Field Study 1

Learning Episode 2: Learner Diversity: Developmental, Characteristics, Needs and Interests

Activity 2.1 Observing Learner Characteristics at Different Stages

Resource Teacher: Teacher Jacel Coleen Romero-Obina Teacher’s Signature: School: NCS II
Grade Level: Grade 1 Subject Area: Math Date: Sept. 30, 2022

OBSERVE

Learners’ Development Matrix

Development Domain Elementary

Age Range: 5 - 7 years old

Physical: Gross-motor skills, Fine-motor Students in the grade 1 level are more on movements. I
skills, and Self-help skills noticed how they tend to roam around especially when the
teacher is not yet inside. Some also run around going to the
trash bin to throw their trash. Also, when seated, they keep on
fidgeting with their things, making unnecessary sounds, and
moving on their chairs. Some students are clumsy given that
their things kept falling on the floor and two chairs fell as well
when the students stood up. While other students moved
smoothly as they stood, walked, and danced. One of the
students asked help in tying his shoelace. According to the
teacher, most of these students have to improve their pencil
grip because light/soft grip makes their handwriting not too
visible.

Social: Interaction with Teachers, Once I entered the room, I noticed how the students gathered
Interaction with Classmates/friends, and and talked with one another. Most of the time, they talked
Interests about their answers to their worksheet. I would describe these
pupils as friendly, interactive, and playful. I saw how
comfortable they were around their teacher and they would
also laugh at the teacher’s jokes. Moreover, the pupils are
generous. When the teacher asked some pupils to lend their
popsicle sticks to some students, they willingly lent it. One
student also changed his seat without permission because he
wanted to sit with his friend.

Emotional: Moods and temperament, One student cried before the class started because her father
expression of feelings and Emotional needed to leave. This took at most 3 minutes before she
independence stopped crying as her teacher calmed her down. Most of the
students were happy inside the class and when they needed
 something/help, they would ask their teacher. Most students
are energetic but there are some silent pupils. In time for
recitation, most students were very active, they kept shouting
as they wanted to be called. They express joy as they get the
correct answer and they are so happy about getting a stamp.
But when they are not called, their mood shifts and they
express their frustration by stomping or shouting. Also, when
they are not immediately called to recite/write on the board,
they get annoyed showing that some are impatient. Some
pupils on the other hand only wait patiently for their turn.
There are students who have frustrations and they handle this
by going near their teacher and giving complaints.

Cognitive: Communication skills, Thinking Most pupils are good at communicating, they are able to
skills, and Problem-solving express themselves when speaking. However, one to two
pupils have a hard time talking, it’s like they are just
mumbling. The dominant language used in the classroom is
Bicol, most of the pupil’s first language. There are also those
who cannot understand Bicol, so the teacher transitions from
Bicol to English and/or Filipino. When figuring out things,
they continue trying by themselves until they need to ask for
help/guidance. They can also comprehend easily however,
some students do not know the right process and answer so
they are left behind or they just copy the other pupils’
answers. For example, the correct answer is 8 popsicle sticks,
but one student answered 8 with only 5 popsicle sticks on her
hand. This shows that she did not really get the right answer
and just copied and voiced out 8 since it’s what her classmates
said.

ANALYZE

Level Salient Characteristics Implications to the

Teaching-Learning Process

Elementary ● Pupils like to move around a ● Therefore, the teacher should make
Age Range 5 - 7 years old lot and even on their seats. use of movement activities such as
● Pupils often interrupt the dancing for their daily routine.
teacher by shouting aloud. ● Therefore, the teacher should expect
● Pupils like to shout their that there will be pupils that will be
answers and in chorus. moving around.
 ● Pupils like to participate in ● Therefore, the teacher should expect
board recitation. that the attention span of the pupils
won’t stay long.
● Therefore, the teacher should give a
chance to all pupils to recite.
● Therefore, the teacher should provide
more activities for more opportunities
in reciting, especially writing on the
board.

REFLECT
1. While you were observing the learners, did you recall your own experiences when you were their age?
What similarities or differences do you have with the learners you observed?

Yes, I can mostly relate to how the grade 1 pupils behaved in class. It’s like I can see myself in
these students. As I can remember, I also cried when my mother left me in class and I would often tell
my classmates who were naughty to my teacher. Moreover, I remember how I didn't stay put for a
long time. Even when we’re tasked to copy something from the board, I like going in front and sitting
on the floor to write using the platform as my table. Another similarity is liking to be called to write
on the board. I also remember being impatient and shouting “Teacher!” when I am still not called to
recite. The differences I can remember is that I was already independent at an early age. I can tie my
own shoelace and open my own snacks. Another thing is that I had a good grip of my writing tools.

2. Think of a teacher you cannot forget for positive or negative reasons. How did she/he help or not help
you with your needs (physical, emotional, social, and cognitive)? How did it affect you?

During my tenth grade, we had this Math teacher. He was so disappointed at us since our class
got low grades for the long test in his subject. Because of his frustration, he told us inappropriate
things such as “mga bobo pala kayo” and “wala tayong magagawa kung bobo kayo sa Math.” This has
affected me because I, myself, did not perform well during Math classes and tests. I did badly in this
subject so what he did and said did not help me to improve. This has affected me emotionally given
that his words were not pleasant to hear for a student like me already struggling in the said subject.
Because of this, I continued disliking Math even though I can understand and answer some concepts,
I still think that I would not fully be interested in this subject.
3. Share your other insights here.

When I observed particularly in the grade 1 class of Teacher Jacel, I was so amused by how she
handled her pupils. There were many things happening all at once - students shouting for their
teacher’s attention, students murmuring and talking/laughing at one another, a student or two
walking around or going to the teacher to ask for help, and the unnecessary noises made by the
students. I observed how calmly Teacher Jacel handled all these with authority but not imposing.
With the built trust, respect, and authority figure to the teacher, the pupils followed her very well.
However, on the other hand, I noticed how the students became more impatient when the class time
was coming to an end. They wanted their writing notebooks to be checked already even though the
teacher said, multiple times, that she will check their works later. It was a great opportunity to
observe the grade1 pupils because even by just watching these kids, I learned a lot.

LINK Theory to Practice

1. A 14-year-old felt ignored by her crush whom she believes is her one true love. She is crying incessantly
and refuses to listen and accept sound advice that the teacher is offering. Her refusal to accept is
because _________.
A. she thinks what she feels is too special and unique, that no one has felt like this before
B. the teenager's favorite word is "no," and she will simply reject everything the teacher says
C. 14-year-olds are not yet capable of perspective taking and cannot take the teacher's perspective
D. teenagers never listen to adult advice

2. A preschool teacher is thinking about how best to develop the fine motor skills of the 4-year-olds.
Which of the following should he best consider?
A. Provide daily coloring book activities.
B. Ask the children to do repeated writing drills everyday.
C. Encourage children to eat independently.
D. Conduct a variety of fun and challenging activities involving hand muscles
daily.

3. Science Teacher Rita showed her class a glass of water with an egg in it. She asked the class: "What
happens to the egg if I add three-tablespoon salt to the glass of water?" This is hypothesis formulation.
What can you infer about the cognitive developmental stage of Teacher Rita's class?
 A. Formal operational stage
B. Concrete operational stage
C. Pre-operational stage
D. Between concrete and formal operational stage

SHOW Your Learning Artifacts

FAVORITE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT

Among many developmental theories, what I like best is Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.
According to the proponent, children, especially at a young age, develop new skills and acquire knowledge
through observation and modeling. What a child sees and observes becomes a source of learning, therefore,
whatever we model to the children, they may imitate.
There are three core ideas/concepts according to Chery K. (2021). For the first one, “people can learn
through observation.” People can learn through observation and in this theory, there are three basic models of
observational learning and these are the live model, symbolic model, and verbal instructional model. These are
three models wherein children are observers and learning may occur. The live model refers to actual people
demonstrating an action/behavior. Symbolic models are found in books, films, television, and the likes. They
refer to real/fictional characters which display varying behaviors. The verbal model refers to the descriptions
and explanations of a behavior.
Second idea is that “internal mental states are an essential part of the learning process.” When
learning, it does not only involve what is eternal. One’s learning process is also influenced by his/her mental
state. This includes intrinsic reinforcement where people feel internal reward such as satisfaction and sense of
accomplishment.
And lastly, the Social Learning Theory “recognizes that just because something has been learned, it
does not mean that it will result in a changed behavior.” Not all cases of observational learning lead to
immediate learning or application of learning. There are times when people acquire knowledge and
information but do not change his/her behavior. It can also be possible that what is learned may not be seen or
shown immediately. Hence, this theory points how observational learning is an opportunity for acquiring but
may not always lead to demonstrating new learned behaviors.
As a future educator of elementary pupils, this developmental theory can guide me in a way that I will
be able to develop a classroom environment that is good and appropriate for the children’s observation. This
can guide me whenever I plan group activities, show video presentations, or give an opportunity where my
pupils will be exposed to other people outside of the classroom. In conclusion, what I like about this theory is
that it informs us that learning is not only within the students, it is also with how the people behave around
them. Hence, it is important for us teachers to be cautious of our actions, especially around young children.
Also, I like the core idea that once observed, a child may not be able to show immediate signs of learning. Still,
children are all different, some may have adapted that observed behavior but some may need some time or
more time to observe before they could catch up/change their behavior.
Source: Cherry, K. (2022, July 28). How social learning theory works. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellmind.com/social-learning-theory-2795074#toc-core-concepts