CITY OF MALABON UNIVERSITY

Pampano corner Maya-maya St., Longos, Malabon City

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
City of Malabon University – Open University

THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT LEARNERS AND LEARNING PRINCIPLES

This course focuses on child and adolescent development with emphasis on current research and theories
on biological, linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional dimensions of development. Further, this includes factors
that affect the progress of development of the learners and appropriate pedagogical principles applicable for each
developmental level of the learners. The course also addresses laws, policies, guidelines, and procedures that
provide safe and secure learning environments, and the use of positive and non-violent discipline in the
management of learner behavior.

COURSE OUTCOMES

[1] demonstrate content knowledge and its application within and /or across curriculum teaching areas.
[2] demonstrate an understanding of the different research-based theories related to the broad dimensions of
child and adolescent development and their application to each developmental level of the learners.
[3] demonstrate understanding of pedagogical principles suited to diverse learners’ needs and experiences at
different developmental levels.
[4] demonstrate knowledge of laws, policies, guidelines, and procedures that provide safe and secure learning
environments; and
[5] demonstrate knowledge of positive and non-violent discipline in the management of learner behavior.

MODULE 8 WEEK 3
UNIT 3: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Overview

Cognitive development has about 50-year history, as a distinct field of developmental psychology. Prior
to the 1950’s, learning was conceptualized primarily in terms of behavioral principles and association processes,
whereas cognitive development emerged from the cognitive revolution, the revolution in psycholinguistics, and
especially Piaget’s work on children’s reasoning about a myriad of subjects like space, time, causality, morality,
and necessity (Lenner, Easterbrooks, & Mistry, 2005). Therefore, although superficially similar, research and
theory on learning versus research and theory on cognitive development represent very different histories and
very different perspectives.

Learning Objectives

In this module, you are expected to:

1. Apply the principles of cognitive processing in developing learning activities intended for young and
adolescent learners.
2. Discuss the concepts and theories related to the cognitive development of children and adolescents.
3. Make connections, using knowledge on current research literature, between cognitive development
theories and developmentally appropriate teaching approaches suited to learners’ gender, needs,
strengths, interests, and experiences.

Key Words and Concepts

Biological, physical, motor development, neuroscience and brain development, biological, physical
development, multiple intelligences, cognitive,

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Content

A. INTELLIGENCE AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Intelligence is an adaptive thinking or action. Piaget highlighted that it centers in some way on the
ability to think abstractly or to solve problems effectively (Lerner et al., 2005). the study of intelligence
(usually expressed in Intelligent Quotient or IQ or General Mental Ability (G) terms) dates from at
least the beginning of the 20th century and has provided a foil against which other approaches to
cognitive development have railed. The effort to stimulate cognitive processes using computer
programming techniques has in turn provided a demanding criterion against which claims for the
adequacy of accounts of cognitive development have often been evaluated. The following
approaches and theories offer integral knowledge and how we understand intelligence.

The Psychometric Approach

According to psychrometric theorists, intelligence is a trait or set of traits that characterizes some
people to a greater extent than others. The goals, then, are to identify these traits precisely and to
measure them so that differences among individuals can be described.

The General Mental Ability

Early on, Charles Spearman proposed at two factor theory of intelligence consisting of a general
mental ability (called g) that contributes to performance on many different kinds of tasks. This G
factor is what accounts for spearman's observation that people were often consistent across a range
of tasks.

Charles Spearman proposed that intelligence has two aspects: general ability or G, special abilities or
S as each of which is specific to a particular kind of task.

Louis Thurstone later analyzed test scores obtained by eighth graders and college students and
identified seven distinct factors that he called primary mental abilities.

• Spatial ability
• Perceptual speed
• Numerical reasoning
• Verbal meaning
• Word fluency
• Memory
• Inductive reasoning

The Fluid and Crystallized Abilities

Raymond Cattel and John Horn assumed that intelligence is made up of fluid intelligence and
crystallized intelligence.

• Fluid intelligence is the ability to use one's mind actively to solve novel problems - for
example, to solve verbal analogies, remember unrelated pairs of words or recognize
relationships among geometric figures.
• Crystallized intelligence in contrast, is the use of knowledge acquired through schooling and
other life experiences.

The two approaches in understanding abilities provide essential information on how intelligence
test scores are better understood. So how can we as teachers make meaning of their test scores
and apply them to our teaching? First, we must understand that psychological tests are tools. Like
all tools, their effectiveness depends on the knowledge, skill, and integrity of the user. So as
teachers, we should be careful and address the following areas:

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 • avoid unwarranted stereotypes and negative expectations about students based on IQ
scores.
• Don't use the IQ scores as the main or sole characteristic of competence.
• specially be cautious in interpreting the meaningfulness of an overall IQ score.

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner rejects the idea that a single IQ score is meaningful measure of human
intelligence. Gardner argues that there are at least eight distinct intellectual abilities. Gardner
employed a set of indicators before a certain ability be qualified as an intelligence, which he called
the eight criteria for identifying an intelligence (Gardner & Moran, 2006).

1. Isolation as a brain function

certain brain areas are identified in cases of brain injury and degenerative disease, to identify
actual physiological locations for specific brain functions. A true intelligence will have its
function identified in a specific location in the human brain.

2. Prodigies, savants, and exceptional individuals

human record of genius such as Mozart being able to perform on the piano at the age of four
and other people displaying unique abilities whether it may be in music, mathematics or the
languages, the evidence of specific human abilities which can demonstrate themselves to
high degrees in unique cases is a criterion for identification of an intelligence. Highly
developed examples of a true intelligence are recorded in rare occurrences.

3. Set of core operations

there is an identifiable set of procedures and practices which are unique to each through
intelligence. For example, in understanding language, there are letters and words; In music,
there are musical notes; in logico-mathematical, numbers.

4. Developmental history with an expert and performance

as experts continue to study the developmental stages of human growth and learning, a clear
pattern of developmental history is being documented of the human mind. A true intelligence
has an identifiable set of stages of growing with a mastery level which exists as an end state
in human development. We can see examples of people who have reached the mastery level
for each intelligence.

5. Evolutionary history

As cultural anthropologists continue to study the history of human evolution, there is

adequate evidence that our species have developed intelligence overtime through human
experience.

6. Supported psychological tasks

clinical psychologists can identify sets of tasks for different domains of human behavior. A
true intelligence can be identified by specific tasks which can be carried out, observed, and
measured.

7. Supported psychometric tasks

the use of psychometric instruments to measure intelligence such as IQ tests have

traditionally been used to measure only specific types of ability. However, these tests can be
designed and used to identify and quantify through unique intelligences. The multiple
intelligence theory does not reject psychometric testing for specific scientific study.

8. Encoded into a symbol system

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 human have developed many kinds of symbol systems overtime for varied disciplines. A true
intelligence has its own set of images it uses which are unique to itself and are important in
completing its identified sets of tasks.

From the eight criteria, the eight multiple intelligences were developed:
• Visual spatial
• naturalistic
• musical
• logical mathematical
• interpersonal
• bodily kinesthetic
• linguistic
• intrapersonal

o Linguistic Intelligence (language skills, as seen in the poet’s facility with words)
o Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (the abstract thinking and problem solving shown by
mathematicians and scientists as emphasized by Piaget)
o Musical Intelligence (based on acute sensitivity to sound patterns)
o Spatial Intelligence (most obvious in great artists who can perceive things accurately and
transform what they see)
o Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (the ‘’intelligent’’ movement shown by dancers, athletes,
and surgeons)
o Interpersonal Intelligence (social intelligence, social skill, exceptional sensitivity to other
people’s motivations and moods)
o Intrapersonal Intelligence (understanding of one’s own feelings and inner life)
o Naturalistic Intelligence (the ability to observe patterns in nature and understand natural
and human-made systems)

It is important to consider that when it comes to Gardner’s theory, everyone has all the
intelligences. The intelligences are not mutually exclusive – they act in one consort to
complement one another. The theory was designed not to exclude individuals but allow all people
to contribute to society through their own strength.

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

Another interesting theory of intelligence was proposed by Robert Sternberg, the

triarchic theory of intelligence that emphasizes three aspects of intelligent behavior:
components, context, and experience

• Componential Intelligence - ability to think abstractly, process information effectively.

• Contextual component - intelligent people add adapt to the environment they are in (for
example, a job setting), shape that environment to make it suit them better, or find a
better environment. Such people are” St smarts.”
• Experiential component - what is intelligent when one first encounters a new task is not
the same as what is intelligent after extensive experience with that task.

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Assessments and Evaluations

Directions: Provide your input or thoughts on the given questions.

1. How do you think one's personal background affect one's view of intelligence?

2. do you think Filipinos should have their own definition of intelligence? Why or why not.

3. How would the information presented in the chapters affect the way you view the educational
system?

4. how do intelligence function in relation to understanding one's learning experience?

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Summary and Reflection

As a teacher, you will be faced with students with varied abilities. Some can process information and score
high and tests instantaneously while others may need more facilitation to be able to understand a concept well.
there is no clear consensus on the definition of intelligence. Piaget defined intelligence as thinking or behavior
that is adaptive. If you were to ask yourself, how do you define intelligence? Several traits that describe the term
will surely emerge. This is true with other experts who offer different definitions, most of them centering on the
ability to think abstractly or to solve problems effectively. Early definitions of intelligence tended to reflect the
assumption that intelligence reflects innate ability; genetically determined and thus fixed at conception. But it has
become clear that intelligence is not fixed, that is changeable and subject to environment influence. As a result,
an individual's intelligence test scores sometimes vary considerably over a lifetime. Bear in mind that
understanding of this complex human quality has changed since the first intelligence tests were created at the
turn of the last century - and still no single, universally accepted definition of intelligence

References:

Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Brenda B. Corpuz PHD
Ma. Rita D. Lucas PHD
Heidi Grace L. Borabo PHD
Paz I. Lucido PHD

The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles

Teresita T. Rungduin PHD
Darwin C. Runguin M.A.

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