Assignment (2)

Allama Iqbal Open

University

Name : Muhammad Sufyan Naeem

Class : B.Ed. 1.5 years

Roll # : CA632505

Semester Spring : 2021

Course Code : 8610

 Q.1 Discuss Erikson's theory of socio-emotional development.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

Emotional development is the beginning of a child's experience, understanding, expression, and
management of emotions from birth to late adolescence. It also includes how growth and changes in
these processes related to emotions take place.
How do children start to understand who they are, what they are feeling, what they expect to receive
from others? These concepts are the bases of their social-emotional development. They play important
part in a child’s self-confidence and empathy, his ability to develop significant and long- term
friendships and partnerships, and his sense of importance and value to those around her. Children’s
social-emotional development influences all other areas of development: Cognitive, motor, and
language development are all greatly affected by how a child feels about himself and how he is able to
express ideas and emotions.

Professionals sometimes define healthy social-emotional development in young children as early

childhood mental health. Healthy social-emotional development includes the ability to:
 Form and sustain positive relationships
 Experience, manage, and express emotions
 Explore and engage with the environment

Children having well-developed social-emotional skills are also able to:

 Express their ideas and feelings
 Show empathy towards others
 Manage their feelings of frustration and displeasure more easily
 Feel self-confident
 More easily make and develop friendships
 Succeed in school

WHY EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANT?

Dear students we have learnt what is meant by emotional development. Now we
are going to seek out the need and importance of emotional development.

Social-emotional development provides the basis for how we feel about ourselves
and how we experience others. This foundation starts from the day we are born
and continues to develop throughout our lifespan.

The quality of the relationships a child develops with his mother or primary
caregivershas the greatest influence on his later socio- emotional development. In
previous unit you have studied attachment theories which present and support this
idea.
Positive and nurturing early experiences and relationships have a significant
impact on a child’s social-emotional development. They also influence how the
young child’s brain develops. An attachment relationship is adorable one. It
develops during the first few years of the child’s life. It is built upon repeated
interactions between the infant and the primary caregiver (can be a mother or any
other person). These interactions mainly involve efforts by the infant to achieve
physical and emotional intimacy and the caregiver’s reactions to these efforts.
They have a long-lasting influence on how the child feels about himself, how he
thinks and interacts with his world, and what does he expect from others.

Children’s responses to the different feelings they experience every day have a
major impact on their choices, their behavior, and on how well they handle and
enjoy life.

Emotional development involves:

 Understanding how and why emotions appear
 Recognizing one’s own feelings and those of others, and
 Developing effective ways of managing them.

As children grow and are open to different situations their emotional lives also
become more complex. Developing skills for managing a variety of emotions is
therefore very important for their emotional health. Parents, family members or
other care givers have an important role to play in supporting children’s emotional
development. They do this through answering effectively to children’s emotions,
through providing examples of how they manage feelings, and through talking
with children about feelings and how to manage them. Similarly, the teachers can
provide significant care for children’s emotional development.

ASPECTS OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

There are some core dimensions of emotional development for instance caring
environment, knowledge and regulation of emotions, social understanding,
relationship management and social responsibility. These dimensions are discussed
in the following section:
i. Caring environment
Developing kind, trusting, relationships with responsive caregivers in early
childhood settings are essential. These relationships provide the child with an
internal working model of positive social relationships (Denham & Weissberg,
2004).

ii. Emotional knowledge and emotional regulation

The ability to identify emotions in one self and others and to delay reaction to
emotions while directing these feelings into socially acceptable behaviors is
central to socialcompetency.
In the early stages of social emotional development infants and toddlers
experienceemotions and react to them on an affective level. With the beginning of
language and other cognitive skills, such as attention maintenance, and reasoning,
children are able to respond to the emotional stimulation by using their new
cognitive skills to think in advance and create alternate plans for action.
The act of labeling an emotion helps to move it to the language/cognitive part of
brain. This creates a space between feeling and action which ultimately helps
children to process feelings in a matter that is more cognitive than reactive.
(Greenberg, Kusch, & Mihalic, 1998).
Children at very early age are capable of recognizing basic emotions particularly
happy and sad; however they often confuse anger with fear. Between ages four to
seven children begin to understand more complex dimensions of emotions. For
instance, they can
recognize that people may experience diverse emotions, or that different people
can feel differently about the same event (Denham & Weissberg, 2004).

Q. 2 Discuss the characteristics of learners at kindergarten level relating to

morality. Also suggest the activities to develop morality at this level.

Learners at late kindergarten/ primary level possess the following characteristics:

i. Beginning to prefer own gender; has less boy/girl interaction
Peer groups begin to form
ii.
Security in gender identification Self-
iii.
absorption
iv.
Begins to play and work independently
v.
Can be argumentative
vi.
Seven still not a good loser and often a
vii.
tattletale
viii. By eight play games better and
intent to winning
Conscientious; can take responsibility
ix.
for routine chores
x. Less selfish
xi. Able to share. Wants to please
xii. Still enjoys and engages in fantasy plays
i. Activities at primary level to develop social skills
 As a teacher you can use the following activities in classroom to develop social
skills
among students:
Asking Questions
Learning Objective: To understand the importance of asking questions during a
conversation Skill: Social communication.
Tell the group: Asking questions is the best way to get as much information about
a subject as possible. When you ask questions you show that you are interested in
othervpeople and you keep the talk going. You will also learn things from
people’s answers that will make you a better friend. For practice, have the
children turn to the person on their right. One of the two people secretly focuses
on something in the room (e.g., the clock)and gives a clue, such as, “I’m thinking
of something on the wall.” The other person asks questions (e.g., “What color is
it?” or “Which wall is it on?”) until she guesses theobject.
ii. Sharing
Learning Objective: To teach children to understand the value of sharing with
others
Skill: Empathy, social interaction.
Ask the group to think and give their ideas about sharing. Write down all of their
ideas on
the board.
Tell the children:
Learning to share is difficult for many children, because it means to losesomething. But
it also means being generous and thinking about the needs of others. When youshare,
you feel good because you are being nice to someone else. When someone shareswith
you, you feel good because they are being kind to you.
Present the following examples to the group, one at a time. After each, ask thechildren
whether it would be easy or difficult for them to share in the situation. Encouragethem to
talk about what they would do, and why.47
 The whole group is reading a book, and there are no enough copies for everyone.
 There is only one brownie left on the plate.
 Three people are sitting on a sofa, and the fourth person has nowhere to sit.
Ask the group to think of other examples when sharing is necessary
Dear students
In this section you learnt about the characteristics of learners at primary level. Youalso
learnt some classroom activities to develop social skills like sharing, asking
questions and caring for other’s needs.Activity for students:
What are other social skills a child at primary level may need to learn?
4.6.6 Social characteristics of learners at elementary level
 At this level students may exhibit the following characteristics:
 The elementary children want to expand social relationships beyond the home
environment.
 Peers become extremely important to elementary aged children; they are
constantly
building relationships.
  They naturally form groups; they want to be with their friends. Their constant
talking is really evidence of this focus on building relationships.
 These children want to be like their friends, and to be accepted by the group is
extremely important.
 There is a cooperative, joint focus as opposed to a competitive one. This too is a
sign that children are learning to build community.
 Elementary children are looking for people to admire. They may be inspired by
older children, a family member or their teachers.
i. Social skills at elementary level
Teachers play an important role at every level of schooling, including elementaryschools
(Mashburn & others, 2008; Pianta & others, 2008). In a series of studies frominfancy
through third grade, positive teacher-child relationships were linked to a numberof
positive child outcomes (Howes & Ritchie, 2002). Children who have warm,positive
relationships with their teachers have a more positive attitude toward school, aremore
enthusiastic about learning, and achieve more in school (Thompson & Goodman,2009).
Group skills are particularly important in a classroom setting. Studies suggest that children’s
behavior in the classroom is as important to their school success as their intellectual ability is.
Studies tell us that children typically do better in groups that consist
of peers who share common characteristics. Helping children identify theirinterests (such
as computers, the environment, community service, animals, etc.) is the first stepin
guiding them toward joining a group of children who are more like them.48
ii. Classroom activities to develop Social skills
Following section will present classroom activities which can be used by a teacher to
develop social skills among children at elementary level.
Active listening
The most important social skill needed at all levels is listening.
Active listeners show speakers that they are paying attention. They do this throughbody
language (offering appropriate eye contact, turning the body in the direction of the speaker,
remaining quiet) and verbal feedback (restating, in their own words, whatthe
speaker is trying to communicate).
One popular method of teaching active listening assigns people to one of threeroles: A
speaker, a listener, and an observer. The speaker is instructed to talk for a fewminutes
about something important to him. The listener attends quietly, providing cues tothe
speaker that she is paying attention. When the speaker is finished talking, thelistener also
repeats back, in her own words, the speaker’s points.
The observer’s job is to evaluate the speaker and listener. Did the speaker stay on topic?
How did the listener indicate that she was paying attention?
After the observer shares his observations with the others, the players change roles and try
again.The blindfolded walk
To play this game, create path with hurdles. Then assign players to one of tworoles.
Blinded players will wear blindfolds. Leaders will take blinded players by thehand and
attempt to lead them through the course. Talking is encouraged, and, when theyare
finished, players should reverse their roles.
 Joining a group
Learning Objective: To help children find ways to reach others who have similar
interests; to increase group inclusion.
Skill: Making Friends: Ask the children to think of ways to find groups they mightlike to
join. Suggest that they focus on their individual interests. Brainstorm ideas andwrite
them on the blackboard or a large sheet of paper.
Tell them: Throughout their lives, people participate in many different kinds ofsocial
groups: scout troops, sports teams and many more. A class is also a kind of group.
Your classmates are part of your group experience every day at school. A child’s life is filled
with different kinds of groups.
Distribute Activity Sheet: Children can write the answers or raise their hands and answer
the questions aloud.

Q. 3 what is language? Briefly discuss the components of a language.

We all communicate with one another. We share information, convictions, opinions,

wishes, dangers, thanks, promises, guarantees, feelings and emotions. We can laugh at to
express entertainment, joy, we smile to convey our entertainment, delight, support or
zealous sentiments, we shout to communicate our anger, energy or nervousness, we raise
our eyebrows to convey sentiments of shock or opposition, however the system of
communication before everything else is language.

We use the language as the system of communication that relies upon words and
composition of words to form sentences. Language is a method that is mainly used for
communication. It is called linguistic communication. Chuckling, grinning, and
screaming are ways that are named as non linguistic communication. Generally all non
human creatures exchange information. However they are not familiar to such a system
of communication which is as complex as the language. They correspond by non
linguistic means taking after our grinning, snickering, shouting, gripping of tighten
hands, and rising of eyebrows.
It is language that differentiates humans from non human creatures. As humans utilize the
language capacity consistently to grip thoughts, share the emotions, comment on the
world, and see one another's personalities. Language can be narrated as an organized
arrangement of uniform signals and rule governed structures that are utilized as means for
communication. Language occurs through reading, writing, listening and speaking. In
order to become fully functioning members of school as well as the society, we must
learn the components, the principles, the structure, and the traditions of language system.
Dear student: As discussed above, we can summarize the language as:
 We communicate our different emotions with others
 Language is a system of communication
 Language differentiates humans from non humans
7.4 WHAT IS LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT?
Language development is the process by which children come to understand and
communicate language. From birth up to the age of five, children develop language at a
quick pace. The phases of language development are wide-ranging among people. On the
other hand, the age and the pace of language development vary from child to child at
which they achieve every landmark. As far as the language development in children is
concerned, it should be compared to the standards and not with their fellow children.
Usually the rate of language in girls is speedier as compared to the boys. As compared to
some other aspects of development, it mirrors the growth and development of mind. After
the age of five it generally turns out to be much difficult for the children to learn it.
Receptive language develops quickly than expressive language development.

Two uniquestyles of language development are as under.

7.4.1 Referential language development: Children at first express only words and
afterward join them together, at first into sentences comprising of two-word and later into
7.4.2 sentences comprising of three-word. It is a style of right time learning of language
in which children use language for the most part to label objects. This style is useful to
young children because this way extends their understanding of vocabulary.
7.4.3 Expressive language development: Kids first utter sounds like babbles that copy
the rhythm and beat speech. Most kids utilize a blend of these styles. Another commonly
known style involved in language learning is expressive style. In this style little children
apply language to discuss their specific emotions and requirements.
77
Dear student: As discussed above, we can summarize the language development as:
 Language development is the process to understand and communicate language.
 Referential language development is denoted as labeling different objects.
 In expressive language development children discuss their emotions and needs.
Self-Assessment–1
1. Differentiates humans from non-humans
a. Culture
b. Civilization
c. Language
d. Communication
2. Referential language development id useful for
a. Babies
b. Children
c. Young learner
d. Adults
3. Children first utter
a. Sounds
b. Words
c. Phrases

d. Sentences
4. Styles of language development are
a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Four
7.4.4 Transitions in language development
There are several transitions that help to explain kid’s acquisition regarding language
development.
First transition occurs when first year ends and it proceeds in the school year with the
emergence of words into essential vocabulary.
Second transition happens when children change from saying one word at once to
joining words into expressions and basic sentence about the end of school year.

Third transition happens when kids move afar utilizing simple sentences to express one
thought to complex sentences communicating different thoughts and the relationship
between them.
78
7.4.5 Key signs of language development
Children everywhere throughout the world pursue alike model of language development.
Several milestones of which are as follows
Babbling and gestures: Children dynamically make sounds from birth to onward years
to attract attention. These continue till the mid of the first year.
 Crying: Infants even cry during childbirth which can indicates trouble but these
sounds indicate many other things also.
 Cooing: Children first utter murmuring sounds which are pronounced from
backside of the throat and generally convey delight on interaction with the care
giving persons.
 Babbling: Amid center of the first year children babble, that is they deliver series
of consonants.
 Gestures: Newborn children begin utilizing motions. They may wave bye-bye,
node their head to signify "yes".
Self Assessment–2
1. First transition proceeds in years.
a. School
b. High school
c. Higher secondary school
d. College
2. Second transition ends on…
a. School
b. High school

c. Higher secondary school

d. College
3. Children make sounds to
a. Have food
b. Have shelter
c. Attract attention
d. To have milk
4. Children babble amid center of the year
a. Fourth year
b. Third year
c. Second year
d. First year

Recognizing language sounds: From birth up to six months of age newborn children
perceive sounds when they change, despite what language they originate. All through the
following six months, newborn children show signs of language development at seeing
the conformities in sounds from their language, the one their elders speak and bit by bit
lose the ability to differentiate that are not noteworthy in their own particular language.
First words: Between 8-12 months of age, babies frequently show their first conception
of words. Children say their first words when they have been gesturing to correspond
with their parents regularly and utilizing their own particular sounds. The presence of
first word is continuation of this communication process.
A Child first word may be the name of individuals, well known animals, toys, body parts,
garments and family things. Kids regularly express different goals with their one single
word. The baby's spoken vocabulary quickly increases after the first word is pronounced.
One and a half year old baby can talk around fifty words. On the other hand near the age
of almost two years they can have words around 200.
Two words utterances: Children during the age of 18-24 months speak two word
expressions. To go on expression with just two words, the kids depend very much on
motion, manner and the background.
Dear student: As discussed above, we can summarize transitions and the key signs of
language development as:
 Children go through the different transitions in language development.
 These transitions help him in acquisition of language.
 Children follow different patterns in language development like babbling,
recognizing sounds, uttering one then two and then many words.

7.5 THEORIES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

The Learning Perspective
This point of view contends that children copy what they see and hear. Kids learn from
punishment and reinforcement. The main scholar associated with this learning viewpoint
is B.F. Skinner.
7.5.1 The Nativist Perspective
The nativist point of view narrates that people are naturally made to learn knowledge.
Noam Chomsky is the main scholar connected with this point of view. He recommended
that the people contain a language acquisition device (LAD). It is comprised of
grammatical rules which permit the children to understand the principles of language
which they generally listen.
80
7.5.2 Inter-actionist Perspective
Inter-actionists argue that language development is both biological and social. They
contend that language learning is affected by the desire of children to communicate with
others. Children conceive language with the brain that develops gradually and makes
them to obtain new understandings which they are convinced to report to others. The
main scholar connected with this theory is Vygotsky. This model concentrates on
Vygotsky's model of collaborative learning.

Collaborative learning is the way to go through discussions with more developed

individuals and it can help children both psychologically and phonetically in language
development.
Dear student: As discussed above, we can summarize the theories of language
development as:
 According to learning perspective, we learn by reinforcement and punishment.
 Nativist perspective views that people are naturally inclined to learn language.
 Integrationists are of the view that we learn language through our interaction with
others and it views language development in social context.
Source: http://www.replicatedtypo.com/category/101/linguistics-101
Linguists have recognized five essential elements of languages.
7.6 COMPONENTS OF LANGUAGE
7.6.1 Phoneme
A phoneme is a basic unit of phonology. It is the smallest unit of sound that may cause a
change of meaning within a language. It doesn't have meaning by itself. Phonemes match
up to the sounds of the alphabet, although there is not always a one-to-one connection
between a letter and a phoneme.
81
For example, the word “hat” has three phonemes:
1- /h/
2- /a/
3- /t/
However, the word "shape," has five letters but only three phonemes:
1- /sh/
2- /long-a/
3- /p/
English language has around 45 different phonemes, which are associated toletters or
combinations of letters. A phoneme can have a specific pronunciation in oneword and a
different pronunciation in another word.

Q. 4 Explain the laws of learning and their application in our

local settings.

Learning is a fundamental ingredient in the education of a child. Therefore, a teacher

must understand fully, how learning takes place in the best possible manner, in this
connection, it is imperative that the teacher should know what are called ‘Laws of
Learning’ as given by Thorndike and others.

They must be accepted and fundamentallaws of learning are:

(i) Law of Readiness
(ii) Law of Exercise
(iii) Law of Effect
In addition to these, certain other laws of learning will also be mentioned briefly.
(i) Law of Readiness: This law emphasizes the importance of readiness to learn.
“When a person feels ready to learn or to act, he learns or acts, more effectively
and with greater satisfaction than when not ready”. This implies that the learner
99
must be mentally prepared to learn. This emphasizes the importance of motivation
in learning. The learner must be brought in the proper frame of mind, and his
curiosity must be increased for bringing about effective learning.
Educational Implications
1. Arouse child’s readiness to learn, Herbart, the giver of Herbartian Steps,
emphasized that the appreciative masses must be brought to the forefront before
any learning takes place.
2. The law calls upon the teacher to motivate the child before he undertakes any
teaching work.
The curricular activities should be according to the child’s mental
level of maturity.
This will ensure readiness as well as arouse curiosity for new things
to be learnt.
3.
Law of Exercise: Broadly speaking, this law implies that learning
takes place by
exercising, i.e. by doing or by actively participating in the
performance. We learn
 what we do, and we do not learn what we do not do. That is why this law is also
called ‘Law of Use’ and ‘Law of Disuse.
Law of Use, ‘When a modifiable connection is made between a
situation and
a response, that connections strength is decreased, this
emphasizes the need
(i)
and importance of practice. In other words ‘Practice makes
perfect’.
Law of Disuse. ‘When a modifiable connection is not made
between a
situation and a response over a length of time, that connection’s strength is
decreased, this law implies the negative value of lack of practice.
The educational implications of the laws of exercise are great. This emphasizes thevalue
of repetition, drill and practice for memorizing and mastering of something. Thisalso
emphasizes that much time should not elapse between one practice and thesubsequent
one, because long disuse may cause forgetfulness.
Educational Implications
1. If learnable acts are repeated, they become habit.
2. Bad habits can be eradicated. It is believed that if the children are made topractice
consciously their bad habits, they automatically tend to leave them.
3. Forgetting can be delayed or diluted.
4. Skills like typing, shorthand, athletics and so on can be developed to themaximum.
5. The teacher must ensure that the act of repetition is carried out with a pleasant
effect. An act of repetition, which is accompanied by a satisfying state, strengthens a
connection.
(iii) Law of Effect: This law implies that if our efforts are accompanied by afeeling of
achievement or satisfaction, we are further inspired to learn, and therefore, effective learning
takes place, if our efforts are not accompanied by a feeling of satisfaction, not much of real
learning will take place. In other words we may say that a response, which gives
achievement of the goal and thus provides satisfaction,
will be stamped in, while those, which are accompanied by dissatisfaction, will be stamped
out.
100
Thorndike defines it as follows:
“When a modified connection between a situation and response is made, and is
accompanied or followed by a satisfying state of affairs, that connection’s strengthis
increased, but when made and accompanied by an annoying ‘state of affairs, itsstrength
is decreased”.
Thus, the learners, feeling or emotional state affects learning. In other wordssuccess and
failure condition the learning to a great extent.
 Education Implications
1. Children get to form good habit and attitude by associating with reward, satisfaction and
praise.
2. Undesirable attitudes or acts of behaviour can be removed by associating themwith
unsatisfying desirable condition.
3. The acts of rewarding and punishing take this law into consideration.
4. Behaviour problems can be improved by associating them with annoying stateof
affairs.

5. Interest is directly related to this law. Children get interested in things whichbring
pleasant results.
Law of Recency
Recency occurrences are most vivid in our mind. The process of forgetfulness setsin as
more and more time is elapsed. We remember these things better, which are comparatively
recent.
This emphasizes the importance of revision. The students should reviseoccasionally so
that the things are again refreshed in their mind. Revision should be done aftershort
intervals and also just before the examination. Without revision a student is apt to forget
even the best assimilated matter.

Law of Intensity of Stimulus

The stronger the stimulus, the greater the learning. Thus, if stimulus is strong, the response
will be strong. A student, who is more serious and enthusiastic about hisstudies,
will make greater progress and achievement. The more serious and enthusiastic astudent,
the greater this achievement.
Thus, the function of the educator is to provide greater stimulus to the students. Setting
high and lofty objectives before the students proves to be great stimulant. Genuinepraise
and appreciation also act as great stimulants. Periodic tests and examinations alsoserve
the same purpose. Thus, we may say ‘that the success or the achievement of anindividual
is directly, proportional to stimulus or the interest that he takes in his work.

8.3.4 Learning as Modification of Behaviour

Learning is a very comprehensive term. Learning does not mean only the
acquisition of
knowledge or skill; it means much more than that. Thus, it includes acquiring ofattitudes,
values, likes dislikes, and a many other habits. A number of psychologists havedefined
learning as ‘change or modification of behavior. Thus, learning is the process bywhich
an organism, as a result of its interaction with a situation, acquires a new mode of
behavior, which tends to persist and affect the general behavioral pattern of the
organism to some degree.
According to G.A Kimble, “Learning refers to a more or less permanent change in behaviour which
occurs as a result of practice.”
Munn says. “Learning is more of less permanent, incremental modification ofbehaviour
which results from activity, special training or observation.”
Thorpe defines learning as that “process which manifests itself by adoptivechanges in
individual’s behaviour as a result of experience”.

The above cited definitions emphasize that learning results in change ormodification of
behavior. But a pertinent question in tiffs connection is: Do all changes inbehaviour
occur due to learning? The answer is definitely ‘No’ there are so many othercauses of
change in behaviour e.g. fatigue, drugs, anxiety, emotion and so on. Anindividuals, after
long hours of continuous work shows marked deterioration in his efficiency and
performance. Radical changes in behaviour are noticed under the influence of intoxicants;
a child in a state of fear and anxiety shows poor performance, and so on. Inaddition to
these, there are other factors, which result in the change of behaviour e.g. thenatural
process of maturation.

Thus, all learning is modification of behavior, but all modification of behaviour isnot
learning. We may conclude by saying that learning is limited to those changes in behavior, which
are a result of training or experiences, and not a result of maturingor
temporary physiological or psychological states of the organism.
It must be noted that learning stands for relatively permanent change ormodification of
behavior. The temporary, changes and behaviour does not constitute learning. Moreover,
modification of behaviour may take place in the desirable direction orin the
undesirable direction. For example, children learn good habits as well as badhabits. Of
course, teachers and parents must always encourage children to learn desirablebehaviour
patterns.
It is not practice, alone which causes learning. In fact, learning occurs underconditions of
reinforcement. Thus, learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour and is the
result of reinforced practice.
Basis of Behavior
Human behavior results from two basic forces: Forces ‘inside’ the individual, andforces
‘outside’ the individual. The ‘inside’ forces mean man’s physical hungers, and his
psychological urges the ‘outside’ forces are one’s aims and objectives, expectationof
102
rewards, and other requirements of the society. An individual tries to modify his behavior
to meet his internal and external needs. Needs and requirements thereforeare
the basic causes of learning. These needs can also be classified in the followingway:
(1) Basic needs food, shelter, sex, etc.
(2) Psychological needs satisfaction of urges and desires, pleasures and happiness.
(3) Normative needs, attainment of aims and objectives, observing norms and
values,
acting according to the standards set by adults and society.
Behavior, therefore, is prone to modification due to need-oriented learning, and isboth,
complex and purposeful. Therefore, the modification of behaviour throughlearning
towards the fulfillment of the individual’s needs and socially approved way is the main
concern of a teacher.

Q. 5 Discuss provision of education for slow learners and handicapped

children.

Provisions for the Slow Learners.

The term slow learner’ is commonly used with reference to children with IQs between
about 80-90. Those with IQ of 90 or above are considered to be within the normal or
above average range. Ordinarily they have the ability to get along fairly well in a regular
class-room without much special help. Those with IQ below 75-80 on the other hand are
usually classified as retarded or mentally retarded. The child we call slow learner is one
who is not necessarily retarded or in need of special education but is likely to need some
extra help in a regular class-room. He is capable of learning just about anything that the
average child is capable of it just takes him longer. Students who are slow in learning one
subject are frequently slow in learning others. But this is not always the case. A child
131
may be slow in reading, but is average or above in learning, say mathematics. Different
abilities are required for learning different subjects.
(1) Identifying the Slow-Learner
In identifying the slow-learner the teacher can make use of intelligence test scores. But IQ
scores are not always true indicators of slowness in learning. Because, two students having
the same IQ score may have two different types of problems.
Competency-based tests, an improvement of traditional achievement tests in
different school subject may also be used to identify specific backwardness of children.
Observation of students’ behaviour, adjustment language difficulties,
emotional problems etc by parent and teachers can provide useful information in identifying
slow learner.
(2) Periodic Medical Examination
Deficiency in ability required for a particular task may cause slow or poor learning in
relation to that task. If the physical defect is recognized and corrected, the slow learner
becomes a normal learner. Our school systems, must, therefore, provide for periodic medical
examination of students, for taking remedial measures.
(d) Learning Handicaps in exceptional Children
Exceptional children are those who are considerably above or below the average of their
age-group in characteristic or behaviour. Those above the average of their age-group are
termed as gifted or creative, and have been discussed earlier. Here we shall talk about these
exceptional children who are below the average of their age-group.
An exceptional child with a learning handicap/disability is one who differs from other
children so much in one or more characters, for example, in vision or in behaviour that the
child cannot profit maximally from the typical pattern of instructions provided to normally
developing children. Change must be made in what is taught or how it is taught in order is
provide for handicapped exceptional children. A child is classified exceptional on the basis
of careful assessment/identification of various types of learning handicaps, so that they may
participate in programmes for handicapped children as defined by the state.

There are children who have a good vocabulary, who know what words mean, and who can
use words in conversation, but who are unable to learn to read. Such children are said to have
“dyslexia” which in itself merely means inability to read”. There are also children who have
what is called “hyperlixia” which means who can read at an early age, but who cannot
understand what is spoken to them. The word dyslexia has come to be associated with
learning disabilities generally, since so many of them related to the problem of reading.
Actually, dyslexia is but one type of learning disability, and there are two basic kinds: visual
and auditory.
A child who is “visual dyslexic” has difficulty in translating written letter into round such a
child may also have difficulty is discriminating between two letters which are similar as “b”
and “d” or “n” and “u” when written in text form. This often extends to difficulty in
recognizing the difference between such words as “cat” and “cap” or “top” and “tip” when
they are in print. Such children may have other nonbearing difficulties as132
well, as in the case of a child who insists to play with a ball but who does not enjoy
watching others play a ball game because he or she cannot understand what is going on
even though can she “see” it.
A child who is an “auditory dyslexic” has difficulty in translating sound in to meaning.
Sometimes this shows up as difficulty in discriminating between sounds that are somewhat
similar: a child with such a difficulty will not discriminate between “bat” and “cat” when
they are given orally. He may also fail to recognize the similarity between
“milk” and “silk”. A child with auditory dyslexia may also have difficulty remembering things
told to him orally.
Another type of difficulty that learner may have is “sequencing”, for example, they are
unable to put blocks in the same order as a model or to get the steps right in a long
division problem, or to get the letters in the right order in spelling (writing “mlik” for
milk”.
A complete programme of diagnosis will include medical reports and other information.
A fairly complete list of things that can be done to identify various types of difficulties is
given below:
a. Evaluation of intelligence.
b. Visual-motor Perceptual Tests.
c. Personality Tests
d. Linguistic Evaluation
e. Reading Tests
f. Pinpointing of Behavioural Difficulties
g. Medical History Evaluation
h. Evaluation of Physical Development, Family Situation and Emotional Stresses in
the Home.
i. Physical Examination, both General and Neurological Including Visions and
Hearing Tests.
j. Assessment of Cognitive Development.

(e) Placement with a Teacher

Emotional crises, difficulty in interaction with the teachers and lack of proper
environmental setting may also cause slow learning. In order to find measures to prevent
failures in learning, each learner should be placed with the teacher with whom he can
interact most effectively. The positive effects of such interaction can bring about
remarkable changes in a student. In helping the slow learner the teacher should (i) look at
the total child (development, maturation, motivation etc) and (ii) examine the educational
setting (curriculum content, mode of instruction and the learning environment).
(f) Avoid Competition
Competition is especially harmful for slow-learners. This does not do so much good for
their self-concept. Competition causes the slow Learner stop trying and to feel even less
133
adequate than he did originally. It is supposed to contribute to frustration, discouragement
and feeling of worthlessness in them.
(g) Remedial Teaching
Teachers must provide remedial teaching/instructions for the slow learner. They have to
repeat their instruction/directions several times and in simple words, they should give
practice drill and review exercise lessons. They should introduce new material in small
easy steps, relating it to what he already knows. Short range incentives are more
productive than intrinsic motivation towards long range goals.
(h) Non-Promotion
Some teachers argue in favour of detention or non-promotion of slow learners. But when
a youngster is not promoted he perceives himself and is perceived by other as a failure.
He thinks that he has been punished. As dissatisfaction increases, he becomes a truant
and drop-out. The slow learner is not to be branded as a failure/non-learner, not to be
compared with others who are not really his peers. He is to be helped and listened to, and
should be encouraged and understood rather than beaten down, at home as well in school.
If possible Special Classes, especially by trained teachers may be started for slow
learners who have a strong need for accomplishments, which might be difficult for them
in a regular class. Each small success or accomplishment must be rewarded.

(i) A Disadvantaged Child

Is one who is (a) handicapped or disabled because of certain conditions, (b) denied the
opportunity to grow normally at his own natural rate (c) has been denied the basic /
universal rights of children i.e. a stable home, loving mother, a supportive father, (d) who
suffers from a continuing inadequacy of basic necessities of life. Thus the term
continuing inadequacy of basic necessities of life. Thus the term disadvantaged refers to
an inner condition of a child resulting from an outer deprivation; there are several
categories of disadvantaged children, such as:

Economically disadvantages, socially, culturally, intellectually, educationally or

linguistically disadvantaged.
Causes of Disadvantaged Condit
j
)