Observation #3 Unit 4

Background Information
Child’s age: 6-9
Fictitious Name: Dee
Location: School
Description: Youtube video provided. There is a whole class and teacher.

Biological Development
Dee is looking very healthy. I can see from the video that Dee is alert and is participating
a lot in the discussion with the teacher. I noticed that he coughed a few times but it didn’t seem
like he was sick. In the textbook it is said that children between the ages of 5-9 have the lowest
death rates of any other age(Berger, 2016, 234). This is very interesting to know that children at
this age are very healthy, if they have received their immunizations. This is proven to help the
child.
I also noticed that Dee is very handy with the ipad. He is also writing notes with a pencil
while the teacher is talking. This is showing an improvement on his fine motor skills(Berger,
2016,164). At this age, he is getting better at things like that. It is looking like he may be
progressing faster than the others too because of how he is holding the pencil. He looks confident
in writing as well. Dee is showing much improvement. I think that is cool to see how children
from one age to the next can grow so much.
Dee is also showing some pretty good impulse control. He sometimes isn’t paying
attention to the teacher when she is talking, but for the most part he is able to stay seated and
listen to her and take notes and write down things. He is showing signs of improvement
compared to younger children. Impulse control is the ability to stay focused on one task at a time
and not getting distracted or moving on quickly from one to the next(Berger, 2016, 163).

Cognitive development
I am noticing that Dee is being asked, along with the class about adjectives and what it
means. They then apply this with the teacher describing an object using adjectives. The students
then had to draw a picture of what she was describing. Dee was correct and knew that the object
was a seashell. This is a sign that he has concrete logic. It is defined as having new logical
abilities(Berger, 2016,241). For example, Dee has now acquired a better sense of learning. He
was able to apply what he learned into a real life example or something tangible. He is showing
that he is learning better and having greater understanding of words as well.
I noticed that Dee is in an environment where he can learn, but also explore. He is able to
answer questions that the teacher asks. He isn’t put down if his answers are wrong either. This is
a kind of environment that ​Vygotsky likes. In the textbook it says that he likes it when the
children are able to learn with curiosity and creativity( Berger, 2016, 243). This will help the
child grow in many more ways than just memorizing an answer etc. This method benefits the
children so much more. I could see that this helped Dee understand more. I could also see
how his reactions were always that of happiness. He seemed to enjoy this style of learning.
This way gives the children time to explore and see what works and what doesn’t.
Dee was also given instruction during the videos. I think that this helped him with
what he needed to do. It gave him a path to follow instead of guessing and being confused. It
is said in the textbook that this will help the child’s individual development(Berger, 2016,
245). It is quite interesting. It also says that teachers can really help them grow. Dee was
showing that he had grown and that it was thanks to the direct instructions.

Psychosocial development
Dee is also showing desire to learn and participate. This is something that is called
industry. In the textbook it explains that it is where a child, in a learning environment is
excited to learn and relearn the same things over and over again because it is something that
is fun for them(Berger, 2016, 276). Dee showed some pride in knowing the answer. This is
self pride and it helps him know if he is doing well or not. This is a great motivator for
children.
Dee also seemed to have developed his self concept(Berger, 2016, 277). He seemed
individual compared to the other students. While the teacher was talking to the kids, Dee
seemed to be in a different world and seemed to be focused on something different than what
the teacher was teaching. He has identified who he is and that is very important. This is
showing improvement on his part. He also seemed confident and individual in all he did.
Yes, I didn’t get to see him play or things like that , but his body language helped me
understand more of who he is.
Dee didn’t show too much of an interest in his fellow classmates. He seemed
completely focused on the teacher. It is said that in this part of childhood, peers are very
important. The opinions and just about everything(Berger, 2016, 296). Of course, this was
during class time, but there were other students who weren’t paying attention because they
were just playing with their fellow classmates. Dee seemed more focused on the teacher,
which was interesting.

Reference
Berger, K. S. (2019). Invitation to the life span (4th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.