Aguilar, Alexis A.

BEED-4

Before you continue reading, study the topics and issues below. Read their brief description. Consider the questions
presented. Ask a family member or a friend on his/her stand and why. Write his/her explanation on the space
provided after each number.

1. Nature vs. Nurture – Which has a more significant influence on your development? Nature or Nurture? Nature
refers to an individual’s biological inheritance. Nurture refers to environmental experiences.

They both influence human development, but if we’re talking about which has a more significant
influence, we’ll go with nurture because it describes the influence of learning another influences
from one’s environment. Humans learn through experiencing things. Our development is always
connected to our experiences in life. Experiences are the variables that shape on who we are today.
It’s what helps us grow.

2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity – Does development involve gradual, cumulative change (continuity)? Or distinct
changes (discontinuity)? Is your development like that of a seedling gradually growing into an acacia tree? Or is
it more like that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly?

We developed like seedling gradually growing into an acacia tree. We develop step by step as long as we feed
ourselves with things that will help us in our development. It takes time to develop, you need the experience for
you to mature and to see the world positively

3. Stability vs. Change – Is development best described as involving stability or as involving change? Are we what
our first experiences have made of us or do we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier
point in development?

Our experiences that we have encountered in our lives might have change someone different from who they
were at their early point of development. Change should be embraced and it is part of our development. We
develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development because that is what
development is for. We go through process of development to see changes in the way we think, act and all.

After your discussion with a family member or friend, take time to answer the following questions. Again, use the
space provided after each question.

1. Are you pro-nature or pro-nurture? Are there traditional reasons you can give in favour or nature/nurture?

Pre-nurture are those who are in the early stages of development and just starting on the process. They are the
one who isn’t yet nurtured. The one who is needed to be feed, to take care of and to protect as they develop
more and grow to their stage of development. `Enough nurture for a thing or person helps it grow, letting a
person explore helps him/her learn new things and when he learned and experienced new things, development
occurs. That is why nurture has a more significant influence on our development.

2. Can you give additional arguments to defend continuity/discontinuity?

Our development involves gradual, cumulative change as changes doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye. We go
through a process to be able to see changes in ourselves. Continuity says that our development is gradual,
continuous process. On the other hand discontinuity development occurs in a series of distinct stages.

3. Do you claim that stability is more correct than change? Or change is more correct than stability?

We claim change is more correct than stability as we can say that a person truly developed when we see positive
changes in them that will bring a little positive attitude that makes a big difference to them.
Aguilar, Alexis A. BEED-4

Integration

Do the following activities.

1. What is the implications of the statement: “The frightening part about heredity and environment is that we,
parents, provide both.”

Parents has a significant effect to the child’s development that is why the way parents behaves and how they
raise a child is important. Parents is indeed the provider for both heredity and environment. While the nature
part is obvious, the nurture part would be them providing the lessons and every experiences. Given this
example, “height is an example that is influenced by nature and nurture interaction. A child might come from a
tall family and he inherited it. However, if he grow up and does not receive proper nutrition, he might never
attain the height.” And the frightening part will come through because the parents might not give them a
healthy environment for their child

2. Here is an interesting article titled, “How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life” from the
October 4, 2010 Issue of Time Magazine. Read, analyze, then answer the following question:

a. Read the 4th paragraph again. Focus your attention on the highlighted word, PERMANENTLY.
Relate this to the issue on stability versus change. Does the highlighted word convince you that
we are what our first experiences have made of us (stability)? Explain your answer.

No, the word permanently does not convinced us. Change is the only permanent thing in this world so we
should always expect changes as we grow in our everyday living.

3. Relate what you learned here to your personal development. Reflect on your own personal development.
What has helped you become the person you are now? Is what you have become a product of the mere
interaction of heredity and environment? Or is what you have become a product of both heredity and
environment interacting and what you have decided or determined yourself to become? Write your
reflections.

My experiences and the environment I belong with melded me for being who Am I today. The lesson I’d
receive, the memories positive or not, the memories, it helped me a lot to grow as the person you see today. I
am the product of the interaction between the genes I got from my parents and the experience I’ve encountered.
I am who I am because of both heredity and environment and also because of self-determination. The moment I
was born, I already have genes, thanks to my parents. I may have certain attributes cause of my genes, these
attributes may change on how we are nurtured, and it depends on our environment and also our freedom to
decide for ourselves. In our development, we should always consider our nature and the way we are being
nurtured. No need to choose or debate, it’s both significant. Heredity exerts a greater influence on human
development than environment. My background has a strong influence on my personality. Some personality
traits are strongly capable of being inherited by a person. Thus, it can be seen that a personality is based more
on heredity rather than environmental influences. What has been experienced in the earlier stages of
development can no longer be changed. Yes and we totally can’t change it. If it’s a good experience we will not
do anything to make it changed or won’t let it happen again but if it is something regrettable we can do
something that will stop it for us to experience again.

FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY

Recall a recent incident in your life when you had to make a decision. Narrate the situation below. Indicate what the
decision was about, the factors that were involved and how you arrived at your decision.
Aguilar, Alexis A. BEED-4

The time when I tried to kill myself by doing suicide. At that time my mind was confused because all at
once, especially my anxiety. I was depressed by those times. Many come to my mind especially those
people who loved me, there’s a lot of what ifs in my mind. Every time I was attacked by anxiety
depression again I always ended up thinking to commit suicide. I don't know what to do. Up until I
realized how precious life is. I tried to do some leisure to make my time useful and tried to talk to the
people around me and one of my best friend told me that I needed to escape being a prisoner of my
anxiety depression. I need to be strengthened I need to be healed if I don't want to be like others who
ended up their life because they can’t escape I knew that a lot of people around me loves me so much
especially my family. I don’t want to experience all of suffering so I decided to get well, balance diet,
breathe and find my peace of mind and be able to calm my heart and mind. To entertain myself with
things that will make me happy and reassure myself and stay away from things that will harm myself.

Among the factors that influenced you, which of them did you consider most in making your decision: what will
make you feel satisfied, what is most beneficial or practical, or what you believed was the most moral thing to do?
Elaborate your answer.

The factors that influenced me, I consider most in making my decision is when I attempt suicide because
of my anxiety depression. I didn't continue to commit suicide because someone suddenly came in or
seemed to whisper to me and said “ano ba mangyayare kung magpapatalo ka sa anxiety depression
mo?” “sa tingin mo ba yayaman mga mahal mo sa buhay na maiiwan mo? Sda tingin mo hindi ba iiyak at
masasaktan ng todo yung taong maiiwan mo” I also thought that if I committed suicide, do I think that I
had won against myself and my anxiety depression? No. So after that incident I realized even more that
life is more important. It is more important to fight than to overcome problems like this mental illness of
mine. My momA lot of people around me make me feel precious and valued then gave me strength and
especially the Lord brought me closer to him and my family. There was a reason for me to fight more
because I still have many dreams for myself especially to my family.

ACTIVITY TIME!
Answer and do the following activities.

1. Do you think Freud’s theory is still useful today? As a learner and pre-service teacher, what is the implication of
Freud’s theory to teaching? Explain your views.
2.
3. Take the quiz in Edmodo. Ask your teacher/instructor for the code. The instruction for the quiz is: Tick YES for
every correct statements and NO to those that are wrong.

PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development is truly a classic in the field of educational psychology. This theory
fuelled other researches and theories of development and learning. Its focus is on how individuals construct
knowledge.

Before you start reading about Piaget’s theory, read the situations below then answer the questions that
follow.
1. It’s Christmas and Uncle Bob is giving “aguinaldo” to the children. Three-year old Karen did not want to
receive the one hundred peso bill and instead preferred to receive four 20 peso bills. Her ten-year old cousins
were telling her it’s better to get the one hundred bill, but they failed to convince her. Why do you think Karen
prefer the 20-peso bill?
Aguilar, Alexis A. BEED-4

2. Siblings, Tria, 10; Enzo, 8; and Riel, 4 were sorting out their stuffed animals. They had 7 bears, 3 dogs, 2 cows
and 1 dolphin. Mommy, a psychology teacher, enters and says, “Good thing you’re sorting those. Do you have
more stuffed animals or more bears?” Tria and Enzo says, “stuffed animals.” Riel says, “Bears.” Why do you
think Riel answered “Bears?” What does this say about how she thought to answer the question?

3. While eating on her high chair, seven-month old Liza accidentally dropped her spoon on the floor. She saw
mommy pick it up. Liza again drops her new spoon, and she does this several time more on purpose. Mommy
didn’t like it at all but Liza appeared to enjoy dropping the spoons the whole time. Why do you think baby Liza
appeared to enjoy dropping the spoons?

Activity Time!
Do the following activities.

1. This activity focuses on a story involving the interaction of family members. Choose a story you want to use for
this activity. It can be from a story you have read or a movie or “telenovela” that you watched or plan to watch.
Use the matrix below to relate the characters to Piaget’s stages of cognitive development.

Title of Story/Movie:

A. Write a brief summary of the story: (You may adjust the space allotted as needed.)

B. Fill up the table below.

Character Description Piagetian Connection
Father What is his stage of cognitive development?
Examples: Cite instances why you say he is in that stage. (what he
thought of, how he thought, his reactions and attitudes)

Mother What is her stage of cognitive development?

Examples: Cite instances why you say she is in that stage. (what she
thought of, how she thought, her reactions and attitudes)

Children What is his/her stage of cognitive development?

1. Examples: Cite instances why you say s/he is in that stage. (what s/he
thought of, how s/he thought, his/her reactions and attitudes)

2.

Other Characters What is his/her stage of cognitive development?

Examples: Cite instances why you say s/he is in that stage. (what s/he
thought of, how s/he thought, his/her reactions and attitudes)