faith's e-journal

With education comes learning, with learning comes development.

Prior to taking up the course EDS100 (Psychological Foundations of Education), my only perception of education is that it is extremely important for everyone regardless of age, and it should be continuous even outside learning institutions. I have long since been passionate about psychology but was unaware of its relation to education–which made EDS100 a very exciting course for me as it highlights the bridge between these two.

Every module brought me new learnings that helped me appreciate my degree program better. I discovered that education is not just about the traditional setup wherein students physically go to school to attend their instructors' lectures; various factors affect learning, and every learner is different. What stood out to me the most are the abundant pedagogic theories that explain how educators need to recognize and understand the differences among learners to promulgate a better educational system that caters to every kind of student while optimizing their teaching skills.

In psychology, there are different theories and perspectives that seek to explain why humans behave the way they do and how their environments affect them as physical and emotional beings: biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and evolutionary, to name a few. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, different needs are required for people to reach their self-actualized selves, which is the state wherein abilities have been maximized to fulfill one's goals. Some of these needs include affection, food, clothing, shelter, and belongingness. Jean Piaget’s and Lev Vygotsky’s theories, on the other hand, aim to help society understand how children are influenced by the environment they grow up in. According to their findings, a child's environment is vital to their learning and development. Piaget and Vygotsky are only a few of the many theorists that have contributed significantly to the improvement of educational systems.

In the Philippines, education is perceived as a basic need; a college diploma opens the door to employment and income. Although there are adjustments made to the Filipino educational system every now and then which attempt to improve learning for every Filipino, the system should be constantly evaluated. What is working now may not work in the near future. Learning pedagogic theories should also be made available to everyone as they facilitate self-assessment among both educators and learners, allowing them to recognize their own needs and areas of improvement.

There is no other way to go but forward.

I see human development as a rainbow. It is made up of different hues in different tones and shades but which go well together nonetheless. As people grow, they are affected by various factors which play vital roles in making them as they are. According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, development is a complex system–a child is affected by different variables in his environment, such as social relationships. In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, he identified five different structures that comprise the environment of a child.

First, the microsystem is the innermost environment that involves a child’s family members, teachers, and friends. When I try to get into the mind of my 8-year-old self, I see a close-knit family. My parents felt like friends because they were relatively young when I was conceived. I was also close with my younger siblings, although my younger sister and I often get into superficial arguments. In addition, I had a lot of childhood friends with who I grew up.

Second, the mesosystem refers to the connections of people who are part of a child’s innermost environment. I attended three different public schools when I was young, and my relationship with all my teachers was the same. I only communicated with them when necessary, unlike most of my classmates who were friendly with our teachers. Meanwhile, my parents were not much involved in my academic works. I did my school works all by myself as they were busy making a living and taking care of my younger brother and sister. In retrospect, most of our family values were heavily influenced by the teachings of the Catholic Church as my parents were devout Christians. Significant life events were also always credited to the Christian god.

Third, the exosystem involves different settings that may or may not directly involve a child but are still influencing them in some ways. I grew up in a community surrounded by slums, wherein people struggle every day to survive. Although my parents had sufficient money to provide for us, it was difficult to ignore the situations of others surrounding us. Many resorted to stealing, burglary, and robbery to put food on their tables, consequently popularizing our community in Tondo as dangerous. Although people in our environment were not well-off, they still valued Filipino traditions like feasts and holidays. My family even prepared for Christmas as early as midyear.

Fourth, the macrosystem refers to the situation of society as a whole. Benigno Aquino III was the president at the time. I hadn't been very aware of the economic conditions surrounding the country then, but I knew my family voted for Aquino for the presidency. I also can't remember any significant events from this period aside from major political corruption issues, which are still present to this day. In the technological aspect, I remember computers just starting to advance. I was very grateful then as they provided me convenience and entertainment even as a child. At the time, issues of gender equality were also prevalent but hadn't yet received adequate public attention.

Finally, the chronosystem involves major changes that happen within the child’s personal life, community, and country. When I was eight, my third youngest sibling was born. The arrival of our baby brother changed a lot of things. I had learned to be responsible as the eldest child, while my sister turned to our younger brother for playful banters. Aside from this, probably there were also a few historical events that might have influenced me which I don't remember now or I hadn't ever been aware of.

As I try to evaluate my 8-year-old self, I see words I wish she had said, actions she had done, and things she had pursued. Although I was very young and immature then, it felt like there were many things I could have done that were much more worth my time. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my childhood, and there weren’t many regrets I carry from that period of my life. If anything, I believe I was fortunate enough to have been given everything necessary for my development as a child.

Today, I am aware of how many things influenced who and what I am right now, which is important to me personally as I am presently at the point in life where one is struggling to establish their own identity.

Where will our motivations drive us all in the end?

Human motivations are a wonder. As a child, one is not really much aware of what motivates their actions. All they know is that they felt the urge to execute an action or gesture, oftentimes without thinking of its consequences. Children grow up simply wanting to be fed, after which they become adolescents and young adults who dream and have goals of their own. People's motivations change as they age. As one grows, they yearn for something more. Why is that? Is it because they see other people acting so? Is it a matter of culture?

Upon exploring the theoretical perspectives of motivation, I was able to address the above dilemma.

When I try and reflect on my choices in life, I know that I aim for more; more knowledge, more wisdom, more... My decisions up to this very point of my existence are driven by my motivation to learn as I have long since believed learning is what makes life worth living.

I do what I do, because I want it and need it. Although most of societal systems are influenced by the perception and practices of the majority, motivation theory states there is nothing wrong with being driven by social influence if it is what keeps one going. I hold a different viewpoint; I feel like I own my choices. I study not only to build on my future but because I like the act of learning per se.

Motivations drive us to act in a certain way. Sometimes, for the better or worse, these urges can hardly be controlled. But what matters most is what we think and feel of it. It’s important that we do not just go with the flow, oblivious to the consequences of our actions, oblivious to the implications they might entail.

If life were a painting, I am the artist, knowledge is the elements, and emotions are my ink.

I was 15 when I realized that my emotions were becoming a handicap; I felt too strongly about things that it deviated me from reason. For so long, I've regarded my emotions as something of a shortcoming.

This module made me realize otherwise. There is nothing wrong with feeling extreme emotions. There is nothing wrong with feeling. After all, this is what makes us human. Just like any other school of thought, we need to understand emotions, as well. People need to know how to manage them properly as it is vital to their individual development, which was what I didn't get to do when I was younger.

As a local in Tondo, Manila, I grew up in a community where poverty is prevalent and survival is people's primary goal. People around me didn't have much chance or time to learn how emotions are ought to be managed because they were busy trying to put food on their tables.

This is the consensus, and this is what I picked up over my entire childhood: Success is graduating from a reputable university, getting a well-paying job, and building my own family. Even members of my household were oblivious or didn't care enough for the importance emotional management holds in our everyday lives. Consequently, I wasn't aware of emotions as something to be regarded and dealt with rationally until adolescence.

Today, I understood how crucial socio-emotional learning is. Every child deserves to explore their emotional aspect as much as they need to learn arts and sciences. Emotions are much more involved in our everyday lives than we think. Emotions influence our decisions, and our choices today dictate how our lives will turn out in the future. When a child takes the chance to learn to manage their emotions, they will have better decision-making skills. Isn't that what we need to know how to "win" in life?

Learning and developing are a two-way street.

Whenever my parents scold me as a child, they would never fail to tell me this exact same sentence: "Papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako."

I'd always stomp a feet and begrudgingly accept as truth the idea that my parents are wiser because they are older.

Years had passed since then. Now that I am exploring cognitive development theories on my first year in the university, I came to the conclusion that my parents' rationale in believing old age equates to wisdom is the assumption that people go through the same mental, physiological, and physical processes and undergo the same experiences despite differences in generational context, environment, and upbringing.

This notion isn't exactly wrong—at least to some degree.

Jean Piaget's theory states that children go through the same cognitive stages; as they physically grow, they simultaneously undergo the exact same cognitive developments. For example, children's perception and general way of thinking matures, enabling them to comprehend concepts they hadn't been able to in the past.

What my parents failed to take into account was how different our environments were growing up.

Lev Vygotsky's theory states that a child's cognitive development is largely influenced by sociocultural interactions happening around them.

My mother would always compare and contrast our maternal grandfather who was very authoritarian in their household, enforcing strict obedience in all aspects of her and her siblings' young lives, and my father who, although has his own flaws, is still more friendly and forgiving towards his children. This one instance alone should have spoken volumes about how unalike our environments were, having been treated by our own parents differently.

Growing up, I was used to the idea that children are less of a person than adults for many reasons; children are younger, more inexperienced, innocent, vulnerable, and emotionally and mentally immature. This viewpoint is not only acknowledged as a fact but is also a regularly occurring gibe for when children commit mistakes.

Growth crucially happens in early childhood and it's utterly important that older people not only encourage children to explore, they should also not subject them to underestimation or treat them as inferior. After all, children are more susceptible to an admittedly larger amount of knowledge and technically have more untapped potential than adults.

All of these bring me to a realization: No matter how good or bad my experiences were as a child, they will influence but will never hinder my growth as a person. What is important is who I have become, and that I will always be learning.

I take a trip down memory lane, now viewing ordinary landmarks from a different lens. Oh, how ordinary—how beautiful!

The bio-physical processes that happen to us as we age are just as important as the socio-emotional changes we experience. From the moment we were conceived until the day we pass on, physical changes are always bound to happen—that much is obvious. But underlying these physical developments is immense growth from within. Individual development is not just a matter of how we feel physically; it is also about how we perceive things, feel emotions, and form social relationships.

Studying child growth helped me understand certain characteristics about myself and other people that did not really make sense to me for years. It’s clearer to me now how different people turn out to be despite being of the same species and sharing similar genes. I realized that it is because humans don’t grow in the same generational context, same environment, same place, and same pace. Growth among individuals varies. It may be influenced by unique factors that other people weren’t affected by at all. An example would be poverty which may halt or slow the development of physique and mental capacity among children from less fortunate households, but which doesn’t affect children from families of a higher socio-economic status. Basically, people are shaped by totally different sets of developmental factors.

I find solace in discomfort.

Human development is complex as I see it, that humans don’t just live and die. Basic assumptions behind theories of human development describe that humans are defined by different genetic makeups and predispositions, social memberships, culture, customs and traditions, and personal principles.

As we grow, we become more unique and different because we develop a system of beliefs, we reach social milestones and our psychological adaptive capacity matures. I can be 18-, 35-, and 42-year-old at the same time! Age is not just the number of years after our birth; it is also defined by the way we think and by the relationships we establish within the society we belong in.

I appreciate theorists like Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget even better now. Knowing that their ideas started from scratch but are now appraised as great catalysts of development among different disciplines like psychology, revolutionizing the way we understand and see each other, is nothing short of astounding and motivating.

Psychology gave me butterflies.

As someone appreciative of the social sciences, I had always been intrigued by discussions of whether or not psychology can qualify as a "real" science. I finally know the answer now: yes and no.

According to Dr. Saul McLeod in his article Psychology as a Science, psychology cannot be definitely classified as a science in its purest sense. Because psychology evolves over the course of time, what is true in the present might not be so in the future—the mere idea confused and excited me. The fact that psychology changes means students, including myself, will not run out of things to learn about; it’s like an endless discovery.

Moreover, I had become more certain of my choice of program after reading on educational psychology. The common goals among educational psychologists and possible educational innovations to arise from this discipline appeal greatly to me. Helping improve instructional processes in order to lessen learners' challenges would not only be interesting but also impactful, to say the least.