Developmental theory application in a preschool classroom observation

¶ … Preschool Children in a Group Setting

Psychology - Miscellaneous

Paper I.D.: 47083

Observation of Preschool Children in a Group Setting

Observation Report

Observation of Preschool Children in a Group Setting

Observation Report

The purpose of this evaluation is to report the observation of a classroom of preschoolers and in the reporting of the observation to state how the theorists Eriksson, Piaget, Kohlberg and Vogotsky relate to the emotional, cognitive, as well as physical development of the children observed.

This report will include the information concerning the school, demographics of the school and the class as well as the description of the social emotional cognitive and physical characteristics of the children in the observed classroom.

Introduction

Pleasant View School is a private Parochial school located in a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Memphis Tennessee in the Batlett area. The families in this area of Memphis are generally middle to upper-class although financial aid is provided at Pleasant View School. The class observed had 17 students, which were all of the age of three years old.

Observations of Preschool Students

The students in this Pleasant View School preschool classroom were well-behaved children. The curriculum of this Pre-K School is one that is advanced in nature.

The classroom observed and reported in this work was one with 18 students, 15 of those boys and the remaining 3 students were girls. The seating charts for this class had talkative students next to quiet students, high achievers sitting next to low achievers and children who needed extra assistance form the teacher were seated next to the teacher.

One student was disabled and was in a wheel chair at all times. The disabled student was very actively involved in all classroom activities and interacts well with other students. This disabled student was always keen to do classwork. The only assistance that this student required was assistance in going to the restroom. There were students in the classroom that would go to the teacher when difficulties in getting along with other students arose. The teacher stated that these students were generally the students who were only children in their family. The biggest associated problem with these children was when they were required to share with one another. These students were overheard yelling at friends and using bad language toward other students. Noted was that the students who were withdrawn according to the teacher were children who were from homes that had several school age children in their family. Because in these situations the parents are usually overwhelmed and not quick to follow-up due to failure to check backpacks for papers which resulted in slow development of the children socially.

One thing that was noted as important theoretically speaking is that the children love their daily routine. The teacher spends a good deal of time planning the routine and rarely introduces anything new into the classroom environment. This method of practice is in agreement with the theory of Piaget which states that the child from ages 2 through 7 are at the "Preoperational Stage" requiring concrete physical situations as children this age are not able to conceptualize.

The use of Vgotsky's learning and development theory was that development leads learning and specifically use of the method that adheres to the "Zone of Proximal Development" of Vygotsky was evidence in the teacher seating slow learners next to faster learners in that Vgotsky held that this 'Zone" was an area between what the subject can do unassisted and what they can do if prompted, or assisted. Furthermore, Vgotsky's held that the bond between word and meaning is a bond that is associative in nature and is established through the repeated simultaneous perceptions of a certain sound and a certain object.

Most of the children in this class had good motor skills and followed instructions very well. Furthermore the children used "please" and "thank you" in their interactions with teachers. Also observed was the fact that Tarek, a student, acts like group-leader among other students and the children in the class try to please him. Tarek is very considerate and caring. This shows early development on the part of the children, which can be expected, in "advanced curriculum" preschool programs.

Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) contended that children and adults both pass through stages of moral development in their reasoning ability via judgments of a moral nature. Kohlberg's theory is called the "cognitive-developmental theory and suggests a tri-level sequence of moral growth, further divided into six sub-stages. The two applicable to this age group of preschoolers are those of:

Preconventional Morality - Lowest level characterized by a child following a strict set of rules based on reward and punishment. Self-interest is kind, yielding only egocentric behavior in certain social situations.

Conventional Morality: is characterized by adherence to rules that is derived from various motivations such as the desire to please others, gain respect, and be perceived in an admirable manner.

Tarek has progressed even further than the children trying to please him as he has moved upward to a new attainment level of development into Stage 3 which is a level of reasoning is characterized by obedience that arises from a variety of motivations: a desire to please others, to gain respect, to be perceived as a moral, lawful and admirable person, and to do what is right as defined by society. This level of reasoning is further divided into Stage 3, which is referred to as the "good boy" orientation where the child demonstrates personal interest in where a child shows interest in maintaining the respect of specific people around him.

Erikson's Theory

Erik Eriksson (1902-1990) theorized that change happens throughout the entirety of a person's entire life, and that change occurs in 8 stages. The stages which characterize the preschool classroom being observed are the two as follows:

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (12 months - 3 years) where independence is learned, or alternately a child learns not to take risks

Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years) where competence and morality is developed

According to CEU Station Child Development Online: "Eriksson contended that people progress through the stages chronologically, but that individuals who do not experience success in a particular stage may find themselves stuck, unable to move on to the next developmental stage.

Summary & Conclusion

Observation of the class of preschool students clearly demonstrates the practicability in the theories of Piaget, Erickson, Kohlberg and Vgotsky in relation to the developmental stages through which a human being progresses.

Appendix "A"

Classroom Schedule

9:00 a.m. To 10:00 A.M. - Review of alphabet

10:45 to 11:00 A.M. -- Class recess

11:00 a.m. To 12:00 P.M. -- Lunch Break

12:00 p.m. -- Nap-time (During this time the students who are not able to nap are read to by the teacher and assistant teacher or they quietly play with play dough, puzzles and cubes.)

1:00 p.m. -- Quran citations for 15 minutes

2:00 p.m. -- Snack time

2:30 -- Math symbol review and artwork.