Course-506 Understanding Children in Inclusive Context: (D.El - Ed.)
Course-506 Understanding Children in Inclusive Context: (D.El - Ed.)
Course-506 Understanding Children in Inclusive Context: (D.El - Ed.)
(D.El.Ed.)
Course-506
Understanding Children in Inclusive
Context
Block -1
Child Growth and Development : Basics
Unit 1-
Understanding
Block-1: Unit 2 Role of
Child Growth and Heredity and
the Child
Development: Basics Environment
506
Block 2:
Understanding Block-3:
Personality Development
Children in Inclusive Education
of Children
Inclusive Context
Block Units
Unit 1 Understanding the Child
Unit 2 Heredity and Environment
BLOCK INTRODUCTION
You as a learner will study course 506: Under standing children in inclusive context. This course
is divided into four blocks. This course will empower you to understand the nature and need of
the children so that you can make teaching learning process effective. You can understand
individual differences among children and create a child friendly environment. You can discuss
the need for protection of child rights and entitlements of children. This discussion will make
you more sensitive towards socio-cultural context of children.
Block 1 : Basics of child growth and development
You as a learner will study Block 1: Basics of child Growth and development. This block is
divided into two units regarding understanding the child and Heredity & environment. Each
units divided into sections and subsections.
Unit 1 : Understanding the child
After going through this unit you can understand the meaning of growth and development and
describe the principals of growth and development. You can enlist the various factors
responsible for growth and development. You can discuss different stages of growth and
development explain the role of the teacher.
Unit 2 : Heredity and Environment
This unit will help you to understand the meaning of heredity and environment. You will be able
to discuss the mechanisms of heredity. You can enlist the various factors associated with
environment. You will be able to know the relative role of heredity and environment and discuss
their educational implications.
CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
It is only with knowledge of growth and development of children that it is possible
for the teacher to properly diagnose and guide a child so that he/she can grow up
to be a citizen who understands his/her rights and responsibilities. It may be said
that the child’s environment begins to influence him/her as soon as s/he is born.
The influence of the environment increases as the child’s abilities mature. The
teachers must have a thorough grasp of the nature of human growth and the
principles of human growth and gear the educational endeavour to this
understanding. It is obvious that to fulfill this aim of education, the teacher
should have a fairly intimate knowledge and appreciation of the meaning of
human development from conception to adulthood and old age. The first few
years of the child’s life and growth are the most significant for understanding the
later developments in children. As we shall see in this unit, growth is a continuous
process from conception to death. So the teacher must understand at what point
in the growth of a child and in what ways the formal and informal situations and
techniques will help the child to attain full maturity. A teacher has to deal with
children of different socio- economic and cultural background and who have a
Notes wide variety of individual difference among themselves at different age levels.
This unit also provides a basic understanding of the principles of growth and
development and the characteristics which emerge at different age levels in various
developmental dimensions to provide effective guidance for the harmonious
development of children. A child’s constantly changing behaviour due to
interaction with the surrounding, is to be understood by prospective teacher.
head first, then arms and legs. Likewise, the child learns to control large
muscles first and does finer movements with smaller muscles.
Notes
This means, the child develops the ability to control arms first and only
then can control fingers and so on.
3. Continuous Development
The process of development is continuous starting from the conception
through birth to lifelong, i.e., from womb to tomb.
4. Rate of growth and development is not uniform
Though development is continuous, the rate of growth and development is
not uniform. Rapid changes occur in early years and slow down in later
years of life. During adolescence again there is a sudden rise in growth and
development, which slows down in later age of life.
5. Principle of individual difference
With respect to development, the rate and quality of development in various
dimensions differ from person to person. There is a difference in the growth
rate between boys and girls. Girls mature earlier in comparison to boys. For
eg, girls appear taller and well developed than boys of their same age.
6. Development proceeds from general to specific responses
Responses are first general before they become specific almost in all
dimensions of development. In case of language development, the child
before saying different words, letters, babble different sounds similarly it
sees large objects before seeing small objects. It means general ability
precedes the specific activity in all the phases of child’s development.
7. Principle of integration
By proceeding from general responses to specific response again, these
specific response are integrated from the whole it means there is a movement
from whole to parts and again from parts to whole .
8. Principle of interrelationship
Development in various aspects of the child is interdependent due to
interrelationships. Development of one dimension in social aspect influences
emotional development; and, in effect, all the dimensions of development
relate with or influence each other.
9. Predictability
The rate of growth and development of each child gives scope to predict
the future development either physically or intellectually.
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3. The endocrine or ductless glands are potent factors affecting the growth
and development of an individual from his birth. The chemistry of the body
is governed by these glands. Each of these glands secretes its own chemicals Notes
known as harmones. These hormones reach the blood stream, and get
circulated throughout the body. They influence all those tissues on which
depend the function of body system, emotional actions and even thoughts
and, therefore, the functioning of the ductless glands exercises a great
influence on various aspects – physical, social, mental, emotional and moral-
of a person’s growth and development. For a balanced growth and
development, the normal functioning of these glands is essential. In case
there is over activity (hyperactivity) or under activity (hypo-activity) of these
glands, it results in serious abnormality in growth and development.
4. Intelligence: Intelligence- as the ability to learn, adjust and take right
decision at right time- has a significant role in the overall growth and
development of child. It affects his/her social behaviour, moral judgment
and emotional growth. An intelligent person is said to exercise reasonable
control over his/her emotions, and is found to carry on well with his/her
personal and social adjustment. Thus, the physical, social, emotional, moral
and language development of a child is greatly influenced and controlled
by the level of his intelligence.
5. Emotional factors: Emotional factors, e.g. emotional adjustability and
maturity, play a big role in influencing a person’s overall growth and
development. A child who is found to be overwhelmed by negative emotions
like fear, anger, jealousy, etc. is adversely affected in his physical, mental,
social, and moral and language development. If a person cannot exercise a
reasonable control over his/her emotions, he/she is sure to suffer in terms
of his/her growth and development.
6. Social nature: A person’s socialization helps him/her in achieving
adjustment and advancement in other aspects of his growth and development.
He/she may learn from his/her environment, more by means of his/her social
nature, which may prove to be a boon to him/her for his/her proper growth
and development.
External factors
The factors lying outside the individual in his/her environment are said to be the
external factors influencing his/her growth and development. These factors begin
their role of influencing the growth and development just immediately after a
baby is conceived. These may include the following.
1. Environment in the womb of the mother: What is available to the child
for his/her nourishment in the mother’s womb from the time of conception
till his/her birth is quite important from the angle of his growth and
development. A few factors associated with this period may be cited as
below:
diaper; are in pain; or just want some attention and affection. However, infants
are already learning about spoken language from birth. As their caregivers talk to
them in their field of vision, 8-10 inches from their face, they will copy the Notes
mouth movements the caregivers are making. Around age 2 to 3 months, infants
begin cooing and making soft, exaggerated vowel sounds to show pleasure or
excitement. Around 3 to 4 months, babies will add more verbal sounds and start
to make the consonant sounds of b, k, m, g, and p. By 4 months, babies will
begin to put vowel sounds and consonant sounds together to form nonsense words
such as “gaga” and “ahpoo” as they start to experiment with how sounds can be
linked together. As well around this age, infants can blow through their lips and
may blow bubbles to practice using and controlling their lips and mouths. By 5
months, babies learn the musical sound and speech patterns of their caregiver’s
native language, which is the language they hear the most. Around age 6 months,
they begin to babble. By 7 months, babies begin taking turns “speaking” with
others instead of talking at the same time as others do.. Meanwhile, babies will
also try to imitate sounds caregivers make, especially animal sounds such as
“moo” (English for the cow’s sound). By around age 8 months, babies begin to
connect sounds they and their caregivers make to actual ideas and thoughts that
can be universally understood. For example, when a baby hears the word “milk,”
she knows she’ll be getting her bottle soon; when she says “bub,” she’ll get her
beloved stuffed bear. Near the end of their first year of life, babies begin to put
together all the language lessons they’ve learned so far. Between the ages of 9 to
12 months, babies begin to say their first real words, such as “mama” and “dada.”
During this period, they may slowly add a few more words to their vocabulary.
By age 12 months, some babies may have as few as a 2-3 words in their expressive
vocabulary, while others may have a dozen. As toddlers enter their second year,
their ability to use language becomes more obvious. They continue to acquire
words and to increase the number of words they understand. They learn words
that are significant or important to them, such as the names of favorite toys and
people. During the last half of the second year, toddlers’ ability to use language
becomes even more sophisticated. Between ages 18 to 24 months, toddlers begin
putting 2 to 3 words together to form simple phrases, called telegraphic speech.
Toddlers may know somewhere around 50 words by 20 months and over a hundred
words by 24 months.
Cognitive development:
Babies are not only growing physically during the first 2 years of life, but also
cognitively (mentally). While physical growth and change is easily observed and
measured in precise terms such as in inches and pounds, cognitive change and
development is a little harder to determine as clearly. Therefore, much about
what experts know about mental and cognitive development is based on the
careful observation of developmental theorists and their theories, such as Piaget’s
their emotions. In fact, by this age, toddlers can even fake some emotions in
order to get what they want. They know that if they fall and show behaviors of
being hurt (even if they aren’t hurt), they will get attention. However, they will Notes
often still become upset at situations that disrupt their sense of control or alter
their normal routine. Also around their second birthday, genuine empathy appears.
They become capable of recognizing when they’ve hurt someone somehow, and
capable of apologizing.
ii) Early Childhood (2 years to 6 years)
1. Physical development: Growth in physical dimension during the period
of 2 to 6 years of age is not as accelerated as that experienced in infancy.
The child begins to assume the body proportions of an adult. Growth of
legs is rapid and the legs represent about half of one’s total height. The
growth of the head is slow and the growth of the trunk is intermediate.
Generally the weight of a three-year-old male child is about 33 pounds and
is 38 inches tall. The girls are a bit lighter and shorter. By age of the five
years, the average height of boys is 43 inches and the average weight is 43
pounds. The height and weight are affected by a number of variables such
as height of parents, nutrition, and illness etc. In addition to size and weight,
the child undergoes other physical and physiological changes. The muscles
develop at a very rapid speed. Larger muscles are far better developed than
the small and fine ones. Physiological changes occur in respiration the heart
rate slows down, and the blood pressure goes up steadily. The brain develops
90% of its adult weight. The nerve fibers in the brain areas come close to
maturity level by the end of preschool period.
2. Perceptual development: The child in early childhood develops a variety
of motor skills which are repeated later. Self-feeding, self-dressing, bathing,
brushing the hair, playing with toys, use of pencil, jumping, hoping etc.
develop at the age of 5 to 6 years. The perceptual development begins from
mass movements to differentiation and integration. Following is the table
of norms for children from 2 years to 5 years of age.
Development Norms
Motor 2 years 3 years 4 and 5 years
Development Walks without help, Skips, hops Free and active movements
jumps, runs responds to music
Fine motor Copying Can match Shapes, Can name colours.
Coordination sees Similarities
and differences
Perceptual Id entifies self, Can fit nets. Boxes Matches shapes and
matches colours colours, distinguishes
names.
Vocalization 200 words, uses 900 words. Follows Can repeat 4 digits
few words. commands. 2000 to 3000 words. can
Notes define formation words
Adaptive Bowel control. Builds blocks. Can 4 digits, draws body
behaviour draw a man. with details
(g) The child is now able to use symbols in language, draw symbolic play
and engage in problem solving.
(h) The child start asking questions about his/her environment. Notes
(g) Boys are more rebellious than girls and their groups are more organized
than the groups of girls.
Notes
(h) Children take interest in group games. Boys and girls form their own
groups. Group consciousness develops and the child becomes less
selfish, self-centered and aggressive but more cooperative and outgoing.
(i) Social consciousness develops very rapidly. It is called “gang age”
period when the child associates himself with the peer group of the
same age who feel and act together. The child shows great loyalty to
his gang, he conforms to the stand of his gang.
Educational implications
1. Proper environment should be provided in school and they should be
encouraged to express their feelings.
2. Security and independence should be given in home and school.
3. Provide opportunities to participate in games, cultural activities and picnic,
etc.
4. Do not compare boys with girls.
5. Be democratic in your outlook while dealing with children.
6. Provide opportunities for boys to have more association with men during
childhood.
7. When children show emotional outbursts, treat them calmly and intelligently.
8. Respect the individuality of the growing child and express faith in children.
9. Reinforce the desirable behaviour of children.
10. Remember that children are members of a peer society which has great
influence on their personality.
11. Out-of-family experiences should be provided for children in the local
community.
12. The immature and inadequate forms of expressing independence may be
considered a desirable step in the direction of self-reliance.
13. The gang membership of children during this period should not be resented
by parents and teachers because it provides them opportunity for self-
expression, escape from over-solitude, feeling of importance and security.
14. Interest in crafts and hobbies should be developed.
15. Opportunities should be provided for experimentation.
16. Reading should be encouraged by providing literature.
17. School should provide experience of local environment.
18. Skills should be developed in games and manual activities. Girls and boys
should be given different types of instructions.
Notes
19. Emotions should be properly trained. Emotional energy should be properly
directed in useful and socially approved channels.
various objects in the house which may upset and break and thus expose him/
herself to the danger of being hurt. But his/her parents know that obstructions
are of no avail because the infant is so active that he seeks out new objects and Notes
new experiences. Skills involve movements of the body by the action of the
striated musculature. Several motor skills are involved in the educational process,
In athletics and games in arts and crafts, in speaking reading and writing – in all
these motor skills are involved.
(b) Growth in motor abilities
The child exhibits three types of motor responses:
(a) random, generalized activities or mass responses involving the whole child
(b) specific reactions like the sucking –reflex, grasping, babinski etc., and
(c) complex behaviour patterns involving the coordination of several reflexes
like the startle response.
One of the most important stages on the growth in motor abilities is the
development of eye-hand coordination involved in reaching and grasping objects.
By the time the infant is 7 to 8 months old s/he no longer depends upon random
movements to grasp his/her rattle or other objects. The most important are the
object-vision phase where there is an interaction of the visual and the motor
activities, and the manipulative phase where the child reaches and holds the
object.
Next there is the development of locomotor skills. There is an increase in ability
from year to year. Manual skills such as ball throwing, catching and bouncing
are dependent on the co-ordination of the eyes, arms and hands. The speed of
reaction to auditory stimulus improves with age. There is a reduction of useless
movements as well as a decrease in the bodily tension with increase in age. Thus,
by the time the child comes to the elementary school at six years he is already in
possession of many locomotor as well as manual skills, in the early school years
there is an increase in smoothness and efficiency in the execution of the activities.
(c) Some aspects of the learning of skills
Learning a motor skill involves both the central nervous system and the skeletal
muscles and also autonomous nervous system together with the visceral muscles.
The skeletal action is quick, specific and limited, does not persist. On the other
hand, the vasomotor or smooth muscle reaction is relatively slower and persists
longer it is also diffused and widespread, that is why we cannot localize our
feelings nor can we describe them accurately. It involves the increase of hear.
Learning of skills involves a change from smooth muscle reaction to skeletal
muscle reaction. In the early stages of learning a child may feel tense because s/
he is frightened by the new situation or they may be angry that s/he is put into a
new situation and so he feels embarrassed. The purpose of tension is to mobilize
the resources of the child and make energy available for activity in order to meet
the new situation. Consequently, the child reacts with lack of organisation. On
Notes the other hand, after many repetitions there is smooth, easy and balanced function
with slight internal involvements.
Motivation is very necessary for the learning of any skill. An optimum level of
motivation must be established and maintained in order to ensure effective
learning.. There is also the factor of transfer. A person who has learnt a wide
variety of skills is able to learn new skills with greater ease. Special training
before this period has little or no long-term effect. Complexity of the skill also
influences the rate of the learning as well as the final level of proficiency. The
learner should be given optimum quality and amount of information about his
performance. It has also been found that “mental practice” can help a great deal
in the learning of a skill. If the learner imagines and pictures to himself the
various movements it helps him. Forgetting the skills can be minimized by over-
learning and by providing brief periods of practice periodically. Films are very
effective in teaching more complex skills.
Moral development
Moral development is one of the most important developmental dimensions of
human beings. It is often referred to as the character development. Moral behaviour
or character is to be considered as an essential quality of the total personality of
the individual. Human beings are neither moral nor immoral by birth. Their
character is moulded at the hands of the parents, other relatives, neighbors, class
and school mates, other pals, peers and the members of the larger society.
The development of character is dependent is on the following factors:
1. biological make-up of the individual ;
2. the physical environment;
3. the social influences ;
4. the cultural legacy ;
5. the physical and mental health ;
6. The rules and regulations of the community ;
7. the socio –economic status ;
8. wholesome and worth –while experiences ;
9. conscious training and
10. sanctions and punishment given by elder members.
Characteristic features of moral development
The characteristic features of moral development stage- wise are enumerated below:
Infancy
• At the time of birth the child is born neither moral nor immoral. Notes
• He/she is born with the capacity for growth through maturation and
experience.
• Attainment of requisite maturity is essential before the child can display
certain types of conduct.
• Patterns of conduct are learnt at home as the result of the internalization of
sanctions and punishments provided by the parents leading to the
development of moral self or conscience.
• In the pre- school stage, the teachers help children develop desirable conduct
through approval and disapproval of the behaviour and by providing worth
while living experiences.
• Through the principle of pleasure and pain, the child comes to know of the
acceptances and expectances of the society at large.
Childhood
• During this period, the peer group plays a prominent role in developing the
moral behaviour of children through the disciplinary procedures they follow.
• The children’s contact widens to the secondary group and the rewards and
punishments given by the parents, teachers and other societal members help
to strengthen the moral self further.
• During these two periods the children come to conform with the social and
cultural norms, mores and code, rather uncritically.
• Mere memorization of a number of Scriptural passages does not help in the
development of desirable behaviour, but they should be comprehended and
internalized.
• Honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, etc., become meaningful in due
course, a
• The power of inhibition and ability for self- direction towards self chosen
ends begin to develop.
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Notes
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How can the teacher help a child to grow and develop normally? Write in
about 100 words.
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2.0 INTRODUCTION
As teachers working at the school level, you must have noticed that the learner
learns concepts differently. Some of the learners learn concepts quickly and others
slowly. For example, take the case of drawing of a diagram of a flower or a plant.
Why do you think there is some kind of variation in learning? Further, you might
have observed certain variations in their handwriting or scholastic achievement
in school subjects. What may be the reasons for such varied responses? It may be
difficult to give an acceptable answer. As an answer to this question there are
two obvious causes. They are
i) Heredity and
ii) Environment
In the first unit on ‘Understanding the Child’, a detailed coverage has been
made with respect factors influencing growth and development. This unit shall
focus move on the role of heredity and environment. Heredity is discussed as an
internal factor and environment as an external factor. Besides these, you will
also learn about the educational implications of heredity and environment to
46 chromosomes
activities are properly organized, the child would achieve the desired intellectual
development. Therefore, teachers should try to provide best mental environment,
workshop, museum, clubs, associations, debate, symposia etc., must be Notes
encouraged.
All the above studies point out that the heredity is an important factor in the life
of an individual. Identical twins reared apart since infancy differ somewhat more
than identical twins reared together. But still they remain more alike than the
fraternal twins either reared apart or together. Fraternal twins are more alike in
intelligence than ordinary siblings. It means that closer the relationship, the higher
is the correlation of score on intelligence.
If so, to what extent, what is the relative role of heredity and environment in the
development of the child and in causing individual differences? That is, both
Notes heredity and environment are equally responsible for the development of child
and in causing individual difference.
With the help of the above case study answers the following questions briefly:
1) What are the dominant qualities of the students?
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2) How did the students get such qualities?
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3) How do you justify that the children have strong career goals?
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4) What are the factors that influence their career goals?
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A= b x h
1) What is heredity?
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2) What is environment?
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3) What are the factors of the heredity?
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Notes ...................................................................................................................
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5) How do you say that the heredity is more important than environment?
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6) What are the arguments in favor of environment?
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7) What is the relative importance study of Heredity and Environment?
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8) Explain the Educational implications of the study of Heredity &
Environment?
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ity characteristics and the environment. Experiments shows that each trait re-
quires both heredity and environment for its development.
Notes
Heredity and Environment both are equally important and work hand in hand,
both are essential to achievement. In othe word, we can say that Heredity and
environment are complementary both are aspects of same phenomenon.
2.11 ABBREVIATIONS/GLOSSARY
Heredity : The physical and psychological qualities that the child
inherits from its parents.
Environment : The surroundings in which a child / an individual is
brought up of includes all the support that the child gets
from the external world.
Attitude : It is a state of mind which reflects likes and dislikes of
the learner
Aptitude : A natural ability or a skill
Chromosomes : Cells that any genetic information given from parents to
its young ones.
Maturation : Growth or maturity or a process of becoming Matured
Intelligence : it is an ability or capacity to carry out any activity or human
ability e.g. thinking meaningfully
Impinge : To have a negative impact
Correlation : To have a mutual relationship
Exceptional : Children with rare abilities and silks
Zygote : A union of eggs and sperms
Identical wins : Similar in every detail or close resemblance between two
children.
Fraternal twins : Two brothers look alike.