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Our concern as parents and teachers is to assist the child to develop the appropriate personality. This implies that we must not only know what we want the child to learn, but also, the child. Knowing the child includes knowing how the child grows and develops. Yes, as a parent, I know my child because I gave birth to him/her and nurtured him/her. As a teacher, I am also a parent because I also have my own children at home. It is not all about giving birth to the child or been a parent. It is about understanding the child. The knowledge of the assumptions about how child develops and his/her inherent characteristics which give rise to personality will afford both the parent and the teacher the opportunity to guide the teaching and learning processes towards optimal performance.
Studying the growth and development of the child becomes necessary because the knowledge of the child as he/she is presently will assist in guiding his/her future. To understand a child as he/she is presently, we must understand what he had done before, that is, knowing what happened during the early stages of development. This will help us to give appropriate remedy to later learning difficulties.
In view of the above, we need to gather the knowledge and experiences on general growth and
development patterns of our children and their implications for education. We should have the knowledge of how children grow and develop in order to guide and shape their future development. It is at the early formative years that the child's personality and behaviour are determined.
The child is a product of both nature and nurture. This implies that the hereditary factors interplay with the environmental factors to determine how the child grows and develops.
Basic Process of development
(1). Growth
This refers to quantitative changes in both physical and mental development which include physical changes in height, weight, girth, internal organs and mental changes in memory, reasoning, perception and creative imagination. All these changes make the child to be physically grown and mentally responsive. Time and experience are inevitable as long as one is still alive.
(2) Maturation
This is the process of gradual unfolding of the inborn potentials of traits present in the individual because of hereditary endowment. This definition connotes individual differences.
Factors that affect growth and development
At conception, the individual is endowed with all potentialities. However, the environment has the last word.
No individual, regardless of its potentialities and basic qualities, can survive in the absence of a favourable environment. The in-born factors set the limits while environmental influences complement it. There is therefore the need for us to understand these interplay of forces in order to provide adequate opportunity for the students to learn and to be able to assist and support them appropriately.
Since environment makes it possible for hereditary gifts to grow and bloom, we can say that all aspects of development are influenced by environment.
Environment provides food for growth as well as opportunities for learning. However, there are some which are virtually under the control of environment.
The aspects of development which are learned from the environment are:
➢Language: The child's competence in language depends on the way he is taught language in the home, in school etc.
➢Social relationship: How the child relates with people depends on his experiences and the skills which he has for interacting with people.
➢Motor skills: Although the child does not need to be taught how to crawl, stand, walk, how he performs many skills depends on the environment
➢Intellectual ability: Even though we have said that heredity has a strong influence, the child has a strong influence; the child has to be stimulated for intellectual development to progress well.
➢Physical development: Environment cannot change the physical structure except there is an incident and a limb or other part is completely destroyed. But how well a child grows depends on the nutrients and generally healthy conditions free from infections and other debilitating hazards.
➢Moral values and judgment are learnt in the family and the home in which the children live. The way we are attached to our families and kin group here, the way we respect elders in our communities are not universal. They are important to us in our environment.
The concept of individual differences
No two persons are exactly the same even identical twins. Because no two persons are alike, there is what is called individual differences. This is an important concept which we should know. Basically this concept means that no two persons are exactly the same, even identical twins. Children and adults differ in age, even though they might be regarded as a homogenous group. Children also may differ in their height, complexion or even intellectual ability. We should have a thorough knowledge of these individual differences and bear them in mind any time we deal with his individuals. If identical twins differ in many ways. Imagine then the number of differences which are bound to occur among non-twins. Because of this concept that no two persons are the same.
Areas in which children differ and how to cater for them
1. Differences in physique and sex.
2. Differences in intelligence.
The teacher should bear in mind that intelligence is a factor of heredity and environment differs among children.
3. Differences in age and rate of maturity.
4. Differences in health: There is a common saying that “A healthy mind is found in a healthy body”. Some children inherit weak health potentials from their parents, while others are lucky to inherit very good health potentials.
5. Differences in Children's Background: Apart from differences in children as a result of heredity, there exist differences which result from different types of environment in which children find themselves.
6. Differences in Character: Some children differ in disposition. This difference is both genetic and environmental. A child may be a confident child and would grow up as a confident adult. Some children are emotionally stable and are never withdrawn or dull in appearance. Such children are exposed to and are surrounded by healthy influences. The result is that the children appear bright, confident and see the teacher as a friend.
Emotional stability
The emotional stability of an individual affects his personality by determining whether he is calm or anxious in his approaches. It also tells whether he considers himself as secure to perform or insecure to participate in activities. And whether he is self-satisfied with his tasks or is self-pitying is also indicated by his emotional stability.
Factors affecting personality development
The following are forces that influence personality development.
1. The Home: The child inherits some behavioural traits from his parents. Apart from this, the parents are the first teachers of the child and he learns a lot from.
2. The School: The influence of the school in the personality development of the child is tremendous. The teacher's behaviour, attitude and reaction to his colleagues and pupils go a long way to influence the children's personality.
3. Personal Experiences: Every child has his unique past experiences which might be pleasurable or unpleasurable.
4. Cultural Influence: The moral and social values of a society also have strong influence on the personality development of the child. A child who grows in a society which lays emphasis on personal achievement tends to work hard without necessarily relying on others.
5. The Child's needs and motives: Every child has his own unique needs and motives and efforts are usually made to meet such needs.
6. The Peer Group: The influence of the peer group becomes more dominant on the child during the adolescent period. At that stage, parents’ influence becomes very insignificant. Each peer group has its own code of conduct which every member must respect. This is why many parents become alarmed at the sudden changes in the behaviour of their children during the adolescent stage. What is responsible in most cases is the influence of the peer group. Experiences with peers constitute an important developmental context for children. Within these contexts, children acquire a wide range of behaviors, skills, attitudes, and experiences that influence their adaptation across the lifespan. Accordingly, experiences with peers affect social, emotional, and cognitive functioning beyond the influences of family, school, and neighborhood.
In conclusion, to achieve success in the educational, moral and physical development of a child, we need to study each child in order to understand their peculiarities. This will bring about great success in the total upbringing of the child.
- AbdurRazaq Fatmah
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