How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice - Book Report/Review Example

How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice Critical Annotation Armstrong, T. (2006). The best schools: how human development research should inform educational practice. Alexandria, VA: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Purpose of the Book The purpose of the book under discussion is to create awareness among educators about the vastness of learning with respect to educational programs that are implemented in the modern schools. The book seeks to make educators turn back to the history, and have a glimpse on the lives and contributions of the great thinkers of the past century, which include Freud, Erikson, Gardner, Piaget and Montessori (Armstrong, 2006, p.188). The book explores issues related to developmentally appropriate educational programs and teaching/learning practices that can serve to highlight students’ differences based upon their unique capabilities. A humane approach toward education and learning is what this book holds and emphasizes upon, by way of showing the educators how they can highlight every students’ capabilities by giving them individual attention in their physical, mental, cognitive and psychological arenas of academic lives. Hence, the book serves the purpose of creating awareness about such educational programs that aim at invoking passion within each and every student based upon his/her unique learning style and competencies. The book discusses the need of such schools where every student has the opportunity to explore his inner passion to learn and grow. Armstrong (2006, p.1) writes that his intention behind the book is to introduce some of the best practices in education based on human development. Armstrong has given examples of a number of schools that he deems are best at employing such practices that are based on enhancing learning through an understanding of human development. He suggests that academic achievement discourse has totally gained power on our current educational environment as it introduced such policies that narrow down the definition of learning. For example, The No Child Left Behind Act fostered tougher standards on test scores and yearly progress of schools. A rigorous curriculum and standardized testing bound the educational platform to narrow definitions of learning, and there is no real understanding of human learning needs and competencies (Armstrong, 2006, p.153). Thus, educators need to understand the importance of human development discourse instead of academic achievement discourse, in order to foster the real meaning of learning and human development. For example, they should spend less time teaching basic reading and math, and more time teaching history and art so that the students get to know the real meaning of life and their existence as human beings. In short, the purpose of the book is to inform educators about the importance of helping children excel in their physical and cognitive potentials not through normative measures (comparing the student’s performance to a group of other students) but through ipsative (these are the author’s terms) measures (comparing the student’s performance to his past performance), as Armstrong suggests (2006, p.13). Author’s Credentials An award-winning author of 15 renowned books and an affluent speaker, Dr. Thomas Armstrong received a M.Ed. from Lesley Graduate School in 1976 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 1987. He is the Executive Director of the American Institute for Learning and Human Development (American Institute for Learning and Human Development, 2012). The author remained a wonderful scholar and an educator for nearly 40 years. He wrote several books on the topic of learning and human development, which were translated into a number of different languages. Some of his famous books include In Their Own Way: Discoverig and Encouraging Your Child’s Multiple Intellegences, Awakening Genius in the Classroom, ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Achieve Success in School and Life, and The Myth of the A.D.D. Child: 50 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Behavior and Attention Span Without Drugs, Labels, or Coercion. Armstrong wrote for a number of popular journals including Ladies Home Circle, Family Circle, Mothering, and Parenting. His works are published in hundreds of renowned magazines, such as USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and The Wall Street Journal. In the past 28 years, Armstrong gave nearly 950 keynotes, presentations, and lectures in many countries around the globe (American Institute for Learning and Human Development, 2012). He is an active member of many reputable institutions, such as the American Psychological Association, the National Speakers Association, the Authors Guild, ASCD, and PEN American Center. Key Points Armstrong conveyed several key points through his book. The main key point is that it is important for the educators to understand that each student has unique learning needs which are based on his age and development. Hence, developmentally appropriate instructional material must be used to enhance his learning. Developmentally inappropriate instruction, such as same testing standards for all children of all ages, will not help in addressing each child’s unique learning needs. Armstrong (2006, p.73) suggests, for example, that play should be an important aspect of curriculum for students of early years (age 3-6). Teaching young students math skills and writing skills is developmentally inappropriate. Armstrong (2006, p.73) writes that play is a dynamic, ever-changing process. It is multi-sensory, interactive, creative, and imaginative all at the same time. During play, the whole brain stays activated regardless of which area is related to academic learning and which is not. When children play, they have their whole brain stimulated, not just specific areas related to formal academic skills. Play work is a very resourceful way of addressing the emotional and physical needs of children, as they learn innovative ideas and explore their talents. The development of children can be enhanced by encouraging the children to explore the world through interaction with the environment and also with the adults who teach different aspects of life to them through theory and examples (Dhingra, Manhas, & Raina 2005, p.21). The book focuses on another important matter that the instructional material should focus on helping the students become familiar with how the world functions. Elementary is the stage when the cognitive development of children is at its peak, and they want to know everything about themselves, other people, other cultures, and practices around the world. At this age, the instructional material should contain real world examples. Armstrong (2006, p.91) mentioned Piaget’s concept of concrete operational thinking for children. They start understanding the concepts of time, space, volume, and numbers. They become capable of understanding basic instructions of the play, and try to follow them, but they are still unable to understand complicated concepts of play like mortgages, bluffs, and loans between players. They understand basic generalization through illustration of particular examples. However, an inconsistency in their application of concepts of time, space, and numbers, is expected at this stage, according to which the instructional material needs to adjust (Armstrong, 2006). The book addresses the needs of middle school level students (age 11-14) by mentioning that the instructional material for students of this age should emphasize social, emotional, and metacognitive growth (2006, p.111). He asserts that middle schools are supposed to provide such an environment to its students, especially those who are in the stage of puberty, that can help them relate the effects of adolescence on their personal and social lives (2006, p.113). The book raises concern that it is dangerous to just focus on skills like algebra and not let the students explore the wide range of emotional behaviors that puberty brings to them. Inappropriate instruction at this age can turn the students away from academics toward violence and other wrongdoings. Their meta-cognitive minds need to be controlled in a very tactful manner by engaging them in studies through a diplomatic relation of their emotions and the subject at hand. The book further raises important concerns regarding the capability of the instruction to make them focus on their abilities to live independently so that they may be able to carry responsibilities and be a fruitful part of the real world. For example, they should be encouraged to get engaged in internships, field work, job shadowing, career choices, and jobs. Such educational models should be implemented that help these students become a part of the adult world. Armstrong (2006, p.137) calls it a tight academic sequence of courses that locks the competencies of individuals into a certain limit. He asserts in the book that programs like internships and apprenticeships help students in trying out newer career possibilities than those which they can come up with while staying locked up in the academic discourse. Hence, students must not be turned into test-taking machines dealt with developmentally inappropriate instructional material, but should be treated as whole human beings that have age-specific learning needs and competencies. Usefulness of the Text This book is very useful because it suggests that educators should teach every student by considering his unique learning competencies. A learning style is described most simply as the way an individual of any age ponders on, absorbs, retains, or processes information. Every one of us has his own unique good or bad style of learning new things (Dunn, 2000). Armstrong (2006, p.41) suggests that educators need to understand their students’ learning styles in order to improve learning, especially student learning, because learning styles have a practical application in education and training. This book helps educators evaluate their current teaching processes, which they may be able to assess whether or not they are being able to help their students reach the academic goals while addressing their human developmental needs at the same time. The book is an inspiration for educators, and a guide for schools that intend to polish human beings into responsible adults through an understanding of human nature and not through conventional testing methods. References American Institute for Learning and Human Development. (2012). About Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. Retrieved from http://www.institute4learning.com/bio.php Armstrong, T. (2006). The best schools: How human development research should inform educational practice. Alexandria, VA: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Dhingra, R., Manhas, S., & Raina, A. (2005). Play patterns in preschool setting. Journal of Human Ecology, 18(1), 21-25. Dunn, R. (2000). Learning styles: Theory, research, and practice. National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal, 13(1), 3-22. Read More