BA Childcare and youth studies Assignment Sample

Introduction Of BA Childcare and youth studies Assignment Sample

Observation offers the rich picture of the children's strengths and weaknesses which standardized tests which allow educators to recognize potential areas for enrichment (Springer, 2020). Observation within the early childhood education plays a significant role in understanding the learners' development as well as offering customized support. By observing individual children, educators can design particular intervention and activities which caters to the learning styles, interests as well as developmental levels of the children. Observation facilitates for assessment of the children development in multiple areas such as problem-solving, multiple areas, physical abilities as well as emotional regulations (Bradbury and Swailes, 2022). This report will emphasize on three observation methods such as running records, learning stories as well as anecdotal records. These will be analyzed using the theories of Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. Ethics in education will offer a framework for nurturing, creating a safe as well as inclusive learning environment. By understanding the diverse needs of the children with observation techniques, educators can offer them with a welcoming environment where all the children can feel valued as well as participate actively.

Key theories in child development

Jean Piaget (1896–1980)

Piaget’s theory identifies the four stages of the cognitive development which the children pass in order to build the previous one. This sequential stages of the cognitive expansion which is marked by the distinct thinking pattern that progresses from infancy to adolescence (Springer, 2020). Their cognitive development limits the capability to understand specific concepts. This theory emphasizes that the children actively participate in their own learning which allows them to construct an understanding through interaction in their environment.

Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934)

Vygotsky's social development theory asserts that the children's cognitive development as well as learning abilities can be guided by social interactions. This emphasizes the significant role of social interactions, cultural interaction as well as language in shaping the children's cognitive development. By understanding the learner’s Zone of proximal development, educators can adjust the level of interventions to enhance learning.

Jerome Bruner (1915–2016)

Bruner’s theory of discovery learning which focuses on students constructing their own knowledge by discovering as well as exploring information (Ephgrave, 2020) . He believed that students are more probable to use knowledge independently to support what they need while learning. By gathering detailed observations, educators can recognize patterns in children's learning which inform future lesson interventions.

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Observational Methods

Learning stories offer the way to document the children's strengths as well as enhance instruction based on talents, interests as well as expertise in children. Learning stories are written in the narrative format which includes particular details regarding the children's thoughts, actions as well as feelings during the activities. These stories can be shared with the families to improve the communication regarding children's learning procedures as well as promote family engagement within educational procedures. Learning stories are a tool to inform the planning which allows the educators to track the children activities. This assists in capturing the children's diverse learning interests, experiences as well as approaches to standardized assessments. This helps in identifying the perspective of each children in promoting individual learning (Bradbury and Swailes, 2022). This facilitates the conversation among parents and children regarding children's development. However, the unconscious bias of the observer can impact the narrative presented within the learning story. The specific learning styles may not be efficiently documented with the narrative accounts. Further, ethical concern also arises in the case of not having proper knowledge about others. Along with this, it also lacks flexibility due to the predetermination of aspects that need to be observed. With this the area of development identified is the social development within the child so that effective and overall development of the child can take place.

Bruner's theory emphasizes that people naturally understand the world through learning stories. This presents the children's learning experience as a narrative with the starting, middle and end. By detailing the particular observations as well as interaction, the learning stories act as the form of scaffolding which supports the children in grasping their own learning procedure. Learning stories motivate the children to reflect on their own experiences as well as actively participate in the progress of constructing their own understanding which links with the Bruner constructive theory.

The learning stories must be linked with general data privacy regulations for GDPR. This establishes the general obligation of the data controllers and implements specific security measures (Evans and Crowley, 2016). Students' consent is essential in learning stories as children become more involved in their care as well as stories must not be labeled children.

Anecdotal Records are the concise observations which is made by educators while observing the learner. These documents the range of behaviors such as social studies, literacy, mathematics, science, emotional as well as physical development. The aim of anecdotal records is to capture the interactions which allow educators to understand the children's abilities, interests as well as challenges. This also facilitates the educators to record the quantitative information such as records about the children's behavior. These records assist in identifying the development milestones and areas of strengths which allow caregivers to customize the activities which suit individual needs. Early intervention can majorly influence the children future by offering the timely support as well as guidance. Anecdotal records allow educators to share a window into the children's experience. This collaboration promoted the unified approach in supporting the children's well-being and development (Fawcett and Watson, 2016). This tracking assists in identifying the potential delays which lead to early intervention as well as support. However, documenting observations can be time-consuming, particularly in the large classrooms. The single observation may not offer with the comprehensive view of the children struggles as well as abilities. Overgeneralization of broader population also limits the significance of this method to the large extent. with the help of this the area of development necessary for the student is to have emphasis on the development of the intellectual skills. It is necessary because when the anecdotal records are used then the major motive is on development of intellectual skills only.

Jean Piaget's theory outlines the distinct stages of the cognitive development which is marked by particular abilities such as object permanence as well as concrete operations. Anecdotal records facilitate for detailed qualitative data on the children's behavior which offers insights into the thinking procedure. The Data Protection Act 2018 makes sure that the personal data is stored safely as well as shared with the authorized personnel. Data principles have the right to access as well as correct their personal information.

Along with this another type of observation method which is assistive in gathering is the time sample. Under this method, the data and the information is recorded by educator which assist in analysing the characteristics of the student. It is due to the reason that with the help of the continual observation the educator can assess that how the child work, react to any change and whether they are capable of working in a better way or not. It is a type of the systematic direct observation which helps the assessor or the teacher in making records and details of the child can be recorded. This recorded data will be assistive in managing the development of the child better as this will be helping the teacher to find the areas of development and train the student to get better in the areas which they are lacking. The benefit of complying with time sample method is that within this method the observer has enough time to record every characteristic effectively. On the other side, the drawback of time sample method is that within this method some of the behaviour of the student may be missed and as a result of this some key points may be missed. Moreover this method emphasis on the development of physical and cognitive development as it emphasis on recording and observing the characteristics of the student.

In support of this, the theory of Lev Vygotsky supports that when the effective type of the records of every student is made by time sample then it is assistive for the teacher in making cognitive development of the child well. Thus, as a result of this, with the help of this theory, the observation can be connected with the learning and the development of the child. Further, the compliance with the Children Act 1989 will also assist in taking better notes and record of the child and provide for the better base to develop.

Promoting Holistic Development

Children observation is an intentional procedure which emphasizes on the children's actions, interactions as well as behaviors to gain the valuable insights into the development (Male et al, 2022). By documenting the children's observations through learning stories, educators can recognize the particular themes which naturally spark their interest which leads to more project choices. Learning stories can emphasize the children's current understanding of the concepts which facilitates the educators to design the project which builds the further exploration.

Anecdotal records capture the particular details regarding the children's interactions with the peers which assist in pinpointing areas for the targeted intervention. Based on the data gathered from anecdotal records, intervention might be tailored with each children unique social needs (Macblain, 2022). Regular documenting observation with anecdotal records facilitates the practitioners to track the children progress and make adjusted interventions as required.

Ethical considerations in the observation include confidentiality, informed consent as well as reducing the harm to students. Observation techniques must include recoding as well as observing behaviors in the natural setting which can emphasize the ethical concerns. Parents must be given with the substantial information regarding the assessment such as potential risks, benefits as well as consequences (Neaum, 2019). Children also have the right to put their opinions, participate in decision-making as well as protect from harm. Children's rights to confidentiality as well as privacy must be respected. By observing the children's specific requirements as well as learning styles, educators can offer them with the personalized learning plan to enhance their growth. Regular observation facilitates the educators to share the detailed information with parents regarding the children areas of growth which promotes collaborative partnership.

Educators need to document the particular behaviors as well as interactions such as positive and negative aspects which build the comprehensive picture. The educators must respect the children's privacy while observing as well as documenting information. The records must be applied with the specific security as well as organized accordingly in the file cabinets to protect from the unauthorized access. This is also significant that these records are searchable and indexed to facilitate the retrieval when needed. At the end of the retention schedule, these records are destroyed on the basis of organizational policies.

Educators should recognize their own biases as well as actively work to counteract them. They must use the standardized observation forms with the clear criteria to guide the observation and recording (Palaiologou, 2020). Having the numerous educators observe the same children to compare the perspectives as well as recognize the major biases. The educators must consider the children's environment as well as individual situations when interpreting the behavior. The educators must participate in the professional development to learn regarding the bias. Specific observations are significant in making informed decisions regarding the children educational requirements as well as specific interventions. When the educators are aware of their own biases can create the more inclusive learning environment where all the students can feel valued as well as supported. This is essential for the educators to observe the students with the respect as well as objectivity. The educator must ensure that all the teaching materials must be culturally relevant which makes it easier for the students to learn as well as make them feel comfortable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, observation is the fundamental tool for education in the early childhood education which supports awareness of children development, play and interests. During the observation procedure, educators need to be aware of the expressions, actions as well as gestures of the children. Children's observation must be undertaken in a sensitive and responsive manner. By combining the range of observation methods, caregivers can gain the deep understanding of children's strengths, needs as well as areas of development which leads to more informed as well as learning plans.

By observing the children in various contexts, the educator can gain the holistic view of their development which emphasizes on their academic performance. Observation facilitates the educator to recognize each children unique need which allows them to tailor instructions. By tracking the children's progress through observations, educators can recognize the potential developmental concerns which offer timely support to handle them. Regular observation will facilitate educators to offer positive feedback which boosts their self-esteem as well as motivation to learn.

References

Books and Journals

• Bradbury, A. and Swailes, R. eds., 2022. Early childhood theories today. Sage.
• Ephgrave, A., 2020. Planning in the Moment with Two and Three Year Olds: Child-initiated Play in Action. Routledge.
• Crawley, E., Anderson, E., Cochrane, M., Shirkey, B.A., Parslow, R., Hollingworth, W., Mills, N., Gaunt, D., Treneman-Evans, G., Rai, M. and Macleod, J., 2024. Comparison of cognitive behaviour therapy versus activity management, both delivered remotely, to treat paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: the UK FITNET-NHS RCT. Health Technology Assessment (Winchester, England), 28(70), p.1.
• Fawcett, M. and Watson, D., 2016. Learning through Child Observation. (3rd ed) London, Jessica Kingsley Publications.
• Hayes, N., O'Toole, L. and Halpenny, A.M., 2022. Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. Routledge.
• MacBlain, S., 2024. HOW YOUNG CHILDREN LEARN. Early Childhood Studies: A Student′ s Guide, p.47.
• Neaum, S., 2022. Child development for early years students and practitioner
• Palaiologou, I., 2020. Teachers’ dispositions towards the role of digital devices in play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. In Digital Play and Technologies in the Early Years (pp. 83-99). Routledge.
• Male, T., Palaiologou, I., Argyropoulou, E., Styf, M., Arvidsso, C. and Ince, A., 2022. Pedagogical leadership: A comparative study from England, Greece and Sweden. Bloomsbury Academic.