-emotional development
that the child goes through in the adolescence stage.

ACTIVATE

List down some activities that teens get involved in. How do you think these activities help them
grow socio-emotionally?

How do this activity help an adolescent grow socio-

Activity
emotionally?
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

ACQUIRE

Generally, emotions are commonly known as human feelings manifested by conscious or

unconscious moods. The unique patterns of emotions are event that is strong or important,
psychological changes in heart pulse rate, brain activity, hormone levels and body temperature,
readiness for action often described as fight or flight, and dependence of the emotional on how the
stimulus is appraises or interpreted.

Biologists view that the part of the body which controls emotional reactions is the automatic
nervous system connected to most of the glands and muscles in the body. The system has two parts: the
sympathetic part which excites or arouses and the parasympathetic part which depresses body
functions.

Emotions functions by focusing attention, motivating and enabling the individual to face a
situation in life or withdraw and run away form it. Positive emotions like interest and joy motivate the
individual to continue his/ her behavior. On the other hand, negative emotions may cause withdrawal
from what may be perceived as bad or dangerous.

According to Charles Darwin, there are six emotions: interest, joy or happiness, sadness, anger,
disgust and fear. Other scientists expanded the list to include love, pride, hope, gratitude, comparison,
jealousy and anxiety.

Social emotions start to emerge as early as the toddler year comprised by such feelings as envy,
embarrassment, shame, guilt and pride. Observable emotions during this stage may not be accurate,
but they can be a problem if not controlled. Emotions affect learning, since learners pay attention to
things with emotional significance. Emotions can also recall, such that learners tend to remember
details of emotionally strong experiences.

Teachers have to understand that their students are bringing their baggage from home to the
classroom, including their emotions and problems. Students at this age are trying out different
characters and are searching to find themselves. As cited by the DAP for PK-Teachers, Pickhardt
(2009), teachers can begin working to help their students on the first day of classes by starting with an
activity to learn the students' names quickly.This will help the students to feel comfortable and know
that you care. By making a classroom feel safe and encouraging, teachers have an aid for instruction.
Teachers also should realize that they are an example for their students, so they should by mindful of
their emotions not over react.the classroom, teachers can use discussion, group work, and debates to
get students communicating with each other. Teachers can also encourage students to participate in
real-world activities through internships and volunteering.teachers, we can teach self-help by delaying
our own ideas for assistance long enough that the student can find solutions for themselves--relying
on their own.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the Seven C’s of Resilience: competence,
confidence, connections, character, contribution, coping, and control. Competence is the ability to
handle situations effectively. Confidence is the solid belief of one’s own abilities. Connection is the close
ties to family, friends, school, and community that give children a sense of security and values that
prevent them from seeking destructive alternatives to love and attention. Character is the fundamental
sense of right and wrong that helps children make wise choices, contribute to the world, and become
stable adults. Contribution entails children’s realization that the world is a better place
 The Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

because they are in it, they will take actions and make choices that improve the world. They will also
develop a sense of purpose to carry them through future challenges. Coping is a mechanism that makes
the children ditch stress to be better prepared to overcome life’s challenges. Control is the children’s
realization that they can control their decisions and actions, they're more likely to know that they have
what it takes to bounce back.

APPLY

Activity 1

Name: Date:
Student Number: Section Code: Rating:

Instructions: Discuss ways how to cope with adversities of everyday life.