Reflection Journals 2,3, and 4

By: Dana Eskandarani

Due: April 3rd, 2020

Reflection Journal 2
Is it important to also educate individuals who will not physically carry a child ?

This question has been chosen for three reasons. Firstly, it is important to raise awareness about
prenatal development and pregnancy in the general sense. Secondly, it also helps in breaking the
stereotypical idea that people who do not or will not physically carry a child do not need to know
or even be involved in the early stages of child development and it immensely helps clear
common misconceptions about prenatal period. Prenatal period is one of the most crucial stages
of the child’s development because it includes substages that play a vital role in the formation of
the main systems of the body such as the nervous system. For example, the embryonic stage in
prenatal development is involved in the growth of the child’s brain and spinal cord (Cherry,
2019). It is extremely important for both parents to know about the prenatal period and its effects
on the mother and the baby itself. Furthermore, the other partner needs to be educated in order to
be able to provide care, and support in a way that will benefit the mother and the child
eventually. During the prenatal period, the baby is sensitive to a number of factors such as
exposure to toxins, nutritional deficiencies, and susceptibility to various infections (Baxter,
2019). Thirdly, educating people who will not physically carry a child can really help the mother
through the process of pregnancy by offering her physical and emotional support. Additionally, it
can also help cut off a lot of unnecessary visits to the physician, since they are not always
available. The physician can give both parents some tips and guidelines to deal with certain
situations during the prenatal period that do not necessarily require professional intervention.
In the end, raising awareness about the importance of prenatal period, helping to clear
misconceptions and stereotypical ideas about prenatal period, and providing close physical and
emotional support from the other partner. All the aforementioned reasons emphasize on the
importance of educating people who will not physically carry a baby. Indeed, prenatal
development is a keystone in the child's development because not only does it affect the child,
but it also has a great impact on the mother’s well-being as well.

References
1. Baxter, C. (2019, July). Prenatal Risk Factors for Developmental Delay in Newcomer
Children. Retrieved from https://www.kidsnewtocanada.ca/mental-health/prenatal-risk
2. Cherry, K. (2019, September 29). How a Baby Develops During the Prenatal Period.
Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/stages-of-prenatal-development-2795073

Reflection Journal 3
One of the impactful learning experiences in elementary school was learning about science,
especially biology. I was really interested in learning about cells. I recall learning about cells in
5th grade. During biology class, the teacher showed the class some visual models of what cells
looked like, and she also took us to the biology lab. At the beginning, she taught us how to
handle a microscope carefully, then she divided the class into groups and assigned each group a
microscope, and gave us the following instructions: observe the cells under the microscope,
produce a drawing of what we observed, and label the different parts of the cell.
I believe that was one of the main experiences that motivated me to study sciences in university.
I think that this experience was very effective because not only did I learn about cells from
biology books, but I also saw what different types of cells actually looked like. Furthermore, this
experience allowed me to deeply ponder upon the fact that even though cells cannot be seen
through a naked eye, does not mean that they do not actually exist.
Learning about cells by applying practical concepts required some sort of visual and analytical
thinking. According to Piaget theory of cognitive development, the cognitive skills previously
mentioned were part of the concrete operational stage because not only did I observe the cells
under the microscope (visual), but I also had to make sense of what I observed by drawing and
labelling what I observed (analytical).
In the end, I truly believe that it is important to adopt some of the Piagetian philosophy in school
programs, and curriculums as it allows students to better understand certain concepts, such as the
use of word problems in math to help visualize and explain rather complicated ideas (Marcin,
2018).

Reference
1. Marcin, A. (2018, March 29). Piaget Stages of Development: What Are They and How
Are They Used? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/piaget-stages-of-
development.

Reflection Journal 4
This training session will focus on two important questions on early caregiver-child attachment
relationships.
First and foremost, what is early caregiver-child attachment ?
Child caregiver- child attachment is simply the natural bond and inclination between the child
and caregiver. This is one of concepts that is rather hard to explain in terms of science partly
because the sense of attachment comes out naturally in child caregivers and children. Attachment
between the child and caregiver is a sign of protection, compassion, love, and care. For instance,
if a mother is attached to her child, she will definitely protect the child from anything that harms
him or her no matter how insignificant it is.

Secondly, why are child early caregiver-child attachment relationships important ?

As previously mentioned, the sense of attachment is natural between the child and caregiver
because this relationship promotes protection, love, and care. This relationship is crucial during
the first years of infancy. Many scientific studies have shown that children who have weak
relationships with their caregiver could actually result in various negative outcomes such as
becoming victims of various forms of bullying, learning disabilities, child homelessness, and
even severe mental disorders in the long run. Furthermore, the child can also become less
compassionate to the extent that it can even hurt him/herself and the people around him or her.
Caregiver- child attachment promotes physical and mental well- being in childhood. This will
definitely have a great impact on the child because he or she feels that they are loved, valued,
and supported. Additionally, this is also going to affect his general well-being as he or she
grows.

In the end, the two questions asked in this training are important because it is really one of the
topics that does not get much attention in the scientific field. Early caregiver-child attachment is
key to building healthy individuals and prosperous nations.