Theories of Development and Language Acquisition

¶ … Theoretical Perspectives

Example of Checklist 1: Video 1: Story Time

Child's Name: Kyla

Date Observed: April 7th 2014

The teacher is reading a story on how to make a pumpkin pie

Please write down at least five Reading Behaviors you expect to observe below:

Reading Behaviors Observed:

(Please checkmark any behaviors/characteristics observed below)

Characteristic Present

Demonstrates what the teacher does like "pouring, Kicking"

Expresses herself in complete sentences

Can complete sentences with the teacher

Follows the teachers narration attentively

Can keep track of the story

Example of Anecdotal Record:

Video 2: Sam Reading Books

Purpose of the Observation Identified: Vocabulary level

Date of Observation

April 7th 2014

Name of Child:

Sam

Age of Child

From this activity, Sam reads two books about animals. In the first book, although not audible, one can hear him mentioning some animal names like elephant, frog, and crow. As he finishes the first book, he does not mention the names but appears to describe them. However, he is inaudible and the words cannot be deciphered. This shows the level of literary development. In the second book, Sam concentrates more in counting the numbers rather the animals. He is attentive as he starts, but is carried from 5 onwards. His excitement and language development is evident when he mentions words like "5 is snakes, ... 7 is dogs..." among others.

Video 3: Shared Reading: Complete Story Book Language Observation of one of the children in the video.

Child Says:

Text

(There was an old lady who swallowed a fly)

Simms Tatrack)

Analysis

1. An old lady who swallowed a fly

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

Child provides own title for story.

2. She swallowed a spider

Myra responds to the teacher's question on "What was the second thing that she swallowed?"

The child responds in complete sentences.

Responds in past tense

Part II

Children develop language from the immediate environment they are exposed. Language development is a message that needs to be refined at an early stage in a child's life. This occurs before any other developments in the brain. Language assessment has a big role in the advancement of speech learning among children. Through this evaluation, it will be possible to learn the needs of every child and what should be done to enhance their learning. This paper discusses the ways of assessing the learning rates of the children by using storybook, anecdotal recordings and brings out the advantages and disadvantages of the assessments (Gestwicki, 2013).

While assessing the learning progress of the child, the checklist is important since it brings the assessor up to speed when monitoring them. In such an assessment, it is beneficial always to monitor their stage-by-stage progress. It gives the assessor an upper hand in fulfilling what he or she intends to do. One big advantage of doing this is that it enables the parents to take charge of what happens in the learning progress of their children. However, it can be disadvantageous since it hastens to learn above average pace hence negatively affecting the child.

Anecdotal recording often carried out after the observations enable the assessors to keep pace with the learning stages. It summarizes the lessons of every stage once completed. This way, the assessment becomes formal and presentable. It has many advantages that can revolve around effective monitoring and assessment of the learning progress. Parents have a role to ensure such learning is well monitored for the sake of the future. However, it is subject to the weakness of inaccuracy since records of assessment are done long after the observation has been done. In fact, some facts can be forgotten (Gestwicki, 2013).

A storybook can be used to assess the learning progress of children. Storybooks vary according to topics as well as ease of reading. As such, it is possible to subject learners according to the stages they will possibly pass learning. The learning objectives are possible through a systematic assessment that fulfills the pace with which a learner meets. The main advantage of storybooks in this regard is that they are interesting to read. Children will be eager to read. However, they suffer the disadvantage of not operating the learning progress. Children might show interest in the books just for the sake of entertainment without much learning having happened (Atkinson, 2011).