Republic of the Philippines

University of Southeastern Philippines

College of Education
B.O. Obrero, Davao City, Philippines

Reflection Paper:
Human Nature and Individual Difference

Prepared by
Divine Grace R. Merina
Med-LT
EDFD 231
(10:00am-1:00pm)

December 2021

1
 Republic of the Philippines
University of Southeastern Philippines
College of Education
B.O. Obrero, Davao City, Philippines

Human Nature and Individual Differences

Human development is a multifaceted process and involves different aspects (Human
Growth and Development, n.d.) Each day, a human grows physically, mentally, and
psychologically. And by understanding typical patterns of growth and development, teachers are
better equipped to make appropriate educational choices (Why is it important for a teacher...,
n.d.) This idea sounds easy, but since we are in a diverse world, we also have to keep in mind
how different the development of our students is.
Teachers are dubbed as the second parents of the learners. Perhaps it is because teachers
are present during most parts of the significant development of the students. And as our students
grow, they are to achieve this thing we call the developmental tasks.
Havinghurst (1972) defines a developmental task as one that arises at a certain period in
our lives. The successful achievement of which leads to happiness and success with later tasks
while leading to unhappiness, social disapproval, and difficulty with later tasks. Havighurst uses
lightly different age groupings, but the primary divisions are quite similar to those used in this
book. He identifies three sources of developmental tasks (Havighurst, 1972)- Tasks that arise
from physical maturation- for example, learning to walk, talk, and behave acceptably with the
opposite sex during adolescence; adjusting to menopause during middle age. Tasks that from
personal sources. For example, those that emerge from the maturing personality and take the
form of personal values and aspirations, such as learning the necessary skills for job success. and
Tasks that have their source in the pressures of society- for example, learning to read or learning
the role of a responsible citizen.
Being an auntie to my nieces and nephews, I always try to keep in mind all I learn about
human development. The reason why is that- if I spend time reading manuals of my gadgets to
take care of them and utilize them better, why not make an effort to learn these things for our
children? I mean, they are the future of the world. Therefore, we should help them develop for
the best.

References:

enotes.com. (n.d.). Education. enotes.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-is-it-important-for-a-teacher-to-understand-578781.

Havighurst, R. (n.d.). Robert Havighurst: Developmental Theorist. Learing Management System.

Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://vulms.vu.edu.pk/Courses/EDU302/Downloads/Developmental
%20Task%20Theory%20by%20Robert%20Havighurst.pdf

Human growth and development. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from

http://www.wbnsou.ac.in/online_services/SLM/BED/SEM-01_A1.pdf.