PRIMARY SCHOOLER

Part 2.PERFORMANCE IN AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT

a) Describe the characteristics of learner’s physical domain in terms of the following aspects: (1)
gross motor skills, (2) eye-hand coordination, (3) balance, (4) strength.

Physical domain

School -age children most often have smooth and strong motor skills. However, their
coordination (especially eye-hand), endurance, balance, and physical abilities vary. Fine motor skills may
also vary widely. The domain of physical developmental refers to the development of physical skills,
known as motor skills. Motor skills give children the ability to make purposeful movements and learn
the physical characteristics of self and the environment.

(1) Gross motor

Gross motor skills involve the use of large bodily movements. Children love to run, jump, leap,
throw, catch, climb, and balance. Children play baseball, ride bikes, roller skate, take karate lessons,
take ballet lessons, and participate in gymnastics.

(2) Eye-hand coordination

Is the ability to use our muscles and our vision in tandem. It requires the development of visual
skills, like visual acuity, and muscle skills. When the two work together, young children begin to
increase their ability to pick up, grasp, and manipulate objects.

(3) Balance
School-age children most often have smooth and strong motor skills. However, their coordination
(especially eye-hand), endurance, balance, and physical abilities vary. Fine motor skills may also vary
widely.

(4) Strength
Strengths are tasks or actions you can do well. These include knowledge, proficiencies, skills, and
talents. People use their traits and abilities to complete work, relate with others, and achieve goals.
Also, a good resume is built upon core strengths and skills.

a) Describe the characteristics of learner’s cognitive domain in terms of the following aspects:(1)
attention span, (2) reasoning and problem solving, (3) understanding of instructions and concepts,
(4) oral reading and comprehension, (5) arithmetic understanding, (6) expression of thoughts
through writing.

1.Cognitive

School-age children's thinking skills become increasingly sophisticated as they encounter

new people, places, and ideas. They develop the ability to learn in abstract ways from books, art,
movies, and experiences. The chart below highlights cognitive development during the school-age years.
2. Attention span

Some psychologists claim the typical student's attention span is about 10 to 15 minutes

long, yet most university classes last 50 to 90 minutes. It's natural for student attention levels to vary
according to motivation, mood, perceived relevance of the material, and other factors. 30-45 minutes.
Generally, a longer attention span has set in (30-45 minutes), and the tween enjoys mental and physical
challenges. Academically the 9- to 11-year-old student starts to develop the ability to form an opinion
based upon presented evidence.

3. Understanding of instructions and concepts

Primary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool
and many students need to read out what is written. The assistance or instruction becomes a form of
Instructional scaffolding; this term and idea, everywhere, regardless of race or gender, will be able to
complete primary schooling. In education, scaffolding refers to a variety of instructional techniques used
to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in
the learning process. A teaching strategy that enhances, encourages, and enables learning and helps
students implement constructivism in the classroom is scaffolding. Scaffolding helps students to become
independent and self-regulating learners and problem solvers

4. Oral reading and comprehension

Children who have difficulty with attention often have difficulty with  reading
comprehension. Students with an attention disorder (such as Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder)
have trouble focusing on the material and frequently become distracted, leading to
poor comprehension.

5. Arithmetic understanding

  8–10-year-old children’s conceptual understanding of arithmetic, as well as a wide range of

basic quantitative skills, numerical representations and domain-general skills. We found that conceptual
understanding was most strongly associated with performance on a number line task. This relationship
was not explained by the use of particular strategies on the number line task, and may instead reflect
children’s knowledge of the structure of the number system. Understanding the skills involved in
conceptual learning is important to support efforts by educators to improve children’s conceptual
understanding of mathematics.

6. Expression of thoughts through writing

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers ... Time for writing practice can

help students gain confidence in their writing abilities. ... Teach students to construct sentences for
fluency, meaning and style.
a) Describe the characteristics of learner’s language domain in terms of the following aspects: (1)
pronunciation, (2) use of words/gestures appropriate to situation, (3) speaking fluency.

LANGUAGE DOMAIN
 Language can be divided into the domains of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
comprehension. Children’s increased attention span impacts their writing in that the cognitive load that
is necessary to recall and sequence a story over time is lessened (try out this  activity to check-in on your
child’s sequencing abilities). As a result, they are better able to focus on an individual piece and carry
through writing to editing and publishing.

Middle schoolers are ready to hold complex ideas, and manipulate them in their head. For
example, they are beginning to understand how to form analogies. Vocabulary continues to expand,
often in direct relation to the amount a child reads. While a child in first grade may have between 8,000-
14,000 words. Children’s writing abilities at this age improve as well. They are able to write extensively
to support their opinion or to formulate an argument. They can correctly use complex sentence
structure in their writing, such as colons and semicolons. Children familiars not only one language but
may more than one language where they able to communicate as well to their peer group.

1. PRONOUNCATION
2. USE OF WORDS/GESTUES APPROPRIATE TO SITUATION
Through opportunities to observe and participate in social situations, children learn how ...
Children use nonverbal (including eye gaze, gestures) and verbal. In a good conversation, all speakers do
a similar amount of speaking and listening. Communication is not just about the words we use.

3. SPEAKING FLUENCY
1. Encourage conversation
2. Model syntactic structure
3. Maintain eye contact
4. Remind students to speak loudly and articulate clearly
5. Explain the subtleties of tone
6. Attend to listening skills
7. Incorporate a “question of the day

a) Describe the characteristics of learner’s social-emotional domain in terms of the following

aspects: (1) initiating conversation or play, (2) maintaining relationships, (3) understanding and
following social norms/rules, (4) expression of emotion and behavior, (5) self-regulation of
behavior

According to Reinsberg, professionals sometimes define healthy social-emotional

development in young children as early childhood mental health. Healthy social-emotional
development includes the ability to: – Form and sustain positive relationships. – Experience, manage,
and express emotions. Socio-emotional development of children in primary school (ages 6-12 years) ...
Healthy social-emotional development includes the ability to: – Form and sustain positive relationships.

Initiating conversation or play

 When interacting with others, there are certain social and conversational rules and
conventions specific to certain cultures. These rules are known as pragmatics, and are thought of as the
“use” component of oral language (Bloom & Lahey, 1978). According to Halliday (1975), children are
motivated to develop language because of the different functions it serves for them (i.e., learning
language is learning how to make meaning). He identified seven functions of language that help children
to meet their physical, emotional and social needs in the early years. The functions enable children to
use language to meet their physical needs, regulate other’s behavior, express feelings, and interact with
others.

As children get older the language functions become more abstract and enable interaction
within the child’s environment. Studies show that children are born ready to make meaning out of a
wide range of sounds, but their language development requires conversations with more-
knowledgeable speakers who listen and model appropriate language. According to the sociocultural
theories of language development (Vygotsky, Bruner), children learn through interactions with more
knowledgeable peers. Conversation and social skills are best supported through meaningful interactions
with peers and adults. Children learn with their peers, sharing their feelings and thoughts about learning
with others. They begin to understand that listening to the responses of others can help them
understand and make new meaning of experiences.
- VEYLDF 2016. Children’s development of conversation and social skills is best supported when engaged
in meaningful, sustained, and rich language experiences. Studies show that children’s social skills are
best supported when educators are cued into children’s emotional/social needs (Mashburn et al., 2008)

Maintaining relationships

Relationships are the core of social-emotional development. A child’s ability to establish

and keep relationships is a very important aspect of their development. This is primarily seen in a child’s
ability to make and keep friends. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, friendships allow
children to “broaden their horizons beyond the family unit, begin to experience the outside world, form
a self-image, and develop a social support system.” Because relationships are so vital to a child’s social-
emotional development, a lesson will be dedicated to the topic later in this course.

Understanding and following social norms/rules

Expression of emotion and behavior

According to Reinsberg, professionals sometimes define healthy social- emotional

development in young children as early childhood mental health. Healthy social-emotional
development includes the ability to: – Form and sustain positive relationships. – Experience, manage,
and express emotions. Social-emotional development is a child's ability to understand the feelings of
others, control their own feelings and behaviors, and get along with peers. ... Feelings of trust,
confidence, pride, friendship, affection and humor are all a part of a child's social-emotional
development. As such, social emotional development encompasses a large range of skills and
constructs, including, but not limited to: self-awareness, joint attention, play, theory of mind (or
understanding others' perspectives), self-esteem, emotion regulation, friendships, and identity
development.
Self-regulation of behavior

Behavior regulation, sometimes also known as “self-regulation”, refers to our ability to: manage our
energy, emotions, attention and behavior in ways that are socially acceptable and help us to achieve our
goals.

"Self-Regulation refers to the self-directive process through which learners transform their mental

abilities into task related skills" (Zimmerman, 2001). This is the method or procedure that learners use to
manage and organize their thoughts and convert them into skills used for learning.

B. ANALYSIS

1. How is the physical domain manifested by the three learners across different stages (preschool,
elementary, secondary)? Discuss the pattern of development observed. Cite related
theories/principles of development.
During primary school, balance and agility improve, allowing children to participate in more complex
physical activities. They can learn to skate, ride bikes, sail boats, dance, and swim and climb trees.
Primary school kids also develop the ability to hop on one foot, a skill not seen in preschool children.

Gross motor skills involve the use of large bodily movements. Children love to run, jump, leap, throw,
catch, climb, and balance. Children play baseball, ride bikes, roller skate, take karate lessons, take ballet
lessons, and participate in gymnastics. As school‐age children grow physically, they become faster,
stronger, and better coordinated. Consequently, during middle childhood, children become more adept
at gross motor activities.

Skinner's Theory of Behaviorism

B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A behaviorist, he
developed the theory of operant conditioning -- the idea that behavior is determined by its
consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that the
behavior will occur again.

2. How is the cognitive domain manifested by the three learners across different stages
(preschool, elementary, secondary)? Discuss the pattern of development observed. Cite related
theories/principles of development.

School-age children's thinking skills become increasingly sophisticated as they encounter new
people, places, and ideas. They develop the ability to learn in abstract ways from books, art, movies, and
experiences. The chart below highlights cognitive development during the school-age years. Cognitive
development involves how children think, explore, and figure things out. It refers to things such as
memory, and the ability to learn new information. This domain includes the development
of knowledge and skills in math, science, social studies, and creative arts.
 In his theory of Cognitive development, Jean Piaget proposed that humans progress through
four developmental stages: the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal
operational period. The first of these, the sensorimotor stage "extends from birth to the acquisition of
language." The concrete operational stage is the third in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
This stage lasts around seven to eleven years of age, and is characterized by the development of
organized and rational thinking. For example, imagine that you have two candy bars of the exact same
size. ... A child who is in the concrete operational stage will understand that both candy bars are still the
same amount, whereas a younger child will believe that the candy bar that has more pieces is larger
than the one with only two piece.

3. How is the language domain manifested by the three learners across different stages
(preschool, elementary, secondary)? Discuss the pattern of development observed. Cite related
theories/principles of development.

What is Chomsky's theory?

In the 1960s, linguist Noam Chomsky proposed a revolutionary idea: We are all born with an innate
knowledge of grammar that serves as the basis for all language acquisition. In other words, for humans,
language is a basic instinct. The theory, however, has long been met with widespread criticism 

Universal grammar

Universal grammar, then, consists of a set of unconscious constraints that let us decide
whether a sentence is correctly formed. This mental grammar is not necessarily the same for all
languages. But according to Chomskyian theorists, the process by which, in any given language, certain
sentences are perceived as correct while others are not, is universal and independent of meaning.

Thus, we immediately perceive that the sentence “Robert book reads the” is not correct
English, even though we have a pretty good idea of what it means. Conversely, we recognize that a
sentence such as “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” is grammatically correct English, even though it
is nonsense.

A pair of dice offers a useful metaphor to explain what Chomsky means when he refers to
universal grammar as a “set of constraints”. Before we throw the pair of dice, we know that the result
will be a number from 2 to 12, but nobody would take a bet on its being 3.143. Similarly, a newborn
baby has the potential to speak any of a number of languages, depending on what country it is born in,
but it will not just speak them any way it likes: it will adopt certain preferred, innate structures. One way
to describe these structures would be that they are not things that babies and children learn, but rather
things that happen to them. Just as babies naturally develop arms and not wings while they are still in
the womb, once they are born they naturally learn to speak, and not to chirp or neigh.
 4. How is the social-emotional domain manifested by the three learners across different stages
(preschool, elementary, secondary)? Discuss the pattern of development observed. Cite related
theories/principles of development.
During middle childhood, children make great strides in terms of their ability to
recognize emotions in themselves and others, control their own emotions, and communicate
about emotions, both expressively and with language. By this age, most children have developed their
capacity for regulating their own emotions. Children in middle childhood are starting to make friends in
more sophisticated ways. They are choosing friends for specific characteristics, including shared
interests, sense of humor, and being a good person. That is quite a departure from the earlier days of
playing with the people in your group just because they are there. Children in middle childhood are
starting to realize that there are benefits to friendships, and there are sometimes difficulties as well. In
this section, we’ll examine some aspects of these relationships.

 Examine Erikson’s stage of industry vs. inferiority as it relates to middle childhood

The fourth of Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development, occurring from ages 6 to 11
years, during which the child learns to be productive and to accept evaluation of his or her efforts
or becomes discouraged and feels inferior or incompetent.
During the industry versus inferiority stage, children become capable of performing increasingly
complex tasks. As a result, they strive to master new skills. Children who are encouraged and
commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their abilities.

Middle Childhood 6-12 yrs. old -the stage where the child undergoes so many different changes.
-physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Children in this stage receive less attention than those children
in infancy or early childhood.

Factors affecting development Physical development

• Food • genes • climate • exercise • medical condition • illnesses Cognitive development •
environment • parent • learning aids • educator • friends Socio-emotional development • personal
traits • environment • beliefs • people they interact with • values.

Abilities Physical development

• can perform gross motor skills. Cognitive development. • can apply inductive logic. Socio emotional
development • ability to interact positively in the world.
Analysis of Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development.

Vygotsky is a Russian psychologist who was a contemporary of Piaget. He died of

tuberculosis in 1934 at the age of 38, but he had produced over 100 books and articles before he died.
Vygotsky emphasized the role of the environment in children’s intellectual development. His theory was
also based on sociocultural perspective (Daniels 2001). The basic assumptions of Vygotsky’s theory
include: children can perform more challenging tasks when assisted; Play allows children to stretch
themselves cognitively; Through both informal conversations and formal schooling, adults convey to
children ways in which their culture interprets and responds to the world; Thought and language
become increasingly interdependent in the first few years of life; Complex mental processes begin as
social activities and then progress to internalized processes; Concepts of mediated learning, scaffolding,
and cognitive tools are important to understand children’s cognitive development; Challenging tasks
promote maximum cognitive growth (zone of proximal development).

Vygotsky proposed 3 important concepts in his theory.

1. Internalization: This is the absorption of knowledge from context. That is, the environment
determines what the child internalizes. According to Vygotsky, the cultural internalization of
development in children includes: oncogenic, micro genic, phylogenic, and sociocultural.
2. Scaffolding: This is the tendency to give support to a child near the limit of capability.
3. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): This is the zone of potential development. The range of
potential between a child’s observable level of realized ability (performance) and the child’s underlying
latent capacity (competence), which is not directly obvious. This also include the range of tasks that a
child can perform with the help and guidance of others but cannot yet perform independently (Vygotsky
1982)

Educational Implications of Vygotsky’s Theory on primary school children

1. It supports active participation in children.
2. It allows acceptance of individual differences in primary school children.
3. It supports assisted discovery and peer collaboration in children.
4. It encourages cooperative learning in children.
5. It allows children to be active learners and not passive learners.

Educational Implications of Piaget’s theory on primary school children

1. It provide hands-on experience with physical objects, particularly at the elementary level
2. Good understanding of this theory helps the teacher and psychologist to explain to children that
others think differently, especially when some children show signs of egocentric thought.
3. It helps children to explain their reasoning and challenge illogical explanations.
4. It gives teachers assurance whether children have adequate knowledge and skills before moving on to
more complex topics and activities.
5. It relates abstract and hypothetical ideas to concrete objects and/or observable events.