In this Module: Learner in Focus

2. Human Development: Defined

3. Issues on Human Development

Introduction

Module 1
Overview of Child and
1.
Adolescent Development

This module presents three lessons in which Lesson 1 gives you an

overview of the different theories of child and adolescent development. This
is focused in the learner. Lesson 2 is focused on the human development
where important concepts and terms are defined. Lesson 3 talks about the
issues on human development.

At the completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Discuss the relationships of learner-centeredness and developmentally

appropriate • Advocate on the use of learner-centeredness in education

• Explain the human development

• Discuss the issues on Human Development

Are you ready? Then start the lessons now!

 1

Lesson
Learner in Focus
1
-Vivien Grace A. Jubahib, LPT, Ph.D., FRIEdr

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to

a. explain learner centeredness as philosophy

b. identify the five characteristics of Learner-
centered teaching c. list down the ways to create a
teaching plan
d. illustrate the application of learner- centered psychological
principles in teaching children and
adolescent

Introduction
Hello! You are about to begin your journey to explore about the
individual learner which is the center of instruction. All the preparation for
the learning activity and its outcome is geared towards the achievement of the
learner.

Every learner must pass life’s different stages from prenatal,

childhood, adolescent, adulthood. Each of these human stages has different
characteristics, interests, and learning complexities. In this lesson, you are
going to focus on the philosophy why the learner is the center for learning.
Learners are said to be the most important part in the teaching
learning process.

John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator has made a mark

in changing the traditional approaches in the teaching-learning process. He
gave importance in the learning experience of every learner by engaging in
the actual process because he believes that one can learn better while doing.

Activity
Whst is a learner? Give 5 adjectives about
the learner, 5 actions that learners
 Adjective Action Adverb

ATTENTIVE LISTENING CLEARLY

do, 5 adverbs related to the actions.
and WHILE
WRITING

QUICK AND PERFORMIN VOLUNTARI

READY G FROM LY
Analysis
THE CLASS

MORE PARTICIPAT WISELY From the

adjectives, actions,
WILLING ING FROM and adverbs you he
THE CLASS written, describe
the characteristics
of OBSERVANT ASKING CURIOUSLY a learner.
ABOUT THE
LESSON

GIFTED DOING A WONDERFU

CREATIVE LLY
ARTWORK
FOR THEIR
PROJECT

______________________________________________________________

__________ __ ThE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEARNER

______________________________________________________________

________

______________________________________________________________

__________

______________________________________________________________

__________

_________________________________________________________
 Abstraction
The Learner

The whole educational process is centered on the learner in the early

part of the 20th century. Educators gave so much emphasis on the student’s
interest by directing on the needs of the learners. Teachers give attention to
facilitate students’ learning in the classroom based from the philosophy as
their guide.

The learner is an individual who aspires to receive knowledge, skills,

and values in life. There are three important domains that learners must
achieve. These are the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. The cognitive
domain involves the mental development of the learner by remembering,
understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. The
psychomotor domain involves the motor development of the learner such as
the coordination of the motor skills or the physical movement by perceiving,
setting, responding as a guide, acting, responding overtly, adapting, and
organizing. The affective domain involves the feelings, emotions, and
attitudes through receiving, responding, valuing, organizing, and
internalizing. All these domains must be focus to the learner as the recipient
for learning.

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Educators nowadays are guided by the philosophy they have acquired
through training. Progressivism is a philosophy that is rooted on optimism and
problem solving. Educators who are progressivist, do not only give input to
the students but focused on the outcomes. John Jacques Rousseau (1912-
1778) and John Dewey (1859-1952) are progressivist proponents. Rousseau
believes that people are basically good, and the society can be accountable for
corrupting them. Dewey believes that problem-solving and social interaction
can be the source of learning. He designed the scientific method in solving a
problem and making an experimentation. Because of this, classrooms which
are progressivist use exploration and experience. Students are directly
involved in hands-on learning and they are the focus of the learning process.

Another student-centered philosophy is based on social reconstruction.

It gives a picture that schools are the tools for problems solving in the society.
Recipients and beneficiary of the schools got their learning from the schools.
Reconstructionist education aims to draw out and suggest means to improve
problems in the society through educating the minds of all individuals. This is
not just a philosophy but also a remedy for objectivity of social order. Again,
this focuses on the learner.

Another perspective in looking into the learner-centered instruction is

taking the opportunity to learn the psychological factors in the teaching-
learning process. Internal factors that controls the condition of the learner.
These are his attitudes towards learning. Some learners are active while others
are passive. They need to be motivated well in order to get the maximum
learning experience. This can be a great driving force to be used as the learner
is engaged on the his activity he/she is doing.

External factors can also affect the learning process. They can be
constructive or can be destructive. When the learner is set to learn in a good
environmental condition, the learning outcome can be very desirable.

Individual Learning Differences

Learners have different capacities and capabilities in learning. They

differ in their approaches based from their experience and heredity. Some
learners are endowed with unique talents and capabilities which are inherited
from their parents. This natural endowment can be fully developed by proper
nurturing of the people around. Good exposure of a learner in a good
environment may help shape his/her characteristics.

Through social acculturation and learning from it, the learner may have
his preferences on how they would like to learn at their own pace. However,
those preferences may not always work in reaching their goals. This is now
the function of the teacher to come in.

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It is important that educators need to facilitate learning to the students
and check their learning preferences. They can be modified by making it short
but complete so that expected learning outcomes can fully be achieved.

Another factor that affects in the individual learning differences can be

attributed to the interaction between the learner and his/her curricular
environmental conditions. Remember that the center for process of learning is
the student. Good environmental condition must be sought first in order to
come up with a good learning outcome because this is where the learner
interacts to strengthen his skills and knowledge.

Educators must be aware of the different individual differences

because they need to know how they can keep along as the complexity of
learning increases. They need to cater these differences by using the different
scientific steps such as techniques, approaches, methods, and strategies.
The Fourteen (14) Learner-Centered Principles (LCP)

Psychological Principles
✓ Deals with the learners and how they learn

✓ These depict the learners engage in seeking knowledge by:

1. Reinterpreting information and experiences from themselves.
2. Being self-motivated by the quest for knowledge (rather than motivated
by grades or other rewards.)
3. Working with others to socially construct meaning.
4. Being aware of their own learning strategies.

Aspects of the 14 Principles

✓ It focuses on psychological factors that are primarily internal and under the
control of the learner, however it also attempt to acknowledge external
environment or contextual factors that interact with these internal factors.
✓ This is intended to deal holistically with learners in the context of real
world learning situations.
✓ The 14 principles are divided into those referring to:
1. Cognitive and Metacognitive (6)
2. Motivational and Affective (3)
3. Developmental and Social (2)
4. Individual differences factors influencing learners and learning (3)

I. Nature of the Learning Process

✓ Construction of meaning

✓ Connectedness to their experiences

II. Goals of the Learning Process
✓ Creation of meaning and coherent knowledge representation
III. Construction of Knowledge
✓ The successful learner can link new information with existing
knowledge in meaningful ways
IV. Strategic Thinking
✓ Successful learners use strategic thinking in their approach
to learning, reasoning, problem solving and concept
learning
V. Thinking about Thinking
✓ Higher order strategies for selecting and monitoring mental
operations facilitate creative and critical thinking
✓ Successful learners can reflect on how they think and learn, set
reasonable learning or performance goals, select potentially
appropriate learning strategies or methods
VI. Context of Learning
✓ Learning is influenced by environmental factors,
including culture, technology and instructional
practices
✓ Learning does not occur in a vacuum. Teachers play a major
interactive role with both the learner and the learning
environment

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VII. Motivational and Emotional Influences on Learning
✓ What and how much is learned is influenced by the learner’s
motivation. Motivation to learn, in turn, is influenced by the
individual’s emotional
states, beliefs, interests and goals and habits of thinking.
✓ Motivation is of 2 Types:
Intrinsic and Extrinsic
VIII. Intrinsic Motivation to Learn
 ✓ The Learner’s creativity, higher order thinking and natural
curiosity all contribute to motivation to learn
✓ Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by tasks of optimal novelty and
difficulty, relevant to personal interests, and providing for
personal choice and control
IX. Effects of Motivation on Effort
✓ Acquisition of complex knowledge and skills requires
extended learner effort and guided practice
✓ Without learner’s motivation to learn, the willingness to exert
this effort is unlikely without coercion

X. Developmental Influences on Learning

✓ As individuals develop, there are different opportunities and
constraints for learning.
✓ Learning is most effective when differential development within and
across physical, intellectual, emotional and social domains is taken into
account.
XI. Social Influences on Learning
✓ Learning is influenced by social interactions, interpersonal
relations and communication with others.
✓ Positive learning climates can also help to establish the context for
healthier levels of thinking, feeling and behaving

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 XII. Individual Differences in Learning
✓ Individuals are born with and develop their own capabilities

and talents. ✓ Educators need to be sensitive to individual

differences, in general.
They also need to attend to learner perceptions of the degree to which
these differences are accepted and adapted to by varying instructional
methods.
XIII. Learning and Diversity
✓ Learning is most effective when differences in learner’s
linguistic, cultural and social backgrounds are taken into
account.
✓ When learners perceive that their individual differences in abilities,
backgrounds, cultures and experiences are valued, respected and
accommodated in learning tasks and contexts, levels of motivation and
achievement are enhanced.
IV. Standards and Assessment
✓ Assessment provides important information to both the learner and
teacher at all stages of the learning process.
✓ Setting appropriately high and challenging standards and
assessing the learner as well as learning progress-including
diagnostic process and
outcome assessment – are integral parts of the learning process.

POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING

1. Independence
✓ Learners have to possess their own learning

✓ They must develop their autonomy in learning

2. Creativity
✓ Learners should possess the ability to develop new ideas especially
in an artistic way.
3. Self-Motivation
✓ Learners should be responsible for their own motivations.

✓ It should be something internal and self-contained.

 4. Resilience

✓ Learners should possess the ability to recover quickly from setbacks

and failures

Application
1. List down some teaching activities that students would enjoy in
doing their activities.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________
2. Make a COLLAGE on the 14 Learner Centered Principles. Please
be guided _____________________________________________
with the provided RUBRIC. RUBRIC.
Criteria Excellent _______________________________
Good Needs
(10 Points) ______________ Improvement
Very Good Points
(6 Points)
(8 Points) (4 Points)
_______________________________
______________
 Creativity All of the graphics _______________________________
Only a few None of the
or objects used in ______________
graphics graphics or
Most of the graphics or objects used in the
the collage reflect objects reflects
or objects reflect
a __________________________________________ student
student
degree of student ___ creativity.
creativity, but
creativity. collage reflect
the ideas were
student creativity.
typical rather
_____________________________
than creative.
_____________

Design Graphics are cut to Few graphics are More graphics Graphics are not
an appropriate lacking in design or are lacking in an appropriate
size, placement. There design or size
shape and are may placement. Too shape. Glue marks

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arranged neatly. be a few smudges much background evident. Most of
Care has been or glue marks. is showing. There the background
taken to are noticeable is showing. It
balance the smudges or glue appears little
pictures across the marks. attention was
area. Items are given to
glued neatly designing the
securely. collage.

Number The collage The collage The collage The collage

of Items includes all 12-14 includes 9-11 includes 5-8 contains 2-4
Learner Learner Learner Learner-
Centered Principles. Centered Principles. Centered Principles. Centered
Principles.
Missing many
items.

Time and Much time and Some time and Student exerted Student put in
Effort effort went into effort went into less time and no additional
the the collage. effort in the task. effort.
planning and Student could have
design of the put in more time
collage. and effort.

Title and The title is catchy A title is provided Title and labels No title or
Explanation and creative and that relates to the are incomplete explanation!
related to the collage. The labels and
collage. The labels describe the partially relate
are correct and purpose and to the collage.
provides insight to process of
the creating the
purpose/meaning collage.
 and design of the
collage.

Closure

Congratulations! You made it. You just finished lesson 1 in this

module. You may now move to Lesson 2.

References

Asturias, Marilou C., Henry M. Agong, and Dolores S. Tanawan.

Educational psychology. Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp.,
©200. Print.

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Brubacher, John. Modern philosophy of education. NEW YORK:
MCGRAW HILL BOOK COMPANY, 1978. Print.
Corpuz, Brenda B., Ma R.D. Lucas, and Heidi G.L. Borabo. The child
and adolescent learners and learning principles. Quezon City:
Lorimar Publishing Inc, 2018. Print.
Santrock, John W. Educational psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill, ©200. Print.
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