Domains / Principles of Development (How Children Develop & Learn)

Question 1

WHAT ARE THE 5 DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT?

Answer 1

• Physical
• Social
• Emotional
• Cognitive
• Spiritual/Moral

Question 2

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IS…

Answer 2

• the way the body increases in skill and becomes more complex in its performance
• 2 main areas :
  ~ gross motor skills (use of larger muscles in the body - eg: walking)
  ~ fine motor skills (includes gross manipulative skills - eg: throwing + catching and fine manipulative skills - eg: pointing, drawing, using a knife)

Question 3

WHAT ARE GROSS MANIPULATIVE SKILLS AND FINE MANIPULATIVE SKILLS?

Answer 3

GROSS: single limb movements, usually of the arm
(throwing, catching, making sweeping arm movements)
FINE: precise use of the hands and fingers
(pointing, drawing, writing, tying shoelaces, using fork/knife)

Question 4

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IS…

Answer 4

• the growth of the child’s relationships with other people
• socialisation : process of learning the skills and attitudes that enable child to live easily with other members of the community.

Question 5

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS…

Answer 5

• development of feelings
• development of feelings towards other people
• growth of feelings about oneself
• development of self esteem and self concept

Question 6

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IS…

Answer 6

AKA : INTELLECTUAL

• development of the mind / brain
• part of brain used for recognising / reasoning / knowing and understanding
• perception~ people making sense of what they sense around them > see/hear/touch/smell/taste. Is affected by previous experience, knowledge and emotional state at the time.

Question 7

SPIRITUAL / MORAL DEVELOPMENT IS…

Answer 7

• developing awareness of how to relate to others ethically, morally and humanely
• involves understanding values - such as honesty + respect
• involves acquiring concepts such as right + wrong
• taking responsibility for consequences of actions

Question 8

HOW MANY PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT ARE THERE?

Answer 8

7

Question 9

WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT?

EXPLAIN EACH OF THEM

Answer 9

1. the interplay between heredity and environmental influences determines growth and development
   - individual differences due to biological factors and context in which the individual develops
   - nature vs nurture
   - heredity (nature/biological DNA)
   - environment (nurture/experiences)
2. physical growth and development proceeds in a cephalocaudal and proximodistal direction
   - cephalocaudal : head to toe
   (growth of brain in first 3 years of life is most dramatic)
   - proximodistal : inner to outer ; general functions of limbs develop before fine motor skills (coordination of larger muscles occurs before smaller ones)
3. most children follow the same predictable, developmental sequence
   - simple to complex
   - eg: infants lifting their head before they can roll over, crawl before walk
4. the rate of development in each developmental domain may differ in individual children
   - rate of growth and development varies
   - eg: a child may demonstrate advanced language skills but be less developed in motor skills and vise versa in another child
5. There are critical periods during growth and development when children are more vulnerable to social / emotional and environmental influences
   -brain development research as shown prime times for best development in different areas
6. The rate of growth and development varies from one individual to another.
   - although patterns are similar for all children, rate at which individual reaches particular milestones varies greatly.
   - eg: a child may start
   to walk at 9months and another child may start to walk at 18months
7. Cultural and societal contexts influence growth and development
   - eg: the availability of nutritious food, suitable shelter, health, hygiene practises, economic resources, educational level, religion ALL influence an individual’s pathways and outcomes.

Question 10

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT?

Answer 10

Growth: 
- biological
- refers to genetic characteristics 
- measurable factors such as height, weight, age.
- physical 
Development:
- maturing process over time
- emotional / social / intellectual progress of young children through various stages (milestones)