Development from conception age to 16. Theories of development and my observation of a child
Funmilayo Olamide OLAHAN
Pin Number : 11/714572
Kingston College Site Number : 348
Unit 2 Assignment – Development from conception age to 16.
E1/E2
Cognitive development is the area of development connected with knowledge. Understanding and reasoning language development is very closely linked with cognitive development and delay in one area usually affects progress in another. “Cognitive development is about the process of thinking, organising information and learning abstract concepts.”
Stages of Cognitive development from ages 0-3 years.
Stages of emotional development from ages 0-7 year
E3
The concept in which babies as young as 1 month old can, organize their perception and link them to past experiences and the people; is called schema. A schema is a pattern, which is linked to children’s behaviour, which could generalize and use in several and different situations. Schemas have a process in which they seem to change, as a child grows older:
• Assimilation is where the child constructs a schema on what they know e.g. the lady at the nursery stays there because I always see her there.
• Equilibrium is where the schema stays the same, ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
E3
The concept in which babies as young as 1 month old can, organize their perception and link them to past experiences and the people; is called schema. A schema is a pattern, which is linked to children’s behaviour, which could generalize and use in several and different situations. Schemas have a process in which they seem to change, as a child grows older:
• Assimilation is where the child constructs a schema on what they know e.g. the lady at the nursery stays there because I always see her there.
• Equilibrium is where the schema stays the same, while experience of the child seems to be based on their idea e.g. every day the lady at the nursery is waiting for me in the room.
• Disequilibrium is where the child’s information seem to cause doubt on the idea like things to not link together anymore e.g. I am in the shop I can see the lady from the nursery, what is she doing here because she is always at the nursery
• Accommodation is when the child has adapted on their own thinking and develops a new schema with this new information e.g. the lady at the nursery doesn’t stay here all the time
The children’s understanding develops because the brain is maturing and developing as they grow older. Their brains are also exploring the world around it with personal experiences.
Piaget also had four stages to cognitive development. Two examples are the sensory-motor which begins at 0-2 years, that’s the stage babies begin to understand that objects continue to exist even though he or she cannot see them.
The pre-operational stage is when children begin to use symbols to stand for things, for example a brush could be represented as a wand this would be around the ages of 2 to 7 years of age. Children will also be egocentrism. This is when children will believe that every1 will see the things in the same way they see things and think the same way they think. Erik Erickson’s theory on the emotional development stages suggests that in order for to go through each stage successfully; they will need to gain confidence. This will mean that adults working with children will have to give them time to explore, take their own initiative and give them a lot of praise. “Erickson considered that there were 12 stages in development of personality. He saw each stage as a dilemma and believed that how a person coped with the dilemma would affect their personality” (P.Tassoni et al p76 2007)
E5/ B1
The three observation techniques I used to observe child A were an event sample, checklist and written narratives. An event sample is a techniques which is used to find out about a specific type of behaviour or response which takes place. They are often used when a child shows unwanted behaviour, but can be used more broadly. This technique can help you gain an understanding on the frequency and patterns. Event samples can also show the success of any strategies used to monitor and help you to manage behaviour. However, you may have to rely on other members of staff to complete the observation if observer is absent. Checklists and tick charts is an observation, used to keep track of a child’s development ‘norms’. It is prepared with sheets which have statement of norms appropriate for the child’s age, then note whether a child is able to do something, then you add a tick. Checklists are easy to use and easy to be objective but they do not necessarily show how the child manages the skill, because it is closed data recording. A written narrative is used to observe a specific area of a child’s interests e.g. observing to see how a child shows separation anxiety. Preparation is not always essential for this type of observation and it’s also provides a “snap-shot” and it is popular with parents. However it is difficult to record for long period of time and difficult to note everything that is happening. Before carrying out my observations I had to plan and prepare what observation technique I was going to use and which child I was going to observe and what skills to focus on. As being prepared is essential in making sure observations can go according to plan. Through doing observations it can tell us a lot about practice. For example how the setting plans to meet individual needs, routines and which activities are used. From carrying out the observations I was able to identify the child strengths and weaknesses and showed the child is developing within the milestones for the age. The observations could help me to adapt my practice to meet the needs of children. for example if a child is in a wheelchair and is unable to reach specific toys on table and shelves by themselves action should be taken ( differentiation for inclusion. before carrying observations it is crucial that we pick the right technique, this is so that we can identify exactly what we are observing the child for. A practitioner may want to consider the issues of reliability and validity through observations and assessment because as an adult working with children, it is crucial that you are reliable for what you do e.g. activities and observation on any child, you should also be making sure that you are using the correct technique e.g. if you are observing to see how a child is when their parent drops them off in the morning, you should have or obtain parental permission from their parents and inform your supervisor. Observations cannot be completed without parents’ permission. Observations not only need to be evaluated, but feedback from the observation links to the planning process. Children’s interests change so practitioners are able to assess the effectiveness of their planning.
E6/C1
In the setting, it is crucial that confidentiality when observing children. Parents are obviously happy for practitioners to carry out observations on their children. Practitioners should also think about where to store them when complete. “Observations and assessment should be stored properly, usually mean in a secure place. It is therefore important, that as a learner, you do not discuss observations with anyone other than those people who are directly responsible for the care of the child. As the bounds of confidentiality can sometimes be difficult to establish, it is therefore always advisable to ask a supervisor first before disclosing any information about a child or young people” (P.Tassoni et al p98 2007).
Maintain confidentiality also protects the families, and prevent gossip. You may also be giving documents that are personal and you may hear comments that are not to be repeated outside the workplace, meeting, or conversations. Maintaining confidentiality with observations could also include you to: not mentioning the child’s name, for example instead of using the child’s name I have used “child A” throughout my observation and you also have to remember not to mention families address or contact details. As a practitioner you have to keep observations in a safe place, for example, you can put in in a filing cabinet with a limited access to the key and not to discuss any information to anyone unless the child is at a risk and you have discussed this with your supervisor
The issues, which are very essential to confidentiality and objective observation, are:
- Working with parents
- The legal requirements
- Personal attitude
- Policies and procedures
- Safe storage and Sharing information
As a practitioner and a student, I must learn how to obtain permission before doing an observation on a child. Parents often allow staff to observe their children, as they are also interested in their children’s progress and development. Observations should never be carried out without a parent’s permission. In the early years setting, parents usually have access to their children’s observations and assessment, in order to view their progress. This is called the ‘open record’ whereas parents can request their children’s information that the setting had kept for the children, under the education (pupil information) (England) Regulations 2005. However, the only time a parent cannot request for their child’s file is when that child’s welfare and security is at risk e.g. this is when child protection policies and procedures must be followed correctly. Observation assessment and any other personal files should be stored properly in a secured place. It is important that personal information such as assessments and observations are not talked about outside the setting with or families and are only to be discussed with those who are responsible for the care of the child. Sometimes, confidentiality can be hard to understand, so therefore, you should always speak to your supervisor before you share any information with anybody or other professionals. As well as maintain confidentiality, there are also legislations that should be followed. The Data Protection Act 1998 was passed in order to protect people’s information and to prevent breaches of information. This applies to all setting on whether they should store people information on computers. Attitudes, values and beliefs are very important, it is important that u recognise values and beliefs as a whole, objectivity should always be aimed for with observations and assessments in other to prevent children and young people being labelled or stereotyped. “While observations and assessment of children and young people is not a perfect science, it is important that you take steps to make observations and assessments as objective as possible.” (P.Tassoni et al p100 2007). And always remember Inclusion is part of all observations too, inclusion is when you are to understand and identify any barriers and ‘break’ them down in order to make all children families feel welcome and involved in practice.
D1
Child A’s social and emotional needs were to have familiar people looking after her, to have a sense of belonging, to have friendly, gentle reactions and to be friendly, to be responded to as an individual, to be praised and played with, these needs were met as in my observations it showed that child A always had her key worked to collect her from her parent in the morning, and change her nappy etc., this gives child A, a sense stability and security. Child A also had a familiar routine from when she arriving to the nursery such as breakfast, snack time, nappy changing, lunch, sleep time, nappy changing, snack time, tea time and nappy changing etc. Child A attends the nursery 4 times a week 8.00am or 9.00am in the morning and gets picked up at 4.00 pm or 5.00pm. Child A is always gets the attention she needs, members of staff and the other children plays with child A in the baby room, child A is always being praised for little things such as eating her food, sharing toys, trying to crawl and lots more, for example child A eat her toast all by herself, the staff all praised her and sang her a song which made her laugh and smile. Child A enjoys and tries to join in when they sing nursery rhymes and songs, however she does not know the words to the songs but has an idea of the actions. Child A also always gets friendly and gentle reaction because her needs her being met and she feels secure and loved whilst in her setting, as a whole, child A was always being responded to as an individual and always had individual needs met, which can promotes child’s A confidence and self-esteem. “While the core needs of children are the same (Love, Affection, Stimulation and Physical care), recognising diversity means responding positively to the differences and valuing all people, not just the children and families you feel closet to.” (P.Tassoni et al p98 2007).
D2
I observed child A three times, I used Written Narrative, Checklist and an Event sample. The three observations showed that child A needs to have a sense of belonging, to be listened to, to be praised, to be responded to as an individual, to have attention and to have familiar people taking care of her. Young children and babies always need to be listened to. So they have a sense of stability and security. In my event sample, it showed child A was feeling distress when the parent left the room, child A was about to cry but the key worker distracted her and sang to her, this shows her emotional needs were being met so she does not feel neglected.
Young children and babies also need to feel physically comfortable; this could be by making sure they comfortable at lunch times, e.g. sitting in an age appropriate chair. Babies and toddlers will always need to have a familiar people looking after them, so they can feel safe and secure whilst in the nursery. This needs is always met as child A’s key person always does child A’s nappy and takes her from and to her parent, it is always important for the key person to make sure child A is well settle once she comes into the nursery, for example distracting child A from crying when her parent is leaving the nursery.
When child A’s parent comes into the nursery, it is the keyworkers job to inform the parent of the wellbeing of their child, in my setting every child has a book the key person have to fill in, just like a mini observation book, the book contains:
- What they ate and how well they ate.
- How many times their nappy was changed.
- If they did a poo and how many times.
- If they had any accidents.
- What the child has achieved and how they participated at circle time
All people have different styles and ways of learning, therefore it is important that practitioners understand that children may need additional or extra support,
A
There are 4 theorists; Vygotsky is one of them, I liked the idea he was used within our setting, vygotsky theory suggest you should communicate with children for example that is the reason a lot of setting know there is ways of engaging children like having activities with them. E.g. circle time = social & emotional development. Small group time art & crafts, jigsaws, building blocks =cognitive development, language development, and physical development. “Between the ages of 2to 7 years, Vygotsky felt that children are not able to use inner speech in distinct ways and therefor there speech and thought as egocentric” (P.Tassoni et al p73 2007).
The major theme of Vygotsky's theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological).
This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. Vygotsky's theory was an attempt to explain consciousness as the end product of socialization. For examples, in the learning of language, our first utterances with peers or adults are for the purpose of communication but once mastered they become internalized and allow "inner speech".
According to Piaget's stage theory, children progress through a sequence of qualitative transformations, advancing from simple to more complex levels of thought. Piaget believed these transformations to be universal, innately programmed shifts in a child's perception and understanding of the world. He proposed four main stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational.
The transition from preoperational to concrete operational thought, at about five to seven years of age, corresponds with entry into formal schooling. While children in the preoperational stage are able to internally represent reality through the use of symbols such as language and mental images, concrete-operational children move beyond this simple mental representation of objects and actions and are able to logically integrate, order, and transform these objects and actions. For instance, because preoperational children cannot integrate information about height and width simultaneously, they are unable to recognize that water poured from a short, wide container into a tall, narrow container represents the same volume of water. Yet once they reach the age of reason, their maturational level converges with their accumulated experiences to facilitate a qualitative shift toward concrete operational thinking.
Another area of development believed to be constrained by a sensitive period is attachment. Psychologists such as John Bowlby contend that children's early attachment to their primary caregiver (e.g., mother, father) during the first few years of life sets the foundation for their later socioemotional development. Research conducted by Harry Harlow on infant monkeys found that those deprived of maternal attachment prior to six months of age had a more difficult time recovering socially than those deprived of maternal contact after six months of age, thus lending support to the existence of a critical period for social development in monkeys. Yet many "natural experiments" looking at orphan children who have been deprived of adequate affection and sensitivity from a primary caregiver have found that, if removed from such a socioemotionally impoverished environment and placed in a loving adoptive home, most children are able to recover socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Thus, while early experiences can and do have an impact on later development, children often demonstrate resilience in response to adverse early experiences.
One of the fundamental aspects of human language according to Chomsky, is its creative nature. The last sentence (and, in fact, this one) have probably never been produced before in the history of the world. The same is true for much of what we say every day. So, we do not seem to learn or to speak language by purely imitating other people “This approach is based on the assumption that language acquisition is innately determined and that we are born with a certain system of language that we can call on later. Numerous linguists and methodologists support this innateness hypothesis. Chomsky, who is the leading proponent, claims that each human being possesses a set of innate properties of language which is responsible for the child’s mastery of a native language in such a short time (cf. Brown 2002: 24). According to Chomsky, this mechanism, which he calls the ‘language acquisition device’ (LAD), ‘governs all human languages, and determines what possible form human language may take’ (Dulay, Burt, Krashen 1982: 6ff)
E8
Tassoni P et al (2007) CACHE Level3 Childcare and Education
Brown, Henry D. (2002). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. 4th ed. New York: Longman
Dulay, Heidi, Marina Burt and Stephen Krashen (1982). Language Two. New York: OUP
Teacher Reviews
Here's what a teacher thought of this essay
Star rating of 3 This assignment has been written for unit 2 of the level 3 CACHE Child Care and Education course. The evidence provided is for all of the assignment as all criteria have been attempted, however not all criteria have been met. The feedback provided shows how the criteria could be met or extended to show further knowledge and understanding, as well as to link theory to practice. There is evidence of extensive plagiarism in the assignment from both core textbooks and the Internet. In places there is referencing of specific quotes, but in plagiarised areas there is no referencing. A bibliography has been started but it is not in full.