Human Development Observations And Reflective

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02 Nov 2017

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Introduction

This essay is going to give a critical reflection of human development theories. It will compare and contrast human development theories, linking the theories to the events observed of a child aged three and a half years in a nursery setting, over six weeks. It will also evaluate the recording method used and what I have learnt relevant to the social work practice. For the purpose of maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), (2012), Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students, the child has been named under the pseudonym of Eva.

Eva is a three and a half year old girl of black African origin and lives with her parents. She is the youngest in a family of three and has a sister and a brother. Both her parents work full time and she attends nursery full time. The nursery offers a wide range of activities and encourages free play.

Observation Log 1

Cognitive Development

I conducted six observations on Eva, over a period of six week in a nursery setting and one of the theories I am able to link to the observations, is the cognitive development theory. This theory is associated with the work of Jean Piaget (1896–1980) and his work focused on understanding how children view the world. Piaget believed that from infancy, we have the basic mental structure on which all subsequent knowledge and learning are based and due to biological maturation and environmental experience, the mental processes will have a progressive reorganization. Piaget’s assumption was that children are active participates in the development of knowledge and they adapt to the environment through actively seeking to understand their environment. He suggested that cognitive development happens in four stages, 0 to 2 years being the sensori motor, 2 years to 7 years the preoperational, 7 to 12 years the concrete operations, and 12 years and above the formal operations. (Beckett and Taylor 2010)

According to Crawford and Walker (2008), Piaget assumed that in the preoperational stages, (the stage Eva is) children have not yet mastered the ability to apprehend, offer judgment, inference or think actions through. He believed that children in this stage are considered to be egocentric by showing difficulty in seeing things from a point of view other that their own. They also engage in monologues, in which they will be talking, but not interacting with each other. During my observation, this was really evident and I noticed it on several occasions on Eva and the other children during free play. (Appendix 4, page 14)Piaget also believed that children focus their attention on one aspect of the situation and have difficulty seeing that a situation may have a number of dimensions. Piaget called this centration and this was also shown in Appendix 6 page 16. Eva selects blocks of same shape and colour. They also lack reversibility by failing to understand that working backwards can restore whatever existed before. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Piaget also believed that children build their understanding of the world through activities for example dramatic play. During the observations the class was rehearsing for the Christmas concert and Eva was role playing as Mary, mother of Jesus, she showed an understanding that a baby needs feeding and also talking to. Piaget suggested that also at this stage they learn skills like drawing, language and sort objects in groups. This was demonstrated in Appendix 2, page 12 and 6, page 16. This showed that she understand the concept of shapes, colours, objects and drawing skills. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

However, Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), also did a study on cognitive growth and did not see children as individual explorers of knowledge, but as learners from social interactions. He emphasised the role of language and the importance of interactions and relationships between adults and children. He believed that the members of the culture, for example teacher, parents or siblings, construct the child’s learning. While Piaget believed that children should not be presented with problems and materials beyond their developmental ability, Vygotsky believed that a knowledgeable adult can help them achieve the skills through what he termed as scaffolding. He referred this period of scaffolding as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). For example during my observation Eva was playing with wooden blocks and was supposed to fit them through holes. (Appendix 2, page 12) The teacher helped her to fit in one of the blocks and later she managed to fit in the rest. (Miller 2011)

Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children build their knowledge through experiences. However, Piaget believed this happened through exploration with hands on activities. In contrast, Vygotsky believed that learning was not limited by stage or maturation. He believed that children move forward in their cognitive development with the right social interaction and guided learning. He argued that they learn through interactions, social and cultural experiences and interactions with adults. Vygotsky believed that an adult is vital in the process of scaffolding the child’s learning. (Charlesworth 2011)

Piaget’s concept have been criticised of denying other aspects of thinking such as intuition and creativity and also not examining and explaining individual differences in children. Vygotsky’s theory draws attention to the role of social and culture interaction and identifies the principle of scaffolding in the children’s learning. Nevertheless, Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that the children actively participant in their intellectual development. (Sigelman and Rider 2012)

Observation Log 2

Play and Learning

As I was doing my observations, I noticed that Eva was engaging in play when I was observing her for other developmental theories. According to Szarkowicz (2006), this is because play can be used in many different ways by children and it is an authentic way for them to demonstrate their competence in a range of developmental areas. Szarkowicz (2006) states that, children engage in play either from a social perspective or from a cognitive perspective. When interpreting how Eva engaged in play, I can use Parten’s (1932) social stages of play. Parten’s theory looked at the social aspects of play, particularly the way play develops from being an individual solitary activity into a cooperative social experience.

Parten (1932), categorised children’s play into six stages, unoccupied play, solitary play where a child plays alone and onlooker play (Appendix 3, page 13 where the child watches others play and this is to about 2 years. The other stages that can be seen from the age of 4 are parallel play (Appendix 3, page 13), where the child plays with similar toys next to another child or children, associative play where the child plays near others and share the same toys and cooperative play where the children who play together with the same toys (Appendix 5, page 15). Bee and Boyd (2011) states that the child’s ability to play in a group; start at an early age and development through the developmental process. Parten’s theory states that children of different ages actually played together differently. They engage in different levels or categories of social play. However the stages of play are not in sequence and children may often engage in different stages of social play depending on factors such as the child’s familiarity with the situation, temperament, or playmates. This was evident in Eva’s play and what surprised me was that she actually played in all the stages. (Appendices 1-6, pages 11 to 16) (Szarkowicz 2006)

According to Piaget (1972) play promotes mental and social abilities and helps children learn how to express and manage their feelings. Piaget argued that for children to think things through they need to play and by doing so, play facilitates and transforms the children’s thought processes. He categorised play into sensory motor, symbolic and games with rules. He proposed that when in infancy up to about to 2 years, a child is in the sensory motor stage and uses motor skill and senses to explore objects and their environment. During the preoperational stage, children engage in imaginary games and fantasy role play which he called symbolic play. (Appendix 1, page 11 and 4, page 14). And finally in the concrete operations stage, children are capable to play games following rules of games. Piaget saw play as assimilation of new materials into existing cognitive structures and in his analysis he saw play as relaxed practice time rather than time for learning and grasping in new information. (Casper and Theilheimer 2009)

I also looked at other theorists like Smilansky (1968) and she based her work on Piaget’s three stages of play, but expanded to include functional play which takes place in the first two years. Smilansky (1968) identified four types of play thus, functional play, constructive play, dramatic play, and games with rules. However, his work emphasised the importance of considering the child’s cognitive development when exploring the child’s levels of play. (Casper and Theilheimer 2009)

According to Sheridan (2011), children discover the world through play and they use their senses and movements. Play is a way of constructing knowledge, developing intellectual abilities and building social skills. Piaget believed that a child could use play to mirror obnoxious experiences or experiences where he or she had no power. He believed that children often imitate and role play an adult who has power for example a teacher who is ferocious because they can imagine themselves in the position of power and this facilitates them to deal with being powerless. This is also familiar in children involved in domestic violence.

Observation Log 3

Language Development

The next theory I considered in my observation is the language developmental theory and I looked at the theories Chomsky, Piaget and Vygotsky. I believe language is an important part in human development because it a major medium of social interaction. According to Beckett and Taylor (2011), the vocabulary of children between the ages of 3 to 6 expands from 2 word sentence to more complex sentences. They believe that as the children’s vocabulary increase, they learn the rules of grammar and they become able to use different forms of words. Whilst I was observing Eva, I noticed that most of her conversation and responses were two or three word sentences and it made me more interested on language development.

Chomsky (1957) believed that sentences are routinely created practically every time. He believed that we have internal rules that enable us to decide which sentences are grammatical correct and convey our intended meanings. Chomsky believed that children have innate abilities, a genetic program to learn language and once they begin to hear language around them, they automatically understand the structure of that language. He argued that this is because of the biological dispositions, brain development and cognitive readiness. His theory emphasises the need for language in the environment to stimulate children’s innate abilities. (Crain 2005)

According to Piaget's theory, children are born with basic action schemas and during the sensory-motor period (birth to 2 years) they use these action schemas to assimilate information about the world. Piaget’s theory suggested that during the preoperational stage children's language rapidly progress due to the development of their mental schemas, which allow them to accommodate new words and build simple sentences. (Appendices 1-6, pages 11 to 16) Piaget's theory describes children's language as symbolic, allowing them to venture beyond what is termed as here and now. During this stage children engage in small talks about things as the past, the future, people, feelings and events. They begin to build sentences of three or more words and their grammar becomes complex. They start to use Where, What, Why, for example, "What is that?" (Appendix 6, page 16) (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Piaget proposed that, during the sensory-motor period, children's language is egocentric and they talk either for themselves or for amusement. During this period, their language often shows instances of what Piaget termed animism and egocentrism. Animism refers to children's tendency to consider everything to be alive, including non-living objects. (Appendix 1, page 11 and 4, page 14) Since they see things entirely from their own perspective, their language suggests their egocentrism. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Vygotsky’s theory of language development suggests that children begin by realising that words are symbols for objects and they develop curiosity to what objects are called. It is then followed by the egocentric or private speech stage from 4 to 7 years, where they often talk aloud to themselves as they perform tasks or solve problems. Finally the private speech wanes and speech becomes more internalised. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Piaget and Chomsky both agreed that children are not moulded by the external environment but they create mental structures on their own accord. Chomsky proposed that children automatically create grammatical forms according to the genetic design and in contrast, Piaget proposed that cognitive structures emerge from the child’s own effort. Chomsky also believed that language is a highly specialised mental faculty that progresses independently and children learn entirely on their own. However, Piaget viewed language as more closely related to general cognitive development. Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children are active learners and they contribute to their own development. They both believed that children build ways of understanding and knowledge of the world through their activities. However, Piaget believed it happens primarily through physical manipulation of objects around them and Vygotsky believed that it is socially mediated. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Language development deals with how a child develops his/her language skills during their growth period. Chomsky believed that language is innate and unique to humans. Piaget believed language is not innate but a product of cognitive development. Finally, Vygotsky believed that language acquisition is a result of both biological and environmental factors. (Bee and Boyd 2011)

Evaluation of the observation process

McKinnon (2009), states that child observation is a process which enable the worker to be responsive rather than intrusive through watching and listening in an alert and informed way that raises awareness and sharpens understanding. It involves learning how to monitor feelings and reactions and how they can provide information. The observation process provided me with an opportunity to focus on the vulnerability, resilience and the relative powerless of children in a nursery setting. It also provides me with knowledge and skills on how to conduct an observation and according to McKinnon (2009), well developed observational skills can act as a safeguard. It also provided me with an opportunity to discover and have a deeper understanding of how children communicate, play, engage with adults and most importantly about their development.

Evaluation of recording method

I used the narrative recording method as I found it easier to use and it involves writing down in simple, plain everyday language. The data collected was qualitative and it required me to write down exactly what I saw and heard at that moment. I was often using abbreviation so as to catch up with the process and so as to write in real time. The advantages of this method are that it requires no advanced preparation, I was able to write everything without specifically targeting a theory and behaviour was recorded as it happened. The disadvantages are that the data was unstructured, difficult to compare, repetitions of what was recorded before and sometimes I felt as if I missed some information because of distractions and noise.

Reflection

Ruch (2009) states that, reflective practice enables the practitioners to acknowledge the actual or potential emotional impact of the observation and be able to transfer the awareness to practice. From conducting the observations and writing the essay, I have learnt that every child is unique and different and the biological, the environment and the life experiences influence a child’s development. Because of this, as a social work student I should avoid generalising someone’s behaviours as difference in behaviours can be influenced by the framework in which that person grew up. Whilst conducting this task I considered my past experiences as a child, my belief, attitudes, my childhood rules and roles and also examined how they can impact my practice. By developing this self awareness it has prepared me for anti oppressive practice and an awareness of how I relate to people.

Implications for practice

As a social worker student I need to have knowledge on human life course development in order to understand their use in practice as the practice requires me to take a holistic approach and understanding of an individual’s circumstances. According to Fawcett (2009), social work practice involves interactions between people, which are influenced by each person’s life course and their experience and perceptions about their own life. As a social worker student I need to have and understanding of how people develop and place people’s life situations in the context of the expectations of normal life course development. This will enable me to appreciate that a person’s experience, their growth and life experiences have a direct impact on who they are and how they see their world. The social work profession is based on the supposition that people can be helped and supported to change and grow as a result of their experiences. Therefore, in order for me to be sensitive and appropriate in my communications with people and in the services I offer and provide. I need to appreciate and understand their life course and what makes them who they are. Understanding how people grow and develop is central to the role and task of a professional social worker and it promotes anti discriminatory and anti oppressive practice. (Crawford and Walker 2007)

Conclusion

In conclusion, growth and development in early childhood involve interaction of internal processes, supported by external support and stimulation. Understanding the nature of human development will support my practice in assessments, interventions and reviews. Whilst physical and biological changes impact on the child, I must be able to identify factors that promote resilience in children. According to Crain (2005) some models of human development are cultural biased and they do not include some aspect for example person’s experience, race, class, gender and sexual orientation. As a student social worker I need to consider the possibility that young children have their own qualities and distinctive virtues.

REFERENCES

Casper, V. and Theilheimer, R. (2009) Early childhood education: learning together. New York: McGraw-Hill Education

Charlesworth, R. (2011) Understanding child development. 8th edn. Belmont: Cengage Learning

Crain, W. (2005) Theories of development: concepts and applications. 5th edn. New Jersey: Prentice Hall limited

Crawford, K. and Walker, J (2007) Social work and human development. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd

Beckett, C. and Taylor, H. (2010) Human growth and development. 2nd edn. London: Sage Publications

Bee, H. and Boyd, D. (2010) The developing child. 13th edn. London: Pearson Education

Fawcett, M. (2009) Learning through observation. 2nd edn. London: Jessica Kingsley

Health and Care Professions Council (2012) Guidance on conduct and ethics for students. Available at: http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002C16Guidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf (Accessed: 10 March 2013)

McKinnon, F. (2009) "Child observation and professional practice" in Ruch, G. (ed.) Post-qualifying child care social work: developing reflective practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd

Miller, R. (2011) Vygotsky in perspective. Dawsonera. [Online] Available at: http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/direct/AbstractView,title.$ReaderFunctions.eBookView.sdirect?state:reader/protected/AbstractView=ZH4sIAAAAAAAAAFvzloG1XJiBgYGJkYG1JLMkJ5WBNTWzOCmvhIHX0tzC0NDY0sDcwMjEspyDAYcMAMGNITdDAAAA (Accessed: 19 February 2013)

Ruch G (2009) Post-qualifying child care social work: developing reflective practice. Dawsonera. [Online] Available at: http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/external/AbstractView/S9780857023070 (Accessed: 4 March 2013)

Sheridan, M. (2011) Play in early childhood : from birth to six years. Dawsonera. [Online] Available at: http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/direct/AbstractView,title.$ReaderFunctions.eBookView.sdirect?state:reader/protected/AbstractView=ZH4sIAAAAAAAAAFvzloG1XJiBgYGJkYG1JLMkJ5WBNTWzOCmvhIHX0tzCwMjA2MLYyMzAopyDAYcMAPJWc4FDAAAA (Accessed: 12 February 2013)

Sigelman, C. K. and Rider, E. A. (2012) Life-Span Human Development. 7th edn. Belmont: Cengage Learning

Szarkowicz, D. L. (2006) Observations and reflections in childhood. Belmont: Cengage Learning

APPENDIX 1

Observation 1

Date : 3 December 2012

Child’s initial : S

Setting : Nursery - Indoors

Activity : Christmas concert rehearsal

Role playing – the birth of Jesus

10:00

10:05

10:08

10:13

10:15

10:18

10:20

10:25

10:30

Briefed by the teacher that children are going to role play the birth of Jesus and S is role playing as Mary mother of Jesus.

S is selecting clothes to wear from the basket in a small room with the teacher.

Teacher is helping S to dress. Dressing in white gown and head gear.

Entered the classroom smiling, S to another teacher, "Look"

Teacher, "You look lovely"

Teacher, "Come and sit here and hold the baby"

S, " the baby needs milk"

Teacher, " I do not think the baby is hungry"

S, " Yes she is"

Teacher, " Ok then, but that is not in the play"

S taking bottle and pretend feeding the doll.

S, "She is hungry" Looking at another teacher.

Teacher, "Put the bottle down and let us start.

S refuses to leave the bottle.

Teacher, can we start, come and sit in your places.

All the children sit down in a horse shoe.

S sits on a mat next to a boy dressed as Joseph, still holding the doll.

Teacher put radio on for music

S and other children sing a Christmas carol. Some of them had musical instruments.

Children continue to sing another song

APPENDIX 2

Observation 2

Date : 10 December 2012

Child’s initial : S

Setting : Nursery - Indoors

Activity : Free play

14:05

14:12

14:15

14:18

14:22

14:28

14:30

14:38

S, "I need bathroom" running to the toilet.

S, "look I washed my hands" showing Teacher.

Teacher, " that is good, take a chair and sit here

S taking a chair and joined teacher and three other children on a table.

Teacher, "Here is paper"

S choosing a colouring pencil and start to scribble

Observed changing colour pencil and continues to scribble

Two other children joining the drawing

No interactions observed

S stops drawing and observe other children’s drawings

Left the table

Teacher, S you are suppose to draw mummy.

S, "No"

Returning to the table, Teacher giving a paper

S drawing a circle and a cross attached to the circle

S looking at other children on another table playing with blocks and wooden screws

Left the table and stare at other children playing.

Approaches table with different shapes and sizes of wooden pieces with holes and wooden screws

Fixing screws onto the wooden pieces

Building a structure in a shape of a cross and imitates an aeroplane

Observing other children who are running around the room

Teacher "what have you build"

S " an aeroplane"

Left table watched other children playing.

S sitting down and observe other children playing

Teacher "Lets tidy up, put that away"

S returning the wooden pieces

Another class of younger children and staff enter the room

APPENDIX 3

Observation 3

Date : 17 December 2012

Child’s initial : S

Setting : Nursery - Outdoor

Activity : Free play

14:00

14:10

14:12

14:14

14:30

14:35

S on a bike cycling around following others

Teacher "Let us swap bikes"

S refuses

Teacher, "We need to let others ride as well"

S leaves the bike

S stomping the ground

S looked at other children in a sand pit

S join children in sand pit

S took a bucket and spade

S start to fill bucket with sand

No conversation observed

S play with sand empting and filling the bucket

S stops and observed other children

S takes a sieve and start to sieve sand copying other children

Teacher, "let’s go inside"

S leaves the sand box and run near door

Children queue on the door to go inside

Inside – S removes coat and hat and hangs on a peg

Teacher, "That is good S".

S did not respond

Teacher, "Lets wash our hands"

S, "Me first"

S run to the sink and wash hands.

APPENDIX 4

Observation 4

Date : 7 January 2013

Child’s initial : S

Setting : Nursery - Indoor

Activity : Free playing/ story time

Time : 09:00 to 09:30

S and other children are wearing aprons and in the kitchen corner. There is a toy kitchen with plastic utensil. S put a toy egg in the pan and starts to turn it over and over. The egg falls on the floor. S, "it’s dirty". S picks up the egg and imitates washing it at the toy sink. She imitates that there is water. S imitates closing the water and put egg in a plate. S sits on the table and takes a doll. S "Do you want to eat", talking to the doll. S "Yes you do" S takes another toy. S "This is Hoody" S start to shake the doll. The doll makes a sound. S "Hoody is hungry", "you are not hungry", referring to the initial doll. S imitates feeding the doll the plastic egg. Teacher, "tidy up" S takes the dolls and put them in the toy box. She also removes the apron. Other children join in the tidying up and teacher blow whistle. S run and sit on the floor. S "I am first", Teacher, "Ok, get a book" S gets a book from the shelf and gives to teacher. Teacher starts to read a story.

APPENDIX 5

Observation 5

Date : 14 January 2013

Child’s initial : S

Setting : Nursery - Outdoor

Activity : Free play

Time : 13:30 to 14:00

S and other children are playing outside with snow. S is running following another child. S throws snow ball to another child. S is hit by snow and throws back. Children are playing boys on the other side and girls on the other. They continue to through snow at each other making noises and running in the playground. A boy throws snow to one of the girls. S," look". Teacher "thank is ok, he did not mean to" S and other girls enters a hut. Another child "Let’s make a snow man". S and the other children (girls) start to pile snow taking turns to get the snow outside the hut. They make a pile of snow. Teacher, "That’s lovely" Its time to go inside. S leaves the snow and run towards the doors shouting "Me first" All the children line up ready to go inside.



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