As part of the holistic study of children, it’s important to observe all applicable areas of development for each individual child. I think that physical, language, intellectual, social and emotional developments are some of the many important factors that should be considered in holistic study of children.
Biosocial development involves the physical growth of the body and the brain. As the brain matures, in both normal and abnormal patterns, the ability for the child to use their body and skills as a result will show differently. Physical intelligence, as summarized by Niranjan, is “wise nutrition and exercise, proper rest and relaxation, and stress management” (2007). If one of these areas becomes skewed, it’s becomes difficult for a child to maintain balance in other areas, especially when it calls for a mental grasp.
Cognitive growth can encompass a variety of measurements, from academic knowledge, emotional regulation, self awareness, discipline, learning by teaching and doing (Niranjan, 2007). Using standardized testing to plot a child’s mental capacity is important, but only to a point. Childhood mentality is composed of and affected by so many different experiences and sources. From an educational standpoint, testing for academic ability often includes language arts, mathematics, reasoning, etc.
Emotional development also plays a large role in mental ability, made up of self awareness, personal motivation, self regulation, empathy, and social skills (Niranjan, 2007). A quote by Daniel Goleman states the impact of emotion well: “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far” (Niranjan, 2007).
In China, children are viewed differently in schools and centers than they are in the United States, and their strong, socialist values almost seem to take away from the study of one child versus the group. Children seldom work independently or in small groups on self-selected tasks. Instead, the emphasis is upon teacher-directed, total group instruction. All children are expected to do the same thing at the same time (Vaughan, 1993). Children in early education centers in China do not have the same opportunities to show their individuality and unique creativity in their work and skills when the group is constantly placed on the same level. Therefore, it’s difficult for educators to meet each child’s needs and plan out how to work with him/her for what they personally require. So without seeing these needs, how can these educators prepare a holistic learning environment?
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