Core Competency Area 2

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Area Introduction

This area focuses on the characteristics of learners. For many years there have been questions about which element plays a greater role in a child's development - is it "nature" or "nurture"? On the one hand some people believe that the child's physical, emotional, and even social capacity is mostly determined by their unique set of genes. On the other hand, some people believe that a child is mostly the product of the environment in which they grow up. The generally accepted current belief is that child development is influenced by both - each to a large degree. In this competency area we will look at both sides of the equation and how they may influence the children and youth you may work with.

We will look at two theories about psychological, social, and emotional development. We will also look at cultural factors that influence children as well as how disabilities can affect the relationship between children and their environment. Increasing your understanding of the stages and factors in child development may help you with the work you do with students. Seeing children within the context of developmental stages may provide an added perspective that can be used to improve your teaching effectiveness.

Competency units in area 2 address the knowledge and skills regarding:

• Human development and its implications for student skills, behavior, and teaching.
• The effect of disabilities on a student's life, family, school, and community.
• The effect of environment, current and historical, on students.
• The effect of medications on students with disabilities.

(Clicking the hyperlinked competency code, e.g., 1K3B, will take you to the associated training unit.)

Review

pdf

rtf

Your facilitator may ask you to turn in a written copy of the area review, in which case you can use either the pdf or rtf file. If your facilitator wants you to submit an electronic file, download the rtf file and open it in a Word Processor.

Area Evaluation

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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