Margaret J Meehan MIDDLE CHILDHOOD 6 TO 11

Margaret J Meehan MIDDLE CHILDHOOD 6 TO 11 YEARS

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Growth Physical development during this time is viewed by some as the calm before the storm of puberty with the dramatic physical changes that come in its wake. Margaret J Meehan Patterns and General Information This period is one of a synchronous pattern of growth, that is, slow, steady and consistent.

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT Girls are better co-ordinated in their movements while boys have greater speed and strength. 6 8 -9 Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor skills Can catch and throw a ball. Can hop easily. Can skip in time to music. Can build a tower of blocks that is straight. Can hold a pencil in a similar way to an adult. Increased body strength Faster reaction time. Can ride a two wheel bike easily Greater control over small muscles, so can draw and write with improved skill. Beginning to join letters together in hand writing. 10 Boys and girls differ in Greater ability for detailed tasks to 11 physical maturity: girls e. g needle work. experience puberty two years Using joined –up letters. ahead of boys Margaret J Meehan Age

HEALTH BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN This is an international research initiative examining health-related behaviours. Injuries are the largest cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in some countries. Injuries account for over 70% of all deaths in young people and the risk of injury rises dramatically as children enter adolsence. Margaret J Meehan

NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND OBESITY Obesity is becoming an increasing problem in the West, including Ireland. Obesity is associated with poorer outcomes in general well-being, including the social, emotional and physical domains. The link between obesity, nutrition and exercise seems obvious. Schools discourage fizzy drinks and sweets. The importance of physical activity in children’s lives has been highlighted. Margaret J Meehan

FOOD POVERTY Research by HBSC showed that 16% of young people surveyed reported going to bed hungry. These children are more likely; These children are less likely to report good health and feelings of happiness. It is apparent that a relationship exists between good physical health and functioning and positive development in psychological areas, including self-esteem. Margaret J Meehan § to come from a socially disadvantage background, § to have experienced extreme drunkenness, § to smoke.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Margaret J Meehan Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage (7 -11) This is the third stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The main features of this stage are: Ø conversion: the understanding that quantity, volume and length remain the same. Ø reversibility: the understanding that numbers or objects can be altered and then returned to their original state. Ø decentring: children become less egocentric.

VYGOTSKY –SCHOOL AND ZPD School is an important milestone in the life of a child and it is here that you can see some of Vygotsky’s concepts of how children learn. Zone of Proximal Development: refers to the distance between what a child can do or learn alone and what they can achieve with the help of others. Teachers and more experienced peers act as a support (scaffold) to enable children to achieve further learning, learning they could not as easily achieve on their own. Margaret J Meehan

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY Piaget believed that children learn through their own personal experiences. Vygotsky thought that children learn through their interactions with others. Margaret J Meehan While

HOWARD GARDNER’S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES Howard Gardner suggested that intelligence is not necessarily one unitary concept but rather several different types of intelligence that exists independently of one another but interact with each other all the time. Each of us has different strengths and these represent our unique mix of different types of intelligence. Margaret J Meehan

Gardiner identified seven types of intelligence. Linguistic – reading, writing, talking, listening Logical-mathematical - numbers, scientific thinking. Bodily kinaesthetic – using one’s body, sport and dance. Musical – singing, playing, composing Interpersonal – ability to understand relate to others Intrapersonal – self-understanding Spatial – used in navigation, and parking your car. Margaret J Meehan

Gardner later added two more types of intelligence. Go to pg 99 -100 in your book. Margaret J Meehan Naturalistic – the ability to recognise and categorise objects in nature (plants and animals) Existential – the capacity to ask questions regarding the meaning of life.