Activity 5 - Development Psychology

A person's development is critical to their ability to and pace of learning.  When we think of where children are in their development, we often view it from the point of view of age, however, development goes beyond this.  Development psychology studies how individuals change over time and what factors affect these changes.  It examines development in a variety of areas including physical development, social relations, emotional development, personality development, moral development and cognitive skills.

A variety of studies have shown that people generally develop in similar regards at similar periods in life such as learning to walk and talk.  However, other factors such as physical development, the home environment, the cultural background and so on would affect these things among people.  Therefore, when we are aware of certain timelines for general development, any serious deviation from the timeline in a student raises concerns and calls for investigation into the other factors outside of the student's age.  Uncovering the other elements in the student's life which affect them then helps teachers to better plan and execute classes to meet their needs.

It is also important to remember that development is a collective change over time in a holistic manner.  Therefore, there may be times of sharp growth in development and times of little growth in the development of a person. This is to be expected as part of the dynamic of developing as a person.

Studies have shown that when children grow up in environments in which they are well-liked by others, had a high activity level, had problem-solving and reading skills, and the ability to concentrate on assignments/tasks among other things, helped them to be resilient against the challenges and stresses of life.  In addition, factors such as being from a small family, having teachers who they viewed as positive role models, and finding emotional support outside of immediate family all helped them to grow positively.