This paper is about child development principles and dealing with a diversity of students in the classroom. Children develop at different rates and therefore a single child can show more rapid change in some developmental areas than in others. The study of child development is organized into three domains of study: Physical development, Cognitive development, and Social-emotional development. Physical development is concerned with the biological changes in the body, includes genetics, brain development, and motor skills. Physical development include health and environmental factors. Cognitive development refers to the age related transformations that occur in a child's reasoning, concepts, memory, and language. These changes come with the experiences in family, school, and community. Social-emotional includes the many modifications that occur in emotions, social relationships, moral reasoning, and behavior. This also depends in a large part on a child's interaction with other people. These three domains are very closely interrelated. For example, an increase in the ability to look at situations from multiple perspectives enhances social skills. As an instructor it is our job to integrate all three of these domains in a successful way so that the children can develop in the best way possible.
Key words: Physical development, Cognitive development, Social-emotional.
Basic Issues in Child Development: Nature, Nurture, University, and Diversity.
In the study of child development, nature refers to the inherited characters and tendencies that influence development. Nurture consists of the environmental conditions that influence development. Nature and nurture work together in helping the child's growth and development. Heredity effects depend very much on the child's developmental level, health, and activity. Heredity instructions are the basic things a child is given when it is born, such as chromosomes that determine sex.
