Importance & Significance of Understanding

Childhood & Growth for School Teachers

SUBMITTED BY

MS. ANANYA CHAKRABORTY

COURSE: Bachelor of Education

SEMESTER/YEAR: First Semester/2021

ENROLLMENT NUMBER: 210155157714

SUBMITTED TO
SINGHANIA UNIVERSITY
 Table of Contents
1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................3
2 Concept of Growth and Development...........................................................................................3
3 Principles of Growth and Development.........................................................................................4
4 Factors influence Growth and Development..................................................................................5
4.1 Heredity factors.....................................................................................................................5
4.2 Exercise and Health...............................................................................................................5
4.3 Intelligence............................................................................................................................5
4.4 Emotional factors...................................................................................................................5
4.5 Social nature..........................................................................................................................6
4.6 Nutrition................................................................................................................................6
4.7 Sex.........................................................................................................................................6
4.8 Socio- Economic status..........................................................................................................6
5 Patterns of Development................................................................................................................7
5.1 Biological processes..............................................................................................................7
5.2 Social processes.....................................................................................................................7
5.3 Cognitive processes...............................................................................................................7
5.4 Emotional process..................................................................................................................9
6 Stages of growth and development in a child...............................................................................10
6.1 Infancy.................................................................................................................................10
6.1.1 Development process during infancy...........................................................................10
6.2 Early Childhood...................................................................................................................11
6.2.1 Development process in early childhood.....................................................................11
6.2.2 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers...............................................................14
6.3 Later Childhood...................................................................................................................15
6.4 Development process in later childhood.............................................................................15
6.4.1 Physical Development..................................................................................................15
6.4.2 Cognitive Development................................................................................................15
6.4.3 Social Development.....................................................................................................16
6.4.4 Emotional Development..............................................................................................16
6.4.5 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers...............................................................17
6.5 Adolescence.........................................................................................................................18
6.5.1 Development process in adolescence..........................................................................18
6.5.2 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers...............................................................21
7 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................23
1 Introduction
Childhood is a beautiful phase of life for most of us. Childhood is the age span ranging from
birth to adolescence. It is a period associated with play, fantasy, and innocence. It is the
crucial phase in life and involves important aspects of growth and development which are
critical for the entire life span. Although all children develop in their own unique fashion, as a
direct result of both hereditary and environmental influences, there is a certain pattern of
development that applies to nearly all children. It is crucial for today’s educators to have a
thorough understanding of that development and growth in childhood. Schools today play an
important role in the socialization of children and therefore it is critical that teachers know
how to best socialize their students. An understanding of basic human developmental stages
can be used to gear the teacher’s lesson plans in order to maximize the success of students in
both the academic and the social realms of their lives. This understanding can also be used to
minimize problems in the classroom.

2 Concept of Growth and Development

Change is the law of nature. Animate or inanimate objects are all subject to change. As far as
the human being is concerned, life starts with the conception in the mother’s womb. The
mother’s womb then becomes the site and the meaning for the growth and development of
the new life.

According to Crow and Crow, “growth refers to the structural and physiological changes”.
Hurlock, defines, “growth is a change in size, in proportion, disappearance of old features
and appearance of new one” .So, growth is quantitative, it is cellular i.e. it takes place due to
the multiplication of cells and restricted to physical aspects only . It has no learning aspects.

“Development” on the other hand is a continuous process from womb to tomb. Development
is said to be a complex process in comparison to the process of growth, changes are very
specific, fairly easy to observe and measure. According to Hurlock, “development means a
progressive series of change that occurs in an orderly predictable pattern as a result of
maturation and experience”. J.E. Anderson says “development is concerned with growth as
well as those change in behaviour which results from environmental situation. So
development is lifelong, it is assessed. It affects our learning and experience.

Though the term growth and development are used similtaneously but we can see, the
distinction between them--- growth carries a limited and narrower meaning. This does not
continue throughout one’s life. It stops when maturity has been attained. It is not related to
learning, whereas development is both quantitative and qualitative. It refers to the acquisition
of skill and abilities that takes place throughout life.

3 Principles of Growth and Development

Hurlock (2015) in her book on “Child Development” listed the 10 fundamental facts about
development and named it as principles of development.

1. Development involves change

2. Early development is more critical than later development
3. Development is the product of maturation and learning
4. Developmental pattern is predictable.
5. Developmental pattern has predictable characteristics.
6. There are individual differences in development.
7. There are periods in the developmental pattern.
8. There are social expectations for every developmental period.
9. Every area of development has potential hazards.
10. Happiness varies at different periods in development.
4 Factors influence Growth and Development
How children grow and develop depend on both internal and external environmental factors,
some of which we have no control over. Having a good understanding of what children need
at each stage of their growth and development helps us raise them better. Growth and
development depends upon multiple factors or determinates. They influence directly or
indirectly by promoting or hindering to the process.

4.1 Heredity factors

Heredity and genes certainly play an important role in the transmission of physical and social
characteristics from parents to off-springs. It influences all aspects of physical appearance
such as height, weight, body structure, and colour of the eye, the texture of the hair, and even
intelligence and aptitudes. 

4.2 Exercise and Health

The word exercise here does not mean physical exercise as a discipline or children
deliberately engaging in physical activities knowing it would help them grow. Exercise here
refers to the normal playtime and sports activities which help the body gain an increase in
muscular strength and put on bone mass. Proper exercise helps children grow well and reach
milestones on time or sooner. Exercise also keeps them healthy and fights off diseases by
strengthening the immune system, especially if they play outside.

4.3 Intelligence
Higher intelligence is associated with faster development while lower intelligence is
associated with retardation in various aspects of development.

4.4 Emotional factors

Families have the most profound impact in nurturing a child and determining the ways in
which they develop psychologically and socially. Whether they are raised by their parents,
grandparents or foster care, they need basic love, care and courtesy to develop as healthy
functional individuals. The most positive growth is seen when families invest time, energy
and love in the development of the child through activities, such as reading to them, playing
with them and having deep meaningful conversations. Families that abuse or neglect children
would affect their positive development. If there is a lot of discord or fights at home or the
child is not given enough love and attention or there is physical or mental abuse of the child,
then the child’s development is adversely affected.
4.5 Social nature
The environment plays a critical role in the development of children and it represents the sum
total of physical and psychological stimulation the child receives. The environmental factors
influencing early childhood development involve the physical surroundings and geographical
conditions of the place the child lives in, as well as his social environment and relationships
with family and peers. It is easy to understand that a well-nurtured child does better than a
deprived one; the environment children are constantly immersed in contributes to this. A
good school and a loving family builds in children strong social and interpersonal skills,
which will enable them to excel in other areas such as academics and extra- curricular
activities. Where you live also has a great influence on how your children turn out to be. The
schools they attend, the neighbourhood they live in, the opportunities offered by the
community and their peer circles are some of the social factors affecting a child’s
development.

4.6 Nutrition
Nutrition is a critical factor in growth as everything the body needs to build and repair itself
comes from the food we eat. Proper nutrition is essential for the healthy development of the
child. Malnutrition can cause deficiency diseases that adversely affect the growth and
development of children. On the other hand, overeating can lead to obesity and health
problems in the long run, such as diabetes and heart disease. A balanced diet that is rich in
vitamins, minerals, proteins carbohydrates and fats is essential for the development of the
brain and body.

4.7 Sex
All children follow the same sequence of development. However, certain skills are faster in
girls than in boys and some other skills are faster in boys than girls. The sex of the child is
another major factor affecting the physical growth and development of a child. Boys and girls
grow in different ways, especially nearing puberty. Boys tend to be taller and physically
stronger than girls. However, girls tend to mature faster during adolescence, while boys
mature over a longer period of time. The physical structure of their bodies also has
differences which make boys more athletic and suited for activities that require physical
rigour. Their temperaments also vary, making them show interest in different things.
4.8 Socio- Economic status
The socio-economic status of a family determines the quality of the opportunity a child gets.
Studying in better schools that are more expensive definitely has benefits in the long run.
Well-off families can also offer better learning resources for their children and they afford
special aid if the kids need it. Children from poorer families may not have access to
educational resources and good nutrition to reach their full potential. They may also have
working parents who work too many hours and cannot invest enough quality time in their
development.

5 Patterns of Development
Human development is a lifelong process of biological, social, cognitive, and emotional
growth and change. In the early stages of life—from babyhood to childhood, childhood to
adolescence, and adolescence to adulthood—enormous changes take place. Throughout the
process, each person develops attitudes and values that guide choices, relationships, and
understanding.

5.1 Biological processes

This involve changes that are physical in nature. Our genetic heritage, growth of body organs,
acquisition of motor skills, hormonal changes at puberty, all reflect the role of biological
processes in development.

5.2 Social processes

During infancy the child is self-centred. As he grows he has to face the realities of the society
in which he is brought up. In every society there is a norm of behaviour for its members and
they have to obey it in order to be called social beings. Their dealings and way of life are to
be accepted by the society, otherwise there may not be peaceful co-existence among
members. According to Hurlock there are three processes involving socialisation. Those are:
(1) proper performance behaviour, it means that the child will behave in the manner
approved by the society. (2) the playing approved social roles, means the standard is
prefixed as per the need from age group to age group and (3) development of social
attitudes is he will appreciate social customs and will be involved in social activities of his
own, as a result he will be a wanted person in the society. The child is neither social nor anti-
social when he is born but he will definitely follow the behaviour of his elders. Family is the
first place for the child to develop socially. All members of the family contribute towards
this. If global character of the home is favourable, there are changes for developing
favourable social attitudes with the child
5.3 Cognitive processes
This involve changes in the thinking, intelligence and language of the child. Perception,
attention, understanding, problem solving, memorizing, imagination, all reflect the cognitive
processes in children’s development. According to Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory,
our thoughts and reasoning are part of adaptation. Cognitive development follows a definite
sequence of stages. Piaget described four major stages of cognitive development:

• Sensori-motor stage (Birth- 2 years) - In the sensori-motor period, which comes

during the first sixteen months, the child copes with new information by assimilating
it into his existing schemata or accommodating his schemata to the information
• Pre-operational stage (2-7 years) - The preoperational period, lasting from seventeen
months to seven years —at this stage the child acquires the skill of using symbols and
languages and he learns to separate physical and mental realities and understands
mechanical causation.
• Concrete operational stage (7-11 years) - The third is the concrete operational thought
period lasting from age seven to eleven years. It is a major turning point in the child's
cognitive development because children can think logically.
• Formal operational stage (11+ years) - The fourth stage is the formal operational
period which occurs in the early adolescence. In this period the child is able to make
hypothesis, test them and form conclusion on the basis of those data.

To Piaget, cognitive development is the development of ability to reason logically. Jean

Piaget is more concerned with the process of thinking than how much a child knows. In its
application to education this cognitive theory dictates responsibility for a comprehensive
programme with specific criteria for suitable environmental input, and for the nature and
quality of the interaction between child and adult.

The following section takes a look at cognitive development through childhood as indicated
by Piaget’s theory.
 Figure1: Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory
5.4 Emotional process
Emotional learning begins at a very young age, as children discover a wide range of
emotions, and evolves as they grow. As per Bakwin "The ability to respond emotionally is
present in the new born as part of the developmental process." This ability develops with the
child several months before he is born. Even pre-matured babies do so some emotional
reactions. This emotional development becomes more and more along with maturation and
learning. According to Hurlock "The emotions play a vital role in child's life." Those act as
motivational factors to any action adding pleasure to it. Certain emotions become dominant
due to the influence of the environment in which the child grows with his relatives.
Childhood, being the most critical period, it is important to have proper emotional
development for his better overall development. Emotions become habits in the later stage
and act as driving forces for adjustment. As stated by Hurlock "people who have
predominantly happy memories of childhood are, for the most part, better adjusted as
adolescents and adults than those whose memories centre around unhappy experiences."
According to John Bowlby ‘the propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular
individuals is a basic component of human nature’ and identified four characteristic features
of this phenomenon which are illustrated in the given picture.
 Figure2: John Bolby Emotional Development Theory
Bolby noticed that apart from bonding with a mother figure, a child will also form multiple
close ties with other family members. Hence child should be provided with pleasant
experiences during the childhood in order to help him in his sound growth and development

6 Stages of growth and development in a child

The growth and development of a child is assessed in details by categorising them into stages.
The childhood period is classified into four sub stages:

Stages Span
Infancy Birth to 2 years
Early Childhood 2 years to 6 years
Later Childhood 7 years to 11 years
Adolescence 12 years to 19 years

6.1 Infancy
Infancy begins from birth and continues till 2 years. It provides the foundation for all areas of
development. It is a period marked by extremely rapid physical growth and development.
Infancy is also important for cognitive, language and socio-emotional development.
According to Valentine, infancy is the ideal period for learning.

6.1.1 Development process during infancy

6.1.1.1 Physical development

Physical development refers to biological changes that children undergo as they age.
Infants (birth to age 1) and toddlers (ages 1 to 2) grow quickly; bodily changes are rapid and
profound.  Babies use their senses to learn to interact with the environment around them and
their bodies grow stronger and mature. Physical growth is especially rapid during the first 2
years. An infant's birthweight generally doubles by 6 months and triples by the infant's first
birthday. Similarly, a baby grows between 10 and 12 inches in length (or height), and the
baby's proportions change during the first 2 years. The size of an infant's head decreases in
proportion from 1/3 of the entire body at birth, to 1/4 at age 2, to 1/8 by adulthood. Milk teeth
develops from 6 to 7 month. They learn to use their bodies to achieve large physical tasks, or
gross motor skills, such as sitting, crawling, standing and finally walking.

6.1.1.2 Cognitive Development

Cognitive change and development is a little harder to determine as clearly as physical
change. According to Piaget, new born interact with their environment entirely through
reflexive behaviours. They do not think about what they’re going to do, but rather follow
their instincts and involuntary reactions to get what they need: food, air, and attention. Piaget
believed that as babies begin to grow and learn about their environment through their senses,
they begin to engage in intentional, goal directed behaviours. In other words, they begin to
think about what they want to accomplish, how to accomplish it, and then they do it. This is
also when infants develop object permanence, which is the ability to understand that
something still exists even if it can’t be seen. These two milestones, goal-directed behaviour
and object permanence, are the highlights and major accomplishments of infant cognitive
development.

6.1.1.3 Emotional Development

Child emotions can be seen through simple responses like smile, laugh and cry. Babies can
feel interest, distress, disgust, and happiness from birth, and can communicate these through
facial expressions and body posture. Infants behaviour are not social, they are self -centred
about their physical needs and basically dependent on others.

6.2 Early Childhood

This covers the period of the age 2years to 6 years. . It is also known as the preschool stage as
they are not exposed to main stream of education but start going to preschool or play school.
Children of this years are very curious and eager to learn new things. They are good observer,
they observe their elders, cartoon characters and other people whom they interact and imitate
their behaviour. Early childhood is very important from the point of view of education.
During early childhood, the scope and intensity of learning is very broad as compared to
other stages. While planning for education during this period it is necessary and significant to
take into consideration the developmental characteristics of this period.

6.2.1 Development process in early childhood

Understanding of physical and motor development is extremely important as it provides the

basis for the development of child’s personality, social and emotional development. It
establish emotional bonding between the child and the mother figure. It also helps mastery
over the child’s own body and movements.

6.2.1.1 Physical Development

Growth in physical dimension during the period of 2 to 6 years of age is not as accelerated as
that experienced in infancy. The child begins to assume the body proportions of an adult.
Growth of legs is rapid and the legs represent about half of one’s total height. The growth of
the head is slow and the growth of the trunk is intermediate. The height and weight are
affected by a number of variables such as height of parents, nutrition, and illness etc. In
addition to size and weight, the child undergoes other physical and physiological changes.
The muscles develop at a very rapid speed. Larger muscles are far better developed than the
small and fine ones.

The child in early childhood develops a variety of motor skills which are Self-feeding, self-
dressing, bathing, brushing the hair, playing with toys, use of pencil, jumping, hoping etc.
Motor development is usually classified into two categories - ‘gross motor’ and ‘fine motor’.
Gross motor development refers to control over large muscle groups that enable the child to
get around, e.g. crawling, standing and walking. They usually involve the limbs or the whole
body. Fine motor development refers to control over smaller muscle movements e.g.
grasping, pinching, bathing, brushing the hair, playing with toys, use of pencil, etc. Fine
motor skills are necessary to engage in smaller, more precise movements, generally using the
hands and fingers. Fine motor skills are different than gross motor skills which require less
precision to perform the daily tasks. During this period, children become better at catching
and throwing, can hit a stationary ball with a bat, learn to ride a tricycle, and can kick a ball
placed directly in front of their bodies. They can create things with their hands, such as
building towers out of blocks, moulding clay into rough shapes, and scribbling with a crayon.
Children of this age often begin showing a preference for using one hand more often than the
other, which is the beginning of becoming left or right-handed.
6.2.1.2 Cognitive development
This refers to the way children learn and process information. It includes improvement in
attention, perception, language, thinking, memory and reasoning. According to Piaget’s
cognitive developmental theory, our thoughts and reasoning are part of adaptation. During the
period of early childhood, children become increasingly proficient in using symbols such as
words and images to represent a variety of objects, situations and events. By the time children
enter school they have a reasonably good vocabulary. In fact, children are very receptive at
learning language when they are exposed to multiple languages in different contexts. They
often grow up as bilingual or multilingual children. Capacity for sustained attention improves
during the early childhood. Children also become more selective in their attention. As a result
their perceptual skills also improve. Thinking becomes more logical and capacity to
remember and process information also improves. Through interaction with the environment
the child learns the rules of appropriate social behaviour which prepare him or her for
schooling.

According to Piaget early childhood, from 2 to 6 years, is the phase when the child progresses
through the Pre-operational stage. Piaget also believed that pre operational children have a
style of thinking characterized by Egocentrism, or the inability to see the world from
someone else’s point of view. Children with egocentrism explain situations from their own
perspective and understanding. There are 2 sub-stages of the Pre-operational Stage:

a) Symbolic Function (2 to 4 years) - During the Symbolic Function sub-stage, children can
create mental images of objects and store them in their minds for later use. For example, such
a child can draw a picture of or pretend to play with a puppy that is no longer present there.
Children can talk about people who are traveling, or who live somewhere else. They can also
talk about or draw places they visited, as well as create new scenes and creatures from their
imagination. Children can also use their mental images of things to role-play in games.

b) Intuitive Thought (4 to 7 years) - The next sub-stage in Piaget’s Pre-operational

cognitive development stage is the Intuitive Thought sub-stage, which spans ages 4-7 years.
Children in this sub stage of development learn by asking questions such as, “Why?” and
“How come?” Piaget labelled this “intuitive thought” because he believed that children at
this stage tend to be so certain of their knowledge and understanding that they are unaware of
how they gained this knowledge in the first place. These children show “Centration”. They
focus on one characteristic of object and base their decisions or judgment on that only.
6.2.1.3 Social Development
A child is born in a social environment where his or her personality development is shaped in
accordance with the norm of the society. The social environment expands beyond home. This
is the age when a child begins to develop self- concept. The child can identify feelings of self
and others and also feel empathy. He learns to manage and express emotions and therefore,
can establish relationships. His dependency on parents is reduced with age, thus tolerates
short separation i.e. attends play school for a short time. In this stage the feeling of autonomy
develops in children. They begin to explore their environment independently. Due to
increased tolerance, they learn to cooperate with others and make friends on shared interests
and similar personality traits, thus can continue to play for a long time. Children take interest
in fairy tales and animal stories. Imitate adult activities.

6.2.1.4 Emotional Development

Emotions play an important role in life and contribute in the personal and social adjustment
of the individual provided they are directed into wholesome expression. In this stage a child
begins to be able to give reasons for this belief and actions. They have a fear of dark places
and overall darkness. Children tend to be impatient and selfish when it comes to sharing toys
or other belongings. They express aggression through physical and verbal behaviour without
any inhibition. Their behaviour shows signs of jealousy of siblings, especially aggressive
behaviour towards a new infant which may be prolonged indefinitely. Egocentrism at this
stage results into failure to take others’ perspectives is often observed at this stage. Animistic
thought, which means to attribute animate qualities to inanimate objects is a typical feature of
the stage i.e. call a broom as a horse. Most of the temper tantrums disappear by age. As per
Erikson this is the period of Toilet Training when the children need to be trained with
adequate patience.

6.2.2 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers

Teacher is the first person from whom child learns his social skills in school. Teachers make
him comfortable and guide him the early concepts and developmental skills of life. Open
minded, well balanced and a planned teacher has a great power to bring a positive change in
the child’s development.While planning for education during early childhood it is necessary
and significant to take into consideration the developmental characteristics of this period.
Proper environment - For proper development of the child healthy, peaceful and safe
environment is essential. Therefore, both home and school environment must be healthy, safe
and peaceful. Here environment means both physical and social environment.
Nurture - During early childhood physical development is important because it is the base
for the other aspects of development. Balanced diet and healthy physical environment is
required for proper physical development.
Affectionate behavior - A child is dependent on others for satisfaction of his needs.
Therefore, parents and teachers should be affectionate while dealing with them.
Satisfaction of curiosity – Pre-schoolers are very curious and they ask various questions in
order to satisfy their curiosity. Thus, parents, teachers and other family members should try
their level best to give answer to their questions and satisfy their curiosity.
Development of sociability- Child becomes sociable at the end of infancy stage. He likes to
play with other children. Therefore, in order to develop the feeling of sociability parent’s
family members and teachers must provide them ample opportunities to meet and play with
other children.
Opportunity for mental development - During early childhood there is rapid development
of mental abilities. Thus, more and more opportunities must be provided to toddlers to
understand, think and to do mental work so that their maximum mental development can take
place.
Opportunity for conversation - For language development of the child ample conversation
opportunity needs to be provided to the children. For this parents, teachers must narrate
poem, stories to the children. Simple conversation should be done with them.
Formation of good habits - Every possible efforts must be taken to develop good habits
among children.
Attention on individual differences - No two child are alike. Every child is different from
other due to existence of individual differences. So, while providing education individual
differences must be taken into consideration by the teachers.
Importance of learning by doing – Pre-schoolers are very active. They are always interested
in playing and doing some work or the other. So, opportunities for learning by doing should
be provided to them so that they can learn thing easily
Play way method - Education should be provided by play-way method. Children in this
period love to get reward. Reward and praise must be given for their good work in order to
maintain their motivation level.
Medium of instruction - Mother tongue should be used as the medium of instruction by the
teachers at this stage for better comprehension of the students
6.3 Later Childhood
Between the ages of 6 and 12 is considered as later childhood. Children start going to school,
therefore, this stage is also called as elementary school stage. The child’s world expands
outward from the family as relationships are formed with friends; teachers, caregivers and
others. Because, their experiences are expanding, many factors can alter children’s actions
and impact how they learn to get along. Whatever child learns at this stage greatly influence
the child throughout life. So childhood is considered as the basis for whole life.

6.4 Development process in later childhood

6.4.1 Physical Development

Growth is slower than in preschool years, but steady. Changes are shown in all general
proportions of the body. Children are free from diseases at this age. Girls grew taller rather
than boys. Shedding of milk teeth and growth of permanent teeth changes the appearance of
mouth; flattening of forehead, sharpening of the nose, broadening of the chest, and motor
skills develop through play.

6.4.2 Cognitive Development

Intellectual activities are clearly visible at this stage. The child is in a position to exercise his
or her power of memory, attention, thinking and imagination and can solve problems
intelligently i.e. memory and conceptual knowledge improve, facilitating logical thinking
beyond the immediate situation His knowledge and experience gradually takes the creative
turn in the late childhood stage. The child is intellectually alive and active. I.Q. at this stage is
developed considerably and by the end of this stage it becomes stable. Children can also
engage in aesthetic activities such as music, art and dance and develop hobbies of their own.
According to Piaget this stage is the concrete operational stage. Piaget considered the
concrete stage a major turning point in the child's cognitive development because it marks the
beginning of logical or operational thought. This means the child can work things out
internally in their head. The stage is called concrete because children can think logically
much more successfully if they can manipulate real (concrete) materials or pictures of them.
The characteristics of this stage are: understanding of logical principles and improvement in
spatial reasoning. Logical thinking limited to real and concrete situations. Spatial
reasoning involves understanding and remembering the relative locations of objects in the
mind. In later childhood years, language development proceeds in many ways. More than just
learning new words, children are acquiring more adult definitions of the words they know.
They create relationships among words, understand synonyms and antonyms, and understand
how prefixes and suffixes affect word meaning.

6.4.3 Social Development

The later childhood stage is also a stage of socialization of the egocentric nature of the child.
The primary school provides an ideal situation for such socialization. The child’s social
environment and its functions are widened. Both the classroom and the playground situations
train him how to feel, think and act together with others, share joy and sorrow with them. He
also learns some of the social rules and norms through active participation in society. The
child at this stage is engaged in social interaction and learns the spirit of sharing with others.
They tend to have some definite rules of morality which depends on the perspectives of
others. However, their moral thinking is not always reflected in their behaviour.

6.4.4 Emotional Development

Children at this stage discover that the expression of emotions, especially the unpleasant
emotions, is socially unacceptable to their age-mates. As a result, they acquire a strong
incentive to learn to control the outward expressions of their emotions. Emotional
expressions in late childhood are pleasant ones compared with the early childhood stage. A
normal child at this stage believes in the sharing of love and affections. At this stage children
also experience such emotions like - anger, fear, joy, anxiety, etc. The child’s nature of
behaviour, thought and activity at this stage can be described as extrovert or external minded.
They are more attracted to external situations and takes pleasure in active participation in
them. There is no occasion to feel bored, anxious or worried over any problems of his
personal life. The external world and its situations are extremely interesting and stimulating.

6.4.5 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers

As the child grows and develops mastery in different skills, teacher becomes a real guide in
nurturing his interest and learning to make him more independent. The following
developmental characteristics of later childhood is taken into consideration while planning
education in this period
Attention on physical development - Healthy mind resides in healthy body therefore, for
proper mental development in this stage physical development is emphasized. For proper
physical development balanced and nutritional diet must be provided to the children. Ample
opportunities for games, exercises etc. must be provided to the students in school.
Education based on child psychology - Education in this period must be planned on the
basis of child psychology. Childs interest and needs must be considered while providing
education.

Education through play activity - In the period of childhood education must be provided
through play-way method and by various activities. Through activity and play-way methods
children can learn new things easily.

Emphasis on language development - Language development must be emphasized during

childhood. For this children should be given opportunity for conversation, story-telling,
reading books, debate, speech etc.

Moral education - Moral development takes place during childhood so moral education
should be provided in schools. Teachers must tell them moral stories.

Satisfaction of curiosity - Parents and teachers must try to satisfy the curiosity of children.
They should try to give answers to the questions of the students.
Interesting content - The subject matter and content must be according to the need and
interest of the children. Childhood is characterized by diverse interest. Interest of children
keeps on changing so the curriculum should be such that it caters to their diverse needs and
interests.
Opportunity for constructive work - Children should be engaged in various constructive
work both in home and school. Every possible efforts should be made to develop
their creative abilities.

Development of social qualities - During childhood socialization starts. Child starts

interacting with friends, teachers etc. thus, such activities must be organized in school by the
teachers through which social qualities of discipline, self-control, responsibility, cooperation,
sympathy may be developed among the children.

Mental development – Proper environment must be provided to the children during early
childhood for their mental development. Such environment must be given to them in school
which helps to develop their perceptual ability, memory, thinking reasoning etc.
6.5 Adolescence
Among the different stages of human growth and development adolescence is regarded as the
most critical period. It is the span of a child’s move from childhood to adulthood which
begins with the onset of puberty and last till the beginning of adulthood. It is the period of
maximum growth and development in all aspects of one’s personality. The term adolescence
comes from the Latin verb ‘Adolescere’ means to grow to maturity. According to Cole
‘adolescence is a period of growth in all systems of the body.’ W.H.O defines adolescence
‘the period of human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before
adulthood from ages 10 to 19 years. Roger defines ‘adolescence is a period of achieving
attitudes and beliefs needed for effective participation in the society.’ This period is called
‘youth’ or ‘teenage’. Stanley Hall called this stage as a ‘period of stress and storm’. It is the
period of human development during which a young person must move from dependency to
independence, autonomy and maturity. Adolescence is further categorised into three stages:
early adolescence (9-12 years), mid adolescence (13-15 years) and late adolescence (16-19
years)

6.5.1 Development process in adolescence

6.5.1.1 Physical Development

Physical Development in Adolescence is identified by rapid growth in height and weight. The
nature of weight gain differs as it means muscle for boys and fat for girls. Girls mature about
two years earlier than boys. This stage is identified with secondary sexual characteristics like
growth of pubic and under arm hair, increased production of oil and sweat glands, change in
voice for boys, facial hair growth in boys. Hormonal changes take place due to changes in the
glands like the beginning of the menstruation cycle in girls. Teens frequently sleep more due
to these changes. Often they feel awkward because of growth spurts. Some girls may become
sensitive about their weight and try to lose weight resulting in eating disorders. Teens are
concerned if physically developing is not in same rate as peers.

6.5.1.2 Cognitive development

Cognitive development means the improvement in a child’s ability to think and reason. In
adolescence, changes in the brain interact with experience, knowledge and social demands
and produce rapid cognitive growth. Brain is not completely developed until late adolescence.
Adolescents can take others’ perspective and try to understand it. They can think about non-
concrete things like faith, love, trust, beliefs, and spirituality and try to understand it.
Improvements are seen in selective attention, as well as divided attention. Thus he learns to
focus on one stimulus and also to pay attention to two or more stimuli at the same time.
Development is seen in both short term and long term memory. Adolescents think faster than
children. Processing speed increases between age six and middle adolescence. They are more
aware of their thoughts and can use mental devices to think more efficiently. This often
involves monitoring one’s own cognitive activity during the thinking process. It provides the
ability to plan ahead, see the future consequence of an action, and provide alternative
explanations of events. Metacognition is relevant in social cognition and results in increased
introspection and self-consciousness. It enables an adolescent to think hypothetically and use
a logical thought process. Adolescents develop more advanced reasoning skills, including the
ability to explore a full range of possibilities inherent in a situation. From ages 12 to 18,
children grow in the way they think. They move from concrete thinking to formal logical
operations. Some children may be able to use logical operations in school work long before
they can use them for personal problems. It is important to note that each child moves ahead
at his or her own rate, to think in more complex ways.

A child in late adolescence develops the following cognitive characteristics:

1. Uses complex thinking to focus on less self-centred concepts and personal decision-
making.
2. Has increased thoughts about more global concepts such as justice, history, politics,
and patriotism. Often develops idealistic views on specific topics or concerns
3. May debate and develop intolerance of opposing views.
4. Begins to focus thinking on making career decisions.
5. Begins to focus thinking on emerging role in adult society

Need for age appropriate independence and freedom increases in this stage. Though they
move towards more mental autonomy parental support is still necessary. Relationship with
parents changes in three ways:

1. As cognitive ability increases, they look at the parents as individuals as well as

parents. In short, they interpret relationship with parents rationally.
2. Less time is spent with the family and parents
3. More conflicts and arguments with parents.
More intimate relationships are developed with peers as they spend more time with them.
They try to reason in adult terms about moral issues and values. They also question social and
political beliefs of adults. They are moody and irritable because they do not understand about
all the changes that are taking place in their bodies. This group has its own culture, values,
language, dress style, music and other likes and dislikes. Conforming to the group norms is
an important objective of all adolescents. This is the reason adolescents have many friends.
Anyone who cannot make friends goes into depression which can have dangerous
consequences.

Adolescents begin to form his or her own code of ethics .They develop own view of the
world. The ability to consider possibilities and facts may affect decision-making. This can
occur in either positive or negative ways. They also think about different possibilities and
begin to develop their own identity. Begins systematically consider possible future goals and
make own plans.

They develop an improved ability to express self. They express their views and feeling in
cliques due to higher involvement. They show less overt affection towards parents and
complaint about parental interference.

6.5.1.2.1 Crisis in Adolescence

Adolescence deals with a lot of crisis are as follows:

1. Lack of stability - mood keeps on swinging at this stage.

2. Adjustment problems – conflicts and arguments with parents.
3. Difference in behaviour – improvement in child’s ability to think and reason.
4. Changes in interest – changes is noticeable in eating style, dressing sense, listening
music etc.
5. Maturity of sexual instinct – try to attract others especially opposite sex.
6. Importance of friends and groups – love to spend lot of time with friends.
7. Feeling of independence and revolt – want to make their own identity
8. Faith in God and religion
9. Feeling of hero worship – want to prove superior in-front of peer group.
10. Self-respect
11. Delinquency - very occasional with them to experiment with alcohol, cigarettes and
drugs etc.
12. Anxiety for vocation – make their own future goals and plans.
6.5.1.2.2 Programs undertaken to overcome crisis
Adolescents always struggle with a sense of identity therefore Erikson has named the stage
as ‘Identity Crisis’. Adolescence deals with a lot of crisis and this crisis can be overcome by
implicating certain programmes:
Health education programme need to be organized for adolescent to get a clear concept of
structural and physiological changes in the body. They can be trained to take care of their
hygiene so that it transforms into a habit. Adolescents can be involved in physical activities
such as sports, creative arts and developing hobbies. Outdoor activities like excursions and
camps are encouraged so that boys and girls can work together and their strong need to
belong to peer group and communicate with each other can be fulfilled. Students can be
trained into yoga, breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques to overcome stress.
They can be encouraged to participate in open communication, so they will not hesitate to
discuss topics like sex. Opportunities can be provided in volunteering, participating in a
student exchange program and seeking out new friends. Appropriate career guidance needs to
be provided as per the needs of the employment sector. Students can choose out of routine
careers to ensure a bright future and avoid waste of time. Students at this stage can opt for
part-time job and increase their involvement in community activities. ‘Earn and learn’ policy
is beneficial for needy students to finance their higher education.

6.5.2 Educational Implications & Role of Teachers

Teachers play a very important role in student’s life in this period of development. The
following characteristics of adolescence is taken into consideration while planning education
in this period
Educational for emotional development- Emotions do not remain stable in this period.
Education in this period should be such that it channelizes their negative emotions in positive
direction. Teachers should also try to nurture emotional intelligence among students.
Moral education - Adolescence suffer from identity crises, they are unable to discriminate
between right -wrong, so religious and moral education should be provided to them in order
to help them to achieve moral development.
Education for individual differences - Education should be arranged taking into
consideration the individual differences of the students. Curriculum should be
organized in such a way by the teacher that it caters to the diverse needs and interests of the
students.
Educational vocational guidance - In schools guidance services needs to be organized in
order to help the students to solve their personal, educational and vocational problems.
Teachers’ role here should be of counsellor also.
Sex education - During adolescence sex education must also be provided to the students by
using proper teaching methods

Thus teachers plays a very significant role in the life of the students in all the stages. In
general teachers must take into consideration developmental characteristics of different stages
and principles of development while planning the teaching - learning process and while
dealing with the students. Educational implications of the different stages of development
may be summarized as –
1. Proper environment must be provided in schools.
2. Students should be encouraged to express their feelings.
3. Security and independence should be given at home and school.
4. Teachers must match their level of teaching according to the level of development of
students.
5. Provide opportunities to the children to participate in games, cultural activities etc. for
their proper physical, social, emotional development and for all round development of
their personality.
6. Democratic outlook must be adopted while dealing with children.
7. Children should be treated calmly and intelligently when they show emotional out
bursts.
8. Individuality of the growing child should be respected and faith should be expressed
in children.
9. Teachers must plan the learning procedure according to the developmental patterns.
10. Desirable behavior of the children must be reinforced.
11. Experimentation and reading opportunities should be provided to the children.
12. Emotions should be properly trained. Emotional energy should be properly directed in
useful and socially approved channels. Interest in crafts and hobbies should be
developed to channelize their emotions.

Teachers must take into consideration the principle of individual difference and each child
should be helped in the developmental process within the sphere of his own strength and
limitations. Thus by taking help of these implications, the teachers can help in proper
development of the students. A teacher has to deal with children of different socio- economic
and cultural background who have a wide variety of individual difference among themselves
at different age levels. The teacher as an agent of the society is responsible to bring desirable
changes the in behaviour of children so that they may shoulder the responsibilities of a good
citizen to accelerate the process of national development. Prior to joining school, a child
accumulates enormous experiences in his or her home, neighbourhood and environment
which are very useful to start formal education in or effective way. . A child’s constantly
changing behaviour due to interaction with the surrounding, is to be understood by
prospective teacher. The teacher must know the potentialities and capacities of each and
every child of his or her class so that he may exploit them to the maximum for the benefit of
the individual and the society. The teacher must know the basic principles of growth and
development and the characteristics which emerge at different age –levels in various
developmental dimensions to provide effective guidance for the harmonious development of
children.

7 Conclusion
The understanding of knowledge of growth and development and the principle of
development are useful to teachers as it helps teachers to match their teaching modes and
level of teaching to the level of development of children. They can effectively convey the
subject matter to children. They can be thoughtful about the limits of expectations from
children, activities can be suitable to their age and what to expect and when to expect from
them. They can be more realistic in their understanding of children by realizing the necessity
of maturity to learn certain aspects. They can plan the learning procedure according to the
developmental patterns i.e. from specific to general and general to specific. The principle of
interrelation and interdependence of various aspects helps in the harmonious development of
the child. Uniformity of pattern makes everybody ready to receive the development. Knowing
the role of environment teachers can pay sufficient attention to the environmental conditions
in bringing up the children. Development is a continuous and non-stop process at all periods
and stages of human life. The principle and knowledge of individual differences helps to
understand the wide individual differences that surface at all periods of growth and
development among children. Each child should be helped along the developmental process
within the sphere of his own strengths and limitations. The principles related to growth and
development suggest a pattern or trend for the advancement of children on the developmental
path. Thus importance and significance of understanding childhood and growth can help a
teacher know as to what can be expected in terms of the proper growth and development at a
particular developmental stage and we can then plan accordingly to achieve it by organizing
environmental experiences.