Rationale

Why study a child?

·       We view the child as complex and multidimensional.

• We believe it critical that our students recognize that the whole person/child comes to the classroom in all her complexity
• We teach children as well curriculum.
• To teach a child well we believe it necessary that our teacher education candidates understand and respect the individuality of the child as a person and learner.
• We believe children learn in classroom communities where their relationships to others are recognized, understood, valued, shaped, and nurtured.
• We believe that in the sharing of child studies/stories of individual children, perspective teachers can learn to value the range of children they will encounter in any given classroom.

Why study a child in different contexts?

·       We see the classroom as a location where multiple contexts come together.

·       We believe that context affects children’s learning and development.

·       We think it’s critical that future educators learn to recognize and be responsive to the diverse contexts the child brings to the classroom, i.e., socioeconomic, sociocultural, classroom, home, linguistic, racial.

Overview of the Assignment

The child study is a documentation of ongoing observations (a minimum of ten hours) of a child in possible multiple contexts (e.g., home, neighborhood, classroom, playground, lunch room, community organizations, religious centers, etc.).  The language of this study is descriptive as opposed to judgmental or evaluative.  The study should be rich with multiple examples of what has been observed.

The study should also include reflections, analysis/interpretation drawn from the data about the child collected across several contexts. The analysis should demonstrate an integration of the perspective teacher’s thinking about the child based on evidence from the observations and the thinking of theorists (philosophical, developmental, cognitive, learning, etc.). The candidate should consider ideas, concepts, and theories of human development, learning and language acquisition in first and second languages, and the implications for early childhood, childhood, bilingual and inclusive settings.  Candidates should address the question: How do the ideas in the readings, discussions (online and in class) help you think about your child and children?

This assignment can be undertaken through observations gathered from both an outside perspective (no direct interaction with the child during observation) and a participant observer perspective (direct interaction with the child while gathering data).

Selecting the child for the study should be guided by teacher education candidate’s interests, e.g., a wish to learn more about a child you know well or do not know at all.   The child study can focus on a question that grows out of some interest, concern or puzzlement that the perspective teacher wants to explore to help her think about the child— to help think about supporting the child as a growing person, thinker and learner.

Format for the Child Study Assignment

Please use the following framework when writing your child study. You may observe a child from grades 1-6 (childhood).   These categories are described in more detail in Carini’s chapter “A Letter to Parents and Teachers on Some Ways of Looking at and Reflecting on Children” (1993)

Here you write about why you chose this child, and any background information you think is relevant for the reader in “understanding” your child.

Describe

·       the child’s familial structure,

·       the child’s linguistic/cultural background,

·       any special services he/she is receiving. If the child is receiving “early intervention”, is there a Family Service Plan? What are its recommendations? Are there any health issues that may impede development?

1. Weekly Observation and Documentation, in section one of the format provided, your child’s behavior during each observation period 1-10), noting the time that you begin and the time that you end your observation.  Use each of the four following categories of development to guide your observation and documentation.  Carefully describe HOW the child does each thing that you observe.  Do not summarize, but describe, behavior as it happens and include any conversation in the child engages (adults and other children interacting with the child).

Then – Weekly Assessment, in the second section, the child’s behavior in each of the four following categories of development below, describing your thoughts of why the child behaves as he/she does and supporting your ideas with published child development theorists (those studied in class or read outside of class note in red below).  Use the Carini article as a guide and note that in the Carini article, each category is described in detail.  Refer to each theorist in the readings, or introduced in class, in the following way…last name, publication date, p. #: (Wood, 2007, p. 1).

1. Final Written Assessment – 8-12 pp.  Here you write about your interpretations (your take) on the child you’ve been working with referring to course theorists.  In a detailed paper, describe your observed child’s behavior overall as you have observed him/her in each of the following 4 categories of development described below.  Indicate the number of each of the observations to which you refer as follows (“As seen in Observation 1….”  Relate observed behavior to your readings about children and to the readings in class (Use the Carini article, once again, as a guide and refer to each theorist as above.

Carini Article Categories (LABEL THE FOUR MAIN HEADINGS (RED below) IN YOUR FINAL ASSESSMENT…the black subheadings are suggestions only of what to notice):

1.  Physical Presence and Gestures

What stands out about him/her immediately?

How does he/she position him/herself in space?

How does he/she move?

What does he/she like to do inside/outside?

How does his/her voice, eyes, hands communicate?

How does the child approach his/her physical needs?

2.  Disposition and Temperament

How does the child greet the world?

What are his/her feeling tones?

What does your child care for deeply?

3.  Connections with Other People

Observe the child in his/her different contexts: home with family, school, playground, community activities. Are there differences in behavior in the various contexts?

How does he/she interact with other children in a group, one-on-one?  With teachers?  With family members?

What does he/she seem to expect from others?

4.  Modes of Thinking and Learning

How does he/she seem to make sense of the world?

What fascinates him/her?

What does he/she do easily? With difficulty?

What does he/she question?  Wonder about?

Identify children’s developmental strengths: their culture, language, family, community. How do these variables influence their diverse style of learning/thinking? How is their “style of learning” related to the various contexts and to developmental theory discussed in class.

April 29 – Summary Thoughts 5 minute maximum…time yourself in preparation for your in-class presentation)

Written & Oral in class: What have you learned about your own development based on the life threads that made you?

Written:  What have you learned about your observed child’s development (based on your 10 observations)?

Written:  What have you noticed about the development of children in general (based on the theory that you read and/or the DVDs that you observed)?

Absence from this class presentation is not an option for the oral presentation.