Human Learning and Development

Human Learning and Development

The study of growth through learning and development can help us to know a child more systematically and thereby allowing us to be better mentors. As teachers, we are able to observe the student at various cross sectional stages of life that enables us to develop methods to assist them in understanding the world, as well as giving us the means to reach into their mind. Knowing more about growth through learning and development will help you to generate questions when talking and educating students that will deepen our knowledge of them; questions that otherwise might not have occurred. Like Piaget, Erikson maintained that children develop in a predetermined order and instead of focusing on cognitive maturity he was interested in how children socialize as it would affect their sense of self. Vygotsky differentiated between our higher and lower mental functions conceiving our lower functions to be those that are genetically inherited while our higher functions develop through social interaction.

Socialization and our perception of acceptance do have extreme impacts on our sense of self that really does determine our development and growth as was shown to me during my service learning experiences. Truly being in the classroom with students is what can make or break the future teacher as it is interacting with those young individuals that make the job not a job, but a life path. I experienced several stages of development to which I had to step back and realign my perception as to accurately handle the situation. Being forced into a shell and reflecting anger is a protection device that adolescent's can't understand, but they use very well and through observing the same young girl on 3 separate occasions, I had realized that she had perfected the art of protection as to not let anyone close to her within her scope of existence. She seemed to remove her armor when sitting with a group of other young girls, as if she truly wanted someone to understand. Education through seeking knowledge has to be