CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS AND LEARNING PRINCIPLES

Unit 2– Basic Concepts and Issues on Human Development

By virtue of being born to humanity, every human being has a right to the
development and fulfillment of his potentialities as a human being”

—Ashley Montagu

“ Every living creature is called to become what it is meant to be. The caterpillar is
meant to become a butterfly; a seed into a full grown herb, bush or tree; and a
human baby into a mature person, the person “ who is fully alive, the glory of God”
in the words of St. Irenaeus.

Module 1:

Human Development: Meaning Concepts and Approaches

“All the world’s stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exists and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts…..

-----William Shakespeare

Human Development: Meaning Concepts and Approaches

-Human development involves studies of the human condition with its core
being the capability approach. The inequality adjusted Human Development Index
is used as a way of measuring actual progress in human development by the United
Nations.

-Human development is defined as the process of enlarging people's freedoms and

opportunities and improving their well-being. Human development is about the real
freedom ordinary people have to decide who to be, what to do, and how to live. ...
Central to the human development approach is the concept of capabilities.

Human development – or the human development approach - is about expanding

the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which
human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their
opportunities and choices.
Two Approaches to human development:

1. Traditional Approach – will show extensive change from birth to adolescence,

little or no change in adulthood and decline in late old age.

2.Life-span Approach – if you believe that even in adulthood developmental change

takes place as it does during childhood.

Paul Baltes (Santrock, 202) Characteristics of Life-Span Approach:

1. Development is life long-continue developing even in adulthood

2. Development is Plastic- Plasticity refers to the potential for change.

- development is possible throughout the life-span

- No one is told to learn

- Aging is associated with declines in certain intellectual abilities

- the reasoning abilities of older adults were improved through

retraining

3. Development is multidimensional- this consist of biological, cognitive, and

socio-emotional dimensions.

- Biological processes involve changes in the individual’s physical

nature.

Biological processes in Development:

a. Development is relatively orderly

-Proximodistal pattern- muscular control of the trunk and the arms

comes earlier as compared to the hands and fingers.

- Cephalo- caudal pattern- the greatest growth always occurs at the

top.

b. Development takes place gradually

- Cognitive process– involve changes in the individual’s thought,

intelligence, and language.

- Socioemotional process– include changes in the individual’s

relationships with other people, changes in emotions, and

changes in personality.
4. Development is Contextual- Individuals are changing beings in a changing

world and respond to and act on contexts.

These contexts include:

1. individual’s biological make up

2. physical environment

3. cognitive processes

4. historical

5. social and cultural contexts

5. Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation.

-Three goals of Human Development

1. Growth

2. Maintenance

3. regulation