The four developmental needs for primary and secondary students are physical, social,

emotional and intellectual. Physical development is important as it provides children with

abilities to interact with what’s around them. Children can learn a range of skills through
physical activity such as team work and sportsmanship. Social development involves
learning the skills that enable children to have the ability to speak to other children and
adults effectively. Emotional development is often linked with social development and is the
child’s ability to regulate and control their emotions to secure relationships. Lastly,
Intellectual or cognitive development relates to the major developments of brain growth. This
growth is measured by how individuals learn to think and reason for themselves in relation to
everything around them. It is essential that each of these developmental needs are met to
ensure that children can develop correctly and maximize their future well-being.

Sociocultural factors are factors contributing to individual difference, which have a basis in
society and culture. This includes economic background, ethnicity, language, cultural
background, gender and the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people. The
sociocultural factor that we are discussing is language and background, the diverse students
in our classroom come from non-English speaking backgrounds. This can be a challenge in
schooling environments as it may take these students longer to learn things or understand
activities. However, it is a teacher’s role to appreciate differences and find solutions to
create a harmonious classroom environment that works well and supports all students.