Campus Connect Articles

Understanding Developmental Education

Jo-An Vargo
Head of the Primary School

Mike Riera, Ph.D. has worked in the field of education since 1980.  I heard him speak many times when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, read two of his books about adolescence, and spent several occasions discussing mutual topics of interest. Mike is insightful whether he is speaking about young children or adolescents.  I hope you find a fresh perspective in his thoughts on the topic of taking a developmental approach to educating students.  It is a term and an approach to education that are the touchstone of our Primary School. This month’s Campus Connect offers the philosophy and thoughts behind the developmental approach in Mike’s words.

“When I use the term “developmental education,” I’m talking about an understanding of and an appreciation for the beauty of students’ unfolding mastery both as learners and as people. This view is based on the fact that children’s development across many areas – physical, cognitive, interpersonal, intrapersonal, emotional – is closely related, and that to educate students effectively teachers must be aware of their growth in all of these areas. A simple example is that a student who is in physical pain or discomfort will have difficulty learning; the same is true for the child who is lonely or who is having trouble at home.

Another layer is that we know that the development of all skills (intellectual, emotional, social, physical) happens in a somewhat orderly fashion, with more refined abilities and knowledge building over time, each layer adding greater complexity, organization, and internalization. Think of how writing develops: from recognizing letters, to reading and spelling, to first sentences (usually with no punctuation and minimal capitalization), to first paragraphs, to one-page papers, to lengthy and in-depth independent projects in middle school. There is an educational aesthetic to this that is quite inspirational.

Still another layer is that no two children develop in all areas at the same time or in a uniform way – specific areas of development are refined or lag in relationship to one another. One student can be ahead in physical development and behind in social development, while on target on the emotional plane; another may be ahead in cognitive development and behind in emotional development, while on target in the physical plane. You get the picture – it’s complicated. Furthermore, students shift their relative rates of development over time so that what was lagging one year is caught up or ahead the next. Individual differences are both expected and valued in this approach to learning.

So amidst these complexities, what makes great schools most successful with students? One word: teachers. Teachers who know, inside and out, both the material and the developmental age they teach and how to draw out and build upon children’s natural curiosity. Teachers who are deeply and fluidly engaged with their students and each student’s unique learning process. That is, in the classroom (and the gym and the music room and the library), a developmental approach to education requires active exploration; a mixture of individual and group activities; supportive interaction with teachers and peers; and balance between active movement and quiet activities.

Finally (at least for today), a developmental approach recognizes that students advance best when they have ample and varied opportunities to practice newly acquired skills and are challenged in ways that are just beyond their mastery. (Or, as a mentor of mine once said: “The great teachers stay 30 seconds ahead of their students. Fifty seconds ahead and students are lost; ten seconds behind and they’re bored.”) Furthermore, the deepest and most optimal learning occurs in settings where students feel valued and psychologically secure, which is just one of the reasons why successful schools emphasize and seek to maintain a strong sense of community.

Of course, family is every child’s first and most important community, where adults have the deepest insights into their child’s developmental growth. Share what you see with your child’s teachers and expand your range beyond obvious academic progress – let them know that your daughter is making strides in gross motor coordination on the soccer field but seems to be challenged by conflict resolution among friends. Share that your son is shoring up his social relationships and self-regulation but is frustrated by trying to manage and organize his materials. Share the humorous anecdote that shows your child’s gradual progress towards abstract thinking from concrete facts. These insights add immensely to a teacher’s ability to gauge your child’s progress and to create a learning environment that matches his or her developmental journey.

Take care and enjoy the process.”

Archives:

11-2-11 The Journey of a Primary School Writer
10-4-11 Weaving a Balanced Literacy Framework
9-6-11 Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Year
8-9-11 Educating Learners for the Future

5-3-11 Building a Strong Foundation
4-6-11 Four-Year-Olds Discover Meaningful Connections in Mathematics
3-2-11 Class Placement Decisions- Fitting the Pieces Together
2-7-11 Heart Healthy, Happy Bodies, Boosted Brainpower
1-11-11 Motivation and Learning
12-7-10 Encouraging Words of Praise
11-2-10 Soaring to Success
10-5-10 Collaboration
9-7-10 Are Those Eyelids Drooping in the Afternoon?
8-10-10 News from the Primary School
5-19-10 The Wonderful Virtues of Free Play
3-23-10 Primary School Science
2-23-10 Supporting Children When Scary Things Happen
1-26-10 Learning in a New Environment
12-15-09 Celebrating Our Learning
11-17-09 Thinking of Others
10-20-09 Taking Mathematical Thinking to the Next Level
9-22-09 I can tell that we are going to be friends
8-25-09 Beginnings
5-20-09 Embrace the Change
4-21-09 Stretching Our Mathematical Minds
11-20-08 The Nature of Speech and Internal Thinking
10-23-08 Creating a Learning Environment That Develops Strategic Thinking
9-24-08 Reading and Writing Workshop – An Overview
8-28-08 We’ve Begun