December 5, 2017

TODAYS CHILD
Child Development | Middle School | Resources

Physical Development
A unique stage of life, middle
school--including the instructional
environment, curriculum, and
expectations--must be conducive
to the middle school students
developmental needs. Girls often
begin developing a year or more
Child Development: Defined
Child development entails the biological, psychological
and emotional changes that occur in human beings
between birth and the end of adolescence, as the
individual progresses from dependency to increasing
autonomy. It is a continuous process with a predictable
sequence, yet having a unique course for every child.

ahead of boys. Early adolescence

is a period of heightened
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development
hormones, increased physical and
brain development. Students at
this age a can benefit from
educational programs on
maintaining healthy lifestyles, the
risk of exposure to sexually
transmitted diseases, teenage
pregnancy, and the risks
associated with alcohol and drug
use.

Peer Relations & Moral Development

Early adolescence is characterized

by ethical choices that they may
be unprepared to deal with.
Students shift from learning
through adults views to forming
their own definitive prospective
Early adolescence is considered to
be an at-risk period wherein
children adopt moral practices
Believe you can and youre halfway there!
and behaviors that they are likely
to adhere to for life. Moral and ~Theodore Roosevelt
ethical dilemmas occur not just at
school amongst their peers, but at
home with family members, and in
the media. At school, we need to
foster an environment of zero
tolerance for criticism, bullying
and put-downs replaced by
encouraging a culture of support,
relationship-building and respect.

Child Development: Early Adolescence BELIEVE YOU CAN AND YOURE HALFWAY THERE! 1
 December 5, 2017

Language & Literacy Development

Students ability to succeed in middle school is largely dependent upon their

ability to read. As rising sixth graders, there is a five or more grade level range
in students literary ability. It is during the middle school years that the gap
between lower and higher readers widens. Students who struggle with
vocabulary, word identification and fluency often have great diculty with
reading while in middle school. Students experience increased academic
successes with repetition and eective instruction. This makes finding and
retaining eective middle school teachers an imperative practice for
Cognitive administrators.
Development
Early adolescents experience
extensive cognitive
development, as well. Many
students are very curious in
middle school, and they are
driven by topics that they find
beneficial. Additionally,
students in early adolescence
The image above represents the shift in the reading skills necessary to
generally prefer educational succeed in elementary school and middle school.
activities that involve
interaction with peers in lieu of
independent work. Authentic Self-Concept, Identity, and Motivation
interactions are especially
beneficial for learning during Students in early adolescence benefit most from instructional environments
this time. Students have an that are low in criticism, sarcasm and humiliating moments. Teachers, then,
increased capacity for can motivate middle school students best by facilitating a supportive, positive
reflecting, thinking analytically atmosphere where students feel compelled to interact with the group and share
their thoughts and opinions. As early adolescents, many middle schoolers
and rationalization as young
experience low self esteem. There is often a shift from dependence upon
adolescents. The cognitive family to an intense focus on friendships. This makes the development of a
dierences that exist amongst positive self image key in combating peer pressure. In the educational setting,
students makes personalized middle schoolers can benefit from lessons that focus on poverty, discrimination
learning and dierentiation a and the environment. This encourages students to consider the topics of
necessity in lesson planning. By equity, justice and fairness as they continually shape the way they evaluate
choices and the consequences that rely therein.
incorporating tasks that appeal
to diverse learners into
educational experiences,
teachers better enable their
students to experience
academic success.

Child Development: Early Adolescence BELIEVE YOU CAN AND YOURE HALFWAY THERE! 2