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Basic Concepts and Issues on
Human Development
EDUC 21 – Child and Adolescent Development
Ferdinand C. Importado
Human Development
• Human development is the pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues through the life span.• It includes growth and decline. • Development can be positive or negative.
Some Major Principles of
Human Development
Principle 1
Development is relatively orderly.
Proximodistal pattern
The muscular growth of the trunk and the arms comes earlier as compared to the hands and fingers.
Cephalocaudal pattern
During infancy, the greatest growth always occurs at the top – the head – with physical growth in
size, weight and future differentiation gradually working its way down from top to bottom.
Principle 2
While the pattern of development is likely to be similar, the outcome
of developmental process and the rate of development are likely
to vary among individuals.
Principle 3
Development takes place gradually.
Principle 4
Development as a process is complex
because it is the product of biological, cognitive
and socio-emotional process.
Biological
Involves changes in the individual’s physical
nature.
Cognitive
Involves changes in the individual’s thought, intelligence, and language.
Socio-emotional
Includes changes in the individual’s relationship with other people, changes in emotions, and
changes in personality.
Approaches to Human Development
Traditional
Human development shows extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in the late old age.
Life-span
Human development occurs al throughout the life-span of an individual.
Characteristics of Life-span
Development
Life-long
It does not end by adulthood and no
development stage dominates the development.
Multi-dimensional
Development consists of biological, cognitive, and
socio-emotional dimensions.
Plastic
Development is possible throughout the life-span.
Contextual
Individuals are changing beings in a changing world.
Growth, maintenance and regulation
These are considered goals in that varies in every developmental change.
Principles of Child Development and Learning that Inform
Practice
All the domains of development and learning (physical, social, emotional and cognitive) are
important and closely-related.
Many aspects of children’s learning and development
follow well documented sequences, with later abilities, skills, and
knowledge building on those already acquired.
Development and learning proceed at varying rates
from child to child, as well as at
uneven areas across different
areas of a child’s individual
functioning.
Development and learning result from
a dynamic and continuous
interaction of biological
maturation and experience.
Early experiences have profound
effects (cumulative and delayed) on a
child’s development and
learning; and optimal periods exist for certain
types of development and learning to occur.
Development proceeds toward greater complexity,
self regulation, and symbolic or representational
capacities.
Children develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for positive relationship with
peers.
Development and learning occur in and
are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts.
Always mentally active in seeking to understand the
world around them, children learn in a variety of ways; a
wide range of teaching strategies and interactions are effective in supporting all these kinds of learning.
Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well
as promoting language, cognition and social
competence.
Development and learning advance when children are
challenged to achieve at a level just beyond their current mastery,
and also when they have many
opportunities to practice, newly acquired skills.
Children’s experiences shape their motivation and
approaches to learning such as persistence, initiative, and
flexibility; in turn, these dispositions and behaviors
affect their learning and development.
