Observation 1

Narrative Method

  Aim

           

The aim of my observation is to observe TC for a period of 15 minutes in order to assess her cognitive development in a narrative method.

  

Background

The place is a registered Childcare provider primarily run with Government funds.  Currently there are 100 children attending its services and employ 21 staff.  There are 2 employees through the CE Scheme and 2 TUS employees.  This Childcare provider run a Creche, Toddler Room, Junior Pre-school Room, 2 Pre-School rooms and a Montessori Room.  Also, it runs an Afterschool Club from 1:30 – to 5:30 which caters children from all local primary schools.  Children attending the Afterschool service have 1-hour supervised homework, assisted by the staff.  They also have a hot and home cooked dinner daily.  The Breakfast Club is open from 8:00 to 900 and is open to all school going children as well as children already attending the Childcare.

I was brought by the Manager to the Pre-school room and was introduced to two staff.   The room holds 5 children, 4 girls and a boy ages 3 to 4.  Entering the room there are a lot of stuff on the wall, like certificate from Tusla, combined CCS and ECCE fees policy, ECCE letter to parents/guardian, reminders of Healthy Eating policy, staff support and supervision time table, lunch rota, First aid, emergency contact, persons in charge.  In the children room, there are 3 tables, and 8 chairs, on the wall you will see a colourful cut out coloured paper with the shape of beehive and with the picture of every child and their birth date.  It is a colourful room, with a lot of toys, like dolls, fancy dress, clay, coloured pencil, coloured paper, scissors, etc.  All activities done by the children were posted on the wall and some were displayed on top of the press.  Sink area and bathroom are clean and accessible with complete toiletries.

Since I have no experience in childcare, I talk to the staff and ask what routine do they do.  One girl looking at me and I say hello to her and I ask her name and gave my name at the same time we shake hands.  Entering the room, I greeted them with a smile, “Hello good morning” waving my hands.  There are busy playing, one by one I shake hands with them. I sing a song to them, like “Hello, hello, hello, Hello how do you do, I’m glad to be with you and you and you and you.”  This will help the kids to be at ease to a stranger like me.   Another girl asks me, is your skin brown? She was curious, and I said yes, it is.  Another girl me ask too, why are you here?  And I reply to with a smile, to do my assignment, because I am doing a course.

My observation starts at 9:15 and end at 9:30 in the morning of 26^th November 2017.  TC is a female 3 years and 2 months old.   TC attended the facility from Monday to Friday and her mother collected her after work.  TC is a little bit shy, kind of independent, a bit silent and happy to be alone.  TC loves to play with dolls and can play on her own and wearing a pink long sleeve top and hair tied like a pony tail. 

Observation

TC is sitting on a floor matt like kneeling with her legs flat on the floor holding a female doll on her right hand.  She took another male doll with her left hand, she tried to let these dolls embrace.  After a few second she drops the male doll and concentrate to female doll.  She combs the hair doll, lift and arranged the dress.  While playing with her doll, she sometimes smiles and sometimes serious.

A boy joined her with a doll on his hands too and try talking to TC, but TC ignores him, she continues on playing.  The boy using his right hand lifted the dress of girl’s doll while his left hand was holding a doll.  TC had a very limited conversation and she ignore the boy.  The boy he keeps lifting TC dress doll and TC got agitated.  They were there sitting for 9 minutes and the boy left and joined other children. TC continue to play on the same position lifting the doll and swaying left and right.

TC continue to hold her doll and put her on the matt try to teach her doll to walk.  She lifts and put again on the matt.  The boy back again and join her but TC left him and join other kids.  TC grab a yellow and blue fancy princess dress and put a crown on her head.  Walk around lifting, swaying her fancy dress.  She was all smile and happy. 

Evaluation

My aim for this observation is to observe TC a 3 years old and 2 months girl, for 15 minutes while playing her doll in order to assess her cognitive development in a narrative method.  I feel that I achieved this aim well as I am satisfied that I observed TC very closely. I think TC is within the norm of her age when it comes to her cognitive development.

Cognitive development includes the development of memory, skills imagination, creativity, concentration skills, problem-solving skills and concept formation.  (Flood 2013). She was able to stay on one position or in one place for 15 minutes which is within the norm. TC being able to focus attention without distraction.

 TC sits in a kneeling position which shows of her fine motor skills which.  TC was agitated when the boy keeps lifting her doll dress shows her emotion.  TC converse and interact with the boy with few words only.  TC physical, emotional, language and social development was evident on this observation.

TC used her imagination when she let her female and male doll embrace.  This observation illustrates Piaget’s theory “Organization” which refers to the capacity of the human mind to organise and link or combine different schemes together.

TC was happy playing with her dolls alone and can identify a primary colour by choosing her princes dress and increase in her ability to observe and categorise her two dolls as male and female. This observation illustrates Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) on Social Constructionist Theory which features the “The Zone of Proximal Development”.  This is the area in the middle of what a child can do independently.

TC was agitated when a boy come back again to play and talk with her and she left him. This observation illustrates the Behaviourists theory “Operant Conditioning” by B. F. Skinner which occurs when behaviour is reinforced by being either rewarded or punished. TC left the boy when she come back for the second time, that’s how she punished the boy leaving him alone.

Recommendations

            I recommend that adults should engage with TC and encourage to play with the boy and join the other kids.

            TC needs to develop other stages of development like social development, because TC tends to do things alone.

Personal Learning

            It was my first experience meeting kids in a pre-school and I got the opportunity to interact with children.  I find it so interesting when the children stop and asking me questions and listens to my singing “Hello, hello, hello how do you do.”

I learned that these age group has always curious and very vocal to ask questions.  I was surprised when one of them ask me why I was there, what I am doing and ask the colour of my skin, it shows her being confident.

           

Reference

Child Development by Eilis Flood 2013

http://greenfieldschildcare.com/

👉 Observation 2

👉Observation 3

👉Observation 4

👉Observation 5