According to Webster Dictionary, (1969) psychology is the science that deals with the study of human behavior, the mind , its powers, functions, acts and phenomena of consciousness. .
Teaching and child psychology are synonymous with each other. One must consider psychology of children before he/she can teach effectively.
In the everyday contact with the children, the teacher is exposed to different types of of children’s personalities— shy ,aggressive, outspoken, soft-spoken, silent, showy, domineering to mention a few. It is with this premise, that it is necessary for a teacher for a teacher to understand child psychology to comprehend more better the child’s mental capacities, emotional and physical stabilities as well as their environmental and cultural backgrounds.
From the words of Tenedero, (2008) children have different environmental preferences in learning. According t o him, ,research has shown that four major environmental factors affect the learning process of a child, in which the teacher should be aware of: some children learn best with sounds, others study well under dim light, some like to learn in a cool environment and others learn best when they study in an informal set –up.
A teacher should realize that his/her teaching be suited to learners representing a wide range of ability intelligence, aptitude and age. Apparently, children differ in their rates of learning and responding, and in the amount of help they need. They are developing their own personalities which are influenced by their heredity and background. Children are full of life and energy and are in the process of growing up.
Rivero and Sembrano,(2007) cited that the teacher as a psychologist most needed are those who take time to understand their pupils and who gather extensive information and use the data in the best interest of the pupils. They added that often the emotional disposition and attitude of the child is one of the great factors that affects the capability to concentrate, process and retain new and difficult information.
Driving or urging forward in making labels to children ,who are emotionally unstable, disturbed and ill in some ways, a teacher as a psychologist must “ make haste slowly’ in addressing these children as problem children.
Therefore, realizing his or her role as a teacher and psychologist, either way, the teacher must utilize varied motivational strategies to those children develop their interest and productivity. As a result, the children’s innate abilities are explored and minimized for his/her total development both in academics and moral values.
By: MS. MARIA LUISA M. VICTORIA | TEACHER I | PELAGIO RUBIANO PRIMARY SCHOOL ABUCAY DISTRICT,, ABUCAY, BATAAN
