Human Development, Sustainability and Wellbeing

This unit explores the complex factors that influence children and young people’s development and the implications for educators. Students develop their understanding through an examination of human development theories within a contemporary appreciation for interconnected individual, community and global influences for sustaining development and personal and planetary wellbeing. Through critique of frameworks for describing human development students consider how these have influenced, or are likely to influence, educational practices. Students are introduced to key approaches for fostering children and young people’s development and are supported to develop their capacity to use theory to examine contemporary educational issues as well as in their own education practices.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Explain key concepts regarding children and young people’s physical, cognitive, psycho-emotional and social development;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of impact factors that shape human development through use of biomedical, sociocultural and ecological determinants conceptual lenses;
3. Analyse connections between children and young people’s development, wellbeing and global human development;
4. Consider how human development models have shaped childhood and education by challenging their own and institutional assumptions about transitional, relational and cultural perspectives on human development;
5. Examine the changing nature of childhood and the agency of young people, and how education is shifting accordingly;