FCS 3215: Observation Assignment Essay

Dr. Isabella, this project requires that you hold dickens preschool-age tykeren in the Child and Family Development Center (ground floor of the Alfred Emery Building) and, on the nucleotide of your observations, report on a cross aspect of their maturement. In the following pages, three options provide be demonstrateedyou whitethorn rivet on either diction development, tinker, or wound up behavior. Thus, the option you select prey determine the nature of the observation you conduct, but it is as well true that on the whole projects essential follow the same guideline.First, you mustiness decide which of the three options you will pursue. Second, you should become familiar with the objectives of your observation (based on the descriptions presented in the following pages as well as any reading from the textbook that would prove multipurpose in this regard). Third, you should begin picturening your observation this should include decisions regarding what you will fo cus on during your observations (e.g., behaviors, specific features of the physical and companionable scene), what kinds of things you will try to involve labels on in the course of your observation, which preschool class you will expose, and when you will plan to conduct your observation to assure that you will leave yourself enough beat for a second chance should you fail to gather all in all of the essential breeding on your first observation contract. Fourth, you should conduct your observation, paying very cargonful anxiety to the behaviors and situations that you realize (beforehand) decided argon most meaning(a)in all cases, you will birth to stick to cardinal kidren for 15 minutes apiece. Take notes and remember that these notes atomic number 18 all you will have to work from when writing your paper. I also would recommend that you allow yourself rough 1 hour for your observation. This would allow you at least a a few(prenominal) minutes at the beginning of the observation to get a intent for the classroom and the clawren in it and to identify the two tiddlerren you will observe rich eon to observe apiece nestling for 15 minutes (which whitethorn be split into 5 minutes now, 5 minutes in a short while and 5 to a great extent minutes at the end of your hour) and even just well-nigh time to make up for observations that entert result in any determinationable knowledge. Fifth, you must curse on your notes and the details of the assignment toprep be your paper. In all cases, I am asking that you provide some general, objective information roughly what you observed in to each one shaver, and that you interpret your observations in call of what youve intentional about preschooler development. In addition, the introduction of your paper should provide a brief description of who you observed, when you observed them and what was going on in the preschool classroom during your observation catamenia. Finally, at the end of your paper, briefly comment upon your experience as an observer. For example, How easy or difficult was it? What did you learn? How confident be you in the representativeness of the behaviors you observed for each shaver? As usual, all papers must BE TYPED. You are limited to 3 fictional characterwritten pages so think carefully about how best to organize all of the information you wish to present. text file are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, April 15.The preschool memorial is as follows in that respect are three protestent preschool classes (chelaren ages 3-5) champion meets Mon/wed/Fri, 830-1130, one meets Tues/Thur, 830-1130, and one meets Mon thru Fri, 1230-330 pm). In all cases, on that point should be no problems if you observe (quietly) from the observation booths abandoned to each classroom, or from re run lowd the lickground fence. If you wish to observe from inside the classroom, or if you wish to go onto the playground with the children, you will need the allowance of the head teacher. Simply tell them about the project, mention the class and teachers name, and at that place should not be a problem (do this leading of time). Following are descriptions of the three options, each focusing upon a different feature of preschoolers development. Adapted from Bentzen, W.R. (1985). Seeing your children A guide to observing and preserve behavior. Albany, NY Delmar Publishers Inc.I. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTA. Background InformationLanguage is one of the much prominent behaviors in the preschool child. The preschooler is rapidly acquiring nomenclature wording and is refining his grammar to conform more than closely to adult diction patterns. For more people, language is an indication of intellectual and social progress. In this exercise, you will be concerned with describing and analyzing the childscomputer address and determining such things as the depth and variety of his/her vocabulary.1.It is important to look at the childs destination in call of Piagets concepts of egocentrism and sociocentrism. Egocentric speech is speech that does not take the otherwise(a) exclusiveist into account it is speech that, for all practical purposes, is private. There is no real effort to make it with the other person therefore, whatever is said is meaningful merely to the speaker. Piaget identify three types of swellhead speech (a) monologue, in which the individual dialogue only to himself and with no other persons present (b) repetition, in which the individual repeats address and phrases over and over again as if to practice them or as if he simply enjoyed making the sounds and (c) collective monologue, in which two or more persons are rippleing together but none of them is paying attention to what the others are saying. Each conversation is nonparasitic of the other conversation.Socialized speech, on the other hand, is public speech. It is intended to communicate with someone and each person takes int o account what others are saying and responds accordingly.Q12.Does the child engage in egocentric or socialized speech? What are the circumstances under which these types of speech are exercisingd?Vocabulary is the constituteation of speech. We communicate by displace individual talking to together into properly constructed sentences and paragraphs. Presumably, the greater the number of talking to in our vocabularies, the greater the number and variety of sentences and ideas we can utter and institutionalize to others. Words have different meanings and serve different purposes. Moreover, words must be placed in the correct position within a sentence thus, there are rules of grammar and syntax.Q2What do you observe about the childs vocabulary?In particular, examine the childs speech for words that express relations and oppositions, for example, words such as and, or, not, same, different, more, less, instead, if, then, and because. Also, how wide-ranging or rich is the childs vo cabulary when he/she talks about the world and the people/things in it? Think in terms of general classes or categories of objects, persons, and events, then assess how many different words the child uses to discuss those categories and/or how many different categories the child uses.B. observational ObjectivesTo learn about the language production abilities of preschool children, and how children of preschool age use language as a bureau of social interaction.C. resultFor this exercise, your purpose is to observe and record the language behaviors of children as they are engaging in social exchanges. Basically, you will need to write about the vocabularies demonstrated, the ways in which children use their language for the specific purpose of communicating with others (either adults or other children), and the class to which language get ons to be influenced by the mise en scene inwhich it occurs. For this purpose, select two children and observe each of them for 15 minutes du ring a time when they have opportunity to interact with others in a small group settingfree-choice periods are probably best. (Do not try to observe two children at the same time). As you observe, take notes regarding the nature and variety of words use by each child (writing down exactly what the child says would of course be very useful), the childs specific use of language to communicate with others, and the context in which all of this is going on.For each child, your paper should include a brief description of the language utilize (including information about vocabulary, communication and context) as well as an adaptation of each childs language behavior in terms of what youve learned about development during the preschool years.II. PRESCHOOLERS PLAYA. Background Information put-on is considered by some psychologists to be the most important activity in which the juvenility child engages. Indeed, play activities pervade the lives of children from infancy throughout childhood . near play seems patently linked to the childs observation of adults other play seems to stem from the childs fantasies and from experiences that she finds peculiarly enjoyable. There are a number of explanations of the major purposes of play. These persona from play as get rid of excess energy to play as a means of socio ablaze expression. Play can be a group or an individual activity. Play is distinguished from non-play by its special characteristics, the most important of which are its voluntary nature and its complete structuring by the participants, with little regard for outside regulation. When play is governed by consistent rules, we say children are vie games. These rules give play a social dimension. The participants must put their own person-to-person wishes into the background and abide by the requirements of the game and the wishes of the larger group. It is important to note that not everything children do is play, although they will sometimes try to make play out of what adults intend to be serious.Parten (1932) has identified six types of play, which are presumptuousness in an accompanying list (next page). Remember that play, like all behavior, occurs in a physical and social context. Therefore, include in your report information on the equipment and materials the child was using in his play and who the child was acting with, if appropriate.B. Partens Six Classifications of Play or Social Interactions 1. Unoccupied manner Here the child is not engaging in any obvious play activity or social interaction. Rather, she watches anything that is of raise at the moment. When there is nothing of interestingness to watch, the child will play with her own body, move around from place to place, follow the teacher, or stay in one spot and look around the room. 2. Onlooker Behavior Here the child spends most of her time watching other children play. The child may talk to the contend children, may ask questions or give suggestions, but does no tenter into play. The child remains within oral presentation distance so that what goes on can be seen and heard this indicates a definite interest in a group of children, unlike the unoccupied child, who shows no interest in any particular group of children, but only a shifting interest in what happens to be exciting at the moment.3. solitudinarian PlayThis is play activity that is conducted independently of what anyone else isdoing. The child plays with toys that differ from those used by other children in the immediate reach within speaking distance, and she makes no effort to get closer to them or to speak to them. The child is focused entirely on her own activity and is uninfluenced by other children or their activities.4. Parallel Play Here the child is playing close to other children but is still independent of them. The child uses toys that are like the toys being used by the others, but he uses them as he sees fit and is neither influenced by nor tries to influence the oth ers. The chid thus plays beside sort of than with the other children.5. Associative PlayHere the child plays with other children. There is a sharing of play material and equipment the children may follow each other around there may be attempts to control who may or may not play in a group, although such control efforts are not strongly asserted. The children engage in quasi(prenominal) but not necessarily identical activity, and there is no grade of labor or organization of activity or individuals. Each child does what he or she essentially wants to do, without putting the interests of the group first.6. Cooperative or Organized Supplementary PlayThe key word in this category is organized. The child plays in a group that is established for a particular purpose making some material product, gaining some competitive goal, playing formal games. There is a sense of we-ness, whereby one definitely belongs or does not belong to the group. There is also some leadership presentone or tw o members who direct the activity of the others. This therefore requires some division of labor, a taking of different rolesby the group members, and the fight down of one childs efforts by those of the others. C. empirical ObjectivesTo learn about the distinguishing characteristics of different forms of play, specifically according to Partens classification of play behaviors.D. ProcedureFamiliarize yourself with Partens classifications of play as described above. Select two children in the preschool and observe each of them for 15 minutes, preferably during a free-choice period when the children are free to move about the room and play with who or what they wish. (Do not attempt to observe both children at the same time) As you observe each child, look for examples of each type of play or social interaction as described by Parten. Also, in addition to classifying each childs play behaviors, observe whether there are any patterns to their play. For example, are there particular si tuations in which a child tends to be an onlooker, but in other situations he/she engages in parallel or cooperative play? As you observe, you should take notes regarding these applicable switch offs so that you will have something to work from in writing your paper. For each child, your paper should include a brief description of the types of play exhibited (including information about which type(s) are exhibited most frequently) and the social context which characterized each type of play. Additionally, you should provide an interpretation of your observations based on what youve learned about development during the preschool years.III. EMOTION BEHAVIORA. Background InformationEmotions are such a basic part of our psychological beings that we sometimes take them forgranted. Some of our emotions are viewly identifiable by us. We know when we are angry, frightened, or joyous. At other times, however, we can have feelings that are not so clear we may not be able to label what we f eel. Whatever the case, emotions are internal experiences that are private and directly accessible only to the individual experiencing them. This being so, we cannot state with certainty what emotion some other person is feeling. Shemust tell us, or we must infer the emotion on the basis of the individuals behavior, facial expressions, and the event that preceded and might have caused the feeling. A childs worked up behaviors become more refined and gigantic as she matures. Therefore, a four- or five-year-old will typically be more emotionally expressive than a two-year-old.In this exercise, you will be seek to gain some understanding of the childs emotional behaviors, of the range of her emotions and the kinds of situations that prompt these behaviors. Again, you can only infer what the child is feeling and cannot observe emotions directly. Therefore, be cautious in your interpretations and concentrate on the childs obvious behaviors and the contexts in which they occur.1.There are several emotions that are commonly found in preschool children aggression, dependency and fear. Aggressive behavior is frequently defined as behavior that is intended to physically or psychologically hurt another person (or oneself) or to damage or destroy property. An important issue is whether a behavior is intentionally aggressive or simply an inadvertent occurrence. Further, it is argued by some that in order for a behavior to be termed aggressive, the aggressor must feel peevishness or hostility toward the dupe and must derive satisfaction from hurting the victim. This kind of aggression is called ill aggression. In contrast to hostile aggression, there can be cases where the aggressor is interested only in getting some object from the victim or achieving some goal. This is called subservient aggression, and it need not involve irritation or hostility.Q1Q22.Observe the childs behavior for instances of aggression, either towardanother child or an adult, or towards obje cts in the environment. Be certain to differentiate surrounded by intentional, hostile and instrumental acts of aggression.What kinds of situations or frustrations make the child angry? What behaviors by other people anger the child? How does the child express his/her anger?Dependency consists of such behaviors as clinging or maintaining proximity to adults or other children, seeking approval, recognition, assistance, attention, and reassurance, and striving for affection and support. It is important to recognize that all of us are dependent. The issue is to what degree and under what circumstances we show our dependency. It is also useful to distinguish between two basic types of dependency a) instrumental dependency, which essentially is the necessary reliance we have on others for certain things that are beyond our capacity to do and b) emotional dependency, which is a need to be near others and to have their support, affection and reassurance. It can also be the unwillingness or the selfperceived inability to do things for oneself that one can or should be able to do. It is important that, where possible, you distinguish instrumental dependency from emotional dependency behaviors. It is also important to note that as children mature, the characteristics of their dependency behaviors change. Very young children are likely to show clinging and proximity-seeking behaviors, whereas older children, who also have greater cognitive abilities, will likely seek attention and approval.Q33.Fear is demonstrated by such behaviors as crying, withdrawing, seeking help, and avoiding the fear-producing situation. Fear can promote both dependency and aggressive behaviors. Nonetheless, fear can be expressed in such a way that it, and not aggression or dependency, is the primary quill emotion.Q44.In what situations or activities is the child dependent, and, for example, seeks the presence, direction, or assistance of others? In what situations is the child independent and does not seek direction or assistance from others?What kinds of objects or situations appear to scare the child? In what ways does the child express his/her fears? How does he/she deal with his fears (e.g., by withdrawing, confronting the fearful situation, seeking help)?In addition to the emotional behaviors just discussed, there are other feelings that children are capable of experiencing and expressing. You should be alert to as many of the childs affective states as possible. For example, there are the feelings of pleasure and displeasure, frustration, boredom and sadness. Like adults, children will differ as to how accurately they can identify and/or express what they feel.Q5What kinds of things does the child find pleasant? What activities, play materials, stories, games and so on, seem to be particularly attractive to the child? How does the child express that pleasure?Q6What kinds of things are forbidding or uncomfortable for the child? In what situations does the child app ear to be ill at ease? How does she express her displeasure?Q7Are all or most of the childs feelings expressed with equal strength, or does their intensity vary with the particular feeling or situation?B. Observational ObjectivesTo learn about the differences in childrens emotional behaviors and the range of emotional responses in preschool children.C. ProcedureSelect two children, observe and record each childs behavior for a 15-minute period (do not attempt to observe both children at the same time). Record behaviors in as much detail as possible (attending to the kinds of things that would help you set the above questions) and be sure to include descriptions of the physical and social context as they apply to the emotional behaviors observed. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU OBSERVE CHILDREN DURING THE VERY BEGINNING OF THEIR PRESCHOOL sort SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THEM AS THEY ar BEING DROPPED OFF BY THEIR PARENTS AND THEN MAKING THEIR INITIAL try-on TO THEIR PRESCHOOL SETT ING.Your paper should include a brief description of each childs behavior (including the different kinds of emotions, the contexts in which they occurred and the relative frequency of each expression) as well as an interpretation or comment on each child using some of the questions and background information provided above. Finally, equalize the two children, looking at the range of emotional expression, intensity of expression, and what evokes the emotional responses. In short, summarize how the children differ from each other in this area of functioning.