Course Learning Material in

EDUC 145

The Child and

Adolescent Learners
and Learning Principles
NEIL CHRISTIAN T. CORALES
Assistant Professor I

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Basic Concepts and Issues on Human
Chapter Development

Overview
Welcome to the course, EDUC 145 (The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning
Principles). This course focuses on child and adolescent development with emphasis on current
research and theory on biological, linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional dimensions of
development. Further, this includes factors that affect the progress of development of the learners
and shall include appropriate pedagogical principles applicable for each developmental level.
As a future teacher, it is imperative that you need to have an in-depth understanding how
learners develop holistically. Knowing the learners’ all-inclusive development will help you assess
and address their needs and concerns. Thus, seeking for appropriate action and support. In
addition, it will enable you to engineer your teaching strategies and be able to provide them with
developmentally appropriate learning materials and experiences.

Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, the student should have:
1. explained the concepts, approaches, and issues on human development; and
2. compared and contrasted the different stages of human development and
developmental tasks.

Lesson 1 Human Development: Concepts and Approaches

Introduction
In this lesson, it is expected that you will gain a deeper understanding on the meaning of
relevant concepts and approaches related to human development. Moreover, you will cons truct a
definition of what human development is based on the concepts/ideas presented to you.
Life involves a changing process. From the moment of conception to the moment of death
or termed as ‘from womb to tomb’, human beings undergo many complex proces ses of
development. Through life, people have the potential to grow, to change, and to develop.
Get to know more about terms and concepts related to human development.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Learning Outcomes
After reading the Lesson 1, you should have:
1. gained a deeper understanding about relevant terms or concepts related to human
development;
2. defined relevant terms or concepts related to human development in your own words;
3. written implications of the principles of life-span perspective to child care and education;
and
4. distinguished between the traditional and life-span approaches of human development.

Warm Up Activity
Here are pictures of eleven-month-old Eze, five-year-old Mara, and eleven-year-old Kesz.
Each of them is a bundle of possibilities. Describe what they were before birth (their point of origin)
and who they will be possibly be in adulthood. Expound your answers. Place your discussion in
Discussion Forum 1 in the mVLE or we will discuss it in our synchronous class.

When you gave your extrapolations as to the kind of child, adolescent, and adult Eze, Mara,
and Kesz may become and hypothesized on who they once were, you were referring to human
development. What then is development? Will there be anything common in the pattern of
development of the three children? Will there be differences in their development? Will the
process of development take place very fast or gradually? Do you believe that these children will
continue to develop even in adulthood? Or will they stop developing in adulthood?

Content Input

Human development is the scientific study of the quantitative and qualitative ways by
which people change over time. Related to human development are the terms growth and
development. These are not synonymous and are often used interchangeably by many people.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

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 Growth is often referred to as quantitative change. It also refers to the specific physical
changes and the increase in a child’s actual size. It generally used to refer to the observable gains in
a child’s height, head circumference, shoe size, length of arms and legs , and body shape. The
growth process continues throughout the life span, although the rate varies by age. For example,
growth occurs rapidly during infancy and adolescence but is typically much slower and less
dramatic in the school-age child. Even in the old age, the body continues to repair and replace its
cells, although much less vigorously (Marotz and Allen, 2013).
Development or qualitative change of the pattern of biological, cognitive, and
socioemotional aspects which onsets during conception and continues throughout lifespan
(Rungduin and Rungduin, 2019). In addition, it is an orderly progression along physical structures,
psychological traits, behaviors, and ways of adapting the demands of life. It also refers to an
increase in complexity – a change from the relatively simple to more the complex or advanced
(Marotz and Allen, 2013). Development is spurred by internal factors such as genetics, and it is
shaped by external factors such as environmental conditions, nutrition, and culture (Rathus, 2004).
There are two processes in development that simultaneously take place throughout life –
growth or evolution and atrophy or involution (a wasting away, or the failure to grow because of
insufficient nutrition). Both begin at conception and end at death. In early years, growth
predominates, even though atrophic changes occur as early as the embryonic life. In the latter life,
atrophy predominates, though growth does not stop; hair continues to grow, and cells continue to
be replaced. With aging, some parts of the body and mind change more than the others (Acero et
al., 2004).
Other terms related to human development are maturation and learning. Maturation
generally refers to a natural process of growing up ascribed to heredity. It is a biological process
that accounts for age-related changes in growth and development and requires favorable support
from the environment to occur. Learning is the aspect of development that connotes modification
of behavior that results from practice and experience (Acero et al., 2004).
The development of the individual at any given time is the result of both the maturation of
his/her innate potentialities (heredity) and whatever modifications there may be of these as a
result of environmental influences. Growth and development result from the interaction of
maturation and learning in making the individual what he/she is at a given time.

Two Approaches to Human Development

There are two major approaches in which human development can be studied, the
traditional and life-span development. If one believes that an individual will show extensive
changes from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in late old age, the
approach to development is traditional. In the other hand, if one considers that developmental
change takes place not only during childhood but also during adulthood, the approach to
development is termed as life-span approach.
According to Santrock (as cited in Corpuz et al., 2018), Paul Baltes, an expert in life-span
development, identified seven underlying principles of the life-span perspective.
1. Development is life-long and change is apparent across the lifespan. No single age period is
more crucial, characterizes, or dominates human development.

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2. Development is multidirectional. Humans change in many directions. Individuals may show
gains in some areas of development, while showing losses in other areas. Every change,
whether it is finishing high school, getting married, or becoming a parent, entails both
growth and loss.
3. Development is multidimensional. Individuals change across three general
domains/dimensions; physical, cognitive, and psychosocial. The physical domain includes
changes in height and weight, sensory capabilities, the nervous system, as well as the
propensity for disease and illness. The cognitive domain encompasses the changes in
intelligence, wisdom, perception, problem- solving, memory, and language. The
psychosocial domain focuses on changes in emotion, self- perception and interpersonal
relationships with families, peers, and friends. All three domains influence each other. It is
also important to note that a change in one domain may cascade and prompt changes in the
other domains. For instance, an infant who has started to crawl or walk will encounter more
objects and people, thus fostering developmental change in the child’s understanding of the
physical and social world.
4. Development is multidisciplinary. Human development is a vast topic of study that requires
the theories, research methods, and knowledge base of many academic disciplines.
5. Development is characterized by plasticity. Plasticity is all about our ability to change and
that many of our characteristics are malleable. For instance, plasticity is illustrated in the
brain’s ability to learning from experience and how it can recover from injury.
6. Development is multicontextual. Development occurs in many contexts. Baltes identified
three specific contextual influences: 1) Normative age-graded influences: An age-grade is a
specific age group, such as toddler, adolescent, or senior. Humans in a specific age-grade
share particular experiences and developmental change. 2) Normative history-graded
influences: The time period in which one is born shapes the experiences. A cohort is a group
of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society. These people
travel through life often experiencing similar circumstances. 3) Non-normative life
influences: Despite sharing an age and history with peers, each of an individual also has
unique experiences that may shape his/her development. A child who loses his/her parent
at a young age has experienced a life event that is not typical of the age group.
7. Development involves growth, maintenance, and regulation. Growth, maintenance, and
regulation are three goals of human development. The goals of individuals vary among
developmental stages. For instance, as individuals reach middle and late childhood, concern
with growth gets into the back stage while maintenance and regulation take center stage.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

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 Learning Activities

Activity 1. Having familiarized with the terms/concepts related to human development. List down as
many collocates or associations of the word ‘human development’ as you can. Write them around
the word.

Human
Development

Activity 2. State the seven principles of human development from a life-span perspective and their
implications to child care, education, and parenting. Use the matrix below.

Principle of Human Development Educational Implication to Child Care, Education,

from a Life-span Perspective and Parenting
1. Development is lifelong.

Wrap Up Activity
Now that you have read and understood about terms/concepts and approaches to human
development, define the terms/concepts associated with human development and be able to
answer the question: What’s the difference between traditional and life-span perspectives of
human development? Which of the two approaches is closer to truth – traditional or life-span?
Why? Write your thoughts in not more than 300 words. Place your answer in an A4-sized bond
paper. If encoded use Calibri (Body), 12 pts, 1.15 spacing. And if it is handwritten, write legibly.
Always remember the mechanics in essay writing. Upload your work in my email address:
[email protected] on or before _______________. Your output will be graded
according to this rubric.
CATEGORY Exemplary Above Average Adequate Inadequate
(Far exceeds (Exceeds standard) (Meets standard) (Below standard)
standard)
Wri ti ng s hows high Wri ti ng i s coherent Wri ti ng i s coherent Wri ti ng l acks logical
degree of attention a nd l ogically a nd l ogically orga nization. It
to l ogi c and orga nized with orga nized. Some s hows some
Organization rea s oning of points. tra ns itions used poi nts remain coherence but ideas
Uni ty cl early l eads between i deas a nd mi s placed a nd s tray l a ck unity. Serious
the rea der to the pa ra graphs to create from the topic. errors .
concl usion and stirs coherence. Overall Tra ns itions evi dent

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 thought regarding he uni ty of i deas is but not us ed
topi c. pres ent. throughout essay.

Content i ndicates Content i ndicates Content i ndicates Shows s ome thinking

s ynthesis of ideas, in- ori gi nal thinking and thi nking and a nd reasoning but
depth analysis and develops ideas with rea s oning applied mos t i deas are
Level of Content evi dences original s ufficient a nd firm wi th ori ginal thought underdeveloped a nd
thought and support evi dence. on a few i deas. unori ginal.
for the topic.

Ma i n points well Ma i n points well Ma i n points a re Ma i n points lack

developed with high developed with pres ent wi th limited deta iled
qua lity a nd quantity qua lity s upporting deta il and development. Ideas
Development s upport. Reveals high deta ils a nd quantity. development. Some a re va gue with little
degree of cri tical Cri ti ca l thinking is cri ti cal thinking is evi dence of critical
thi nking. wea ved into points pres ent. thi nking.

Es s ay i s free of Es s ay has few Mos t s pelling, Spelling, punctuation,

di s tracting spelling, s pelling, punctuation, punctuation, a nd a nd gra mmatical
punctuation, a nd a nd gra mmatical gra mma r correct errors create
gra mma tical errors; errors a llowing a l lowing reader to di s traction, making
Grammar and a bs ent of fragments, rea der to follow ideas progress though rea ding difficult;
Mechanics comma s plices, a nd cl ea rly. Very few es say. Some errors fra gments, comma
run-ons. fra gments or run-ons. rema in. s pl ices, run-ons
evi dent. Errors are
frequent.

Meets all formal and Meets format a nd Meets format a nd Fa i ls to follow format
a s signment a s signment a s signment a nd a ssignment
requi rements a nd requi rements; requi rements; requi rements;
evi dences a ttention ma rgi ns, spacing, and generally correct i ncorrect margins,
to deta il; all margins, i ndentations are ma rgi ns, spacing, and s pa cing and
s pa cing and correct; es say is neat i ndentations; essay is i ndentation; neatness
Format
i ndentations are a nd correctly nea t but may ha ve of es say needs
correct; es say is neat a s sembled. s ome assembly a ttention.
a nd correctly errors .
a s sembled with
professional look.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Stages of Human Development and Developmental
Lesson 2 Tasks

Introduction
This lesson takes into account the several stages in which an individual undergoes
throughout lifespan. It also tackles the developmental tasks which are achieved at the
corresponding developmental stage.
Throughout the lifespan, each individual goes through numerous stages of human
development. Experts in the field of human development have different perspectives with regards
to human development. For every developmental stage, there is/are expected developmental
task/s that are expected of every individual.

Learning Outcomes
After reading Lesson 2, you should have:
1. identified and understood better the several stages of human development;
2. compared and contrasted the stages of human development on the perspectives of
scholars;
3. defined developmental tasks in your own words;
4. described the developmental tasks in each developmental stage;
5. discussed the implications of the developmental tasks to teaching and parenting; and
6. designed an infographic to show stages of human development with the corresponding
developmental tasks.

Warm Up Activity
Study carefully the diagram below and answer the questions that follow. Write your ideas in the
mVLE (Discussion Forum 2).
1. What does the illustration show?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
2. Do the pictures suggest the different stages
of development? Why?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
3. If you are given a chance, which development
stage would you like to be in? Why?
_______________________________________
___________________________________

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Content Input
The Stages of Human Development

Development follows definite stages or periods. There are different stages of human
development or sometimes termed as periods of development given by Santrock and Havighurst.
The eight (8) developmental stages cited by Santrock are the same with Havighurst’s six (6)
developmental stages only that Havighurst did not include prenatal period. Havighurst combined
infancy and early childhood while Santrock mentioned them as two (2) separate stages. Table 1
shows the comparison of the stages/periods of human development according to Santrock and
Havighurst. The developmental stages were discussed more in detail in the next paragraphs.

Santrock Havighurst
Stage Age Period Stage Age Period
Prenatal Period Conception to Birth Infancy and Early 0 to 5 years old
Childhood
Infancy Birth to 18-24 months
Early Childhood End of infancy to 5 years
old
Middle and Late 6 to 12 years old Middle Childhood 6 to 12 years old
Childhood
Adolescence 13 to 18 years old Adolescence 13 to 18 years old
Early Adulthood 9 to 29 years old Early Adulthood 19 to 29 years old
Middle Adulthood 30 to 60 years Middle Adulthood 30 to 60 years old
Late Adulthood 61 years old and above Later Maturity 61 years old and above
Table 1. Comparison of Developmental Stages according to Santrock and Havighurst

Prenatal Development

This period involves tremendous growth from a

single cell to an organism complete with brain and
behavioral capabilities.
Conception occurs and development begins. There
are three stages of prenatal development: germinal,
embryonic, and fetal periods. All of the major structures
of the body are forming and the health of the mother is of
primary concern. There are various approaches to labor,
delivery, and childbirth, with potential complications of pregnancy and delivery, as well as risks and
complications with newborns, but also advances in tests, technology, and medicine. The influences
of nature (e.g. genetics) and nurture (e.g. nutrition and teratogens, which are environmental
factors during pregnancy that can lead to birth defects) are evident. Evolutionary psychology, along

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with studies of twins and adoptions, help us understand the interplay of factors and the relative
influences of nature and nurture on human development.

Infancy and Toddlerhood

It is a period of extreme dependence on the

adults. Many psychological activities are just beginning
– language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor
coordination and social learning.
The first year and a half to two years of life are
ones of dramatic growth and change. A newborn, with
many involuntary reflexes and a keen sense of hearing
but poor vision, is transformed into a walking, talking toddler within a relatively short period of
time. Caregivers similarly transform their roles from those who manage feeding and sleep
schedules to constantly moving guides and safety inspectors for mobile, energetic children. Brain
development happens at a remarkable rate, as does physical growth and language development.
Infants have their own temperaments and approaches to play. Interactions with primary caregivers
(and others) undergo changes influenced by possible separation anxiety and the development of
attachment styles. Social and cultural issues center around breastfeeding or formula -feeding,
sleeping in cribs or in the bed with parents, toilet training, and whether or not to get vaccinations.

Early Childhood

These are the preschool years. Young children learn to

become more self-sufficient and to care for themselves,
develop school readiness skills and spend many hours in play
with peers.
Moreover, early childhood, or the preschool years,
around ages 2-6, is filled with incredible amounts of growth
and change. It consists of the years that follow toddlerhood
and precede formal schooling, roughly from around ages 2 to 5 or 6. As a preschooler, the child is
busy learning language (with amazing growth in vocabulary), is gaining a sense of self and greater
independence, and is beginning to learn the workings of the physical world. This knowledge does
not come quickly, however, and preschoolers may initially have interesting conceptions of size,
time, space and distance, such as demonstrating how long something will take by holding out their
two index fingers several inches apart. A toddler’s fierce determination to do something may give
way to a four-year-old’s sense of guilt for doing something that brings the disapproval of others.

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Middle Childhood

It is in this stage that fundamental skills of

reading, writing, and arithmetic are mastered. The
child is formally exposed to the larger world and its
culture. Achievement becomes a more central theme
of the child’s world and self-control increases.
The ages of 6-11 comprise middle childhood
and much of what children experience at this age is
connected to their involvement in the early grades of school. Now the world becomes one of
learning and testing new academic skills and assessing one’s abilities and accomplishments by
making comparisons between self and others. Schools participate in this process by comparing
students and making these comparisons public through team sports, test scores, and other forms of
recognition. The brain reaches its adult size around age seven, but it continues to develop. Growth
rates slow down and children are able to refine their motor skills at this point in life. Children also
begin to learn about social relationships beyond the family through interaction with friends and
fellow students; same-sex friendships are particularly salient during this period.

Adolescence

This period involves rapid physical changes – dramatic

gains in height and weight changes, changes in body
contour, and the development of sexual characteristics
such as enlargement of the breasts, development of pubic
and facial hair, and deepening of voice. Pursuit of
independence and identity are prominent. Thought is more
logical, abstract, and idealistic. More time is spent outside
of the family.
Adolescence, or the age roughly between 12 to 18 years old, is marked by puberty and
sexual maturation, accompanied by major socioemotional changes. It is a period of dramatic
physical change marked by an overall physical growth spurt and sexual maturation, known as
puberty; timing may vary by gender, cohort, and culture. It is also a time of cognitive change as the
adolescent begins to think of new possibilities and to consider abstract concepts s uch as love, fear,
and freedom. Ironically, adolescents have a sense of invincibility that puts them at greater risk of
dying from accidents or contracting sexually transmitted infections that can have lifelong
consequences. Research on brain development helps us understand teen risk-taking and impulsive
behavior.
A major developmental task during adolescence involves establishing one’s own identity.
Teens typically struggle to become more independent from their parents. Peers become more
important, as teens strive for a sense of belonging and acceptance; mixed-sex peer groups become

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more common. New roles and responsibilities are explored, which may involve dating, driving,
taking on a part-time job, and planning for future academics.

Early Adulthood

It is a period of establishing personal and

economic independence, career development, selecting
a mate, learning to live with someone in an intimate
way, starting a family and rearing children.
Early adulthood, roughly ages 20 to 40, may be
split into yet another category of “emerging adulthood,”
as there are often profound differences between
younger adults and those in their late 30s.
Late teens, twenties, and thirties are often thought of as early adulthood (students who are in their
mid to late 30s may love to hear that they are young adults!). It is a time when we are at our
physiological peak but are most at risk for involvement in violent crimes and substance abuse. It is a
time of focusing on the future and putting a lot of energy into making choices that will help one
earn the status of a full adult in the eyes of others. Love and work are the primary concerns at this
stage of life. In recent decades, it has been noted (in the U.S. and other developed countries) that
young adults are taking longer to “grow up.” They are waiting longer to move out of their parents’
homes, finish their formal education, take on work/careers, get married, and have children. One
psychologist, Jeffrey Arnett, has proposed that there is a new stage of development after
adolescence and before early adulthood, called “emerging adulthood,” from 18 to 25 (or even 29)
when individuals are still exploring their identities and don’t quite feel like adults yet. Cohort,
culture, time in history, the economy, and socioeconomic status may be key factors in when youth
take on adult roles.

Middle Adulthood

It is the time of expanding personal and social

involvement and responsibility; of assisting the next
generation in becoming competent and mature
individuals; and of reaching and maintaining
satisfaction in a career.
Middle adulthood spans the years between ages
40-65. The late thirties (or age 40) through the mid-60s
are referred to as middle adulthood. This is a period in
which physiological aging that began earlier becomes more noticeable and a period at which many
people are at their peak of productivity in love and work. It may be a period of gaining expertise in
certain fields and being able to understand problems and find solutions with greater efficiency
than before. It can also be a time of becoming more realistic about possibilities in life; of
recognizing the difference between what is possible and what is likely. Referred to as the sandwich

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generation, middle-aged adults may be in the middle of taking care of their children and also
taking care of their aging parents. While caring about others and the future, middle-aged adults
may also be questioning their own mortality, goals, and commitments, though not necessarily
experiencing a “mid-life crisis.”

Late Adulthood

It is a time for adjustment to decreasing

strength and health, life review, retirement, and
adjustment to new social roles.
Late adulthood is generally viewed as age 65
and older, but there are incredible variations in health
and lifestyle between the “young old” and the “oldest
old,” who may be well into their 100s.
This period of the lifespan, late adulthood, has
increased in the last 100 years, particularly in industrialized countries, as average life expectancy
has increased. Late adulthood covers a wide age range with a lot of variation, so it is helpful to
divide it into categories such as the “young old” (65-74 years old), “old old” (75-84 years old), and
“oldest old” (85+ years old). The young old are similar to middle-aged adults; possibly still working,
married, relatively healthy, and active. The old old have some health problems and challenges with
daily living activities; the oldest old are often frail and in need of long term care. However, many
factors are involved and a better way to appreciate the diversity of older adults is to go beyond
chronological age and examine whether a person is experiencing optimal aging, normal aging (in
which the changes are similar to most of those of the same age), or impaired aging (referring to
someone who has more physical challenge and disease than others of the same age).

The Concept of Developmental Tasks

In each stage of development, a certain task or several tasks are expected of every
individual. A developmental task is one that arises predictably and consistently at or about a certain
period in the life of the individual (Havighurst, 1948, 1953). The concept of developmental tasks
assumes that human development in modern societies is characterized by a long series of tasks that
individuals have to learn throughout their lives. Some of these tasks are located in childhood and
adolescence, whereas others arise during adulthood and old age. Successful achievement of a
certain task is expected to lead to happiness and to success with later tasks, while failure may result
in unhappiness in the individual, disapproval by the society, and difficulty with later tasks.
Developmental tasks arise from three different sources (Havighurst, 1948, 1953). First, some
are mainly based on physical maturation (e.g., learning to walk). Another source of developmental
tasks relates to socio-structural and cultural forces. Such influences are based on, for instance, laws
(e.g., minimum age for marriage) and culturally shared expectations of development (e.g., age
norms; Neugarten, Moore, and Lowe, 1965), determining the age range in which specific
developmental tasks have to be mastered. The third source of developmental tasks involves

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personal values and aspirations. These personal factors result from the interaction between
ontogenetic and environmental factors, and play an active role in the emergence of specific
developmental tasks (e.g., choosing a certain occupational pathway).

Childhood and Adolescence

Early childhood is characterized by basic tasks such as learning to walk, to take solid food,
and to control the elimination of body wastes. In addition, young children have to achieve more
complex cognitive and social tasks, such as learning to talk, to form simple concepts of reality, and
to relate emotionally to other people. In middle childhood, developmental tasks relate to the
expansion of the individual's world outside of the home (e.g., getting along with age mates,
learning skills for culturally valued games) and to the mental thrust into the world of adult concepts
and communication (e.g., skills in writing, reading, and calculating). Achieving adolescent
developmental tasks requires a person to develop personal independence and a philosophy of life.
Adolescents are confronted, for example, with learning to achieve new forms of intimate
relationships, preparing for an occupation, achieving emotional independence of parents, and
developing a mature set of values and ethical principles. The peer group plays a major role in
facilitating the achievement of adolescents' developmental tasks by providing a context in which
some of these tasks can be accomplished.

Adulthood and Old Age

The concept of developmental tasks describes development as a lifelong process. Thus, it is

also an early and significant contributor to the emerging field of lifelong human development (e.g.,
life-span psychology and life-course sociology; Setterstery, 1999).
In young adulthood, developmental tasks are mainly located in family, work, and social life.
Family-related developmental tasks are described as finding a mate, learning to live with a marriage
partner, having and rearing children, and managing the family home. A developmental task that
takes an enormous amount of time of young adults relates to the achievement of an occupational
career. Family and work-related tasks may represent a potential conflict, given that individuals'
time and energy are limited resources. Thus, young adults may postpone one task in order to
secure the achievement of another. With respect to their social life, young adults are also
confronted with establishing new friendships outside of the marriage and assuming responsibility in
the larger community.
During midlife, people reach the peak of their control over the environment around them
and their personal development. In addition, social responsibilities are maximized. Midlife is also a
period during which people confront the onset of physiological changes (Lachman, 2001).
Developmental tasks during midlife relate to, for example, achieving adult responsibilities,
maintaining a standard of living, assisting children with the transition into adulthood, and adjusting
to the physiological changes of middle age (e.g., menopause).
Old age has often been characterized as a period of loss and decline. However, development
in any period of life consists of both gains and losses, although the gain-loss ratio becomes

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increasingly negative with advancing age (Heckhausen, Dixon, and Baltes, 1989; Baltes, 1987). A
central developmental task that characterizes the transition into old age is adjustment to
retirement. The period after retirement has to be filled with new projects, but is characterized by
few valid cultural guidelines. Adaptation to retirement involves both potential gains (e.g., self-
actualization) and losses (e.g., loss of self-esteem). The achievement of this task may be obstructed
by the management of another task, living on a reduced income after retirement.
In addition, older adults are generally challenged to create a positive sense of their lives as a
whole. The feeling that life has had order and meaning results in happiness (cf. ego-integrity;
Erikson, 1986). Older adults also have to adjust to decreasing physical strength and health. The
prevalence of chronic and acute diseases increases in old age. Thus, older adults may be confronted
with life situations that are characterized by not being in perfect health, serious illness, and
dependency on other people. Moreover, older adults may become caregivers to their spouses (e.g.,
Schulz and Beach, 1999). Some older adults have to adjust to the death of their spouses. This task
arises more frequently for women than for man. After they have lived with a spouse for many
decades, widowhood may force older people to adjust to loneliness, moving to a smaller place, and
learning about business matters.
Other potential gains in old age relate to the task of meeting social and civic obligations. For
example, older people might accumulate knowledge about life (Baltes and Staudings, 2000), and
thus may contribute to the development of younger people and the society. The development of a
large part of the population into old age is a historically recent phenomenon of modern societies.
Thus, advancements in the understanding of the aging process may lead to identifying further
developmental tasks associated with gains and purposeful lives for older adults.
As defined by Havighurst (as cited in Corpuz et al., 2018), ‘A developmental task is a task
that arises at or about a certain period in life, the success achievement of which leads to happiness
and success with later tasks while failure for achievement would often lead to unhappiness, social
disapproval, and inability to perform tasks associated with the next period or stage in life.”
Specifically, Havighurst (as cited in Corpuz et al., 20180) in his book, Developmental Tasks
and Education, has identified universal developmental tasks in which individuals are expected to
achieve. Listed below are the developmental tasks across developmental stages.

Infancy and Early Childhood (0 to 5 years old)

1. Learning to walk
2. Learning to take solid foods
3. Learning to talk
4. Learning to control the elimination of body wastes
5. Learning sexual differences and sexual modesty
6. Acquiring concepts and language to describe social and physical reality
7. Readiness for reading
8. Learning to distinguish right from wrong and developing a conscience

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
Middle Childhood (6 to 12 years old)
1. Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games
2. Building a wholesome attitude toward oneself
3. Learning to get along with age-mates
4. Learning an appropriate sex role
5. Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing, and calculating
6. Developing concepts necessary for everyday living
7. Developing conscience, morality, and a scale of values
8. Achieving personal independence
9. Developing acceptable attitudes toward society

Adolescence (13 to 18 years old)

1. Achieving mature relations with both sexes
2. Achieving a masculine or feminine social role
3. Accepting one’s physique
4. Achieving emotional independence of adults
5. Preparing for marriage and family life
6. Preparing for an economic career
7. Acquiring values and an ethical system to guide behavior

Early Adulthood (19 to 29 years old)

1. Selecting a mate
2. Learning to live with a partner
3. Starting a family
4. Rearing children
5. Managing a home
6. Starting an occupation
7. Assuming civic responsibility

Middle Adulthood (30 to 60 years old)

1. Helping teenage children to become happy and responsible adults
2. Achieving adult social and civic responsibility
3. Satisfactory career achievement
4. Developing adult leisure time activities
5. Relating to one’s spouse as a person
6. Accepting the physiological changes of middle age
7. Adjusting to aging parent

Later Maturity (61 years old and above)

1. Adjusting to decreasing strength and health
2. Adjusting to retirement and reduced income
3. Adjusting to death of spouse

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

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 4. Establishing relations with one’s own age group
5. Meeting social and civic obligations
6. Establishing satisfactory living quarters

Learning Activities
Activity 1. With the presented and discussed developmental stages, what is an outstanding trait or
behavior of each stage? Use the graphic organizer below.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
Activity 2. With a learning partner, answer the question: What are the implications of these
developmental tasks in the different stages of development to teaching or parenting? (Note: Refer
to the identified developmental tasks identified by Havighust). Use the matrix below.

Stages of Development Implications to Teaching Implications to Parenting

Infancy and Early Childhood
Middle Childhood
Adolescence
Early Adulthood
Middle Adulthood
Later Maturity

Wrap Up Activity
An infographic (information graphic) is a visual representation of information in a graphic
format designed to make the idea easily understandable at a glance. Design an infographic that
illustrates the stages of development with the corresponding developmental tasks and its
definition. Place your output in a long-sized bond paper. If you will use a computer, save your
output in PDF format. If you intend to do by hand, take a picture of it and send it through my email:
[email protected] on or before ________________ . Your output will be graded
according to the rubric below.

CATEGORY Excellent Very Good Fairly Good Needs Improvement

(5) (4) (3) (2)
The topic/message Topi c/message/main Topi c/message/ Topi c/message/
/ma i n i dea of the i dea is clear a nd ca n ma i n i deas is ma i n i deas is unclear,
i nfographic is very be understood. s omewhat cl ear or l a cking/not present.
Message Clarity cl ea r and easily l a cking.
understood; intended
to i nform or convince
the vi ewer.
Deta ils s upport the Deta ils a re added to More details are Very l i ttle details a re
topi c/message/main s upport the needed for provi ded for the
i dea without topi c/message/main understanding. Some topi c/message/main
di s tracting with i dea with minimal a re distracting; a t i dea and
Details and
cl utter; 90% of the cl utter; a t least 75% l east 60% of the understanding is
Accuracy of
content i ncluded in of the content content i ncluded in l i mited; l ess than 50%
Content
the i nfographic is i ncl uded in the the i nfographic is of the content
a ccura te. i nfographic is a ccura te. i ncl uded in the
a ccura te. i nfographic is
a ccura te.
Al l the gra phics used Mos t gra phics Al l gra phics relate to Gra phics used do not
represent represent the the rel a te/represent the
Graphics i nformation i nformation properly. topi c/message/main topi c/message/main
(Relevance) a ppropriately. i dea but do not i dea.
represent
a ppropriately.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Col or, s hape, size and Col or, s hape, size and Col or, s hape, size and Col or, s hape, size and
a rra ngement of a rra ngement of a rra ngement are a rra ngement are
Graphics gra phics contribute gra phics are eye pres ent but do not di s tracting and
(Visual/Aesthetic mea ning to the ca tchi ng and a dd to the mi s leading.
Sense) overa ll message. contri buting some i nformation.
mea ning.

The design and Is a ttractive a nd neat Is a cceptably Is distractingly messy,

l a yout is very neat, i n terms of design, a ttra cti ve though it una ttractive, or very
Design and Layout cl ea r, and visually l a yout, ma y be a bit messy. poorl y designed.
a ppealing.

Ca pi talization a nd There a re several There a re many Al l ca pitalization a nd

punctuations a re errors i n errors i n the punctuations a re
correct throughout; ca pi talizations and ca pi talization a nd erroneous; s pelling
Mechanics and
a l most no s pelling punctuations; there punctuations; there a nd gra mmar are
grammar
a nd gra mmatical a re few spelling and a re many spelling and erroneous.
errors . gra mma tical errors. gra mma tical errors.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Lesson 3 Issues on Human Development

Introduction
Every individual has his/her own way of looking the lens of human development. These
approaches used to evaluate human development while obviously lacking in scholastic vigor, afford
individuals with a conceptual context for better understanding of human development. Experts in
the field of human development have designed their own models and through scholarly and solid
researches, they take stand on some of the issues on the developing individual.
This lesson will lay down some basic issues with regard to the development of individuals
across different stages.

Learning Outcomes
After reading Lesson 3, you should have:
1. gained a better understanding about the basic issues of human development;
2. discussed the implications of these basic issues to early learning/education; and
3. written a research-based position on the issues of human development.

Warm Up Activity
Think back from the time you were a young child up to this time that you are in the adolescent
stage and reflect on your own personal development. What significant influence has contributed to
your development: your biological inheritance or environmental experiences? Does your
development involve gradual, cumulative change or distinct change? Does your development
involve stability or change? Is your development similar to other people from other places? Write
your ideas in the mVLE (Discussion Forum 3).

Content Input
Assumptions about Human Nature

1. Original Sin. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) portrayed children as inherently selfish and bad
believing that it was the society’s task to control their selfish and aggressive impulses and to
teach them to behave in positive ways. More so, Maxim and Morrison (as cited in Graves et
al., n.d.) cited that children’s inappropriate behavior or actions indicate inherent sin and are
the work of the devil. Corporal punishment is commonplace. In the more modern times, this
belief is evident in the insistence on unquestioning obedience and respect for adults. Rigid

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Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 supervision of children is necessary and at school, they are to be taught ‘correct’ behavior
by their teachers.

2. Inherently Good. French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), believed that
newborns are endowed with an innate sense of justice and morality that unfolds naturally
as they grow. He argued that children were innately good and that they would develop in
positive directions as long as society did not interfere with their natural tendencies. In this
unfolding, children move through the developmental stages that we recognize today –
infancy, childhood, and adolescence. And instead of emphasizing parental discipline,
Rousseau argued that parents should be receptive to their children’s needs (Kail, 2007).
Like Plato, he viewed that children begin their developmental journeys well prepared with a
stockpile of knowledge.

3. Tabula Rasa. The English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704), asserting that the mind of a
human infant is a tabula rasa or ‘blank slate’, claimed that experience molds the infant,
child, adolescent, and adult into a unique individual. According to him, parents should
instruct, reward, and discipline young children, gradually relaxing their authority as children
grow. Also, he believed that children were neither innately good nor bad; they could
develop in any number of directions depending on their own experiences.

Key Issues in Human Development

1. Nature vs Nurture
The nature-nurture issue is the most important and most complex issue in the study
of human development.
Nature refers to the behavior and characteristics manifested because of the
influence of biological forces (heredity and biologically-based dispositions).
Nurture refers to the influences brought about by the exposure to the environment
(included learning experiences, child-rearing methods, societal changes, and culture).
Strong believers in the nature (like Rousseau, champion of the innate goodness of
children) stress the importance of individual genetic makeup, universal maturational
processes guided by genes, biologically based predispositions built into genes over the
course of evolution, and other biological influences. They are likely to claim that all normal
children achieve the same developmental milestones at similar times because of
maturational forces, that major changes in functioning in late adulthood are biologically
based, and that differences among children or adults are largely because differences in
genetic makeup and physiology.
By contrast, strong believes in nurture (like Locke, who claimed experience shapes
development) would emphasize environment – the range of influences outside the person.
Nurture includes influences of the physical environment (crowding, pollution, and the like)
as well as the social environment (for example, learning experiences, child-rearing methods,
peers, societal trends, and the cultural context in which the person develops). A strong

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Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 believer in nurture would argue that human development can take many paths depending
on the individual experiences over a lifetime.

2. Activity vs Passivity
The activity-passivity issue focuses on the extent to which human beings are active
in creating and influencing their own development, or are passively shaped by forces
beyond their control. Some theorists (following in the tradition of Rousseau) believe that
humans are curious, active creatures who orchestrate their own development by exploring
the world around them and shaping their environments. The girl who asks for dolls at the
toy store and the boy who clamors instead for toy machine guns are actively contributi ng to
their own gender-role development. Bothe the budding scientist who experiments with
chemicals in the basement and the sociable adolescent who spends hours text messaging
are seeking out and creating a ‘niche’ that suits their emerging traits in the process (Harris
as cited in Sigelman & Rider, 2012).
Other theorists (in the tradition of Locke) view humans as passive beings shaped
largely by forces beyond their control – usually environmental influences but possibly strong
biological forces. From this vantage point, children’s academic failing might be blamed on
the failure of their parents and teachers to provide them with the right learning
experiences, and the problems of socially isolated older adults might be attributed to
societal neglect of the elderly rather than to deficiencies within the individual.

3. Continuity vs Discontinuity
One aspect of the continuity-discontinuity issue focuses on whether the changes
people undergo over the lifespan are gradual or abrupt. Continuity theorists view human
development as a process that occurs in small steps, without sudden changes, as when
grade school children gradually gain weight from year to year. In contrast, discontinuity
theorists tend to picture the course of development as more like a series of stair steps, each
of which elevate the individual to a new (and often more advanced) level of functioning.
When an adolescent boy rapidly shoots up 6 inches in height, a bass voice, and grows a
beard, the change seems discontinuous.
A second aspect of the continuity-discontinuity issue focuses on whether changes
are quantitative or qualitative in nature. Quantitative changes are changes in degree and
indicate continuity: a person gains more wrinkles, grows taller, knows more vocabulary words, or
interacts with friends less frequently. By contrast, qualitative changes are the changes in kind and
suggest discontinuity. They are changes that make the individual fundamentally different in some
way. The transformations of a caterpillar into a butterfly rather than just a bigger caterpillar, of a
nonverbal infant into a speaking toddler, or of a prepubertal child into a sexually mature adolescent
are examples of qualitative changes.
So continuity theorists typically hold that developmental changes are gradual and
quantitative, whereas discontinuity theorists hold that they are more abrupt and qualitative .
Discontinuity theorists often propose that people progress through developmental stages. A
stage is distinct phase of development characterized by a particular set of abilities, motives,
emotions, or behaviors that form a coherent pattern. Development is said to involve fairly rapid

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Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 transitions from one stage to another, each stage being qualitatively different from the stage before
or the stage after. Thus, the preschool child may be said to have a fundamentally different approach
to solving problems than the infant, adolescent, or adult.

4. Universality vs Context-Specificity
Developmental theorists often disagree on the universality-context-specificity issue
– or the extent to which developmental changes are common to all humans (universal) or
different across cultures, subcultures, task contexts, and individuals (context specific). Stage
theorists typically believe that the stages they propose are universal. For example, a stage
theorist might claim that virtually all children enter a new stage in their intellectual
development as they enter adolescence or that most adults, sometime around the 40,
experience a midlife crisis in which they raise major questions about their lives. From this
perspective, development proceeds in certain universal directions.
But other theorists believe that human development is far more varied. Paths of
development followed in one culture may be quite different from paths followed in another
culture (or subculture, neighborhood, or even performance context). For example,
preschool children in the US sometimes believe that dreams are real but give up this belief
as they age. By contrast, children raised in Atayal culture of Taiwan have been observed to
become more and more convinced as they get older that dreams are real, most likely
because that is what adults in their culture believe (Kohlberg as cited in Sigelman & Rider,
2012). Within a particular culture, developmental change may also different from
subcultural group, from family to family, and from individual to individual. There seems to
be both universality and context specificity in human development. As American poet Mark
Van Doren once said, ‘There are two statements about human beings that are true: that all
human beings are alike, and that all are different.’

Issue Description
Nature-Nurture Is development primarily the products of genes, biology and
maturation – or of experience, learning, and social
influences?
Activity-Passivity Do humans actively shape their own environments and
contribute to their own development – or are they passively
shaped by forces beyond their control?
Continuity- Discontinuity Do humans change gradually and in quantitative ways – or do
they progress through qualitatively different stages and
change dramatically into different beings?
Universality-Context Is development similar from person to person and from
Specificity culture to culture – or do pathways of development vary
considerably depending on the social context?
Table 1. Questions related to Issues on Human Development

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Learning Activities
Activity 1. After reading the assumptions and key issues on human development, which of these is
more acceptable claim: nature vs. nurture? activity vs. passivity? continuity vs. discontinuity?
universality vs. context specificity? Are there additional reasons you can give in favor of these
claims?

Activity 2. With a learning partner, answer the question: What are the implications of these issues
of human development to early education/learning?

Issues on Human Implications to Early Education/Learning

Development
Nature-Nurture
Activity-Passivity
Continuity- Discontinuity
Universality-Context
Specificity

Wrap Up Activity
Read one (1) research article related to issues on human development. Fill-out the matrix
below. Place your answer in an A4-sized bond paper. Encoded (pt 12, Calibri (Body), 1.15 spacing)
or handwritten. Upload your output in the mVLE (Assigment 3) on or before October 12, 2020.

Research Problem Research Findings

Title of the Research Article

__________________________________
Conclusion __________________________________ Implication of the
Research Findings to
Teaching

Source/Reference: _________________________________________________________________

Your output will be graded according to these criteria. (30 pts)

Relevance of the Research Article 40%

Comprehensiveness of Analysis 60%
Total 100%

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Lesson 4 The Situation of the Filipino Children and the Youth

Introduction
The Filipino children and the youth are the center of the educational system. They are the
most important assets of the nation and they belong to the most vulnerable group in the society.
The curriculum reforms, educational programs, laws and policies are concentrated on ensuring the
protection of their rights as well as for their holistic development.

This lesson takes into account the current situation of the Filipino children and youth as well
as the laws, policies, and procedures for the protection of children’s rights.

Learning Outcomes
After reading Lesson 4, you should have:
1. discussed the present condition of Filipino children and youth;
2. identified the laws, policies, and procedures for the protection of children’s rights; and
3. designed a poster slogan depicting the current situation of Filipino children and youth and
the protection of their rights.

Warm Up Activity
Read and analyze the quotation below. What are your thoughts/ideas/insights about it? Write
your answers in the mVLE (Discussion Forum 4).
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 Content Input

The Situation of Filipino Children and Young Persons

Much has been said about young children who are beaten black and blue by
parents/relatives rendering them incapable to walk or even talk straight. Much has been written
who have become victims of sexual or physical abuse, child labor, malnutrition, parental neglect,
ending up becoming street children and roaming the streets of Metro Manila. Mush have been
reported about children who are being bullied in schools. There have been a growing number of
young persons who are out-of-school. Usually, these children come from marginalized families.
These are the grim scenario of young children and young persons in the society and it is really
disheartening.
Efforts however, are made to address the problem. There are youth-oriented programs and
projects sponsored by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and other private and public entities
primarily put up to help the Filipino children and youth. The child advocacy has been an on-going
project of the media, as they feature stories on youth education and child welfare. Television
networks are also instrumental in educating the youth through a series of documentaries on child
abuse and child exploitation. Nevertheless, the problem has not been solved completely.
According to Hernando (as cited in Acero et al., 2013), there is an alarming situation of the
Filipino child which is visible in numerous studies conducted.
In the Philippines, one in three children under the age of 5 in the Philippines is stunted and
almost half of stunted children come from the poorest households, compared to only 15% from the
wealthiest households (UNICEF, 2018). In addition, in the National Nutrition Survey of 2015, 33% of
children under 5 years are stunted: an increase from 30% in 2013 and 21.5% of children under 5
years are underweight: an increase from 20% in 2013.
In addition, an estimated 2.85 million children aged 5 to 15 are out of school (DepEd PDP,
2015). There is also a high rate of violence against children: 2 in every 3 experienced physical
violence; 2 in 5 experienced psychological violence; 1 in 4 experienced sexual violence; and 2 in 3
experienced peer violence (Council for the Welfare of Children and UNICEF, National Baseline Study
on Violence against Children, 2015). According to the Program for International Student
Assessment (PISA) 2018, at least 6 in 10 Filipino students are being bullied regularly or some 65
percent of 7,233 15-year-old Filipino students were reported being bullied at least a few times a
month.
In view of these concerns, there have been policies and laws that have been crafted and
implemented so that the rights of these children and youth are protected. They should be afforded
with total care and protection for they are considered as the one of the most vulnerable sectors of
the society. They need all of these for their holistic transformation as persons who will be
responsible to societal change in the future.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
Laws, Policies, and Procedures for the Protection of Children’s Rights

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The UNCRC is a treaty that contains a profound idea: that children are not just objects who
belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are
human beings and individuals with their own rights. The Convention says childhood is separate
from adulthood, and lasts until 18; it is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed
to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity. The Convention went on to become the most
widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives.
The Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. It has inspired
governments to change laws and policies and make investments so that more children finally get
the health care and nutrition they need to survive and develop, and there are stronger safeguards
in place to protect children from violence and exploitation. It has also enabled more children to
have their voices heard and participate in their societies.
The UNCRC consists of 54 articles that set out children’s rights and how governments should
work together to make them available to all children. Under the terms of the convention,
governments are required to meet children’s basic needs and help them reach their full potential.
Central to this is the acknowledgment that every child has basic fundamental rights. These include
the right to: a) life, survival and development, b) protection from violence, abuse or neglect, c) an
education that enables children to fulfil their potential, c) be raised by, or have a relationship with,
their parents, and d) express their opinions and be listened to.

Presidential Decree 603 (The Child and Youth Welfare Code)

Presidential Decree 603 date December 10, 1974 listed down the Rights of Children and
Youth. This was aimed at understanding children better and for the Filipino teacher to be more
aware of the children’s rights. The code contained the following provisions: to understand and help
children better, it is important for every Filipino teacher to be cognizant of such rights. The
provisions of the code regarding such rights are as follows:
All children shall be entitled to the rights herein set forth without distinction as to legitimacy
or illegitimacy, sex, social status, religion, political antecedents, and other factors.
1. Every child is endowed with the dignity and worth of a human being from the moment of his
conception, as generally accepted in medical parlance, and has, therefore, the right to be
born well.
2. Every child has the right to a wholesome family life that will provide him with love, care and
understanding, guidance and counseling, and moral and material security.
The dependent or abandoned child shall be provided with the nearest substitute for
a home.
3. Every child has the right to a well-rounded development of his personality to the end that
he may become a happy, useful and active member of society.

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Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 The gifted child shall be given opportunity and encouragement to develop his special
talents.
The emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted child shall be treated with
sympathy and understanding, and shall be entitled to treatment and competent care.
The physically or mentally handicapped child shall be given the treatment, education
and care required by his particular condition.
4. Every child has the right to a balanced diet, adequate clothing, sufficient shelter, proper
medical attention, and all the basic physical requirements of a healthy and vigorous life.
5. Every child has the right to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude for the
enrichment and the strengthening of his character.
6. Every child has the right to an education commensurate with his abilities and to the
development of his skills for the improvement of his capacity for service to himself and to
his fellowmen.
7. Every child has the right to full opportunities for safe and wholesome recreation and
activities, individual as well as social, for the wholesome use of his leisure hours.
8. Every child has the right to protection against exploitation, improper influences, hazards ,
and other conditions or circumstances prejudicial to his physical, mental, emotional, social
and moral development.
9. Every child has the right to live in a community and a society that can offer him an
environment free from pernicious influences and conducive to the promotion of his health
and the cultivation of his desirable traits and attributes.
10. Every child has the right to the care, assistance, and protection of the State, particularly
when his parents or guardians fail or are unable to provide him with his fundamental needs
for growth, development, and improvement.
11. Every child has the right to an efficient and honest government that will deepen his faith in
democracy and inspire him with the morality of the constituted authorities both in their
public and private lives.
12. Every child has the right to grow up as a free individual, in an atmosphere of peace,
understanding, tolerance, and universal brotherhood, and with the determination to
contribute his share in the building of a better world.

Republic Act 10627 (Anti-bullying Act of 2013)

The growing number of bullying cases is already a cause for alarm. The Republic Act No.
10627 or also known as the Anti Bullying Act of 2013 signed by then-President Benigno Aquino III,
mandates all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies to prevent and address the acts of
bullying in their institutions. It addresses the concern among parents, teachers and even students
who are considered victims of bullying. The anti-bullying act ensures that these cases will no longer
fall on deaf ears.
The law defines bullying as ‘any repeated or severe use by one or more students of a verbal,
electronic or written expression, or a physical gesture or act that can bring physical or emotional
harm to the victim. Bullying is also perceived as creating an unfriendly environment for the other
student that can cause disruption in the education process.’

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 According to the law, the following is considered acts of bullying: 1) any unwanted physical
contact between the victim and the bully such as pushing, shoving punching, tickling, headlocks,
slapping, teasing, fighting, inflicting school pranks and the use of available objects or weapons;
2) any act that can create damage to a victim’s emotional well-being; 3) any accusation that can
make the victim emotionally distressed such as profanity, foul language, negative comments or
derogatory remarks on the victim’s appearance, body and clothes; and 4) cyber-bullying or any type
of bullying that is initiated with the use of technology or any electronic means.
Procedures and strategies for bullying include: 1) reporting acts of bullying; 2) responding in
a timely manner and investigate reports of bullying; 3) ensuring victim’s safety and assess if they
need additional protection; 4) providing counseling and other necessary services for the victims,
perpetrators and family members; 5) allowing students to anonymously report bullying provided,
that no disciplinary administrative action will be taken against the reported student based solely on
the anonymous report; 6) providing sanction to a student who makes false accusation of bullying;
7) educating students on the anti-bullying policies and dynamics of bullying; 8) educating parents
and guardians about the anti-bullying polices, dynamics of bullying and how parents and guardians
can provide support and reinforce policies at home; and 9) keeping a public record of statistics and
relevant information on acts of bullying. However, the names of the students who were reported to
have committed the acts of bullying must be treated with confidentiality and will only be made
available to the teachers and school administration that are directly responsible for the said
students and parents or guardians of the victims of bullying.

Child Protection Policy of the Department of Education

DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012 or DepEd Child Protection policy constitutes the policy and
guidelines on protecting children in school from abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination,
bullying, and other forms of abuse. Among its bases are the Philippine 1987 Constitution (Article
XV, Section 3 [2]; Article XIV, Section 3 [2]), the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and
the Family Code of the Philippines.
As stipulated further in the order, the Department recognizes that cases of abuse may arise
as a result of the difficult situations faced by teachers and other officials within and outside the
school.
DepEd has adopted the policy to provide special protection to children who are gravely
threatened or endangered by circumstances which affect their normal development and over which
they have no control, and to assist the concerned agencies in their rehabilitation.
Furthermore, the Department aims to ensure such special protection from all forms of
abuse and exploitation and care as is necessary for the child’s well-being, taking into account the
primary rights and duties of parents, legal guardians, or other individuals who are legally
responsible and exercise custody over the child.
DepEd recognizes the participatory rights of the child in the formulation and
implementation of policies, and in all proceedings affecting them, whether they be victims or
aggressors, either directly, or through a representative. Accordingly, this Department reiterates a
zero-tolerance policy for any act of child abuse, exploitation, violence, discrimination, bullying, and
other forms of abuse, and hereby promulgates this Department Order.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
 The policy statement of the DepEd regarding its “landmark” child protection policy, c learly
states the objective of the Department in providing special protection and care to children within
the school premises. Thus, such policy mandates every school in the country to come up with an
adopted version of the said child protection policy to be implemented in the school to assure that
every child in school is well-guarded and well-protected.
Child protection (DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012) refers to programs, services, procedures, and
structures that are intended to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination,
and violence. DepEd’s CPP (deped.gov.ph, 2014), mandates all elementary and secondary schools
to create a Child Protection Committee (CPC), composed of school officials, teachers, parents,
students, and community representatives. Since its establishment in 2012, 59% of the public
schools in the country have created CPCs.
The Department reminded that under Special Protection of Children against Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination Act (RA 7610) and CPP, teachers who humiliate students will face
administrative sanctions. DepEd continues to equip teachers and school heads with knowledge on
child protection policies of the government through a series of forums and consultations.
Though guidelines had been given as accorded in the Order, specifications on strict
compliance, monitoring, and evaluation of implementation of the policies should be realized. In an
instance that the school is a small one, the number of teachers is insufficient, and teachers had so
many students handling, the policy is quite hard to implement and initiate. Also, clear definition
and/or identification of cases or instances of child abuse should be clarified since there are some
situations where scolding of teacher (at times necessary), could be deemed by students as already a
form of abuse (Pecson, 2014).
Also, one possible negative outcome that could appear in the implementation of this policy
is that some students may abuse the protection being provided by the policy, especially the abusive
ones who will intentionally use the provisions of the policy in terms of personal gains and fight back
with the school officials (Pecson, 2014).
On the other hand, the said policy if properly implemented and executed could assure that
no form of violence, exploitation, abuse, and other related forms will no longer be happening
within the school premises. Also, superb and quality learning process could be realized since
students are attending classes in schools where their rights are recognized and their protecti on is
being safeguarded ((Pecson, 2014).
In the end, the policy is worth applying for, since it's a measure that could benefit a lot the
students and could bolster school's quality services to the clientele.

Learning Activities
Activity 1. Having read and understood the present condition of Filipino children and youth, what
are your observations of the children and youth in your locality? Are they in the same situations as
being discussed in the lesson? Share your observations and experiences in class.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021
Activity 2. What are other laws, policies, and procedures that protect children’s rights? Using the
matrix below.
Laws/Policies/Procedures Description

Wrap Up Activity
A slogan is a short and striking or memorable phrase used to advertise or promote
something. In other words, it’s simply just a series of words which usually contains quotes or
memorable phrases and are usual. Thus, slogan making is the creation of memorable phrases,
sometimes with a little art in or outside the texts.
A poster, on the other hand, is a picture usually placed in public space. It usually contains
both typographic and graphic elements. It can be fully graphical or fully textual. Thus, poster
making is the creation of a large image with the use of graphic and textual elements.
Make a poster slogan as an advocacy material depicting the situation of Filipino children
and youth as well as protecting their rights. Place it in a long-sized bond paper (8.5 x 13). If it is
done using a computer, save it as a PDF file. If it is done by hand, take a picture of it. Send your
output in the mVLE (Assignment 4) on or before _______________. Your output will be graded
according to the rubric below.

Criteria Professional Adequate Needs Work Unsatisfactory

(10) (7) (4) (1)
Required Elements It includes all Most of the required Only few required Several required
required elements as elements are elements are missing elements are missing
well as additional included in the in the poster. in the poster.
information. poster.

Neatness and The poster is The poster is The poster is The poser is
Attractiveness exceptionally attractive in terms of acceptably attractive distractingly messy
attractive in terms of design, layout, and though it may be a or very poorly
design, layout, and neatness. little bit messy. designed. It is not
neatness. neat and attractive.

Message/Slogan The slogan is not The slogan is The slogan is wordy. The slogan is very
wordy. It is original somewhat wordy. It It is catchy but not wordy. It is not
and catchy. is original but not original. original and catchy.
catchy.
Graphic Relevance All the graphics are Most of the graphics Some of the graphics Graphics used are
related to the topic are related to the are not related to not related to the
and these make it topic and these the topic which topic which make it
easier to make it easier to make it difficult to difficult to
understand. understand. understand. understand.

Early Childhood and Special Needs Department (ECSNED)

Second Semester, Academic Year 2020-2021