2 year to 3 years:
Children at this age can identify facial features as well as main body parts for example leg, foot, arm, head etc. A progression through matching colours and shapes, more difficult activities such as puzzles and simple jigsaws can be introduced. Pointing to objects in pictures books become more easily for the child as well as an understanding of big and small.
3 year to 4 years:
They continually enjoy imaginative and creative play or with activities and are interested in more complex construction based tasks. A child can learn about basic concepts through play and experiment with colour and shapes as well as textures of objects or toys. A child can also tell their practitioners/carers/parents what they have done in the past or maybe even over the weekend.
4 year to 5 years:
At this stage of intellectual development a child can take part in an activity at school with the other children taking into account the other children’s feelings and playing co-operatively. They can also give and share any ideas they have and listen to others. Children at this age can have their own opinions about their likes and dislikes etc. They also can process information given to them using language.
5 year to 6 years:
At this stage of development a child can concentrate for longer, for example television programmes, longer stories and can recall details of what happened. They also show awareness of right and wrong, and the needs of others which is really important. Children can begin to see other peoples point of view and how they feel.
6 year to 7 years:
At this stage of intellectual development a child can store and recall more complex information using language. Also they can learn to read more complex texts and continue to develop writing skills. Children at this age have a longer attention span; does not liked to be disturbed during play activities. Children also develop a competitive streak at this age.
Section Two
Criteria E3
Intellectual and Learning Development: Theorist-Bruner
A cognitive/intellectual theory was created by Jerome Bruner this is a major theme in the theoretical framework. Bruner wants to emphasise the importance of the adult in supporting children’s thinking and learning. Bruner uses the key word ‘scaffolding’ to describe this adult support. For example ‘it’s like scaffolding holding a house up for a builder so the builder can make work on it and when all the help and work is done the scaffold is removed’ it’s the same as a parent and child. Bruner also try to emphasise the adult’s skills of recognising where and when it should be removed. The structuring of children’s learning should be flexible. As the needs and ability of the child changes the support needs change to and meet the needs of the child. The adult should always support the child in their learning and development by: providing learning experiences, adapting tasks, selecting appropriate material for each child’s needs and abilities; to further the knowledge and acquires new skills, and encouraging children to make choices (what and when). Bruner believed that any subject can be taught to any child at any age as long as it is presented in an appropriate way.
Jerome Bruner, researcher in cognitive and educational psychology, coined the term scaffolding as a description for the kind of assistance given by the teacher or more knowledgeable peer in providing comprehensible input and moving the learner into the zone of proximal development.
Scaffolding includes all the things that teachers do already when they predict the kinds of difficulty that the class or individual students in it will have with a given task. Typical examples are the activation of background knowledge at the beginning of the lesson or a brief review of key vocabulary at the end of it. The Writing Process is another prime example of scaffolding.
Communication Development: Theorist-Piaget
Jean Piaget had a theory to do with intellectual development within children; he saw this as a biological view and was to do with nature. Piaget went onto to studying the development of children by observing them, and talking and listening to them. His main insight was how a child grows up being able to understand their own world. For example ‘a child in a nursery having the correct environment to stimulate and encourage their learning development including wide ranges of play and challengers which can be observed by a practitioner, this then helps them to pin point a child’s individual needs.
Piaget used the term ‘schema’ to mean a child’s conclusion or thoughts. Piaget felt that children’s schema would change as new pieces of information come more understandable to them. There are Piaget four main stages of cognitive development these are:
- Sensori – motor – ages 0 to 2 years: The child develops physical schemas and gains control of movement.
- Pre – operational – ages 2 to 7 years: Children can begin to use symbols as a means of communication which later develop into language
- Concrete operations - ages 7 to 11 years: A child’s logic is significantly changed meaning they could apply rules and strategies to thinking
- Formal Operations - ages 11 to 15 years: Children are able to think entirely by themselves and also in an abstract manor.
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E8: ( P66 & 67 Level 3 CACHE Childcare and Education, Penny Tassoni, Date used: 3/12/2010)
Criteria A1
Theoretical perspectives affect practice by using the different techniques and principles each theory has.
Intellectual and Learning Development:
Using areas from Bruner’s theory in practice will have affect with positive progress.
Jerome Bruner extended Vygotsky’s theories and he called his new theory the ‘spiral curriculum’, which means some children like to return to activities over a period of some years. Buner believed that children learn through discovery with same kind of direct assistance of adults, which they should provide opportunities for them to return to the same activities again and again. Bruner believed that by doing this he would further and deepen their learning and extend their knowledge of the ideas that adults might introduce to them.
Bruner’s theory effects practice because without this theory childcare settings wouldn’t be as advanced on intellectual, communication learning and play development as they are today. His key word ‘scaffolding’ sets a structure for parents and practitioners to support, assist and help children achieve. Bruner’s theory helps practitioners/parents get more of an insight to their child’s learning and development and then more tasks can be set for the child to improve and further their learning. To do this Bruner has had to observe children and researched the normative development. Once practitioners have set the task for a child the child is observed doing the task and then the practitioner will make some improvence and if the child is finding the task a little easy a more challenging task is set for them. That is how Jerome Bruner’s theory affects practice.
Communication and Learning Development:
Using areas of Piaget’s theory in practice would be effective in many ways and will have positive progress.
Piaget has found his theory through observing children through play and activity. This gives the practitioner any ideas of what individual needs each child may require through an assessment. Practitioners then can go onto determine what improvements they need and could use to encourage a child’s development. Things such as more challenging activities that would simulate the child’s communication and learning development. For example ‘rhymes and C.D ROMs that they can listen to or sing-a-long to either in a group or independently’. Piaget has always believed that children learn more when it is ‘hands on’ so for example in communication and learning development, when teaching children the alphabet instead of the practitioner saying the letters let the child copy and imitate the sounds and maybe even show them something that starts with the letter so they will have a way of remembering it. So doing this Piaget believes it will help the child’s communication and learning development.
Section Three
Criteria E4 and E5:
Observations
- Activity Sample
- Free Descriptive
- Tick chart/Checklist
Criteria E6:
Demonstrate how confidentiality is maintained in each observation
When doing observation there are many points you have to take into consideration and maintain throughout. When writing observations in the setting it is important to ask parental consent and ask consent from the management team. The way observations are carried out and written have to follow certain rules such as not revealing the child’s full name, Setting their in, date of birth and gender. By not writing the child’s name you could use ‘child A’ or ‘child B’ etc, when writing the observations you don’t even mention their gender e.g. ‘he’ or ‘she’. By doing any of these things is classed as breaking the law and you could be prosecuted this is a very serious matter. After writing an observation you must make sure it is filled and stored away safely which means they will be secured properly and the information cannot be passed around. Also as a practitioner you do not discuss anything that happens within your setting with anyone who it doesn’t concern, also do not repeat any of the observations to anyone other than the people directly in care of the child, only repeat the information to the people in the direct care of the child if necessary. Also a form of breaking confidentiality is someone’s race, disability, religion, and ethnic background and should not be mentioned about anyone in the setting.
Criteria C1
This is analysing the issues which are essential to confidentiality and objective during observations. The data protection act 1998 was made to protect any individuals’ rights and to help prevent any breaches of the information they may hold about them. Even if these records are computerised this applies to all settings. Parents can access and have the right to look at their child’s records as well as observations carried out within the setting. This is encouraged as it gives the parents/carers an insight of the different tasks/situations their child may come across and they can see how their child ‘reacts’ around the scenario’s. The only time when a child’s records aren’t allowed to be shown to anyone apart from the practitioner is when the child’s safety or welfare may be in endangered. All these rules and laws about confidentiality can be quite confusing this can be resolved by asking a supervisor straight away before any information is disclosed about the child.
Criteria D1
For each observation, discuss the child’s needs in relation to intellectual and learning development
Free descriptive:
During the free descriptive observation, I observed a child of the age 3 Years, 6 Months for around 20 minutes. Child A was involved with the other children in a group activity and when I asked what their activity was child A answered ‘drawing’. Their activity was the pre-school teacher had put shaving foam on the table and was asking the children to write their names and draw certain shapes. When watching child A I focused on their facial expressions and language/interaction.
Child A was asked to draw a circle which they had no problem with doing and the teacher praised the child for doing it right and child A’s face was they were enjoying themselves and smiling and making eye contact with the teacher. Then the teacher wrote child A’s name and asked child A to copy it underneath, Child A managed to write their name on their own with no assistance but found one or two letters hard to write so therefore the teacher stepped in and helped them, child A can hold the pen correctly. Once child A was praised it would make the child more interested and want to do more. Child A is confident with doing shapes but needs more help with a few letters they struggled on. When this activity was taking place Child A kept looking up at the other children to see what they were doing and looking back down at his table Child A did this several times and then lost concentration.
Criteria D2
Explain how the observations can be used to support planning to meet the child’s needs
Looking at this observation, further planning can be made to help the child in this certain area. Extra support when writing their name with the letters they aren’t confident writing on their own, maybe a one to one with their teacher so they’re not distracted by the other children around them and encourage child A to write on their own. Maybe even worksheet to take home with Child’s A name on it where they can write over it to get the feel of writing the letters independently.
Criteria D1
Tick chart/checklist
For this observation I constructed my own tick chart using questions I could ask my child I was observing could answer confidently. The child I was observing was 4 Years and 6 Weeks and I observed them for around 20 minutes I felt this was enough time. I asked child B to tell me the numbers I was pointing to on the cards, child B could count up to 20 but I asked child B to put 20 tokens in front of me. Child B got up to 7 so they have showed me they know the meaning and concepts of the numbers up to 7. When doing this task child B wasn’t making much eye contact and was very fidgety. My next task for child B was to tell me the colours that I point to and I feel confident that the child B knows most colours but didn’t know ‘silver’ or ‘gold’ but other than that they were really confident on telling me which colours where which. When doing this task child B was making eye contact with me most of the time and smiling.
Criteria D2
Throughout this observation I picked up on areas that I feel child B could progress onto more challenging activities. In this case introducing more complex colours like ‘silver’, and ‘gold’ and how you make colours like mixing blue and yellow to make green etc. For the numeracy I would extend their knowledge of understanding the concepts and value of numbers.
Criteria D1
During this observation I was 1:1 with the child. The child I was observing was 23 months and I observed them for 10 minutes. The activity I gave the child was ‘hide and seek’ with a certain ‘blue teddy’. I hide the teddy in the room and I have asked child C to find the ‘blue teddy’ for me, and take me to where the blue teddy is. Child C found the blue teddy straight away and was pointing to it. Once I got the blue teddy I asked child C where the eyes, nose, mouth , head, arms, and legs are etc, child C had no problem with that and child C was also pointing to where the toes would of been on the blue teddy saying “toes” but there wasn’t actually toes on the teddy. Then I asked child C to hide the blue teddy from me and I have to find it, child C needed help in hiding the blue teddy by another teacher. I pretended to child C I couldn’t find it to see whether child C remembered where they hid the blue teddy and child C took me straight to the blue teddy and repeating “blue teddy”. Child C’s face was giggling and laughing I think Child C enjoyed this activity.
Whilst this activity took place there were a few interruptions by the other children telling child C where the blue teddy is.
Criteria D2
For this observation I feel that there could be room for improvement. Child C could practicing hiding the teddy and understand what ‘hiding’ means, and also before finding the teddy get child C to count to 5 before finding it and make the game more complex as the child found it quite easy apart from hiding it.
Section Four
Criteria B1
Evaluate how assessment through observations affects practice
Using assessments and observations in a practice can be effective for all the practitioners, the parents and the child involved. To have observations frequently taken out in the setting you have to have an aim and it is really important to track the progress of the child before hand, which allows the practitioner to monitor the children’s level of development and cater to their own individual needs and help improve their area focusing on. When doing observations there are lots of techniques can be used to be a quick guidance to pin point weakness and strengths and some observations may need to be more detailed meaning a child will be observation for a longer period of time When observations have been taken the parents/carer can view them at parent meetings and can discuss the weakness and strengths and improve on areas they feel they need to, taken into account the ability of the child. Then it can be discussed to try and solve any problems or weakness. Always taking the parents view into consideration. From doing observations it gives a good foundation for practitioners to build upon. All areas of development can be monitored such as:
- Communication development
- Cognitive development
- Social and Emotional development
- Intellectual development
Some observations can just to be aimed at one particular area of development. To observe communication development watching an activity were a child or a group may be sharing what they have done over the weekend or an experience they would like to share. Observing cognitive development could be reviewed from free play activities and social and emotional can be observing a large group of children, learning to share and understand when each child should be allowed to speak. Intellectual and learning development can be observed from an activity including group of children learning letters and sounds, or as a writing exercise.
Keeping records and monitoring all of these stages of development can be an important key part of information each the child, practitioner needs to know. All observations must be an ongoing processor has an objective to them.
A good practice involves:
- A cycle of observations to inform parents
- A key person observing as part of the team involved in planning, observing and assessing
- A daily record of routines aspects of care e.g. feeding, sleeping, toileting
- Regular observations of a new child
- Observations of every child for planned and ongoing assessment
- Record of responds to parental concerns or requests.
