The development of a child follows certain stages. Each of them has characteristic phases of physical and cognitive development. Middle childhood is an essential period of development distinguished by considerable changes in cognition, motivation, and social behavior (Giudice, 2014). It is useful to observe the behavior in natural conditions when a person is not aware of being an observation object. Thus, I am conducting an informal observation of a middle child in natural surroundings.
Observation
Observation Proposal
Middle childhood is characterized by slower growth than the previous period. However, the brain is actively developing. The transformation in its structure and functioning “support the cognitive advances in middle childhood” (Martorell & Kruk, 2014, p.205). Motor skills are also progressing. Still, the most obvious changes are observed in the cognitive sphere. Middle children gain abilities of spatial thinking, categorization, seriation, and transitive inference inductive, and deductive thinking improves skills of conservation and mathematics (Martorell & Kruk, 2014). They have more independence in learning where personal development and abilities are revealed. I have chosen to observe a child’s behavior while interacting with the homework at the public library
Observation Notes
I have made some notes during the observation process:
Child’s behavior: confident, easy-going.
Behavior in society: well-mannered, polite.
Behavior with close people: emotional, showing temperament.
Homework completion: independent, organized, able to concentrate.
Discussion of Individual Behaviors
I have provided an individual observation of a middle child boy. I will call him ‘J’ throughout the paper. During the observation period, he proved to be an easy-going child. He could come to other children to ask for a spare pencil or question a librarian on the necessary book. J is an obedient boy although very energetic. J seems trusting, polite, and well-mannered. He was always dropped off by a woman; I suppose she is her mother. It was curious to observe them speaking Spanish. It revealed his personality and temperament which were slightly different from those shown in public. J was rather independent in his work. He went to the computer room to complete his homework. As far as I can judge, he was good at planning and organizing the tasks as well as in operating the computer, for he managed to cope with the tasks faster than some other children. I have also admitted his ability to concentrate on subjects that demanded attention. While my observation, he completed those tasks very well. I should also admit that in case of necessity he requested assistance from the librarian. In this situation, he was well-mannered and composed.
I had a good opportunity to observe the topic of my proposal. I have chosen a library as a place for observation. Thus, I could keep the boy insight during all relevant times. There was no problem in observation and taking notes without being noticed.
Discussion of the Related Topics
The observation I have conducted is related to some concepts of our class discussions. I would stop at four of them and examine them in more detail. I would like to analyze Temperament, Interaction, Behavior, and Planning and their peculiarities among the middle children.
Temperament
Scholars dispute the nature of the temperament. Still, they mostly agree that it is influenced by both heredity and environment (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). There is the suggestion that attention that develops in this period may be a mechanism that regulates interactions between personal temperament characteristics and the demands of society (Liben, Müller, & Lerner, 2015).
Interaction
Middle childhood is the age of first school experiences. They are crucial for further child’s interactions. The social environment starts taking more time than the family. The interaction in this period is under the influence of other developmental factors. For example, due to increasing gender identification, boys may reveal more negative interactions than girls (Martorell and Kruk, 2014).
Behavior
Behavior, especially social, is a component that changes in middle childhood. It is the age when children gain social norms, are able to complex moral reasoning, observe individual changes in levels of aggression. Moreover, the sense of gender identity increases. It influences the behavior in social play (Giudice, 2014). In the social context, children are expected to demonstrate responsible behavior. Apart from it, Martorell and Kruk (2014) mention that children can “plan and monitor their behavior” (222). They also call the suitable behavior intelligent.
Planning
Children learn to plan their activities during their school years. They are already aware of the work of memory, which allows them to use planning and strategies (Martorell and Kruk, 2014). Planning is also enabled by brain development. It is one of the executive functions which develop together with self-regulation as a part of cognitive skills formation. Best, Miller and Jones (as cited in Giudice, 2014) state that “children become much more capable of inhibiting unwanted behavior, maintaining sustained attention, making and following plans (p.4).
Strengths and Weaknesses of a Natural Observation
Natural observation is a proper method to examine the object in the usual surrounding. However, it has both advantages and disadvantages. The strength of an informal observation is that it can be done without too much preparation or a lot of planning and expense. Apart from it, such observation is less stressful for the person in focus. It helps to observe the natural reactions in the natural environment without intrusion. It enables an observer to get immediate data and in case of necessity make changes in the observation plane. Despite some strengths, the weaknesses should also be mentioned. The observer may become intolerant and thus subjective. Besides, this type of observation is time-consuming. It is also difficult to control and often due to the necessity of keeping it natural the observer is rather far from the object. Thus, some important aspects may be missed.
The research is, of course, not complete. I would suggest two directions for its continuation. Thus, further research may be continued with the same object in a different environment. It will enable a more precise behavior evaluation. Moreover, the research could be made longitude. It might be interesting to observe the personal changes of the boy from middle age to adolescence.
Conclusions
On the whole, the informal observation is a useful experience. It gives a unique opportunity to study the object in the natural environment. Still, the limitations are evident. It can be conducted mostly in public places to preserve its natural character. The only concern I had during the observation was that someone could notice what I was doing. Nevertheless, it is a perfect method to investigate natural behavioral reactions. I had an opportunity to study the everyday behavior of a middle child. Another type of research would not be so informative as children do not always act naturally with the people they do not know.
The child exhibits signs of alertness and enthusiasm when engaging in educational and physical activities (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2013, p. 71). In fact, the child engages vigorously in class activities implying enjoyment. Active playing during break periods is a common feature in this case (Peisner‐Feinberg, Burchinal, Clifford, Culkin, Howes, Kagan & Yazejian, 2001).
A preschool child grows slowly and steadily as he or she increases in height and weight. Signs of well formed, clean teeth, as well as lack of cavity, can be spotted. The preschool child has firm musculature, as evidenced from standing and sitting postures. Normally, the preschool child stands with legs in a straight posture.
In addition, the preschooler sits with a straight back, exhibiting signs of a good health and well-formed body structure. The child’s motor development and control starts to take shape, as other body parts exhibit good coordination. Moreover, the five year old preschooler’s motor skills develop when he or she climbs, hops, skips and walks without losing balance.
By throwing, catching and bouncing a ball, effective body coordination skills by hands, legs and eyes, are exhibited. The hand-eye coordination of the five year old preschooler can be evidenced from construction of complex block structures, handling and utilization of toys, and tackling of puzzles.
Other psychical characteristics exhibiting development of motor skills include writing and drawing skills using pencils, markers or paint brushes. From the above observations, the child’s behaviors are typical at this level of growth and development.
Cognitive characteristics
Among the most notable cognitive characteristics in the five year old preschooler is the ability to speak. In this context, the child speaks clearly irrespective of sentence complexity. In addition, the child writes his or her full names without referring to any text. The ability to count objects using numerical numbers is consistent and accurate with this stage of development.
It is also typical for a five year old child to recognize colors and use imagination when painting objects as evidenced in this case. However, the five year old preschooler’s use of imagination is based on memories. Moreover, the child use of symbols to represent another entity implies good memory development.
In addition, this is exhibited by use of symbols when drawing images and words. In addition, the application of imaginative play and imaginary friend by the five year old preschooler implies an advanced intellectual development (Peisner‐Feinberg, Burchinal, Clifford, Culkin, Howes, Kagan & Yazejian, 2001). Another cognitive characteristic observed is the great attention during class and outdoor activities.
In this context, the child ability to recognize familiar words, signs, objects and comprehension of language is exhibited. For example, the child remembers an address or residential phone number. The ability to follow commands is exemplary, as well as consciousness in terms of time.
Social-emotional characteristics
The child exhibits knowledge and awareness of moral behaviors. For example, the child uses moral reasoning to distinguish between good and bad. However, this is not typical for a preschool child at this development level. Developing interpersonal relationships through friends is observed. For example, the child is always in the company of at least one friend.
In addition, the child connects with other peoples’ feelings through sympathy, anger and sharing. Moreover, the child’s growth and development involves imaginative plays and friends. For example, the child dresses up as an adult while in the house or engages in role playing with friends. The five year old preschooler can control emotions such as anger and frustration for a longer time showing ability to cope with difficult situations.
Moreover, the child exhibits social development through ability to solve problems. For example, the child suggests solutions to problems when in the company of adults or fellow children. In this context, the child interpersonal and communication skills are not typical to that of five year old preschooler.
Middle school (Eduardo)
Physical characteristics
The five year old middle school child has developed important basic life skills (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2013, p. 79). The child exhibits exemplary skills used in feeding, especially in use of spoon, fork and knife. However, an important observation is how the child uses an adult model to copy feeding behaviors. Importantly, initial stages in developing feeding behaviors are messy as the child is confused on which utensil to use.
Another observed motor skill is dressing, where the child learns to put on the clothes. In this context, the hand coordination especially in manipulating zips and buttoning shirts is skillful. Moreover, other dressing skills such as tying shoelaces seem to improve with time.
Motor skills in the five year old middle school children improve with the advancement of games played. In this context, more complex coordination and objects are utilized. The child’s ability to visualize and use hands in creating movements improves with time. Other physical characteristics observed include loss of baby teeth and ability to brush teeth.
Cognitive characteristics
A five year old child in middle school exhibits personal development initiatives. In this context, the child seems curious about the immediate environment. Therefore, the need for further exploration is observed from the child’s active investigative and testing activities. The curiosity exhibited by the child involves many inquiries.
From this perspective, the child ability in relating to ideas and problems is evidenced by attentiveness and the use of logical procedures. The flexibility and ability to classify objects, numbers and words justify the development of the child’s memory (Janus& Offord, 2007). In addition, the child’s spatial reasoning is observed from the ability to distinguish distance and direction aspects.
The five year old middle school child’s brain development improves at this stage as information processing capacity increases. For example, the child takes a short time to solve a mathematical problem. Moreover, the ability to inhibit and control interferences improves at this stage. From observations, the child is attentive and selective on activities and decisions.
In this regard, a sense of adaptability becomes a critical factor of cognitive development. Moreover, the ability to plan signifies a great deal of mental development. In this context, the child shows knowledge in scanning pictures and written materials as part of the learning activities.
In order to memorize information, the child rehearses on important learning contents. Moreover, the ability to organize time using a predetermined schedule or pattern signifies the child’s ability to perform multiple tasks.
Social/emotional characteristics
The child seems to enjoy playing games of non- complex rules. For example, hide and seek, kicking ball and running are favorite games for the five year old middle school child. In addition, the child prefers friendship from colleagues of the same sex. Interestingly, the child understands the concept of a best friend and enemy depending on interpersonal relationships.
However, the child seems to change the list of friends on a daily basis. Emotional characteristics of anger and jealousy become evident through physical expressions (Janus& Offord, 2007). For example, the child engages in constant yelling and anger. Egocentrism, as well as caring for younger children, is observed at this stage. Therefore, the child exhibits typical behavior of a child at this development stage.
References
Janus, M., & Offord, D. R. (2007). Development and psychometric properties of the Early Development Instrument (EDI): A measure of children’s school readiness. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 39(1), 1.
McDevitt, T. M. & Ormrod, J.E. (2013). Child development and education (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Pearson.
Peisner‐Feinberg, E. S., Burchinal, M. R., Clifford, R. M., Culkin, M. L., Howes, C., Kagan, S. L., & Yazejian, N. (2001). The relation of preschool child‐care quality to children’s cognitive and social developmental trajectories through second grade. Child development, 72(5), 1534-1553.
The literature regarding the quality of child care is constantly growing (Burchinal, Roberts, Nabors, & Bryant, 1996), and in that regard, one of the reasons can be seen in the entrance of mothers into the labor force. Accordingly, with such growth, the number of infants receiving child care in center-based settings is also growing. This paper analyzes the influence of the quality of child care centers on cognitive and language development in infants, based on the case study of Sean, a 17 month old infant, whose behavior changed with changing the day care center.
One aspect that should be outlined in the case of Sean is his stage of development. The stage that corresponds to his age is stage five, new means through active experimentation (Berger, 2009, p. 108). Such stage is characterized by expansive, purposeful and creative actions. In terms of language, the development of communicative skills, corresponding to this age, includes expressive jargon, where shortly after the appearance of the first words. Simple sentences begin to appear between 16-24 months of age.
In that regard, it should be noted that as stated by Berger, the intent of the child is to communicate, rather than to use the language. Thus, it can be stated that the expansion of the vocabulary was related to the natural development, corresponding to Sean’s age, as well as the occurrence of the need to communicate. With such aspects separated, the focus can shifted toward the quality of the day care center.
In Burchinal, Roberts, Nabors, and Bryant (1996), a study was conducted in order to investigate the relation between the quality of the day care center and infant language and cognitive development. The findings of the study indicated that language and cognitive development positively correlated with the quality of the day care centers (Burchinal, et al., 1996). These findings corresponded to previous studies related to the development of toddlers and preschoolers (Burchinal, et al., 1996). The quality of the centers, in that regard, can be assessed using structural and process indicators. In the first case, structural indicators imply such characteristic as staff-child ratio, group size, etc. Process indicators include such characteristics as the nature of the care that children experience, the warmth, sensitivity, and responsiveness of the caregivers, etc (Marshall, 2004, p. 166).
In that regard, it can be stated that the change of the day care center in Sean’s case might imply changes in both types of indicators, i.e. the structural and the process. The studies specifically outline the impact of the process indicators of quality, showing to “greater language and cognitive competence, fewer behavior problems, and more social skills” (Marshall, 2004, p. 167).
It should be stated that the natural development implies gradual pace, thus, in the case of Sean the role of the new care center, being higher in quality, can be more important in the sudden changes in Sean’s behavior and cognition. The direct relation between quality of day care and infants’ development is an important aspect that should not be overlooked, which was indicated in a significant section in the literature. However, the periods, between which the infants shift from using holophrases to simple sentences, is too short. Thus, the quality of the day care might only contribute to the development, while the changes in language development might be considered natural for Sean’s age.
Works Cited
Berger, K. S. (2009). Invitation to the Life Span (1st ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Burchinal, M. R., Roberts, J. E., Nabors, L. A., & Bryant, D. M. (1996). Quality of Center Child Care and Infant Cognitive and Language Development. Child Development, 67(2), 606-620.
Marshall, N. L. (2004). The Quality of Early Child Care and Children’s Development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(4), 165-168.
Ages and Stages Questionnaire is specially developed to provide accurate screening of a child aged from one to 66 months. The developmental areas that are screened include communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social, plus self-regulation, compliance, language, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. The questionnaire was applied to assess the development of C.G., a boy aged four years and two months. The following conclusions can be made by the results of the questionnaire.
As for communication, the child has average skills. The score of 40 is slightly above the cutoff, which means that the child is developing, but this aspect needs monitoring and additional learning activities. Gross motor skills of C.G. have the highest possible score and thus develop according to a schedule. Fine motor skills also scored significantly higher than the cutoff although not all tasks are performed without flaws. Still, problem-solving is a weak point of this child. The score of 20 points is below the cutoff, which means that there is a need for further assessment with a professional to define the scope of the problem and the possible causes. At the same time, C.G. has outstanding personal-social skills with the highest score according to questionnaire data.
On the whole, it can be concluded that the child is generally developing according to schedule. C.G.’s gross motor and personal-social areas are perfectly developed, and fine motor skills are above the average. The communication area of this boy is characterized by average development within the normal limits. Finally, the area that is worst developed is that of problem-solving. It demands careful control from parents and the involvement of a professional consultant.
The child has two areas of strength, which are the gross motor and personal-social one. Highly developed gross motor skills, which are responsible for movement or physical activity, also predetermine the intellectual growth of a child since it is influenced by outside impressions the child receives. Moreover, involvement in physical activity in childhood has an impact on developing a healthy and active adult. Personal-social skills determine a child’s ability to take care of oneself and interact with the surrounding people. Consequently, a well-developed personal-social area contributes to the general socializing of a child in different environments.
A barrier for this child is the risk of hearing impairment. Some hearing problems were revealed during the assessment when the boy asked to repeat the questions again or frequently said “what?” as if he did not hear or did not understand the task. The child has a genetic predisposition for hearing problems because his father and grandfather have experienced hearing loss. Currently, his father already needs the hearing aid, and his father will need it soon as well. Still, this possible problem needs consulting a specialist. Hearing impairment, if not diagnosed and managed, can negatively influence a child’s performance at school due to delayed speech and language skills (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.).
It is explained by the fact that a child does not hear well and can miss out on some sounds, which leads to problems in speaking, reading, and overall school success. Apart from learning problems, hearing impairment can result in deterioration of social skills because children who do not hear well can feel bad about themselves and face trouble with making friends and communication.
Based on this assessment, the following recommendations can be provided. First of all, it is necessary to refer to hearing screening to reveal the possible problem. An audiologist can make the necessary tests and explain the possible treatment options. For example, children with hearing impairment may need medical treatment, hearing aids, or language and speech therapy (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.).
Secondly, it is important to focus on the problem-solving area, which received a score below the cutoff by the results of the assessment. Attention to the problem-solving area is vital for further development because the lack of these skills is likely to lead to negative behaviors in adolescence and pre-adolescence periods. Therefore, addressing troubles in problem-solving skills will help to avoid challenges in emotions, social and relational, and functional spheres. Finally, it is advisable to monitor the communication area of the child, the score of which is close to the cutoff according to the assessment. Also, it is possible to provide some learning activities to stimulate the communicative skills of the boy.
Time and Timing
The development of a child takes place in the social environment and is influenced by diverse issues related to it. Thus, every individual is under the impact of time and adaptations, which predetermines the life of society on the whole and each of its members in particular. Still, before determining the impact of these concepts, it is necessary to define them. Thus, adaptation is a way of adjustment to changes in the environment of a biological organism (Ashford, LeCroy, & Williams, 2017).
Adjustment, in turn, presupposes the processes of coping with the demands and challenges of daily life. Changes in the social environment also belong to these challenges. Two important concepts influence the development of a child as a social being such as age effects and cohort effects. While both concepts are related to time, their meaning is different. Thus, age effects comprise the consequences of growing older. At the same time, cohort effects include the “influences on a group of individuals born around the same time who share common historical experiences” (Ashford et al., 2017, p. 3). Cohort effects are generally observed among the representatives of the same generation such as Millennials or Generation X.
Cohort effects can be observed in diverse aspects of life. For example, research by Keyes et al. (2014) provides evidence of the impact that cohort effects have on depression and anxiety prevalence. Still, cohort effects have significantly broader influence. Thus, belonging to a certain cohort or generation determine formative experiences, attitudes towards career and technology, preferences in communication media, and decision-making processes. Applying the concept of cohort effects to the child in the focus of this assessment, the following conclusions and predictions can be made. First of all, since the child was born in 2014, he belongs to Generation Alpha, which comprises individuals born after 2010 (Vargason, 2017). This cohort comprises individuals who are born in a digital age and have always lived in a world with i-pads, smartphones, and other digital devices. Thus, technology is integral to their daily life and is used in studies and work.
Technology will have a significant impact on the development of C.G. For example, Generation Alpha children tend to be dependent on diverse devices and spend more time in front of screens than it is healthy for them. It is common to use a gadget even before a child can talk for Generation Alpha children. Consequently, children observe such problems as delays in speech development and impeded social development (Vargason, 2017).
Currently, C.G. does not have problems with speech or social development, but his communicative skills are average. Therefore, both parents and teachers should monitor the communication area to avoid possible troubles in the future. At the same time, some reports provide data that many parents believe that screen time has a positive impact on their children and helps them to learn as well as to develop coordination and obtain quick reaction skills. As a representative of Generation Alpha, C.G. has a chance to become a successful learner and develop other useful skills due to the carefully dosed screen time. Still, Generation Alpha children are only in primary school now, and there is no relevant research that provides evidence of the impacts that belonging to this generation has on children.
Self-Reflection
The in-depth understanding of a child’s development is crucial for social workers because of many reasons. For example, both knowledge and practical application of child development knowledge empowers the promotion of positive outcomes for children and their families and helps to safeguard children in case of necessity. Therefore, direct observation of children and interaction with them is a significant component of social work since these interventions allow assessing the development of a child. Also, awareness of a child’s development peculiarities provides an opportunity to plan and implement further actions to help a child and his or her parents in case some development peculiarities are revealed.
Ages and Stages Questionnaire was a new experience for me. I believe that this questionnaire is a powerful tool that allows assessing diverse areas of a child’s development such as communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social. The obvious benefit of the questionnaire is that it is adapted for different ages and thus can be used more than once to trace the child’s progress. In the beginning, I was not very confident about the scoring, but the system used in the questionnaire scoring excludes the possibility of subjectivity or bias. Thus, the scoring algorithm is easy to follow.
Moreover, it reflects the development of a child in five different areas and empowers score interpretation as well as recommendations for follow-up. One of the challenges that I can admit was planning the follow-up actions. On the one hand, the child in the focus of this questionnaire does not have critical developmental problems. Still, on the other hand, some issues should be addressed as early as possible to avoid problems in the future.
I believe this experience became a useful contribution to my social work skills. First of all, my organization skills were necessary to find a participant and complete the questionnaire. Secondly, I needed critical thinking skills to interpret the scores obtained in the questionnaire and explain their meaning. Also, I have improved my communicative skills, which are crucial for a social worker because they allow finding an approach to every person disregarding age and gender.
I suppose I will use the Ages and Stages Questionnaire in my future practice because it is a well-developed tool that reveals different aspects of a child’s development. Finally, I have trained my analytical skills to evaluate the results of the questionnaire and suggest further actions for parents of the boy that can improve the existing situation.
Ashford, J.B., LeCroy, C.W., & Williams, L. R. (2017). Human behavior in the social environment: A multidimensional perspective (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Keyes, K., Nicholson, R., Kinley, J., Raposo, S., Stein, M., Goldner, E., & Sareen, J. (2014). Age, period, and cohort effects in psychological distress in the United States and Canada. American Journal of Epidemiology, 179(10), 1216-1227. Web.
Conservation is the ability to develop logical thinking through the capacity to retain in memory various quantities like mass, numbers, and volume despite the quantities undergoing various transformations. A child with the ability to conserve is in a position to reverse the aesthetic transformation mentally and be in a position to acknowledge compensation. This occurs in the preoperational stage according to Piaget’s cognitive stages of development. At this stage, the child is beginning to talk and extends up to around the age of 7 years. However, the ages for transiting from this stage to the concrete operational stage may differ due to other confounding factors like biological and environmental aspects which are different for each child. According to Piaget (Rose & Blank, 1974, p. 500), apart from motor actions, children at this stage can utilize representations like gestures, drawings, and mental images in recognizing objects or events in their surroundings. The children have the egocentric form of thinking where they usually depend on physical appearances. They have not developed the ability to comprehend rigidity or underlying realities of matter.
Their mental actions do not follow a logical pattern but rather are rigid and concentrated to a particular aspect one at a time. They are also highly influenced by the appearance of an object at that particular time (Berk, 1999, p. 50). Piaget’s conservation tasks are designed to test the ability of children in this age group to conserve matter in various quantities. This test is important to understand a child’s cognitive development according to their ages. Children with mental conditions or slow cognitive development are identified through these tests and appropriate remedies are taken. In psychology, it is common to conduct three tests each representing a different quantity to test a child’s conservation ability. These quantities are numbers, volume, and mass. The first test for numbers involves two rows with a similar amount of things like counters, coins, packets of biscuits among others which are spaced equally. For instance, when ten counters were spaced equally in two rows, the children recognized them as equal. That is, they knew that each row had the same number of counters. However, when one row was lengthened by increasing the space between the counters, the children confused this row as having more counters than the other. That is, they did not conserve the numbers but were confused by the change in appearance.
On the second task for the conservation of volume, Piaget showed children the same quantity of water in two similar glasses. The children were quick to point out that the two volumes of water were equal. The water in one of the glasses was poured into a thinner and longer glass and the children were then asked to point out which contained a larger volume than the other (Duffy, Huttenlocher & Levine, 2006, p. 360). They pointed to the one which was longer and thinner implying they had not conserved the volume of the water. The other test was to determine children’s ability to conserve mass. Two similar balls containing the same mass were shown to them and they were able to identify them as similar. One of the balls was then rolled into a sausage shape and the children were asked to identify the one with a bigger mass than the other. The sausage shape was identified by most of the children. Piaget concluded that children’s thinking at this stage is determined by perceptions. In these experiments, the children only focused on one aspect which was a change of appearance. This paper shows the application of Piaget’s conservation task to test a child’s cognitive ability.
Subject and method
TJ is a four and a half-year-old girl who is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development according to Piaget. She is my elder brother’s daughter and we spend most of the time during weekends when her parents are busy doing other chores. When she began talking, I taught her how to pray for food and she still remembers the prayer up to date. During meal times, she always reminds the members of the family to pray and she leads. TJ is always full of curiosity and asks a lot of questions about things around her wanting to understand them more and more. She even goes ahead to try out some things by herself and this has at times led to the destruction of some home appliances. I am always interested to spend time with her because you will never get a boring while with her. She also loves me and wants to spend time with me at the weekends away from her parents. She attends a local elementary school and she is a good learner as she can narrate to me whatever they learned that week when we meet on Saturdays. Due to these facts, I decided to test TJ using Piaget’s conservation tasks to evaluate her level of cognitive development.
Procedures
Due to the change of settings and time frame, I had to have several modifications from those of Piaget to succeed in my evaluation. To begin with, I made sure TJ was aware of the happening in each of the steps, unlike Piaget who did not know if the attention of the child was concentrated on his directions on the tasks or somewhere else (Berk, 1999, p. 34). Efforts were made to ensure TJ had a great interest in the tasks I was subjecting her to. To do this, I used presents which TJ would like and which would belong to her after the tasks are completed. Also, I had TJ go through these tasks with me following everything that I was doing. I decided to first put TJ in tests similar to those of Piaget before the modified ones to see if there will be appreciative differences. I set two rows of counters each containing 8 counters and questioned her. She noted that they had similar numbers. I then increased the spaces between each counter in the first row. During this time her mind was wandering off and she had less concentration. She noted the first row had many counters and thus did not conserve numbers. According to Piaget, TJ was misled by the perceptual appearance of the first row and thus concluding it contained more bars of chocolate than the other (Flavell, Miller, 1993). On conservation of volume, the same volume of water was put in similar glasses and I asked her which had more. She responded they had a similar volume. The water in the first glass was then poured into a thinner and longer glass of which she noted had greater volume.
Results
On the first task on the conservation of numbers, I set two rows each with 10 bars of chocolate. I had TJ count with me up to ten in each row. TJ was able to appreciate that the two rows which were of equal lengths contained an equal number of bars of chocolate. I put another set of two rows again each containing 10 bars of chocolate. On the first row, I increased the space between the chocolates in the row and thus increased the length of the row. I instructed TJ to do the same to one of the rows of her bars of chocolate. During these moves, much attention was paid and I could observe that her mind was concentrated on the events that were taking place. On questioning her which row contained more bars than the other she noted that they had the same numbers. On conservation of volume, I made TJ help me in mixing up the juice to the best of her flavor.
I then took two similar glasses and TJ helped me to measure equal volume in each glass. After this, I questioned her on which had a larger volume of juice than the other. She noted they had a similar amount. I then asked her to help me fill another taller and thinner glass with the juice from the first glass. After this, I asked her to pick the glass which she thought had a large volume so that she could drink. After a long hesitation, she picked the thinner and taller glass. On asking her why she stated it had more juice than the other. On conservation of mass, I took two balls of malleable matter which were similar in size and of the same material. We started by playing with them by forming various shapes of animals and other things like a bicycle. After some time, I took the two and rolled them back into two similar balls. I asked TJ which ball was bigger than the other upon which she responded that they were similar. With her fully observing, I rolled the first ball into a sausage shape which was longer than the second ball. Again, I asked her which ball she thought had a larger mass than the other. She responded with the sausage shape.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Piaget’s conservation tasks are important in determining the cognitive development of a child in the preoperational stage of development. They provide a chance for a child to be assessed on how well they can keep in memory different quantities despite various aesthetical transformations. The children in this age have not developed the ability to comprehend the changes in their mind and their thinking and assessment is interrupted by a transformation (Duffy, Huttenlocher & Levine, 2006, p. 357). However, as seen in TJ’s case, modifications of Piaget’s conservation tasks to fit the child’s setting can alter the results. On the first test, TJ was able to conserve numbers through increased participation and engagement in the tasks rather than just being instructed on what to do. It is also important to point out that other factors like biological and environmental settings can have confounding effects on the results achieved through the conservation tasks.
Reference List
Berk, L. (1999). Infants and Children. (3rd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Duffy, S., Huttenlocher, J., & Levine, S. (2006). Piagetian Frameworks for Understanding Spatial Development. Journal of Cognitive Studies, Vol. 45, pp. 355-378.
Flavell, J., Miller, P. & Miller, S. (1993). Cognitive Development. (3rd ed.) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Rose, S. & Blank, M. (1974). The Potency of Context in Children’s Cognition: An Illustration Through Conservation. Child Development, Vol. 45(2), pp. 499-502.
Piaget’s theory of childhood development has been known for quite a while. It has provided numerous opportunities for studying the process of cognitive skills acquisition in children, thus, leading to the development of efficient strategies for managing developmental problems (“Jean Piaget”). The framework provides a detailed description of the processes associated with the development of specific knowledge in children and relies heavily on the importance of sensory experiences.
The approach suggested by Piaget can be used as the foundation for developing a coherent teaching strategy. While the theory is viewed as rather dated at present, it remains an important addition to the overall concept of childhood learning. Therefore, it must be accepted as an important component of a teaching strategy (“Jean Piaget”).
Key Concepts
When considering the theory, one must mention schema as the primary unit of measuring the process of acquiring new information and skills by children. A schema represents a calorie of knowledge that is necessary to build the foundation for further learning.
The phenomenon of assimilation implies that a learner should encounter a particular situation in which they face a specific stimulus and recognize the specified situation successfully. The assimilation implies that the child should use any of their senses or a combination thereof to identify the stimuli and define their key properties.
The accommodation process that follows assimilation, in turn, suggests that the learner should acknowledge the presence of new data and incorporate it into the set of data that they have already acquired. Thus, the new knowledge is integrated with a preexisting schema so that the child could develop a deeper insight into a particular object, phenomenon, etc.
Theory Description
According to Piaget, there are four primary stages of cognitive development, i.e., sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational ones (Siegler 111). The specified stages imply that one should acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in a specific succession. In other words, the theoretical framework designed by Piaget suggests that a child should pass the stages from relying purely on sensations to the development of basic schemas to the acquisition of habits to the coordination of touch and, finally, to the study of objects’ property and using basic signs to express their emotions (Kolb 109).
Problems and Opportunities
Piaget’s theory has a range of strengths, the primary one being the fact that it allows for building a uniform approach toward meeting the needs of students. Therefore, the tool can be customized to address the needs of diverse students in a specific setting. As a result, the foundation for promoting multiculturalism in the classroom setting and encouraging teachers to adopt a student-centered approach can be created. The identified change in the teachers’ priorities creates the foundation for more efficient management of learners’ needs (Liben 124).
However, the framework also has several problems. For example, it has become rather outdated. As a result, it needs to be coupled with an innovative approach so that it could be introduced into the learning environment. In addition, the tool under analysis lacks a proper emphasis on the importance of acknowledging the learners’ intellectual abilities. Piaget’s theory fails to recognize the individual intellectual characteristics of learners, which means that the framework needs to be combined with the theory that views learners as individuals and, thus, provides a chance for them to express themselves (Siegler 112).
Its Application
Piaget’s framework can be used in tandem with a more recent and efficient tool for meeting diverse students’ needs. As a result, a deep insight into the nature of children’s cognitive abilities will be combined with a device for encouraging cross-cultural communication and taking the unique characteristics of learners into account. Therefore, even though Piaget’s concept of childhood development might seem to lack relevance, it still has potential as the method of exploring new opportunities in teaching and meeting young learners’ needs.
Kolb, David A. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. FT Press, 2014.
Liben, Lynn S. Piaget and the Foundations of Knowledge. Psychology Press, 2014.
Siegler, Robert S. “Continuity and Change in the Field of Cognitive Development and in the Perspectives of One Cognitive Developmentalist.” Child Development Perspectives, vol. 10, no. 2, 2016, pp. 128-133.
Microsystems are called “the most immediate level” for a developing child (Garbarino 22). They may be defined as the combination of the environment in which children dwell, the persons living with them, and the activities they undertake. Initially, the microsystem is simple. However, it is emphasized that, in the course of time, the level of complexity increases. The author draws readers’ attention to the fact that the development implies the transition from the relationships that are based on dyads to multi-dimensional interactions. The social achievements may be assessed by means of “enduring, reciprocal, multifaceted relationship,” and playing, working, and loving are the key indexes (Garbarino 22).
As for mesosystems, they are called the relationships among various contexts or microsystems (Garbarino 23). It is stated that the number and the quality of different connections play the significant role and determine children’s success or failure, and contradictions between two systems are likely to confuse a child. It is explained that strong and diverse links among varied contexts make the mesosystem particularly important to the development of the child (Garbarino 23). This idea is exemplified by the correlation between the home environment and school: the similarity between two microsystems adds up to the better academic performance. Thus, numerous links give the opportunity to form future connections.
Further, exosystems are described. According to the author, children are not involved in this context directly, but the impact is mediated by those who have power over their life – again, parents and schools, particularly, the school boards and planning commissions, are mentioned (Garbarino 23). Two risks associated with exosystems are singled out. The first one is that adults may have to face difficulties in their lives and transmit it to the microsystems. The example is provided: parents whose work requires conformity often demand the same behavior from their children (Garbarino 24). The second risk is that important decisions may be made without considering the individual needs, and children have no advocates.
The fourth context, the macrosystems, refers to the “blueprints” of the ecology of people’s development; in other words, a macrosystem is a set of “broad ideological and institutional patterns of a particular culture” (Garbarino 24). It is demonstrated that the general organization of the world and its characteristics may bring either good or harm. The author identifies many risks, such as economic policies that result in poverty, high rates of mobility, instability that causes losing contacts, lack of support for parents, and discrimination.
Simultaneously, many opportunities connected with macrosystems are underlined: the enrichment of children’s development, family-centeredness, stability, and family-oriented activities. The author arrives at the conclusion that macrosystems are a significant part of the human ecology.
All these contexts are intertwined. It may be said they are based on the principle of the hierarchical structure, and the higher elements influence the lower ones. The first level, microsystems, is the closest to the child, and it is directly connected with several mesosystems, the second level. They make an impact on each other: a child transfers their habits and behavior from microsystems to mesosystems, but at the same time, the actions determined by the second-level context are reflected in the way the child conducts themselves within one microsystem.
The third level, exosystems, engages adults: they influence the personal communication in microsystems, for example, in parent-child relationships, and the links between different contexts, for instance, cooperation between parents and schools. Finally, macrosystems hold the highest position: they influence all levels and provide either opportunities or risks.
Work Cited
Garbarino, James. Children and Families in the Social Environment. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1982. Print.
Monique is a 28-year old single mother of African American descent. She is unemployed while trying to nurture three young children. The oldest is eight years old, while the youngest is two years old. Victor, the middle child, is six years of age. Monique is unemployed and forced to live with her mother, Marion, who is unemployed just like her daughter. Thus, the whole family’s survival depends on one unlikely breadwinner. He is none other than Richard, Marion’s boyfriend. They live in an impoverished neighborhood in a two-bedroom apartment.
Victor’s Development Stage and the Child’s Progress
Victor is a six-year-old child. Thus, he is still considered as a young child, categorized explicitly under the early childhood development stage (World Health Organization, 2017). Queries regarding Victor’s progress in the context of early childhood development are assessed within a framework that examines specific needs. The said framework takes into consideration how Victor’s family and other social support systems are able to meet his needs based on the following criteria: physical development; cognitive development; and social or emotional development (UNICEF, 2017).
Children falling under the aforementioned development category require the same solutions to basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. However, young children like Victor require nutritious food, protection from the elements, as well as the time and space to grow in a safe environment (UNICEF, 2017). Notwithstanding the extreme poverty that they were contending, Victor and his family had enough resources to provide quality meals. This assertion was based on the pronouncements made by a pediatrician tasked to examine Victor and his siblings. Thus, the only problematic area of Victor’s physical development is the long-term impact of the physical injuries caused by maltreatment from the adults in his family (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).
With regards to Victor’s cognitive learning skills development, one can make the argument that he possessed a satisfactory level of mental cognition, based on how he articulated his problems to the CPS operative. He was able to describe the domestic violence problem, as well as the manner in which he tried to cope with the said issue. However, he is at a stage wherein he needed to demonstrate a higher interest in literacy-related activities. Thus, he needed to attend a learning system that offers primary education to children his age (UNICEF, 2017). There was no evidence to suggest that he was attending school.
Victor’s social and emotional growth requirements are two of the most problematic issues when it comes to the said developmental stage (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). At this stage of his development, Victor is expected to gain curiosity regarding his social environment, the people, and the social structures that form part of the community. He is expected to gain more confidence when it comes to verbal expression and uses the same skill to cope with his personal problems (UNICEF, 2017). This is the best time to learn how to ask and learn from the interaction with people around him. However, the physical beatings, verbal abuse, and other negative behavior initiated by the adults in the family make it difficult for Victor to learn new things and gain confidence in leveraging new skills in order to expand his understanding of the world around him.
Vulnerable Group
Victor is classified under a vulnerable group defined by issues of domestic violence and criminal behavior (Figeuiras, Souza, Rios & Benguigui, 2012). This vulnerability is characterized by threatening behavior, physical abuse, and acts of violence perpetrated by family members (Figeuiras et al., 2012). Victor is not only a recipient of physical contact; one can argue he suffered from the effects of verbal abuse. In his case, the destructive behavior of his mother, grandmother, and a non-relative sharing a home with him caused bruising, welts, and lacerations all over his body.
There are at least three significant areas of concern. First, the violence perpetrated against Victor, and his siblings occurred behind closed doors. Thus, it is difficult for concerned citizens or CPS operatives to intervene or monitor Victor’s physical well-being and mental state (Thomas et al., 2012). Second, there exists a high probability of escalating the level of violence against the children. Third, it is not easy to detect the severity of the impact of domestic violence on vulnerable children if health workers had no training that enabled them to spot trouble signs. For example, if the health intervention utilized was only in the level of examining issues that are detectable by the naked eye, it is highly probable to miss the detection of healed bone fractures or repeated bone breakage due to extreme application of violent force. As a result, physical severe injuries may cause stunted growth for Victor. Last but not least, the most critical issue to consider is the possible escalation of violence that may lead to death.
Culture, Gender, and Class Issues
The National Black Child Development Institute, Inc. attempted to paint a positive picture of black children growing up in the United States of America. This goal was accomplished by removing the racial undertone of the assertion that children of African American descent are at risk. In other words, it is not prudent to make an automatic judgment on the basis of skin color, gender, or race. However, it is impossible to ignore evidence of behavioral patterns, as well as statistical data that supports the idea that children of black families are oftentimes poor, struggling to cope with school requirements, suffering from the consequence of having an absentee father and headed towards a bleak future (Cabrera, 2013).
Regardless of the need to paint a positive picture with regards to the plight of black children, it is a known fact that even after redirecting resources in order to enhance the quality education accessible to African American children, the end result is often discouraging. In fact, there is a significant achievement gap between black and white children (Boykin, 2013). The low academic performance of black children is not only the end-result of poverty, absentee fathers, and domestic violence, as exemplified by the life struggles of Victor. It is also the inevitable outcome of using a paradigm that utilizes “talent identification and sorting” (Boykin, 2013). As a consequence, children like Victor are oftentimes declared as unmotivated or ill-equipped to handle the rigors of the educational process when there are other factors involved causing distractions and difficulties that are beyond the child’s control.
In addition, Victor is a black male child, making it extremely difficult for him to acquire the necessary motivation to study and build a better future. His race, gender, and social status inadvertently created barriers for his growth and personal development. Thus, it is difficult to see the establishment of unhealthy relationships that are causing tremendous harm to the child’s social, physical, and emotional development.
Protective Factors and Risk Factors
Theoretically speaking, Victor has the capability to access and enjoy the privileges of at least two essential protective factors. First, there is a so-called family protective factor. In this particular paradigm, Victor gets the nurturing benefits of parents and stable family relationships (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). In addition, Victor is supposed to benefit from the so-called community protective factor. These are additional social structures in the community that help protect Victor from abuse. Unfortunately, these protective factors are absent in Victor’s life.
Instead of benefitting from protective factors, Victor faces the consequences of risk factors. For example, chronic physical illness and mental health issues may emanate from his experience of living in a social context defined by domestic violence and criminal behavior. Aside from a history of maltreatment and the negative consequences of an unemployed single-parent household, Victor must also contend with family risk factors. At the end of the day, his poverty and the pending cases filed against parents and a nonbiological caregiver, work together making him at risk to suffer the consequences of social isolation. At the same time, he is prone to suffer from poor parent-child relationships, not to mention the negative interactions between the children, the mother, and the grandmother (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).
Safety Issues
Victor is the target of physical abuse and violence coming from the frustration of his mother, grandmother, and a nonbiological and transient caregiver in the person of the grandmother’s boyfriend. These three people alternately or simultaneously vent their anger and frustration on Victor (Devaney, 2015). This is evidenced by the use of excessive force to discipline the child, and this is exemplified by welts and lacerations.
The physical abuse coming from the mother and grandmother are more predictable because Victor stated that they prefer the use of a belt to inflict harm on him and his siblings. However, the most critical issue of physical abuse, the one that has a higher probability of causing permanent or long-term damage, is Richard’s propensity to throw things at the children when he is in a foul mood or fighting with Victor’s mother or grandmother. These projectiles inflicted severe damage forcing Victor and his siblings to use the bed as a protective barrier. These are serious safety issues. However, the most dangerous type are those associated with Richard’s criminal behavior. For example, Victor may accidentally ingest illegal drugs while playing inside the house. It is possible that an offshoot of Richard’s criminal activity causes physical violence to indirectly fall on Victor and the other children. Thus, it is not difficult to make the assessment that Victor’s life is in danger due to the fact that he is living in a house that is probably the center of Richard’s criminal enterprise. In addition, Richard’s use of illegal substances may enhance his violent tendencies and escalate the physical abuse directed at Victor (Devaney, 2015).
Conclusion
The combined impact of extreme poverty, domestic violence, and criminal behavior reduces Victor’s quality of life if he is allowed to co-exist with his dysfunctional family. The family’s dependence on Richard’s criminal enterprise makes it impossible for the family to turn things around. As a result, it is no longer possible to establish a nurturing and protective environment that Victor requires in order to satisfy the needs of the early childhood development stage. Victor is in a vicious life cycle that leads to stunted growth and mental health issues. He is being subjected to psychological and physical torment that boys his age are not supposed to witness or experience. He is in a dangerous situation, and in order for his life to improving, it is imperative for the CPS to arrange a foster care type of arrangement for Victor and his siblings.
Cabrera, N. (2013). Minority children and their families: A positive outlook. In the National Black Child Development Institute (Ed.), Being black is not a risk factor: A strength-based look at the state of the black child (pp. 4-7). Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (, 2017). Child abuse and neglect: Risk andprotective factors. Web.
Devaney, J. (2015). Research review: The impact of domestic violence on children. Irish Probation Journal, 12(1), 79-94.
Figeuiras, A., Souza, I., Rios, V. & Benguigui, Y. (2012). Monitoring child developmentin the IMCI context. Web.
Thomas, A., Carey, D., Prewitt, K., Romero, E., Richards, M. & Velsor-Friedrich, B. (, 2012). African American youth and exposure to community violence: Supporting change from the inside. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 4(1), 54-68.
UNICEF. (, 2017). Early childhood development. Web.
This program is designed for prekindergarten learners who are below five years. The setting is a special home in the community where parents can take their children in the morning and come for them in the afternoon.
It should be located at the center of the community where parents or guardians may find it easy dropping and picking their children. It should be away from an industrial area or a major highway where noise is very common.
The facility should be connected to the national grid, and it should also have running water. Other than the classroom setting that has been provided above, the facility should have a secure compound and a well-maintained playing ground where learners can play after a given period of learning.
There should be security apparatus within or near this facility, especially the firefighters and law enforcement officers. It should be easy for the parents and guardians to easily monitor the activities going in the facility as a way of getting an assurance that their young children are in safe hands.
Values
It is important to define the values that these children will be taught while they are in the facility. As noted before, this institution is a prekindergarten facility where children are brought to interact with the environment and members of society. The most important value that these children will be taught is teamwork and appreciation for diversity.
At this stage, children get to learn a lot about their environment. It is at this stage that they should learn about the need to work as a team (Foley & Leverett, 2010). This value will be imparted to them through a play-based curriculum strategy. The interactive walls will enable these children to play different games as a group. When they get out of their classes, they will also play as groups.
This way, they get to value the power of unity and the need to support one another in order to achieve success as a team. This value will help them in their later stages of academic and social lives. The researcher chose this approach to ensure that children understand the value of teamwork, positive social interactions, and the need to ask for help whenever they are faced with tasks or scenarios which are beyond their understanding.
According to Jones and Welch (2010), it is important for children to start appreciating the existence of diversity at the very early stages of their lives. The United States of America is one of the most culturally and racially diversified countries in the world.
The issue of racial intolerance has affected the ability of American society to get integrated and to address social and political problems as one unified group. This setting will help in creating a new generation that does not consider race, religion, or gender as a reason why one should be considered special over others.
At this early stage of life, children may have problems understanding why they have different skin color, hair, or eye color from that of their peers. This learning environment should explain this variation in their physical appearances and make them appreciate this diversity.
The curriculum at this stage should be nature-based. Just like they will be learning about the existence of different plants and animals, they will also learn that there is diversity in humanity and that this diversity does not mean that we are different in the context of being human beings. The researcher chose this approach to ensure that learners grow up knowing about different socio-cultural practices of people in society.
Children
How space will reflect the evidence of children’s interests, learning, and culture
This space is uniquely designed to reflect the evidence of children’s interests, learning, and culture. At this early stage, the interest of children is to learn about their environment and engage in various forms of games.
This interest is effectively met in this environment. The classroom has been designed to allow for easy movements of these children because it is expected that their games will be extended to the classrooms. Tables and chairs are arranged in a way that will allow these learners to understand themselves and their environment easily.
The large safe is also provided to offer enough space where these young learners can store their food and other materials. This was not only meant to help the learners keep their items safely but also to enhance responsible behavior among them.
Space is designed to enhance learning among these children. Every inch of the room can help these children learn something new. It starts from the large interactive smart boards where children can learn about nature and play various games that can enhance their knowledge in various fields.
The tables and chairs are arranged in a way that can enable two or three teachers to pass knowledge to a group of four to six learners. The learners can also learn about themselves by just observing each other and appreciating the uniqueness of human beings. They will also get to learn that different items are meant for different tasks. They use chairs, tables, smartboard, the safe, and their own bags for different purposes.
Space must reflect the desired culture that these children are expected to embrace. As stated above, the focus will be to promote a culture of teamwork and tolerance of cultural diversity. As shown in the above design, almost everything in this space should be done in teams.
This starts with the sitting system that will be used in the space. It is designed to ensure that learners sit in groups of four-six individuals. This way, they get to learn that our society embraces unity and close collaboration of different parties.
They get to learn that different people have different strengths and weaknesses and that working as a team helps in overcoming these weaknesses for a greater success of all. Space also promotes tolerance of cultural diversity among the learners.
These learners will be interacting with their peers from different socio-cultural backgrounds. In this setting, they will get to learn that there are so many factors that bring them together than the fact that they are from different backgrounds.
They get to learn that as human beings, they share dreams, values, and pains, among others, which may not necessarily be defined by their race. This will ensure that by the time they are leaving this institution, they will have a better knowledge of the existence and importance of diversity in our society.
How the classroom provides different spaces for children’s different needs
The classroom has been designed to provide different needs for children in the most effective way possible. At this early stage, it is necessary to ensure that cognitive needs for the children are adequately met.
According to Harrison and Sumsion (2014), songs are very important in children’s cognitive development. They easily learn concepts when they are delivered in the form of songs. The smart boards can facilitate such songs whenever necessary. The relevant teacher can also engage his or her learners in songs during the learning process.
Cognitive development can also be facilitated by allowing the learners to understand different shapes and colors based on what is in their immediate environment. In the classroom, there are different items of varying shapes and colors that can facilitate the learning process.
According to Cecire (2015), children in prekindergarten stage of learning have physical needs that should be met in their learning environment. They should be provided with a space that can enable them to play at any time without exposing them to any form of harm. This classroom is designed uniquely to meet this need. The chairs and tables are arranged to leave enough space for the movements of these children.
Everything in the space has been properly fitted to eliminate the threat of objects falling on children completely. The socio-emotional needs of the learners are also met successfully in this setting. It is expected that these children may be bored at times. The smart boards can provide a variety of entertainments to the learners to eliminate boredom. They can also engage in educative games other than following the normal learning curriculum used by learners in schools.
Number of children and teachers to inhabit the space
Space is designed to hold a maximum of four tables. Each table will have four to six children. Two tables will be managed by one teacher. Ideally, space is meant to host sixteen children and two teachers.
However, it can host up to a maximum of twenty-four children and two teachers if it is necessary. Each teacher will be expected to handle 8-12 learners at a given time. The two teachers will be expected to be in these classrooms at the same time.
In this space, the two teachers will work as a unit to meet the different needs of the learners. This in itself will make the learners appreciate the need to work as a team, one of the core values that they are expected to learn at the time they will be graduating from the institution.
Spaces
The purposeful, intentional, functional use of space
This space was designed to purposefully meet the learning needs of the prekindergarten children who are aged below five years. The main target groups are children aged four and five years whose parents spend most of the time at work. The intention was to encourage the parents to stop the habit of leaving their children under the care of nannies when they go to work.
When left at home, these children spend most of their time watching movies, and this does very little in developing their cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional needs. When they are brought to this facility, they get to learn as a group, engage in games, and share in various factors. The function of the space is to facilitate learning, playing, and sharing among the learners who are yet to join kindergarten.
This space is uniquely designed to ensure that the learners are kept secure and warm at all times. They are also protected from any negative forces, such as undesirable films that may corrupt their minds at this early stage of development.
Space also offers the relevant teachers a perfect opportunity to understand the specific needs of the learners and meet them without straining. As explained above, this space is in a secure compound where children can play simple outdoor games such as soccer.
According to Weinstein and Davido (2013), young children need to engage in physical activities for proper mental and physical development. They need to be physically active to ensure that they have a healthy development of muscles, brain, heart, and other important organs and systems in the body.
This is made possible in this space and its immediate environment. In this class, these children can engage in physical activities such as walking to the interactive wall and back to their seats without any major strains.
Materials and design
Different materials were used in designing the room to make it appropriate for the target population. The carpet on the floor was made of fine wool to ensure that the children remained warm and comfortable. The tables and chairs were made of wood and leather to enhance comfort. On the walls were properly fitted with smart boards to enhance learning.
How the environment acts as an additional teacher
The environment within this space acts as an additional teacher. Most of the concepts that these children learn are on the interactive wall. These children can learn a lot from this wall if they are given the necessary support. The students themselves offer a rich source of learning. They are an embodiment of diversity, which is one of the most important aspects of knowledge they are expected to learn.
Relationships
How space encourages various relationships
This space encourages various relationships among peers, adults, the community, materials, and the world. Space is designed to facilitate constant interaction among the learners. They interact when they are sharing the tables when sharing the smart wall, and when playing in the compound. They get to understand one another in the best way possible.
Space also facilitates close relationships of learners with adults, especially the teachers who are always with them at all times. Space also makes it possible for learners to interact with the community. Every single day, parents flock this institution twice a day to drop and pick their children.
This means that the entire community visits this facility quite often. They get to interact with these children and show them love, which promotes social development (Feinberg & Keller, 2010). The learners in this space get to interact with various materials that assist in their learning.
They get to appreciate the importance of tables and chairs, the smart wall used in disseminating some instructions, and the entire classroom that facilitates the learning process.
How space allows for different types of relationships
In this space, different types of relationships are facilitated. The first form of relationship is developed at the individual desks, where learners sit in a group of four, five, or six people. In these small groups, they get to learn about important virtues such as sharing, listening to others, and reaching consensus.
They get to develop close social and academic ties with the members of their group. These children can also develop a more personal relationship with their peers in the class, especially when they realize that they have common interests.
Learners are offered a perfect opportunity to develop a close relationship with their teachers. The small manageable number of students makes it easy for the teachers to have a more personal relationship with each learner in the class.
They get to share issues that affect them in class with the teachers. This space may also help parents to develop a close relationship with their parents. Teachers can assess the individual children and identify the specific issues that the parents were not aware about.
By sharing these issues with the parents, these parents get to know how to handle their children, which improves their relationship. The environment also supports the creation of large groups in the form of a class of students or teams that play different outdoor games.
Conclusion
The space that has been designed for prekindergarten children is very appropriate in promoting a positive relationship at various levels. These children get to interact among themselves and learn about issues such as diversity and social values that define our community.
They also interact with teachers and parents who help them understand various social and educative concepts about life. This space has also been designed to facilitate physical activities among these children as a way of ensuring that they have positive physical growth.
References
Cecire, M. S. (2015). Space and place in children’s literature, 1789 to the present. Farnham: Ashgate.
Feinberg, S., & Keller, J. R. (2010). Designing space for children and teens in libraries and public places. Chicago: American Library Association.
Foley, P., & Leverett, S. (2010). Children and young people’s spaces: Developing practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Harrison, L. J., & Sumsion, J. (2014). Lived spaces of infant-toddler education and care: Exploring diverse perspectives on theory, research and practice. Dordrecht: Springer.
Jones, P., & Welch, S. (2010). Rethinking children’s rights: Attitudes in contemporary society. New York: Continuum International Publishers Group.
Weinstein, C. S., & Davido, T. G. (2013). Spaces for children: The built environment and child development. New York: Plenum Press.
David is a three-year-old boy chosen for the study that aims to investigate the specifics of the child’s behavior and development. Permission to use his true name is given by his mother during an interview.
Interview Results
During the interview, the mother stated that every morning, David gets up and says “Hi” to her. Sometimes, he may just get in her arms, hug her, and smile without saying anything. Still, he always tries to find her as soon as he awakes and goes directly to her. After necessary morning exercise, the child admits that he wants to eat.
The mother said that David likes spending time indoor in our open-air playgrounds. Depending on his mood, he may sit in a sandbox with his toys or runs with other children, climbs the ladders, and goes down the slides. She observes that David likes running fast and reaches the goal earlier than other children can.
Finally, she explained that her son is usually active and communicative with different people (except in the cases when he is sick). He may talk to another person only if he gets visual approval from the mother. Even when David watches TV, he likes to repeat phrases and answer the questions instead of the main characters. He prefers short cartoons and advertising and cannot sit still during long-lasting movies.
Child’s Development
Biosocial Development
David proves rather good results for the stage of his biosocial development. He recognizes his mother and demonstrates appropriate coordination in his attempts to find a mother and say “Hi” to her. The boy hugs the mother without any concerns being developed from the mother’s side. He likes running, and it does not make any difficulties for him. He has a good appetite as he never misses his breakfast. The parent and the childlike walking and playing indoor and outside. His smile talks about the kind and appropriate treatment of his mother to him. The child knows several general phrases and may express his basic need. The mother does not mention any medical records or health problems. It can mean that no evident physiological or biological problems occur.
Cognitive Development
The cognitive development of the child may be explained through such characteristics as an understanding of the events that happen around. David’s cognitive skills are properly developed regarding his ability to find his mother in the morning or use simple sentences in his speech. The boy develops attachments to his toys and can choose those to play with in the sand. He understands the talks of other people and responds to the questions while watching TV.
Being alone, he can follow moving objects on the screen. David is not afraid that people can leave the screen when the picture disappears. He reacts to funny moments and finds it interesting to talk to a TV. He may communicate with other people who want to talk to him outside. Still, he understands that the mother’s permission plays a role in the establishment of relations with other people. No panic and fears tell about his emotional stability with regard to the world around him.
Psychosocial Development
The interview helps discover several important aspects of David’s psychosocial development. The boy has a will as his main virtue, including his desire to find her mother, eat, or play. David understands the importance of toilet activities in case his mother assists him with it. However, his mother is not the only source of information and communication for the boy. He likes talking to other people and asks simple questions.
The child can awake independently and take the first steps without anyone’s support. When he is hungry, he can ask the mother to feed him. David is good at completing some of his daily activities alone. He can play with his sand toys alone or play with a group of children. He runs and reaches the goal faster than other children proving his understanding of this activity. In general, his behavior and development seem to meet the norms.