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PHYS ICAL DEVELOPMENT
*Puberty: grow body hair, increase perspiration and oil production in hair and skin, Girls ( breast and hip development,  menstruation). Boys ( growth in testicles and penis, wet dreams, deepening of voice).
* Physical growth: gain height and weight.
*Sexual interest.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Growing capacity for abstract thought

Mostly interested in present with limited thought to the future

Intellectual interests expand and become more important

Deeper moral thinking

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Struggle with sense of identity

Feel awkward about one’s self and one’s body; worry about being normal

Realize that parents are not perfect; increased conflict with their parents

Increased influence of peer group relationship

Desire for independence

Tendency to return to “childish” behavior, particularly when stressed

Moodiness ( their mood changes suddenly and they become angrily in an easy way)

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MIDDLE ADOLESCENCE (14 AND 18 YEARS OLD)

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Puberty is completed

Physical growth slows for girls, continues for boys

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Continued growth of capacity for abstract thought

Capacity for setting goals

Interest in moral reasoning

Thinking about the meaning of life

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Self-involvement, changing between high expectations and poor self-concept

Changing body, worries about being normal

Tendency to distance selves from parents, continued drive for independence

Driven to make friends and greater reliance on them, popularity can be an important issue

Feelings of love

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Young women:  they are fully developed

Young men: continue to gain height, weight, muscle mass, and body hair

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Ability to think ideas, express their thoughts and opinions.

Ability to delay gratification

Examination of inner experiences

Increased concern for future

Continued interest in moral reasoning

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Identity

Increased emotional stability

Increased independence and self-reliance

Peer relationships are important

Development of serious relationships

Social and cultural traditions regain some of their importance

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According to Larsen and McKinley, adolescence describes the period between ages 13 and 19. It can be considered the transitional stage from childhood and adulthood. However, the physical and psychological changes that occur in adolescence can start earlier, during the preteen years (ages 9 through 12). Adolescence can be a time of disorientation and discovery. This transitional period can bring up issues of independence and self-identity; many adolescents and their peers face tough choices regarding schoolwork, sexuality, drugs, alcohol, and social life.

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Social changes in puberty and adolescence

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Social changes in puberty and adolescence

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This first unit has been useful since it has provided us with an insight into adolescence that was at some point unknown to us. The fact that we have been introduced to the different stages of development and to what might be going on in their minds, represents an explanation to those different situations we had face up to when working with adolescent students. The theory discussed in the unit has provided us with different tools and ways of approaching these type of learners, mainly considering that they are going through a challenging period in their lives.
As in Paula Kay Glass´s words, "If we go into classroom completely unprepared for whom we are teaching, it will be very difficult to see progress and will cause tremendous frustration for the students and for us. Our expectations need to be high, but not higher than what the adolescent is developmentally able to give us"

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For the next few weeks, I'd like to explore some key points of child development from three years of age to eighteen. We must know what we are dealing with in order to deal with it effectively. The same goes for teaching. We would never walk into a room of kindergarten students expecting them to do algebra, or hand a class of high schoolers the Dolch pre-primer list and have them read it expecting growth in literature. Unfortunately with all of the paperwork, curriculum, district evaluation procedures, standardized testing, and new common core implementation, very few teachers have time to brush up on their child development.

Child development is a process every child goes through. This process involves learning and mastering skills like sitting, walking, talking, skipping and tying shoes. Most children learn these skills, called developmental milestones, during predictable time periods. Milestones develop in a sequential fashion. This means that a child will need to develop some skills before he or she can develop other skills. For example, children must first learn to crawl and to pull up to a standing position before they are able to walk. Each milestone that a child acquires builds on the last milestone developed.

There are five main areas of development in which children develop skills:

Cognitive Development: This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems.

Social and Emotional Development: This is the child's ability to interact with others, which includes being able to help themselves and self-control.

Speech and Language Development: This is the child's ability to both understand and use language.

Fine Motor Skill Development: This is the child's ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.

Gross Motor Skill Development: This is the child's ability to use large muscles.

Through extensive research, we now know that neurons can continue to make connections on into adulthood. However, the fact still remains that the brain grows very rapidly with billions of neurological connections being made during the first three years of life so it is very important that children get adequate exposure early on to the five areas previously listed.

Although the digital age has expanded the abilities and knowledge of young children, it should never act as a replacement for providing the exposure children need in order to reach these milestones. Each child is an individual and may meet developmental milestones a little earlier or later than his peers. However, there are definitely blocks of time when most children will meet a milestone. And developmental milestones don't just end once kids are six or seven. All five areas continue to develop up to the age of 21 for most children, especially boys. Although gross motor, fine motor, and speech and language development have reached a plateau, cognitive and social development will continue to snowball.

If we go into a classroom completely unprepared for whom we are teaching, it will be very difficult to see progress and will cause tremendous frustration for the students and for us. Our expectations need to be high, but not higher than what the child is developmentally able to give us.

In the next few weeks, I'd like to provide checklists in each area for each age of development. It will by no means be an end in itself, but more a springboard for teachers to use in order to evaluate and work from. We must also remember that children are individuals and will not develop in the five areas at the same rate.

This is where the importance of differentiated classrooms comes into play. All classrooms are differentiated by definition, meaning that not every student is in the same place as others. And even though it's so very difficult in today's world of education to find any extra time to evaluate outside of the box, let alone teach all over the board, if we do our homework beforehand it becomes easier to identify what we are dealing with in our classrooms.
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The Importance of Understanding Child Development

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For the next few weeks, I'd like to explore some key points of child development from three years of age to eighteen. We must know what we are dealing with in order to deal with it effectively. The same goes for teaching.