Child Development Essay

 

 

“When you observe, you do not make decisions ahead of time. You are…there. You see what there is to see. Observing children is one of the ways we come to see them as separate individuals. If we really pay attention when we observe our children, we soon learn that each child has their own particular ways of doing things. So do you…You feel important when other people pay enough attention to you to know what you’re like. So does each child.”

Magda Gerber.

This observation will be an objective report based on collected information and observations of infant’s or toddler’s social, emotional, cognitive, & play development. These observations are of the child & adult, not the classroom or environment.

For this assignment you will: analyze the videos attached to the assignment, describe interactions and examples of the children’s experiences and connect these examples to the information in the textbook and other outside resources. During your observation of this example write down everything the child does and how she/he does it in an objective and non-judgmental way – kind of like a video transcript. Remember, you cannot be inside their heads to know what they are thinking or feeling so only write what you actually see or hear. After you have described the behavior and connected it to the developmental theories, describe how the adult did or could have supported the child’s development through their actions and their relationship.

Writing your paper:  There are 3 steps to writing the paper:

Step 1 – Prepare yourself to observe. Carefully read through the Infant and Toddler Foundations identifying, and paying particularly close attention to the milestones of cognitive, social and emotional development. Using the Foundations create a “chart” or “list” of typical stages and development you want to focus on. You also will want to have notes on stages or types of play you might see.  Zero to Three.org is a good resource to incorporate and use for developmental progressions.  Provide clear and specific detail for each concept you provide, this will help you find and connect to the observation examples.

Step 2 – Watch the videos attached to this assignment and find examples of the developmental concepts you have described in your chart.  The videos Babies & Toddlers: Amazing Learners provide an informational narrative.  It can be helpful to watch these videos twice, once to hear the narrative and a second time without the sound to focus on the children’s actions.  It will be important to watch the adult’s actions and responsiveness as well, incorporating your understanding of development and caregiver responsiveness.  Conclude each example with an explanation of why you feel it is a good example of the concept.

Your paper needs to include each of the following sections, providing a minimum of three developmental concepts per section, child behavioral examples and adult responsiveness examples.

Section 1: Social Learning and Development I observed:

Responsive adult interactions I observed that supported the child’s learning.

Play examples I observed:

Section 2:  Emotional Learning and Development I observed:

Responsive adult interactions I observed that supported the child’s learning.

Section 3:  Cognitive examples I observed:

Responsive adult interactions I observed that supported the child’s learning.

Section 4: Reflection. Answer all of the following questions: What are two things about infants, toddlers and/or their caregiver’s practices that surprised or interested you during the process of this observation? How would you rate yourself as an observer? What techniques would you use or modify for next time? What was your favorite part of the assignment? What was the most difficult/challenging, how will you address that challenge in the future?