You wouldn’t teach calculus to a two-year old. That’s pretty obvious. But the reason for it holds true for students in school as well. At certain stages of development, students learn best by one strategy of teaching, and other stages, by another. And there are some things they simply won’t learn until they have reached a critical stage of their development. Again, grade one students don’t learn to juggle. They don’t have the physical coordination to perform that task. But they can begin to learn a foreign language. In fact, it is easier for a kindergarten student to learn a foreign language than it is for a grade twelve student, simply because of the way the brain is wired. So knowing what stage of development your students are in is going to impact on your teaching style and your teaching strategies.

Understanding the developmental characteristics of students helps a teacher develop strategies of teaching that will help his/her students’ comprehension of concepts. Armed with the knowledge of general child development, a teacher observes and assesses the students in her class to see which stage each child has reached. This can help determine teaching methods and content.

1. To make sure your expectations are in line with their abilities.

2. To know when children are not developing as the same rate as their peers and get them assistance.

3. To understand that a behavior that they are showing is developmentally appropriate so that it isn’t punished. Then you can start teaching a more mature behavior without interfering with the child’s development.

because so you can recognise what developmental stage they are at and plan lessons accordingly and appropriately.