Human Development and the Learning Process

 

The development of human beings encompasses their development at cognitive, physical and psychosocial levels. This process takes place throughout their lifespan and has a considerable influence on the way that they perceive the world. it is also essential to consider that these individuals are affected by their environment, specifically their socialization from infancy, which results in a scenario where they are able to adapt to their environment and come to terms with it. The physical development of individuals takes place in the growth and changes that they encounter in their brains and bodies, in addition to their motor skills, senses and overall health and wellbeing. The cognitive aspect, on the other hand, involves the process of learning, memory, attention, reasoning, and language, among many other aspects. Finally, there is the psychosocial development, which involves the developmental of personality, social relationships, and emotions, which determine the character of the individuals involved. The importance of these processes cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to the learning process because they ensure that there is the attainment of competence among learners. This paper seeks to make an analysis of the manner through which human development at a cognitive, physical and psychosocial level has an effect on the learning process.

The learning process is one that comes about following the developmental stages of individuals. Thus, learning begins from a completely dependent level at infancy and early childhood, and gradually develops into a more independent approach where the individuals involved are able to make sure that they can direct their own learning (Kasworm, 1983). In this way, the educative framework develops in a manner that is aimed at eventually attaining a level of independence in learning that ensures that there is learning that is self-initiated and self-directed. Through this process, it becomes possible to make sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where the individual is able to maintain a stable learning process where he is capable of understanding the diversity of concepts that he is learning. The major aim of education is to make sure that the individual involved is able to attaining a learning state that is mature, so that he can not only think for himself, but also transmit the knowledge that he has to others comfortably. However, in order to attain the latter goal, it is necessary for there to be a facilitative environment as well as resources that are aimed at the provision of an effective education for the individual. Through these facilities, it becomes possible for individuals to ensure that they are able to learn new skills, attain knowledge, and develop attitudes concerning different aspects of their environment. The capabilities of individuals are therefore considerably enhanced as they move from one developmental stage to another, which allows for the advancement of the learning process in a manner that ensures that they become more independent. However, in order to ensure the understanding of the connection between human development and the learning process, it is essential to consider the developments that take place in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains.

The physical domain is one that is involved with the growth of the bodies of individuals from one stage to another. During this process, it becomes possible for there to be an awareness of the changes that take place in the gross motor skills as well as their increasing coordination in children (Draper et al., 2012). This process is one that is best observed when it comes to the way that children will coordinate when undertaking such actions as playing sports, as they move from one developmental stage to another. It is essential to consider that not only is physical development a matter of the body alone, but also of the development of the brain, which ensures that the child motor coordination is not only functioning, but also provides an environment within which there is greater coordination between planning and emotions in adulthood because brain development will often continue beyond infancy and childhood. Physical development also includes such areas as sexual health, changes in senses, as well as primary and secondary aging processes. It is also necessary to consider that when it comes to physical development, there is the need to make sure that there is the promotion of healthy habits such as exercise and nutrition which are pertinent for every stage of development. This is especially the case when it comes to the way that the latter helps in ensuring that the learning process is more effective. It is therefore necessary to ensure that there is the integration of healthy nutritional habits among individuals from an early age so that they are able to maintain these habits during the most critical parts of their lives, including the learning process.

The learning process cannot take place without cognition, and this is the reason why the cognitive domain and its development cannot be underestimated. Infants tend to learn at a rapid pace, especially when it comes to the development of language (Fernald et al., 1998). There are also huge differences when it comes to the way that children at different stages of development will think, especially from a logical level, concerning the world around them. Therefore, cognitive development involves a process where there are a diversity of mental processes, including learning, thinking, and understanding, which begins at childhood but does not stop there. Instead, there is the promotion of a scenario where cognitive development continues to grow to such an extent that when a child reaches adolescence, he or she ends up developing the ability to think logically concerning the abstract world. It is during this stage of development that these individuals end up often challenging adult perspective based on the process where they are essentially exercising their newly discovered cognitive skills. It is also through the process of human development from childhood to adulthood that individuals end up developing practical intelligence based on moral reasoning. The experiences that they encounter over time allow these individuals to develop wisdom, which is critical to the attainment of the goal of applying experiences to practical matters in other contexts. The different forms of intelligence as well as memory abilities will often change as individuals grow older and because of this, the development of the brain and the mental abilities associated with it end up becoming more pertinent based on the cognitive functions that take place across the lifespan.

Development at a psychosocial level is a process that considers the manner through which individuals end up developing both psychologically and socially. At the early stage of development, there is a focus on the manner through which infants develop in relation to their caregivers, especially from the perspective of temperament and attachment (Leerkes & Zhou, 2018). However, as the social world of the child expands and there is psychological growth, there is a consideration of the different types of interactions and play with other children. When they go to school, their interaction with their teachers also becomes important because it involves the development of personality, relationships, self-esteem, and emotions in the individual. As time progresses and the child develops further, peers become more important, especially at the adolescent level, which allows them to not only explore new roles, but also make sure that they develop their own identities independent of their primary caregivers, especially their parents. Psychosocial development continues across childhood, with the result being that it becomes quite challenging for there to be an effective means of bringing about the attainment of an individual identity. Individuals in the adolescent stage will often seek to make sure that they try out a diversity of processes aimed at promoting a scenario where they come to attain a level of identity that is acceptable to them. The psychosocial domain is one that ensures that there is the promotion of a scenario where the individual involved is able to develop mentally within a social environment, which allows them to not only become more effective members of society, but also to identify as individuals.

Therefore, following a consideration of the developmental processes, it becomes necessary to ensure that it is effectively connected to the learning process. This can be done through a consideration of the way that the cognitive, physical, and psychosocial development of individuals ends up creating an environment within which they are able to learn effectively (Orongan et al., 2019). A number of activities mark the changes that take place when individuals develop from one stage to another including a movement from the dependence of the learner on the authority of the teacher to one where there is considerable interdependence or independence. Another aspect of development is seen through the way that individuals will over time evolve from the passive acceptance of information to a move towards inquiry and evaluation that come about through the development of intellectual capabilities. Also, there is a movement from institutional learning structures to those that better reflect the interests of the individual involved. In this way, the individual is better able to make sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where he conducts personal or cooperative learning activities in an effective manner. Thus, learning not only becomes easier, but it also ensures that there is the attainment of the goal of promoting the interests of the learner in such a what that allows for better academic attainment as he becomes more independent of the teacher. Learning is therefore a critical aspect of the human development process since it equips the individual with the means to integrate effectively into society.

Change is a critical process within the human development framework because it ensures that individuals are able to modify their behavior and attitude in order to attain certain goals. This is a process that involves learning, which provides individuals with the means through which they shift from one behavior to another as a means of attaining the goal of bringing about changes to behavior (Elder Jr & Shanahan, 2007). There is also the need to consider that change is a process that involves the identification of differences in characteristics in an inclusive act of judgment that is made use of in a descriptive way. An example of such a scenario is where an individual is categorized as either being within a teacher-directed or self-directed behavior. This perspective is one that considers the individual to have the capability to determine which behavior best suits their learning process. It is important to consider that change is critical in the developmental process because it allows individuals to gain a greater understanding of not only their environment, but also gain the ability to learn more complex concepts in their education. Change to behavior has the ability to ensure that there is the establishment of means through which individuals are able to gain more from the learning process than would otherwise have been the case in lower levels of development. Thus, they are able to move from directed learning where there is an authority figure to a learning process that is self-directed and independent.

Growth is another process which can be considered essential especially when it comes to the learning process. This is because as individuals increasingly enhance their learning skills through cognitive and physical development, they are able to ensure that they not only achieve the goal of bringing about progress in their education, but are also able to add and build onto the foundation based on a hierarchical process (Barham et al., 2013). Growth orientation is significant because it involves a scenario where there is self-directed learning based on the experiences that the individual has attained over time through their human developmental process. From infancy to adolescence, individuals develop new capabilities at every state, resulting in a situation where they are able to grow from one stage to another. Thus, they move from complete dependence to a high level of independence as they seek to attain knowledge concerning their areas of interest. The progressive development of the learner is therefore a critical step in enhancing their learning process since it allows for the process of pedagogical learning growing into self-directed learning based on the experiences that the individual has accumulated over time. Growth ensures that the individual is able to attain the key skills and interactive elements capable of making sure that there is the establishment of learning projects that are not only considerably advanced, but also reliant on bringing about the personal and mental development of the individual. In this way, growth can be considered to be a consequence of the learning experiences of the individual in such a way that he is able to attain greater cognitive skills that go hand in hand with physical development.

The development of individuals is a process that involves a scenario where there is the assumption of growth and change. This is significant especially when one considers that the learner is able to gain greater insight and skill when it comes to their learning stance (Kagan, 1976). It is also essential to note that learners are individuals that have undergone considerable growth from one developmental stage to another. A consequence of this situation is that these individuals develop learning capabilities based on their developmental stages to such an extent that they are not only able to advance their knowledge, but also pursue their learning interests. It is also pertinent to note that the learning experiences of individuals both formal and informal are critical to their understanding of their environment. this is especially the case when one considers the considerable growth that individuals undergo to such an extent that they are not only able to move from being cognitively less developed to highly competent individuals, but they are also capable of making sure that they shift from dependence to independence. It is also from this process that learning takes place, which is significant because it shows the manner through which the attainment of knowledge concerning the human environment is tied closely to the development of individuals from one stage to another.

In conclusion, the analysis above has sought to show the way that human development at cognitive, physical and psychosocial levels has an effect on the learning process. Human development, especially at the early levels, tends to have a profound influence on the way that individuals will respond to their environment. This is inclusive of the potential of their being highly influenced in their learning at both the formal and informal levels to such an extent that they end up in a scenario where they are able to move from complete dependency on their caregivers to a level of independence based on the influence of their peers. Human development is therefore a process that allows individuals to learn through socialization in such a way that not only enhances their capabilities from level to level, but also ensure that there is the promotion of individual interests as they grow older and recognize their individuality.