My theory of child and adolescent development is that every child’s developmental process looks a little different — and that is ok! I think there is often times so much pressure put on students to fit the mold of what their development should look like. Whether it is reaching a certain reading level or having a specific number of friends, these goals are often presented as the framework in place to ensure students are succeeding. And yes, these progress points can often be helpful in keeping students on track to be where they need to be, but when every child’s learning process looks different, each benchmark that ensures progress is being made will look a little different. It is also important to not that there are many outside factors involved in a child’s developmental process. All children bring different experiences and challenges to the table, again making each developmental experience a little different. The bottom line is that every child is going to need different things when it comes to learning, and it is our job as educators to provide them with the resources to succeed. When thinking about adolescent development I am continually met by Dr. Riggle’s common phrase: meet students where they are.
I hear a call for balance in your description Payton. We can use the developmental progressions as a “start point” but that does not change the need to adapt to the individual’s needs.