FIELD LEARNING

EPISODE Learners Diversity: Developmental

STUDY 1
Characteristics, Needs, and Interest
FS 1 2
SPARK Your Interest

Episode 2 provides me with an opportunity to observe learners of different ages and

grade levels. It highlights the differences in their characteristics and needs. As a
future teacher, it is important for me to determine my learners’ characteristics and
needs so that I will be able to plan and implement learning activities and assessment
that are all developmentally appropriate.

TARGET your Intended Learning Outcome

 At the end of this Episode, I must be able to describe the characteristics,

needs and interests of learners from different developmental levels. (3.1.1).

REVISIT the Learning Essentials

Here are the major principles of development relevant to this Episode:

1. Development is relatively orderly. Development follows directional patterns
such as, from the head to the toe (cephalocaudal), and from the center of the
body then outwards (proximodistal)
2. Development takes place gradually.
3. All domains of development and learning – physical, social and emotional, and
cognitive – are important, and they are closely interrelated. (NAEYC, 2009)
4. 4. Development proceeds toward greater complexity, self-regulation, symbolic
or representational capabilities. (NAEYC, 2009)

OBSERVE. ANALYZE,
REFLECT

Observing learner characteristics at different stages

Resource Teacher: Teacher’s Signature: School:

Grade/Year Level: Subject Area: Date:

To realize the Intended Learning Outcomes, I will work your way through these
steps:
Step 1 Observe 3 groups of learners from different levels (preschool, elem., and high
school).
Step 2 Describe each of the learners based on my observation.
Step 3 Validate my observation by interviewing the learners.
Step 4 Compare them in terms of their interests and needs.
 OBSERVE

Use the observation guide and matrices provided for you to document your
observations.

An Observation Guide for the Learners’ Characteristics

Read the following statements carefully. Then write your observation report on the
provided space. Your teacher may also recommend another observation checklist. If
a more detailed observation is preferred.

Physical
1. Observe their gross motor skills how they carry themselves, how they move, walk,
run, go up the stairs, etc.
2. Are gross movements clumsy or deliberate/smooth?
3. How about their fine motors skills? Writing, drawing, etc.
Social
1. Describe how they interact with teachers and other adults.
2. Note how they also interact with peers. What do they talk about? What are their
concerns?
Emotional
1. Describe the emotional disposition or temperament of the learners. (happy, sad,
easily cries, mood-shifts)
2. How do they express their wants/needs? Can they wait?
3. How do they handle frustrations?
4. Describe their level of confidence as shown in their behavior. Are they self-
conscious?
Cognitive
1. Describe their ability to use words to communicate their ideas. Note their language
proficiency.
2. Describe how they figure out things. Do they comprehend easily? Look for evidence
of their thinking skills.
3. Were there opportunities for problem solving? Describe how they showed problem
solving abilities.
Learners’ Development Matrix
Record the data you gathered about the learners’ characteristics and needs in this
matrix. This will allow you to compare the characteristics and needs of learners at different
levels. The items under each domain are by no means exhaustive. These are just sample
indicators. You may add others aspects which you may have observed.

Development Preschooler Elementary High School

Domain Indicate age range Indicate age range Indicate age range
of children of children observe: of children observe:
observed:
Physical
Gross-motor skills

Fine-motor skills

Self-help skills

Others

ocial
Interaction with
Teachers

Interaction with
Classmate/Friends

Interest

Others

Emotional
Moods and
temperament
expression of
feelings

Emotional
independence

Others

Cognitive
Communication
Skills

Thinking Skills

Problem-solving

Others
 ANALYZE

Write the most salient development characteristics of the learners you observe. Based on
these characteristics, think of implications for the teacher.

Example:
Level Salient Characteristics Implication to the
Observe Teaching-Learning
Process
Preschool Preschoolers like to move Therefore, the teacher
Age range of learners around a lot. should remember to use
observe 3-4 music and movement
activities not just PE but in
all subject areas.

Therefore, teachers should

not expect preschooler to
stay seated for a long
period of time.

Level Salient Characteristics Implications to the

Observe teaching-Learning
Process
Preschooler
Age range of leaners
Observe_____

Elementary
Age range of leaners
Observe_____

High School
Age range of leaners
Observe_____

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 observe?
___________________________________________________________________
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_____________________

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?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_____________________

3. Share your other insights here.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_____________________

LINK THEORY TO PRACTICE

Direction: Read the items given below and encircle the correct answer.
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 favorited 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 every day.

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
Which is your favorite
theory of development. How
can this guide you as a future teacher? Clip some readings about this theory and paste
them here.
 EVALUATE Performance Task

Evaluate Your Work Task Field Study 1, Episode 2 – Learner Diversity:

Characteristics, Needs, and Interests
Learning Outcome: Determine the characteristics, needs and interests of the learners from
different developmental levels.

Name of FS student: ________________________________

Date Submitted: ___________
Year & Section: ___________________________ Course:
__________________________

Learning Excellent Very Satisfactory Needs

Episode 4 Satisfactory 2 Improvement
3 1
Accomplished All observation One (1) to two Three (3) Four (4) or
Observation Questions/tasks (2) observation observation more
Sheet Completely questions/ questions/tasks not observation
answered/ Tasks not answered / questions/
accomplished. answered /I accomplished. tasks not
accomplished. answered
accomplished.
Analysis All questions All questions Questions were not Four (4) or
were answered were answered answered more
completely; completely: completely: observation
answers are answers are answers are not questions
with depth and clearly clearly connected to were not
are thoroughly connected to theories; one (1) to answered:;
grounded on theories; three (3) answers not
theories; grammar and grammatical connected to
grammar and spelling are /spelling errors. theories; more
spelling are free free from than four (4)
from error. errors. grammatical/
spelling errors.
Reflection Profound and Clear but lacks Not so clear and Unclear and
clear; supported depth; shallow; somewhat shallow, rarely
by what were supported by supported by what supported by
observed and what were were observed and what were
analyzed observed and analyzed observed and
analyzed analyzed

Learning Portfolio is Portfolio is Portfolio is not Portfolio is not

Artifacts reflected on in reflected on in reflected on in the reflected on in
the context of the context of context of the the context of
the learning the learning learning outcomes. the learning
outcomes; outcomes. complete, not outcomes; not
complete, well- complete; Well organized. relevant complete; not
organized, organized, very to the learning organized, not
highly relevant relevant to the outcome relevant
to the learning learning
outcome outcome
Submission Submitted Submitted on Submitted a day Submitted two
 before the the deadline after the deadline (2) days or
Deadline more after the
deadline

COMMENTS

Over-all Score Rating: (Based on

transmutation)

TRANSMUTATION OF SCORE TO GRADE/RATING

Score 20 19-18 17 16 15 14 13-12 11 10 9-8 7-below

Grade 1. 1.25 1. 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.50 2.7 3.0 3.5 5.00
0 5 5 0 5 5 0
99 96 93 90 87 84 81 78 75 72 71-below

Signature of FS Teacher above Printed Name Date