Play Situation - Playing in the Park Essay

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Total Length: 2945 words ( 10 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 6

Page 1 of 10

Mode Assessment: Case Study

Situation: Ballet Class

Where did you observe the class/children?

The children were practicing in a large dancing hall of a private ballet school when I had the chance to observe them. The walls were adorned with large mirrors while the students were practicing; this was the case for both, the regular sessions as well as for special events

What ages were the children you observed?

The ages of the group ranged from 4 to 10 years.

Were there adults present in the observations? (If so what was their role?)

The adults were present in the class room. The class, taken on a weekly basis, provides development for children in a social and creative environment. The presence of adults with children guides the young guns to develop coordination and motor skills and also create a relationship between the two by making them spend time together through dancing. The day began with an assembly session and instructions detailing the routine of the practice for dancing classes that lasted for about half an hour. The kids then practiced the explained steps on their own aided by one of the teachers while the second teacher attended to the queries made by parents and guardians who solicited all kinds of developmental and relationship and behavioral issues of their wards. A teacher-parent interaction increases the awareness about child development- about participative activities, development of communication abilities and is a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the child (Thompson, Ruthmann, Anttila, & Doan, 2014).

Situation 2: A play situation - Playing in the park

Where did you observe the class/children?

The observation was done in an open public park's play area.

What ages were the children you observed?

The children belonged to the seven to eleven years age group.

Were there adults present in the observations? (If so what was their role?)

Some children were inhibited and could not take instructions, or even interact freely with other children without their parents' proximity. Hence, their presence was imperative as I wanted to observe the learning capabilities and inherent skills the child possessed in a normative way. The parents were advised to be around to act as emotional supports for the children and to reassure them.

Section II

Situation: Ballet Class

What did you observe?

The teacher needs to observe the behavior of the children to prescribe the right activities in a particular age group. The general adaptive powers across an age group helps the teacher incorporate the general range of activities even if it is true that individual inclinations and capacities may vary by some degree. Thus, a teacher takes into consideration the cognitive acumen an age group under tutelage is capable of as she tries teaching newer steps (Zallen, 2013)

I observed the children going through their training in the ballet class. The children were listening carefully to their teacher and following the actions that she was performing. Some children were given to practice some moves that they were practicing individually in front of a mirror. Julie Fisher (2013) emphasizes the importance of observation if a teacher is to gain a clear picture of the learning potential and needs of students. This idea may not sit comfortably with many dance teachers as there is often a misconception that if a teacher is not constantly 'doing' then they are not 'teaching'. Fisher describes teacher intensive, teacher initiated and child initiated approaches to teaching and the need to consider these when structuring the content of a dance class (CBTS401, 2015).

What behaviors did you observe from the children?

Some of the children were concentrating on what practice they were assigned to do, while the ones aged 4-5 were mostly looking towards their parents to make sure that they have not gone anywhere. Some children were gracefully and with full concentration performing their moves. They had a confident body language and also listened to their teacher with full concentration and the motivation to perform the next move. One child was shy and did not want to perform with people looking at her but after her mother came to stand beside her, the girl started applying the techniques that were being taught.

How did these behaviors affect the situation?

The behavior of the children who did not want to perform in front of others was affecting the whole situation because the teacher was constantly trying to make them perform. She even assigned the older children to some little ones so that their reservations were lowered down to some extent.

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This was stalling the process, but helping the situation as well.

What cognitive development stage were the children?

Children in the two to seven years age group are in their second formative stage of cognitive development brought to notice by Piaget. It is marked with cognitive awareness and intelligent use of symbols- language and comprehension developmental stage. This is the pre-operational stage of development where the child can relate to events and objects around him signifying cognizance of memory and imagination in the child (Lutz & Huitt, 2004)

Why do you think the behavior and/or cognitive developmental stage affected the situation?

According to Greeno (1989), the complexities of the human-environment relationship are too overwhelming to be understood as a means of general cognitive awareness. At the best, the reactions and relativity to a particular situation and environment of an individual and his cognitive abilities can be surmised to appreciate his power to acquire and develop awareness and knowledge. (Lutz & Huitt, 2004). The children at this stage require a lot of attention by the adults which if not provided to them can cause problems for the people around. Learning something is a result of the interaction that an individual has with the environment because everywhere around there are actions taking place that the child wants to pick up and learn.

How did the teacher, or adult in charge, interact with the children?

The teacher was trying to pay attention to every child and also convince the parents at the same time to interact with their children so that they learn the technique easily with an intimate interaction. The music put on at first was the children's famous rhymes. At first I did not understand the purpose of it, but then I noticed the children starting to pay attention to it. The nursery rhymes were put on to make children at ease because of the association of music with children. Children grow up listening to these rhymes at home, and listening to them in a strange place helps them to comprehend that this place is like their home. Every child had one adult with them who had helped the children in dressing up as well.

The teacher was at the front of the group leading the pack. I noticed that the similar costumes also comforted the children who were taking the class for the first time. Some of them were confident copying the technique with ease. Constant recognition made them want to learn more and the other children were also looking up to them.

Was there any behavior that impacted on the delivery of the lesson?

Since some children were only on their first day of the lesson, their shyness was affecting the activities of other children, because the teacher was trying to concentrate on them so that they had opened up a bit. Children are the best assets for those seeking to gain valuable insights; spending quality time with activities involving children provide us with markers in child behavior and their development. Parents and immediate family know details about children that would help us accelerate our understanding of the behavioral traits of a child better than anything else owing to the time they spend together (CBTS403, 2015). So, the presence of a family member with the child helped in bringing out the real side of the children, which helped me, understand one of the most important techniques of creating comfort for the children.

How did the teacher react to this?

The teacher remained very calm in this situation because she understood how difficult it is to handle the children. Instead of forcing the children to come out and stop being shy, she gave each one a little booklet and told them to write or draw anything they want. This would help to know what the child thought of the ballet class and also encourage him to bring out his creativity.

Situation 2

A play situation - Playing in the park

What did you observe?

Playing in the open helps the child provide exercise and develop their physical abilities and also interactive skills with the environment and people. Development of motor skills and creative pursuits in activities like jumping, throwing or even running and inventing variations in games like hide and seek, tags respectively are attained along with risk-taking and social awareness skills (Brotherson, 2009). I observed that children were busy in their activities and also sharing their toys with other children. There were adults present.....

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