Application
Instructions: Now that you have learned the developmental theories, analyze
what these situations mean and describe what parents and teachers should do
to help children develop into the persons that they are meant to be from the
point of view of the theorists of development.
1. 9-year-old Jimmy associates himself more often with boys as he finds it
easy for him to relate more with the other boys his age. He also began
pouring out more attention on his pursuits like school and sports.
2. Elisa finds herself struggling and taking time to argue whenever she
brings along her 3-year-old daughter with her to the mall, as her baby
girl now tends to choose her clothes on her own and dress herself.
3. It’s Christmas and Uncle Bob is giving “Aguinaldo” to the children.
Three-year old Karen did not want to receive the hundred peso bill and
instead preferred to receive four 20-peso bills. Her ten year-old cousins
were telling her it’s better to get the hundred-peso bill, but they failed to
convince her. Why do you think did Karen prefer the 20-peso bills?
4. Kristel saw her classmates vandalizing at the newly painted wall in their
campus. When the school principal called for her to report what they did,
she refused because they warned her not to speak, or else they will
report her to their parents or relatives who serve in the police and will
punish her for telling the truth.
5. Brian was finding a hard time over attempting to perform a skill
independently. He thinks he has to seek help from somebody who can
help him learn about it.
Assessment Task
Instruction: Identify one concept from the theories reviewed and describe how
this can be applied in teaching and learning.
Theory/Concept Application
Answer Key
Application
1. It can be inferred that Jimmy is in the Latency Stage of his psychosexual
development, wherein he can relate more with his same-sex peers and
wherein he also tends to focus more on the acquisition of physical and
academic skills. What the parents and/or teachers should do when
dealing with kids having the same case as Jimmy’s is to see to it that this
erogenous pleasure/concentration be met or satisfied through giving
them support in pursuing activities to hone their skills and help them be
better in socializing, since it is a part of their development.
2. Elisa’s daughter is probably facing the Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
crisis which is one of the stages under psychosocial development. The
parent must understand that her child needs to develop a sense of
personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence;
otherwise, if not thoroughly addressed by the parent, this may result to
feelings of shame and doubt. Elisa should at times give her daughter a
chance to pursue her preferences.
3. I think Karen preferred the four 20-peso bills because at her age, she
thought that the 20-peso bills all in all (which, physically, would be
regarded as having more quantity) is much more than the one hundred
peso bill, which actually had the greater amount or value. In her case,
she is in the Pre-Operational Stage of cognitive development, where
children ages 2-7 are thinking at a symbolic level but are not yet
using cognitive operations. Elderly people should well inform and
explain to them since there are still limitations in these children’s
thinking.
4. Kristel was definitely motivated by fear of punishment, that is why she
chose to be silent and denied the principal’s call for her to report about
what she actually saw. She is, most likely, in the Stage 1 of the Pre-
conventional Level of her moral development. It should be made clear to
her that it would be better if she will tell the truth so that her classmates
will be reprimanded and be given the corresponding disciplinary action
for their violation.
5. Brian should be advised to seek help from a More Knowledgeable Other
so he would be provided with assistance for him to effectively acquire the
skill. In this case, the theory of Lev Vygotsky which emphasized the role
of social interaction on learning and development should be taken into
consideration. To the teachers/parents, since they may potentially assist
in the learning process of children like Brian, they must make their
students or children feel that they are there to constantly guide them as
much as possible.
Assessment Task
Answer: Depending on the students’ choice of concept from the theories
reviewed.
The answer/s may be in this format:
Theory/Concept Application
Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development This theory is applicable in the field of
pedagogy. As for the teachers, through
being informed about this theory, they
would get to know and understand
that there are stages in the cognitive
development of every student, and
that the teacher cannot compare every
student to his/her peers in school
since they vary in pacing in terms of
their development in the cognitive
aspect.
Generally, there is a certain age
bracket per stage; so, for instance, let
us say, a teacher usually may not
really expect a 3-year-old child to
display high levels of operational
thought.
