Child Development Report
Educating children requires a teacher to observe them for a multitude of reasons. Teachers innately observe how a child grows, engages in learning, and communicates/interacts with others to determine how to best meet a child’s needs and promote their growth, development, and learning. To effectively accomplish those goals, you will need to be able to describe the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development that happens from early childhood through adolescence and the influence on learning.
For this assessment, you will observe children’s development in 2 different educational settings and write a report of your findings that could be used by a school district to inform decisions on children’s overall developmental levels and needs.
Your report should include the following information with supportive examples from your observations:
Describe each educational setting you observed, including:
School information and the time of day the observation took place
Activity the children were doing at the time and their level of engagement
Developmental stage of children observed (i.e., early childhood, middle childhood, or adolescence)
Describe the developmental characteristics you observed in each educational setting for the following domains:
Physical Development
What was the range of physical characteristics in the classroom related to height and weight differences and body proportionality?
Did most of the children seem to have typical fine and gross motor skills? Were there any who seemed advanced or delayed?
What specific influences did the children’s physical development seem to have on their learning?
Cognitive Development
What was the range of cognitive characteristics in the classroom related to language, communication, and attention span?
Did most of the children seem to have typical literacy and thinking skills? Were there any who seemed advanced or delayed?
What specific influences did the children’s cognitive development seem to have on their learning?
Social/Emotional Development
What was the range of social/emotional characteristics in the classroom related to peer interactions and self-regulation ability?
Did most of the children seem to demonstrate empathy and sympathy or possess typical moral reasoning abilities? Were there any who seemed advanced or delayed?
What specific influences did the children’s social/emotional development seem to have on their learning?
Sample Solution
Report of Children's Development in 2 Educational Settings
Setting 1
- School information: Elementary school, 1st grade classroom
- Time of day: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
- Activity: The children were working on a math worksheet.
- Developmental stage: Early childhood
Physical Development
- Range of physical characteristics: The children in the classroom varied in height and weight, but most of them seemed to have typical body proportionality.
- Fine and gross motor skills: Most of the children seemed to have typical fine and gross motor skills. However, there were a few children who seemed to be struggling with some of the tasks on the math worksheet, such as writing neatly and cutting out shapes.
Full Answer Section
- Influences on learning: The children's physical development seemed to have some influence on their learning. For example, the children who were struggling with the math worksheet may have been at a disadvantage because of their fine motor skills.
Cognitive Development
- Range of cognitive characteristics: The children in the classroom varied in their language, communication, and attention span. However, most of them seemed to have typical literacy and thinking skills.
- Literacy and thinking skills: Most of the children seemed to be able to read and write at the expected level for their grade level. They were also able to follow instructions and solve simple math problems.
- Influences on learning: The children's cognitive development seemed to have a significant influence on their learning. The children who were struggling with the math worksheet may have been at a disadvantage because of their cognitive skills.
Social/Emotional Development
- Social interactions: The children in the classroom seemed to have positive social interactions with each other. They were able to work together on group projects and share their ideas with each other.
- Emotional regulation: Most of the children in the classroom seemed to be able to regulate their emotions effectively. However, there were a few children who seemed to be struggling with some of the emotions that come with being in school, such as anxiety and frustration.
- Influences on learning: The children's social/emotional development seemed to have some influence on their learning. The children who were struggling with their emotions may have been at a disadvantage because they were unable to focus on their work.
Setting 2
- School information: Middle school, 6th grade science classroom
- Time of day: 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
- Activity: The children were working on a science experiment.
- Developmental stage: Middle childhood
Physical Development
- Range of physical characteristics: The children in the classroom varied in height and weight, but most of them seemed to have typical body proportionality.
- Fine and gross motor skills: Most of the children seemed to have typical fine and gross motor skills. However, there were a few children who seemed to be struggling with some of the tasks in the science experiment, such as using the microscope and other lab equipment.
- Influences on learning: The children's physical development seemed to have some influence on their learning. For example, the children who were struggling with the science experiment may have been at a disadvantage because of their fine motor skills.
Cognitive Development
- Range of cognitive characteristics: The children in the classroom varied in their language, communication, and attention span. However, most of them seemed to have typical literacy and thinking skills.
- Literacy and thinking skills: Most of the children seemed to be able to read and write at the expected level for their grade level. They were also able to follow instructions and solve complex math problems.
- Influences on learning: The children's cognitive development seemed to have a significant influence on their learning. The children who were struggling with the science experiment may have been at a disadvantage because of their cognitive skills.
Social/Emotional Development
- Social interactions: The children in the classroom seemed to have positive social interactions with each other. They were able to work together on group projects and share their ideas with each other.
- Emotional regulation: Most of the children in the classroom seemed to be able to regulate their emotions effectively. However, there were a few children who seemed to be struggling with some of the emotions that come with being in middle school, such as peer pressure and social anxiety.
- Influences on learning: The children's social/emotional development seemed to have some influence on their learning. The children who were struggling with their emotions may have been at a disadvantage because they were unable to focus on their work.
Recommendations for the School District
Based on my observations, I have the following recommendations for the school district:
- Provide additional support for children who are struggling with their fine motor skills. This could include providing them with extra help from the teacher or teaching assistant, or allowing them to use assistive technology.
- Provide additional support for children who are struggling with their cognitive skills