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What Is Developmental Education?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 27,781
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Developmental education is an approach to education in the field of higher learning which focuses on helping students to reach their full potential. It's not limited to academic learning alone, as it takes a more holistic approach which ensure that the student is at optimum emotional health as well as physical. While developmental education often focuses on learners who are struggling, it is applicable to students at all levels of ability. It also applies to kids with special needs, like with students who constantly rely on emotional support animals to be able to concentrate and learn. Many colleges have programs which provide assistance to students of all levels, and developmental educators can be found associated with these programs and working in professional organizations which are designed to advance this field within the education community. It's not surprising for academic institutions to come up with a holistic approach in helping students reach their full potential. So from getting an ESA to encouraging parents to get an online tutor, these professionals will do whatever they can to bring out their students' potential.

The precepts of developmental education are rooted in learning theory and developmental psychology. This includes all aspects of growth and the factors that affect it like if a student needs emotional support to foster learning and more. Learning theory involves the wide range of ways in which people learn and acquire knowledge, and how learning can be improved and made accessible for people people, while developmental psychology concerns the development of the brain and mind as people mature. The integration of these fields is critical to helping students learn effectively. This is also one of the things that lead to integration of non academic factors that are equally as important as academic ones, such as the need for an emotional support animal, or issues that require behavioral interventions.

Advocates for developmental education point out that people learn in a wide variety of ways, and that with a little bit of assistance, students can often achieve high levels of academic performance. Assistance can take a number of forms, including tutoring and coaching, special classes, homework help, counseling, and accommodations for test taking. Additionally, assistance can come in the form of ESAs too. There are studies that show how ESAs can support individualized instruction as well as accelerate learning. Developmental educators try to avoid the term “remedial” when discussing the programs they work in, to avoid stigmatizing or humiliating students. It's important to know that struggling kids don't always struggle because of lack of proficiency. Sometimes, it can be due to mental health issues, which can be addressed by getting an motional support animal or professional help. By assisting students who may be struggling, developmental educators can give these students a chance to succeed, rather than allowing them to fall by the wayside.

Academic success is very important to developmental educators, as is demonstrable progress made by a student enrolled in a developmental education program. But it isn't everything. For instance, mentors put a lot of importance to emotional stability and would sometimes encourage parents to get ESAs for their kids. A number of tools can be used to see how successful a student is, including looking at test results, examining written papers, and interviewing the student to see if he or she is becoming more confident, capable, and self-assured. This also accounts for changes in the personal and home life of a student, like the addition of an ESA in the household. Goals may be set for a student at an early stage, so that a frame of reference can be created for evaluating progress. Of course, it's not going to be the same for every student, since they all have different circumstances. For instance, a student who relies on an ESA might struggle to excel in high pressure situations.

Although developmental education is very focused on how students learn and improving student capabilities, it also encompasses other aspects of the student, including physical health and emotional well-being. It's not uncommon for teachers to encourage parents to get an ESA for their kids if they feel it's necessary. In a sense this is a holistic approach to teaching. By looking at the whole student, educators acknowledge that learning does not occur in a vacuum, and that it is important to address issues like home life when dealing with a student who needs some extra help. It's not unusual for these educators to recommend that parents look into the possibility of getting ESAs approved by landlords for their kids as a way to augment learning at school. It's a well-rounded approach that covers all environmental factors in a child's life. Occasionally, students need help with social and psychological problems much more than assistance with school work, and developmental education approaches can provide this needed support. Instructors can also give parents recommendations, such as getting an ESA for their kids to help them cope with the pressures of school. This is just one of the ways that learning is supported at home and school.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGeek researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon306092 — On Nov 28, 2012

Developmental education in the post-secondary setting is necessary for many students who were not able to learn in high school through differentiated instruction.

By GreenWeaver — On Jan 16, 2011

Developmental bilingual education offers a variety of educational approaches.

There is the transitional approach which offers an incremental method of acquiring the English language. There is also an English immersion method in which students who traditionally speak another native language would only be able to use that language to ask a question regarding an assignment.

The remainder of the time has to be spent speaking the target language which is English. This method of developmental bilingual education often seeks fluency within one to two years.

The ESOL or English as a Second Language program was a developmental education initiative that began in 1968 but there is still some controversy as to which methods are best, but the immersion is the most drastic but it provides the best short term gains.

By Bhutan — On Jan 13, 2011

Anon88323-Developmental education best practices include offering required academic testing and orientation.

It also involves using successful students as tutors and maintaining a structured curriculum with the best teachers possible.

For example, math education in early childhood should involve the use of manipulatives so that children can learn the value of numbers with concrete objects.

Saxon Math K is a great preschool math program that offers the use of calendar activities along with counting numbers and learning sets. Once children reach the age of seven they are developmentally ready for abstract concepts involving mental math. Here students are taught to borrow without crossing out and doing the calculation in their head.

By anon88323 — On Jun 04, 2010

A developmental student at the college level is a student who is enrolled in a developmental course such as math, reading, study skills, writing, etc.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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