Development and Learning:
The period from infancy to adolescence is one of rapid
growth and change. The curriculum must have a holistic
approach to learning and development that is able to
see the interconnections and transcend divisions between
physical and mental development, and between
individual development and interaction with others.
The precondition for all development is healthy
physical growth of all children. This requires that the
basic needs in terms of adequate nutrition, physical
exercise and other psycho-social needs are addressed.
Participation of all children in free play, informal and
formal games, yoga and sports activities is essential for
their physical and psycho-social development.The range
of abilities as a result of games, sports and yoga will
improve stamina, fine and gross motor skills and
dexterities, self-awareness and control, and coordination
in team games. Simple adaptation of playgrounds,
equipment and rules can make activities and games
accessible to all children in the school. Children can achieve
high levels of excellence in sports, athletics, gymnastics,
yoga and performing arts such as dance. When the
emphasis shifts from enjoyment to achievement, such
training can make demands of discipline and practice
that can create stress at this stage. Whereas all students
must be involved in health and physical education
activities, those who choose to excel in games and sports
need to be provided adequate opportunities.
Physical development supports mental and
cognitive development, especially in young children.
The capacity to think, reason and make sense of the
self and the world, and to use language, is intimately
connected with acting and interacting—doing things
by oneself and with others.
Cognition involves the capacity to make sense
of the self and the world, through action and language.
Meaningful learning is a generative process of
representing and manipulating concrete things and
mental representations, rather than storage and retrieval
of information. Thinking, language (verbal or sign) and
doing things are thus intimately inter-twined. This is a
process that begins in infancy, and develops through
independent and mediated activities. Initially, children
are cognitively oriented to the here and now, able to reason and act logically on concrete experiences. As
their linguistic capabilities and their ability to work in
the company of others develop, it opens up possibilities
of more complex reasoning in tasks that involve
abstraction, planning and dealing with ends that are
not in view. There is an overall increase in the capability
of working with the hypothetical, and reasoning in the
world of the possible.
Conceptual development is thus a continuous
process of deepening and enriching connections and
acquiring new layers of meaning. Alongside is the
development of theories that children have about the
natural and social worlds, including themselves in
relation to others, which provide them with explanations
for why things are the way they are, the relationships
between causes and effects, and the bases for decisions
and acting. Attitudes, emotions and morals are thus an
integral part of cognitive development, and are linked
to the development of language, mental representations,
concepts and reasoning. As children’s metacognitive
capabilities develop, they become more aware of their
own beliefs and capable of regulating their own
learning.
• All children are naturally motivated to learn and
are capable of learning.
• Making meaning and developing the capacity for
abstract thinking, reflection and work are the most
important aspects of learning.
• Children learn in a variety of ways—through
experience, making and doing things,
experimentation, reading, discussion, asking,
listening, thinking and reflecting, and expressing
oneself in speech, movement or writing—both
individually and with others. They require
opportunities of all these kinds in the course of
their development.
• Teaching something before the child is cognitively
ready takes away from learning it at a later stage.
Children may ‘remember’ many facts but they
may not understand them or be able to relate
them to the world around them.
• Learning takes place both within school and outside
school. Learning is enriched if the two arenas
interact with each other. Art and work provide
opportunities for holistic learning that is rich in
tacit and aesthetic components. Such experiences
are essential for linguistically known things,especially in moral and ethical matters, to be learnt
through direct experience, and integrated into life.
• Learning must be paced so that it allows learners
to enga ge with concepts and deepen
understanding, rather than remembering only to
forget after examinations. At the same time
learning must provide variety and challenge, and
be interesting and engaging. Boredom is a sign
that the task may have become mechanically
repetitive for the child and of little cognitive
value.
• Learning can take place with or without
mediation. In the case of the latter, the social
context and interactions, especially with those
who are capable, provide avenues for learners to
work at cognitive levels above their own.
Adolescence is a critical period for the
development of self-identity. The process of acquiring
a sense of self is linked to physiological changes, and
also learning to negotiate the social and psychological
demands of being young adults. Responsible handling
of issues like independence, intimacy, and peer group
dependence are concerns that need to be recognised,
and appropriate support be given to cope with them.
The physical space of the outside world, one’s access
to it, and free movement influence construction of the
self. This is of special significance in the case of girls,
who are often constrained by social conventions to
stay indoors. These very conventions promote the
opposite stereotype for boys, which associates them
with the outdoors and physical process. These
stereotypes get especially heightened as a result of
biological maturational changes during adolescence.
These physiological changes have ramifications in the
psychological and social aspects of an adolescent's life.
Most adolescents deal with these changes without full
knowledge and understanding, which could make them
vulnerable to risky situations like sexually transmitted
diseases, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS and drug and
substance abuse.
It is a time when the given and internalised norms
and ideas are questioned, while at the same time the
opinions of the peer group become very important. It
is important to recognise that adolescents need social
and emotional support that may require reinforcement
of norms of positive behaviour, acquisition of skills
essential to cope with the risky situations that they
encounter in their lives, manage peer pressure and deal
with gender stereotypes. The absence of such support
can lead to confusion and misunderstanding about these
changes, and affect their academic and extracurricular
activities.
It is important to create an inclusive environment
in the classroom for all students, especially those who
are at risk of marginalisation, for instance, students with
disabilities. Labelling an individual student or a group
of students as learning disabled etc. creates a sense of
helplessness, inferiority and stigmatisation. It tends to
overshadow difficulties that children may be facing in
schools due to diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and
inappropriate pedagogical approaches being used in
the classroom. A student with a disability has an equal
right to membership of the same group as all other
students. Differences between students must be viewed
as resources for supporting learning rather than as a
problem. Inclusion in education is one of the
components of inclusion in society.
Schools, therefore, have a responsibility of
providing a flexible curriculum that is accessible to all
students. This document can form a starting point for
planning a curriculum that meets the specific needs of
individual students or groups of students. The
curriculum must provide appropriate challenges and
create enabling opportunities for students to experience success in learning and achievement to the best of their
potential. Teaching and learning processes in the
classroom should be planned to respond to the diverse
needs of students. Teachers can explore positive
strategies for providing education to all children,
including those perceived as having disabilities. This can
be achieved in collaboration with fellow teachers or
with organisations outside the school.
