The Developing Learner: Upper Primary/Middle Childhood: Ages 8-12
Social and Emotional
Physical
Cognitive
Understandings
Muscle Development.
Motor Skills develop further.
Gross.
Fine
Brain Development
Language Development
White and red twitch fibres develop so children have more agility and endurance.
Social learning continum
Negative Health Disorders may arise.
Asthma, Obesity, Maltreatment, Learning and Behavioural Disorders.
(ODBHP 2020)
.
Effects on Education and Well-being.
Effects on Relationships.
Developing Prefrontal Cortex which controls decision making.
Social-Emotional experience are crucial to brain development.
Impulsive, not always thinking before they act.
Impressionable, a lot of what they see people do they will copy.
Malleable, Easily lead by others.
Personalised Learning will be required for students suffering from these disorders.
Not all students suffering will require this attention
Not all students suffering will require this attention all through school.
(ACAARA 2020)
(Fagell 2019)
Children lack perspective or life experience.
Puberty Related Changes.
Limbic System Growth.
Changes to emotions. Caused by puberty including mood swings.
Potential lack of self control.
More vulnerable to mental health related issues as well as fears of social rejection,
Using gross motor skills to breakthrough transitional barrier.
Sport Related movement phase.
Mastery of transitional Motor skills such as hops and skips.
Develop greater control over such skills. Such as better accuracy or better handwriting
Developing transitional and sport specific skills. Ages 6-8.
Developing strength. Making them capable of developing better fine and gross motor skills.
Development based on usage.
Increased metalinguistc awareness,
Increased use of abstract words. Eg. Good and bad.
Vocabulary increase.
(Rhoshell 2006)
Due to learning to read vocab makes the jump in the tens of thousands in a matter of years.
(Seefeldt 1986)
Due to lack of exposure to sports and pen grips pre kindergarten caused by rise in technology use. Children are falling behind in these areas.
Recommended in this age bracket to get children into non-competitive physical activity such as dance or surf life saving to further develop these muscles.
Vigotsky
Piaget
Socialising
Zone of proximal development.
Requires Assistance.
Encourages challenge.
Playing
Pretending
Now internalising language.
Reflective
(Arbor 2019)
Active learning
Multi stage process
Perfect time to get them into sporting activities.
Sporting activities teach children team work and enhances social skills.
Can be more hands on in this stage as children have developed greater motor skills.
Due to further developed parts of the brain children can now internalise 'thought chatter' instead of externalising.
Concrete operational for middle childhood.
Less egocentric.
More logical thought.
Understanding greater concepts. For example conservation. The water in a tall skinny cup can be the same as a short wide one.
(Wertsch 1980)
Needs a concrete experience as children in middle childhood are still concrete learners.
Can be learnt outside of classrooms. For example cognitive development happens frequently at home.
Relies on experience.
Watching someone else or doing it themselves.
(Mustafa 2018)
Not too little. Not too much.
Equilibrium and Disequilibrium. Children are thrown off balance and then are brought back with assistance before they can be independent with a concept.
(Cherry 2019)
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Others
Relationships.
Self
Esteem
Self image develops
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Accepting failure.
Children may develop disorders in this stage which may inhibit their ability to socialise or effect their self esteem as their ability to internalise and learn like other students is hindered.
On average students in middle childhood are halfway through their social development
Students adopting methods of taking initiative and working independantly
Students understanding concepts like leadership and taking them more seriously.
Forming friendships with those they are compatible with.
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Understanding positive and negative relationship
They start to see the opposite sex in a different light.
Feeling empathy for others more often.
Understanding and being able to identify others feelings and reactions towards things.
They are able to work with others and be collaborative, so they can work in groups.
Stranger Danger and abduction prevention skills.
Children with disabilities will be taught these differently
Brains developing socially.
They may make decisions based on others due to impressionability
Due to brain development and lack of experience social issues will take up a large chunk of the children's minds at certain stages.
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Efficacy
Resolving conflicts with their friends.
Confidence in accepting tasks.
Goal setting.