In electing to observe a kindergarten class, I was hoping to see ‘real world’ examples of the social development, personality types and cognitive variation found within the beginning stages of “Middle Childhood” as discussed within our text. On April 1, 2010, I was welcomed into Mrs. Smith’s all day kindergarten class at the O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary School in Fort Collins Colorado to observe and note the classroom conditions, interactions of the children among themselves, the teachers or other authority figures and the manner in which learning takes place. O’Dea, as it is referred to within this paper, was selected because it is located within my neighborhood, and I am familiar with it’s location, general population and the mission and goals of the school. The class I visited is comprised of 24 five and six year old children, a lead teacher and a ‘Para-Pro” who assists the teacher and provides support and guidance for the children. Within the classroom itself, there are 6 tables organized in the center of the room in a grid formation. Children have their own workspace at a shared table. Around the perimeter of the room are ‘centers’ where each day, the children work on tasks such as listening, story development, gross and fine motor skills, math, reading and other important skills that are needed to develop socially and academically. In several places on the walls, there are displays or ‘brag boards’ where children can post their work that they feel best represents their efforts. The walls are brightly decorated and are filled with pictures, letters, numbers and other basic elementary school information. It is energizing and interesting without being chaotic or overstimulating. During my visit I was hoping... ... middle of paper ... ...multiple PE classes in addition to their regular rigorous educational cirriculem. Children who need support services for a variety of developmental, emotional or physical conditions receive them as needed from specialists located within the school creating a reliable and trusting relationship, furthering the success rates of the therapy provided. When moving through the hallways, the teachers, aides and staff were all very friendly and helpful, making sure that I not only belonged to be there, but that I was able to find my way to the appropriate locations. Art lined the halls, and the sounds from the classrooms indicated that the children were exicited and engaged in their activies. I would feel most comfortable having children attend this school. It was a warm, safe and nurturing environment, where the individual was celebrated, and the community created.
The schools are great, and one of the many factors that people relocating to the area can take advantage
In middle childhood (aged 6-12), the child will experience the Industry vs. Inferiority stage. This is the fourth stage of Erikson’s psychosocial stage. With the previous three stages, the child has already learned to decide what is right and wrong, deciding when to say no, and has learn to trust others through attachment (Boyd, Johnson, & Bee, 2009). The child will for the first time be sent to school to kindergarten; where they will learn to interact with new children of their age.
Harry L. Gracey’s article about his perspective of kindergarten as a “academic boot camp” for children really challenged my previous thoughts regarding the structure of school and education. I enjoyed his in-depth look into the physical and social structures of an actual kindergarten classroom and his critical approach in analyzing their daily routine. Before reading the article, I didn’t realize the extent in which education, especially kindergarten, is constructed with systematic activities and programs so that children can be socialized and shaped into good students. Being so young, I obviously don’t remember kindergarten being so structured but I now understand the need for this as the transition from kindergarten into higher levels of learning is important. It’s shocking to know that what I learnt in kindergarten is a large portion of why I am
Theorists such as Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, and Lawrence Kohlberg have studied and documented information about the stages of childhood development. The three main stages of childhood development are early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. Each stage contains developmental behaviors and characteristics of different age groups. However, the childhood development stage that this paper is focus on is the middle childhood stage. During this phase in a child’s life, they go through a variety of changes. Such changes include; physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes. According to this course text, HDEV (2010), middle childhood comprises children between the ages of 6 to 12 years. In addition, in relation to the information that is presented in this text about the
Papalia, Diane E, Sally W. Olds, and Ruth D. Feldman. A Child's World: Infancy Through Adolescence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print. The author is a child development and psychology professor. This is an anthology with strictly objective information. The content is broken down into physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developments of different stages of childhood.
The classroom that I observed in was arranged in a simple way. In the dramatic play center there was a long coat rack and each hook was labeled with an image and name of the outfit. This was done so the children know where do place the clothing when they are done with it or cleaning up. Also in this center was a cash register, puppets, an oven, refrigerator, ironing board, sing, dishwasher, a table set and a comfy chair. Their block center was small, and sectioned off by a shelf and an arch way in the corner of the room. In this center there was also a table. I felt that they children would not have enough room to build although I did not measure the area. The art center had stamps, children’s art work, an easel, magazines and other essential art supplies. In the same area as the art center was the writing center. In this center was maps, chalk and chalk board, stencils, a ruler, notepads, loose paper and pencils.
Instantly, the bright lighting and cleanliness of the interior of the facility struck me. The bright lighting seemed to highlight the multi-colored artwork and durable furniture in the room to make the space feel child-friendly. Organization was one of the key aspects that helped the teachers and children have a safe and fun learning experience. For cleaning and emergencies, essential items and areas were labeled properly, and were accessible to adult caregivers, but out of reach to children to prevent health and safety risks. The floors were clean and free of clutter to promote free movement and play in each classroom. The toys were child-sized, and there no small, detachable pieces to avoid choking hazards. Within the classroom, the interest centers are arranged along the walls, and during reading instruction, the middle area is used to form a reading circle. The preschoolers had a variety of activities to choose from at each interest station. The Block Center had Lego blocks, wooden blocks and shapes; The Writing Center had dry erase boards, paper and pencils; the Cooking Center was filled with play foods and a child-sized kitchen set; and the Math Center had wooden stick and rubber cubes for counting. The teachers interacted with the children by guiding activities in the classroom, allowing the children to play independently on the playground, constantly communicating behavioral
“Educational practice is necessarily based on the assumption that students are willing to engage in educational activities that they will lend their cooperation and support to the process in their education. Students who do not offer such cooperation, who are unmotivated, present significant challenges” (Williams and Ivey, 2001, 75). High school school-children show the most trouble with cooperation and motivation; they only have a few more years of schooling and for some pupils that is the end of their education. That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to observe a high school classroom; the other main reason is because I have actually considered teaching high school grades. I observed Ms. Edith Stone and her Algebra II mathematics classroom.
Middle childhood brings many changes to a child’s life. Middle childhood is the developmental phase that leads from the period before commencement of the physiological processes and changes associated with puberty ...
The next few days at school, I started to really understand the schedule and got the hang of migrating between Lasalle and DePaul. I made new friends everyday, did not struggle with my locker once, had lunches that tasted, smelled, and looked amazing, and I am really glad I chose to come to Sacred Heart Cathedral. Everyone is really welcoming and nice. I have made great friends and I am really excited for the next four years at Sacred Heart
Wertlieb, Donald. "Child." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 16 Aug. 2011.Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar110700&st=middle+childhood+development&sc=1#h4
Middle childhood is defined a number of ways, but perhaps best defined as the ages 6 to 12 years of age or prepubescent to pubescence Middle childhood is a challenging time and a major challenge is social constructs, as this is the earliest time when children begin to move away from parental influences and establish more meaningful peer and other adult relationships. It signifies a new set of social contacts with adults and other children as well as a wider variety of settings than those that characterize early childhood. Children begin to see themselves as a part of a bigger whole. Peer influences can become more powerful than the adults in the children’s life and impact their sense of self. Grouping is established and teasing of others groups and children begins to take hold in establishing social ranking. This can be a critical time for children and a great time for a social work practitioner to implement interventions to assist vulnerable children. However, a child who has one or two adults or trustworthy peers to whom she may turn may learn that peers cannot necessarily be trusted to give her good feedback. (website) Providing a setting were children could expand their ideas, make like minded friends and have the mentoring of trustworthy adults can transition children into the next developmental phase. They begin to look at different perspectives and can see another point of view. The world opens up before them, while this is an exciting time; it is also perhaps the most turbulent.
Recently, I went to The Happy School, a preschool in my hometown of Smallville, California, to pass the morning with the students there. In the time I spent there, the children, ages 3 to 5, engaged in unstructured play, and sat in a circle for calendar time and reading aloud. The preschool is primarily child-centered in terms of its organization, meaning it incorporates a lot of child directed activity, and less structured, or adult directed, learning (Berk, 2008). I watched the group of about twenty children with the intention of studying them as a whole, but I found myself compelled to watch two children in particular, Addison and Jack, because they displayed particularly intriguing behavior. (p187) THESIS, what behavior, theories etc.
A kindergarten class offers a more conventional and integrated learning than the preschool environment. A kindergarten teacher will still stimulate their student’s curiosity about the world around them while getting them used to a structured classroom setting. They are...
Sitting in the crowded, sound-blasted lunchrooms and seeing each other around school, we would talk and have a tremendous time together, helping to make our friendship stronger. The school district I attended, Waukee, was an amazing place to learn and grow up. The schools that I attended at Waukee provided an excellent learning environment, with their spacious classrooms and helpful teachers. The teachers always asked, “What can I do to help?” making sure every student understood the material. Many students can only wish to attend a school with so many opportunities and exceptional academics, yet it took me many years to realize how fortunate I was to attend such an outstanding school. In addition, I was also fortunate to grow up in a fantastic neighborhood. Over time, families came and went,