Introduction
In education, it is essential for the teacher to understand the age bracket of the children they are handling. Knowing the development stage would allow the tutor to properly comprehend the required technique to make the learners effective in classroom work and their social lives. Different developmental steps need various methods to initiate and enhance the advancement. According to Duchesne et al. (2015, p.122), middle childhood is an important phase where the kids experience many changes in their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. It is, therefore, necessary for the educator to formulate relevant approaches to enhance the growth of young ones. Application of strategies such as piaget concepts, playing football, and check-in greetings are vital teaching methodologies that can facilitate significant improvement in all-around progress.
Cognitive Development
Middle childhood age is critical for the growth of students. At this phase, students experience many changes in their capacity to think, explore and understand various concepts they come across. Teachers can use the Piaget strategy to engage learners actively in the class activities. Educators should mentor the kids by actively participating with them in class lessons to facilitate their understanding of various concepts. Furthermore, students’ opinions, contributions, and suggestions should be valued to encourage their commitment to developing their problem-solving ability. Tutors during teaching should practice using hands-on class activities to enable learners to comprehend various experiences themselves (Kazi & Galanaki, 2019, p. 8). In addition, teachers should allow learners to learn from their peers so that they can understand how their friends have mastered knowledge. Trial and error methods should also be incorporated during learning to enable kids to find on their own the relevant skills necessary for their brain advancement. Making mistakes enhance the student’s ability by allowing them to freely interact with their environment, which is effective for their cognitive development.
Physical Development
Learners should be generally active in class to ensure maximum corporation and engagement in the learning activities carried out. The teacher has to apply a simple and practical approach to make the kids alert while delivering the lesson content to them. Tutors can engage kids in exercise that is fun to them. For instance, an educator can use make children play football during break times or designated periods that will influence the students and encourage them to participate. Middle childhood age children cannot engage in vigorous workouts; therefore, allowing them to involve in playing would make them develop the necessary strength and physical fitness to improve their proactive in-class lessons. Games are enjoyable to learners, especially when they are all involved with their peers they feel motivated, thus devoting themselves, which will enhance their physical development. The approach makes them more vibrant and active, which promotes their general wellbeing.
Social Development
The social development stage is a point where learners are of themselves and interact more with their peers and give less attention to their parents or guardians. This phase allows learners to experience their self-worth amongst others. Educators should use Erickson’s development strategy of industry versus inferiority to help the students understand their value in school and society. Teachers should teach the kids specific skills and also encourage them to engage in their initiatives. Having different abilities learned in class will give the student opportunity to show particular competencies to win fellow learners. In the process, they will develop the strong self-esteem necessary for their overall social development. Tutors should inspire them to pursue their interests by giving the needed support to make them feel industrious. Therefore, educators should assist learners who cannot specify their skills to identify areas they may fit and feel comfortable in their surroundings.
Emotional Development
At this stage of development, kids are capable of identifying their personal emotions and those of people around them. They have developed the ability to recognize and control their feelings. Some may also have the capability to express how they feel through language. An educator may choose to use a strategy such as a check-in greeting every day amongst the students. Interacting and inquiring how the learners have been doing is effective in establishing a relationship between the tutor and kids (Jones et al., 2017, p. 55). During the process, children will be able to share their feeling with the teacher, which is important for their development. Furthermore, welcoming students every morning will make them have the emotional affection necessary to facilitate their understanding of love and care. Encouraging them to share and greet one another will enable them to realize how their peers feel as well.
Conclusion
In summary, tutors have the most significant part to play in the middle childhood development stage. To achieve and enhance effective physical, social, cognitive, and emotional advancement, they should choose and practice relevant strategies that make learners comfortable and promote their ability to learn. Techniques such as engaging children in playing football, asking a variety of questions, following their interests, and practicing check-in greetings are essential in influencing their development. An educator should pick the appropriate approach depending on the learners’ age to be involved effectively. Therefore, a teacher must have the techniques and abilities to implement the methodologies to accommodate all the children and enhance overall development amongst the kids.
References
Duchesne, S., Duchesne, S. McMaugh, A. (2015). Educational psychology for learning and teaching. Cengage Learning.
Husni, H. (2020). The effect of inquiry-based learning on religious subjects learning activities: An experimental study in high schools. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 8(1), 43-54. Web.
Jones, S. M., Barnes, S. P., Bailey, R., & Doolittle, E. J. (2017). Promoting social and emotional competencies in elementary school. The Future of Children, 49-72. Web.
Kazi, S., & Galanaki, E. (2019). Piagetian theory of cognitive development. The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development, 1-11. Web.