Student Development Profile

Cognitive Development

One thing that I've recognized regarding the student's cognitive development is that they still need a fair amount of help in organizing new information into schemata, as Piaget explained. Often times all the information they need is there in their brains! They've learned it all, they've even retained most of it. However, they don't connect the dots until the teacher really helps them assimilate information. I've also noticed that there does seem to be a connection between readiness, or maturation, and development. There are some students that have a difficult time understanding some of the more complex issues or applications regardless of how much the teacher tries to help them. Sometimes I can tell just by listening to their thought processes that it might be a maturation issue. One other thing I've really noticed is that sometimes students in disequilibrium are easy to recognize, but often times they're not. There were a few students who really seemed to grasp new concepts. They were nodding, trying to ask questions, and really seemed engaged, especially compared to some who appeared to be like deer in the headlights. However, their assessments showed otherwise. This was a good reminder that assessments can provide good feedback, and that classroom discussions and question/answer sessions don't always indicate learning. 

Social Development

I thought a lot about social development during this unit and while I've been in the classroom this semester. I was really interested in Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological model because it explains so much of the differences in social development that I've noticed (I realize I'm making generalizations and jumping to conclusions, but I'm just going off of what I recognize as possibilities). One of the students in the classes I'm observing is a pretty "smart" kid. He seems to naturally pick up on the material at a slightly above average comprehension level. But, in terms of social development, he's not as far along as most of the kids in the class. I'm not positive that he doesn't have an IEP or 504, but I don't think he does. I do, however, know his extended family and I can't help but wonder if his biosystem is part of the reason he isn't at the same social development level as his peers.  I know he comes from a broken home, his mom works a couple of jobs and is also pretty engaged in her own social life. He has no siblings, although he lives near extended family. There are a lot of drug problems in the circles that his family is in, and I'm not sure if he has a lot of opportunities to really learn social skills from his microsystem (his mom went to school with my husband, and I'm relatively familiar with a lot of his extended family because we all grew up in the same small town). Further, I think the instability of his microsystem would affect his mesosystem, as well as his exosystem that would leave him on the unfortunate end of a lot of other people's bad decision. Also, in relation to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, outside of school I'm not sure he has much interaction with more-knowledgable-others in terms of academic development. I think the people he is surrounded by are "more knowledgeable" and sharing "knowledge" about things that you don't want kids to be introduced to (especially in those circumstances). Seeing this as a possibility has allowed me to consider how I could help inform and teach this student of some of the social norms that he's missing. Perhaps this would help him fit in and maintain friendships better? 

Physical Development

This was interesting to me because I hadn't thought much about my student's physical development as something that would affect them in a history class. However, I did some supplemental reading on this subject (because I wondered how it applied if I wasn't teaching PE) and was really surprised to learn that their physical development and activity has been shown to have an effect on their reading! Students need movement in order to focus. This reminds me of my dog who is generally so well behaved. But if she goes a few days without some intense exercise she'll end up chewing on things, rummaging through backpacks or bags left on the floor, etc. Most of the students I have been observing get rides to and from school, which means that unless they're involved in rigorous sports, they're not getting much activity all day long which can significantly affect their ability to focus, comprehend their reading homework, and sit still. in addition to giving my students opportunities for movement whenever possible, I also hope to encourage my students to do activities that will provide their bodies with the exercise they need. I think I can find ways to include physical movement in some of my classroom/homework assignments, especially in classes like geography. Just like I often recognize that my kids need some physical stimulation when they get hyper or naughty, I'm going to remember that high school kids have the same needs. Also, remembering that their motor skills are still improving can be helpful. Some kids' "neat work" will be less neat than the more developed students. Some kids might seem like they're not paying attention or like they are "a bull in a china shop" as they move around the classroom, but it might be that they haven't developed the physical control and grace that some of the other students have. I think this can make me more empathetic and aware of true intentions rather than having my judgement clouded by what seem to be irritating behaviors.