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Standard

A teacher understands how students learn and develop and applies that knowledge in the

teacher’s practice.

Candidates know, understand and use the major concepts, principles, theories and research

related to development of children and young adolescents to construct learning opportunities

that support individual students’ development, acquisition of knowledge and motivation.

Development Framing Statement

A child’s cognitive, social-emotional, and language development should be taken into

consideration when designing instruction and evaluating student performance. While the

developmental levels between a primary and a middle school aged student may seem obvious,

even children of similar ages may vary in their readiness to participate in different types of

learning activities, based on these developmental levels. In addition, a student might develop

unevenly; for example, they may exhibit advanced cognitive levels and average social-emotional

development. Research literature related to gifted students notes “… it should not be overlooked

that they exhibit non-simultaneous development patterns, and … cannot simultaneously access

the emotional maturity required by their cognitive performance” (Karateke, 2017, p. 93). My

final journal from my child development class is an observation and analysis of an eight-year old

Korean girl that I conducted while teaching abroad. This example shows my ability to analyze

biological, socio-emotional, cognitive, and language development within a cross-cultural

context.

Theorists such as Piaget and Vygostky have shaped my understanding of child

development. Piaget (1954) theorized that a child constructs their own knowledge as they

progress through four stages of cognitive development, and move from concrete experiences to
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more abstract thought (as cited in Santrock, 2014). Vygostky (1978) proposed the idea of the

Zone of Proximal Development, which describes how children can learn when interacting with

other students in a similar range of skills and knowledge, and the importance of conversation as

part of learning (as cited in Slavin, 2017, p. 34). Hands on opportunities that let children move

from concrete manipulation of objects to abstract understandings and the benefits of working

with other students to share, debate, and evaluate their ideas are instructional strategies I use that

reflect the work of these two theorists. I’ve also learned that play can provide learning

opportunities in the classroom; educational games are one way I give students an opportunity to

learn through conversation and interaction with each other. Research has noted that allowing

opportunities for pretend or symbolic play has “ … significant impact in relation to effortful,

intentional learning involved in the development of problem-solving and creativity skills”

(Whitebread, et al., 2009, p. 50.) Simulations and role-playing can be incorporated across the

curriculum and at all development levels to provide children these types of meaningful and

effective learning experiences. Sousa and Tomlinson (2018) explain that engaging students in

learning opportunities they find challenging and interesting sets the stage for engagement that

leads to persistence, accomplishment, and improved learning.

Another important factor in understanding development is realizing what is appropriate

for each age level is not an exact science, with clear-cut answers or standards for mastery. Each

child is part of a cultural context that may emphasize different types of communication patterns,

activities, or learning opportunities that impact development. It is important to become “…

knowledgeable about the dimensions of culture as well as knowledgeable about the larger social,

political, and economic conditions that create inequitable education outcomes” (Hammond,

2015, p. 21). In my artifact that analyzed an eight-year-old Korean child, I noted the language
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and socio-economic aspects related to her cultural background that were taken into consideration

during my analysis of her development. This included the types of learning opportunities outside

of the school setting provided by her parents, as well as her English language fluency. This

corresponds to studies that found “some social determinants within communities may explain

variance in school readiness beyond that accounted for by individual economic disadvantage”

(Lipscomb, et al., 2019, p. 474). In a classroom setting, standards based instruction sets the stage

for learning, but “children’s developmental competencies (e.g. cognitive and socioemotional

skills) influence how much and when they engage in learning tasks” (Wang, et al., 2019, p.

1088). In my analysis I was able to distinguish her developmental levels and which actions

demonstrated independent mastery of a skill, and those that required guided practice with

parental support. Teaching the whole child means understanding that development is fluid and

should not be viewed as something that can only be measured on a test given on one particular

day. Taylor and Nolan (2018) state that effective assessment occurs when teachers have “…

assessment tools and processes that give you useful information, that are consistent with your

purposes, and that help students make sense of schooling” (p. 10). Providing students a variety of

learning and assessment opportunities is an important factor in both understanding their

development and helping students reach their potential.

Developmentally appropriate instruction in not solely defined by a child’s age and grade

level. As a teacher, I recognize that cognitive, social-emotional, and language development can

occur unevenly in a child, and that all children can benefit from a flexible approach towards

learning that accommodates different entry and exit points within the curriculum at any grade

level. A child’s developmental levels should be also be analyzed within the context of their

cultural backgrounds to provide the teacher with a deeper understanding of their strengths and
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weaknesses. Classroom activities that encourage hands-on learning and interaction with other

students are beneficial for students at all developmental levels.

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References

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching & the brain: Promoting authentic

engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand

Oaks, California. Sage Publishing.

Karateke, B. (2017). Social skills training in potentially gifted children. Journal for the

Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 5(3), 90. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edb&AN=130262166&site=eds-live&scope=site

Lipscomb, S. T., Miao, A. J., Finders, J. K., Hatfield, B., Kothari, B. H., & Pears, K. (2019).

Community-level social determinants and children’s school readiness. Prevention

Science : The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 20(4), 468–477.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/10.1007/s11121-019-01002-8

Santrock, J. W. (2014). Child development. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Education.

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. NY, NY: Pearson.

Sousa, D. A. & Tomlinson, C.A. (2018). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience

supports the learner-friendly classroom. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington, IN.

Taylor, C. and Nolan, S. B. (2008) Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning in

real classrooms. 2nd ed. Pearson.

Wang, M.T., Degol, J. L., & Henry, D. A. (2019). An integrative development-in-sociocultural-

context model for children’s engagement in learning. American Psychologist, 74(9),

1086–1102. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/10.1037/amp0000522

Whitebread, D., Coltman, P., Jameson, H., & Lander, R. (2009). Play, cognition and self-

regulation: What exactly are children learning when they learn through
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play? Educational & Child Psychology, 26(2), 40–52. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=pbh&AN=39755693&site=eds-live&scope=site