Child Development

Abstract Preschool students who are entering kindergarten are often expected to attend a screening session. My research focused on the qualities of a successful screening tool and how the tool is used to assist educators. I was curious to know if a screening tool provided enough information for educators to adequately balance classes during the process of placing incoming kindergarteners. Placing students based on their academic and social needs gives teachers more time and opportunities to successfully teach to their students' strengths, challenges, and personalities. Finally, I was interested in researching which screening tools educators chose to use. Throughout my research I wanted to determine which areas of development were typically part of the preferred screening tools and to determine which areas were better predictors of academic achievement. Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 3Statement of IssueKindergarten screening is used to determine which students are at risk for developmental, behavioral, or academic difficulties. A kindergarten screening tool is designed to identify potential learning or behavioral difficulties before they increase in frequency, intensity, or duration after the student enters school. Students who are identified can receive support from their school and families in a more timely and effective manner. The screening data also provides information that assists in the process of student placement into kindergarten classrooms.Literature ReviewSchool readiness, defined as social, emotional, and behavioral readiness to learn is a fundamental aspect of school success. Screening students who are entering kindergarten can be beneficial in identifying which students are demonstrating school readiness and which students would benefit from additional support once they begin kindergarten. Determining whether or not to require incoming kindergarteners to participate in a screening session is a discussion between the kindergarten teachers, administration of the elementary school, guidance counselor, and curriculum coordinator. The purpose may extend beyond the placement of students to include comparative data gathered to use in future discussions related to the students' progress.It is necessary to recognize the difference between the terms assessment and screening. While many people use these terms interchangeably, they have different purposes. Given the growth in the use of screening and assessment practices to identify students at increased levels of risk, it is important to emphasize important distinctions between screening and assessment. Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 4Specifically, screening and assessment procedures differ in their purposes, features, and the types of tools used. School readiness screening measures would be administered to every child entering kindergarten. Stormant (2016) suggests that a true screening system should be brief, simple, and rely on easy to administer tools. The purpose of assessment is to conduct a lengthy, in-depth, and thorough investigation. Invernizzi (2010) discusses the criteria for early literacy assessment in preschoolers assessment decisions. They must be broad-based, easy and efficient to administer and interpret, and provide immediate instructional benefits to teachers. Along with deciding whether or not to participate, educators must choose which tool to use and what developmental areas to focus on. Educators can then create balanced classrooms and prepare supports for the students who showed a lack of school readiness based on the outcomes. Steps can be taken to prepare these students for their entrance into kindergarten by providing summer programs and planning for ways of implementing instruction that offers extra support at the start of the school year for students who need it. RTI is a method of providing Tiered support for struggling students. Kindergarten screening results can provide educators with a starting point of data. Interestingly, Seethaler (2010) advises that screening students who haven't been exposed to math concepts prior to attending school may give false information. She questioned that waiting until students have more time to be exposed to common math experiences might allow the students without prior exposure to number concepts time to ‘catch up' to their peers. In her research she also examined the single skill screener versus multiple skills screeners to determine potential mathematics difficulty in kindergarten students. Phonological Awareness is known to be a predictor of academic success in Literacy where Number Sense is a predictor of math success.   Bridges and Catts (2011) report that specifically, Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 5dynamic screening may be able to reduce the false positives associated with universal screening in the early school grades. Although preschool opportunities provide many children with literacy experience and instruction, a large number of children continue to enter kindergarten with limited literacy knowledge. A lack of literacy knowledge at the beginning of kindergarten can affect performance on measures of phonological awareness and lead to children being identified as at risk for reading difficulties.The kindergarten screening process is a way to gauge a child's current functioning and growth. It is a brief evaluation of several developmental domains of functioning in young children that typically takes place prior to the beginning of kindergarten. It can be an important prevention or early intervention tool to determine which young children are at risk for developmental, behavioral, or academic difficulties. The areas of development that are most commonly evaluated during a screening are; Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language, Concepts (Math, Phonological Awareness), Self-help Development, Social/Emotional Development, and Behavior.Conoyer (2016) advises when selecting screening tools, educational professionals must balance efficiency relative to predictive utility and diagnostic feedback. While some may opt for a multi-skill measure with a longer administration time, others may prefer a brief screener that has sufficient predictive utility, and then administer diagnostic assessments to the smaller group of students identified in the initial screen.PALS-PreK is a scientifically-based phonological awareness and literacy screening that measures preschoolers' developing knowledge of important literacy fundamentals. The assessment reflects skills that are predictive of future reading success. It measures name writing, Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 6beginning sound awareness, print and word awareness, rhyme and nursery rhyme awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Phonological awareness refers to the ability to pay attention to, identify, and manipulate sound units within spoken words.As stated by McWayne (2011), the K-ABR is a teacher rating screener that includes three items to screen children in need of academic and/or behavior support. The specific items comprising the K-ABR include (1) â€Å"Compared to other students in this school, how was this child's readiness for the behavioral expectations of kindergarten,† (2) â€Å"Compared to other students in this school, how was this child's academic readiness for kindergarten,† and (3) â€Å"Compared to other students in this school, how was this child's overall readiness for kindergarten. â€Å"Kokkalia (2017) explains that the DIAL–4 is an appropriate screening tool for children ages 2.6 years to 5.11 years. The tool is individually administered but is appropriate for use in environments where large kindergarten screenings occur, taking approximately 25-35 minutes per child to administer. Each of five performance areas is scored on a behavior (psychological and social) rating scale. Behaviors are observed during the screening process to help determine if further assessment is needed. This tool offers comprehensive information in five performance areas; Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language, Concepts, Self-help Development, Social Development. This is the tool that my school district has chosen to implement this year for the first time.Hamm (2014) describes a program called KidSkills whose goal is to meet the principles of RTI and illustrate the effectiveness of elementary teachers and specialists teaming up to systematically examine student needs. Collaborative models such as this one aim to support Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 7student achievement. Multiple perspectives from various areas of expertise offer strategies that collectively support the whole child. Early screening, systematic data collection, collaboration, and a strong home- school partnership are key components of this program that can be replicated in a variety of settings and possibly generalized to other academic areas. The program provides kindergarten students with targeted small-group instruction once a week focusing on phonemic awareness, language and vocabulary development, literacy skills, and fine motor and perceptual skills.ConclusionThe methods used to perform kindergarten screenings are often in question. Educators discuss if preschool students are capable of accurately sharing what they know with individuals they have just met in a school setting that may cause anxiety in some children. Early Childhood educators may disagree with some of the developmental areas on the screening tools. Teachers may assume that children come to kindergarten with the prerequisite fine motor and perceptual skills to practice letter formation. Kindergarten screening tools may not pick up on the subtle needs experienced by some children that will make letter formation difficult. Assessing and addressing visual–motor skills is an essential predictor of academic achievement. As stated by Conoyer (2016), early identification of students at risk in mathematics is limited in value if educators are unable to evaluate and adjust their instructional programs to effect improved mathematics achievement.Further research to explore how the information gathered during kindergarten screeners should be examined and compared to future student assessments. Academic predictors could be evaluated in more detail and more data should be gathered in order to follow student progress Running head: BENEFITS OF SCREENING INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS 8throughout the elementary years. Continuing to check in with classroom teachers to find out if the classes ended up being successfully ‘balanced' would be of interest to my research of kindergarten screening usefulness. Each year students enter kindergarten with varying levels of maturity, attention, and exposure to academic concepts. Acknowledging this and proceeding without biases when examining the data collected is essential to the child's future school career. Child Development There are many different aspects that Influence and shape human development. One major factor that Influences personal development Is the social environment. A lot of people don't realize how many different aspects go Into shaping how a person develops while growing up. According to Rule Frontbencher, there are 5 mall systems that Influence human development: the Microsystems, Microsystems, ecosystem, Microsystems and chronometers. One system that influences the person directly is the Microsystems. According to Earnest (20111 â€Å"The Microsystems isBrotherliness's term for the immediate environment, the settings where people experience their daily lives † (p. 23). The Microsystems includes: family, school, peers, neighborhood, church group and health services. My family has one of the largest impacts on my development. When I was six years old, my parents got a divorce. Even though I was only six, it profoundly affected me, even to this day. While growing up, it took an emot ional toll on me, from not being able to celebrate holidays together, to switching from house to house on the weekends.My dad moved on very fast and married when I was 8 years old; to this day I resent my stepmother for that very reason, therefore, becoming much closer to my mother. My mom Is a very Independent person and has never relied on a guy for anything. I look up to her for everything, and since she is my role model, I am now a very independent person by not relying on other people, being able to get stuff done on my own and being strong in difficult situations. The peers I grew up with also had a vast impact on my life and decisions.When I was in elementary school, some of the boys would make fun of my SSE by sticking pencils at the end of their nose and saying it looked like mine. I would cry myself to sleep and started to hate my nose. When I was in Junior high, I still got negative comments regarding my nose. I became embarrassed to meet new people, thinking they would J udge me and think I was ugly so I didn't go out as much. Just last year, I got a royalists procedure done to reduce the size of my nose. If I had never gotten correlated for the nose I was given, I don't think I would have gotten the procedure done.Another system In Frontbenchers ecological theory Is the crossest. Unlike the Microsystems, the Microsystems influences the person indirectly. According to Earnest (2011 â€Å"The Microsystems is the broad system of cultural beliefs and values, and the economic and governmental systems that are built on those beliefs and values† (p. 23). The Microsystems is the largest system and includes: the government, cultural values, customs, religion, and the economy. One aspect of the Microsystems, which influenced my development significantly, was the socio-economic status of my family.I was raised by two parents who each went to allege and got a bachelors degree. My mother completed her associates degree, had her first child and then went to night school to complete her bachelor's degree. That showed me how crucial getting an education was. The socio-economic status of my family Instilled In me a great respect for education, which Is why I am striving to get a masters degree In psychology. After my mother achieved her bachelor's degree, she advanced in her job to become a human resources manager earning over grow up, therefore, leading me to pursue the field of psychology.The culture of the Unites States has an enormous impact on me as I grew up. Ever since I was a young girl, the United States has given me a strong exposure to the value of independence. Personal freedom, independence, and responsibility are what our society strives for in individuals. Since that was instilled in me as a child, growing up, I always took the initiative to try and figure out answers before asking someone, getting all of my work done promptly and on time, and leading a life deciding on what my future was going to be.Kids are constantly asked what they want to be when they grow up; that shows he value of independence and how anyone can choose what life they want to live. It is then up to the child, to obtain that goal by having responsibilities and going for what they believe in. Since children are raised to have responsibilities, if a 6th grader came home with a poor report card, actions would be taken place. My family would set up tutoring in the subject they are struggling in, since academics are so important for succeeding in life. If the 6th graders academics never improved, he might flunk out of school, therefore, not being able to get a degree.If he never got a degree he would not get a well paying Job, therefore, not being able to support himself/family. Since culture has such a big impact on development, depending on where one lives, there would be traditions and practices around the birth of a baby. If I were to have a child, my family would throw me a baby shower and give me gifts to help me raise the ba by. On the day I go into labor, my family would also come to the hospital to help support me and be there to witness the birth of my baby. I would have my husband and mother in the room to support me and share the experience with me. Child Development Child development is the process of how your child is able to do complex things as he gets older. Development involves learning skills such as tying shoes, skipping, kicking a ball and walking. Children develop their skills in five main areas: * Physical Development * Intellectual/Cognitive Development * Language Development * Emotional Development * Social Development Physical Development Physical development is the way in which children's bodies increase in skills. The acquisition of skills such as sitting, throwing and running, picking up objects and feeding describes the physical development of your child.Developmental norms are patterns of growth that a child is expected to follow when growing. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) Physical development is grouped in two main areas: Gross Motor Skill are his/her ability to use their large muscles, Gross Motor Skills starts with head control and works down their body such as learning to sit, crawl, pull up and walk. They use their large musc les to acquire these skills. Fine Motor Skills are his/her ability to use their small muscles. During the first year of your child’s life, he/she will start to practice handling and manipulating small objects.This develops their ability to use their small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers to pick up and hold objects such as pencil and spoon. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) Intellectual/cognitive development Cognitive development is the way in which your child manages their thinking, and talent to create sense of the world and what is occurring around them. When your child is able to deal with difficulties, telling about it in advance are examples of skills associated with cognitive child development. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Language development:Children's language develops through using visual and sound stimuli, especially in the acquisition of language, also in the exchange of thoughts and feelings. There are two identifiable stages; the first stage of development i n the process of children learning to use language is the pre-linguistic stage. Babies use this stage to learn how to communicate with others. During the first stage of life, babies rapidly learn how to communicate with their carers, so that by the age of 12 months, most babies understand what is being said to them and are starting to communicate their needs by pointing or by showing their carer objects.Then there is the Linguistic Stage – 15 Months to 8 Years, Children starts to use words around twelve months and by fifteen months they have developed their own word for an object or person and use it consistently. They then go on to use holophrases – using a single word to express several meanings by changing the sound and using gestures. As they grow children gradually put two words together to form a mini-sentence if your child is exposed to a rich language environment, this will be reflected in his speech development. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Emotional development: Emotional development is the growth of a child's ability to feel and express an increasing range of emotions appropriately. Children's emotional capabilities expand, allowing them to develop a variety of skills that they will need in their adult lives. Emotional development encompasses the feelings that we have about ourselves and others, as well as our capabilities to function well in the world from a social standpoint. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Social development: Social development is the growth of a child's ability to relate to others and become independent.As they develop and perceive their own individuality within their community, they also gain skills to communicate with other people and process their actions. Social development most often refers to how a child develops friendships and other relationships, also how well a child handles conflict with peers. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) This is not fixed or written in stone it is simply a guide to child development, It is dangero us to assume that children are abnormal if they do not all progress in exactly the same manner. Variations will always exist, since each child is an individual developing in their own unique way. (Bruce T.Meggitt, C 2004) The significance of social and emotional development is seen in every area of a child's life. A child will have a strong foundation for later development if he/she can manage personal feelings, understand others’ feelings and needs, and interact positively with others. Differences in social and emotional development result from a child’s inborn temperament, cultural influences, disabilities, behaviours modelled by adults, the level of security felt in a child’s relationships with adults, and the opportunities provided for social interaction. (raisingchildren. net. u/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) Social and emotional development for a four year old: Your four-year-old should be able to learn lots about the world and how it works, about peopl e and relationships, makes friends (often short-term) and plays group games. They are now more likely to, share toys, taking turns with assistance and initiate or join in play with other children and make up games. (/raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) At this age, children are more aware of themselves as individuals. They should show some understanding of moral reasoning (exploring ideas about fairness and good or bad behaviour).Children become more interested in relationships with other children and start to compare themselves with others. Children should start to develop friendships, express more awareness of other people's feelings, show interest in exploring sex differences and most children enjoy imaginative play with other children, like dress up or house, they bring dramatic play closer to reality by paying attention to detail, time, and space. (raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) Children know a bit more about the idea of sharing. But they might not be keen to put the idea of sharing into action, it would be great if children always played nicely together and never had fights over toys or over whose turn it is to lick the bowl after the cake has been baked. If a child is not sharing you can encourage them to share with other children, by reminding them how bad they would feel if someone took their toy. Talking to children about other children’s feelings, helps build their sense of empathy. Children need structures and routines to feel safe, and  when their behaviour is ‘over the top’, they need you to set limits and bring them back to earth without making them feel bad. Raising children. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006). Factors affecting child development There are various factors that may impact upon the development of the child, learning difficulties such as Autism, ADD/ ADHD disorder are a condition where children have difficulty concentrating and paying attention and may cau se slowness in development in many areas. Children with learning difficulties or special needs will require additional help such as extra support at school/home, to resolve development problem and may or may not catch up. These children may even go through a process called statementing before they receive help.Some children with learning problems do not get statemented as the parents may not want to admit that their child has a problem as they feel ashamed. Children with special needs can benefit greatly if attending a mainstream school that has the resources and funding to help them. (Browne. K. 2008. P. 360) Factors such as extreme poverty and emotional stress can have a devastating effect on children’s development. Poverty can have a profound effect on a child’s development; children who come from poor backgrounds will lack resources, live in over-crowded houses with lack of study space.Their poor diet and ill health can lead to tiredness, absences and missed lesson s. Low income or unemployment may mean lack of educational resources or a home computer is not available. This could affect the child’s educational progress. It could also mean the hidden costs of education such as calculators, sports equipment, and school trips are out of reach of many poorer families. Although many government places are available many low income families in lesser paid jobs cannot afford to send their children to pre-school or nursery. Such starts to education are proven to aid a child’s development and can help with social skills.It can be argued that Material Deprivation also affects the working class. (Browne. K. 2008. P. 360) It can also be argued that although children lack educational resources at home such as computers and calculators they can still achieve developmental levels as many school are well equipped with these materials, also many schools now have breakfast/afterschool clubs and do lots of extra curriculum studies to help children. It can be said children will only benefit from these clubs and extra studies if parent are willing to encourage children to attend them.Many things can cause emotional trauma in children such as death, illness, unstable home life, abuse, neglect, bullying and accidents. Children suffering from emotional trauma can exhibit displays of aggression, withdrawal, show signs of anxiety and have complaints of aches, pains and tiredness. Emotional trauma can leave children feeling frightened and even ashamed or guilty. All these signs and symptoms can cause developmental problems and impact upon their emotional ability which is important to a Childs personal and social growth, a child suffering from trauma may also revert to bed wetting or baby talk.Children who are affected by extreme trauma can benefit greatly with the help of the Schools mentors/councilors who are trained to deal with traumatized children, a teacher with a heightened sense of awareness maybe able to pick up on any problem s. (Marcus, M. Ducklin, A 1998) An inside school factor that can cause developmental progress is labeling, teachers’ judge and label pupils based on a number of different factors such as social class, gender, race, and behaviour rather than on ability and intelligence.Pupils who have reputations and labels because of their behaviour and attitudes are unlikely to be innocent victims; they may have been in trouble before. It can be argued that it is often the case pupils will contest their label and work doubly hard to prove that they can do what they are told they cannot, therefore rendering the label useless, (McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003 Methods to manage behaviour In the classroom environment a teacher who is applying a behaviourist view would typically stand at the front of the class and direct how the lesson takes place and how the class responds to the stimulus provided.It can be argued that the behaviourist approach does not allow for individuality or for spontaneity, it ignores people’s ability to have complex thought processes. It could be argued that the reward giver would need to know the learner to know what the correct reinforcement would be to ensure effective reinforcement. A negative factor would be too much adult involvement. (McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003) A positive classroom environment is one where the teacher adopts the cognitive style of learning.The teacher allows more class involvement and often sits amongst the class rather than standing at the front. The lessons would have a more adaptable framework which allows students to be more independent, the student would be able to set their own targets /goals thus creating independent learning and thinking. The lessons would include role play, presentation discussions, group work, research and working in pairs. The teacher would empower her students to self learn so rather than being a role model would become a facilitator. McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003) Other methods of managi ng behaviour are rewards and sanctions, teacher can rewards children for good behaviour or finishing their work with verbal praise, stars, certificates or table points. Teachers may also give children sanction such as a time out or losing five minutes of playtime. When dishing out sanctions/reward the teacher must be consistent and they have to be relevant and meaningful to the child, it could be argued that to ensure the effectiveness of reinforcers the teacher would need to know the learner. Word Count 1998 BibliographyBROWNE, K. (2008). Sociology. 3rd Ed, Cambridge: polity press. BRUCE, T, MEGGITT, C (2006) Childcare and Education, 3rd Ed, London: Hodder ; Stoughton. MARCUS, M, DUCKLIN, A. (1998) Success in Sociology London John Murray MCNEILL, P. BLUNDELL, J. GRIFFITHS, J. (2003). Sociology. The complete companion. 3rd Ed, Cheltenham: Nelson Thorne. ROBINSON, M. BEITH, K. PULLIN, L. (1998) Early Years Care and Education, 2nd Ed, Oxford: Heinemann. www. childdevelopmentinfo. com/ – updated 26th June 2007-accessed 5th June 2010 http://raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers. html | Child Development Child development is the process of how your child is able to do complex things as he gets older. Development involves learning skills such as tying shoes, skipping, kicking a ball and walking. Children develop their skills in five main areas: * Physical Development * Intellectual/Cognitive Development * Language Development * Emotional Development * Social Development Physical Development Physical development is the way in which children's bodies increase in skills. The acquisition of skills such as sitting, throwing and running, picking up objects and feeding describes the physical development of your child.Developmental norms are patterns of growth that a child is expected to follow when growing. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) Physical development is grouped in two main areas: Gross Motor Skill are his/her ability to use their large muscles, Gross Motor Skills starts with head control and works down their body such as learning to sit, crawl, pull up and walk. They use their large musc les to acquire these skills. Fine Motor Skills are his/her ability to use their small muscles. During the first year of your child’s life, he/she will start to practice handling and manipulating small objects.This develops their ability to use their small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers to pick up and hold objects such as pencil and spoon. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) Intellectual/cognitive development Cognitive development is the way in which your child manages their thinking, and talent to create sense of the world and what is occurring around them. When your child is able to deal with difficulties, telling about it in advance are examples of skills associated with cognitive child development. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Language development:Children's language develops through using visual and sound stimuli, especially in the acquisition of language, also in the exchange of thoughts and feelings. There are two identifiable stages; the first stage of development i n the process of children learning to use language is the pre-linguistic stage. Babies use this stage to learn how to communicate with others. During the first stage of life, babies rapidly learn how to communicate with their carers, so that by the age of 12 months, most babies understand what is being said to them and are starting to communicate their needs by pointing or by showing their carer objects.Then there is the Linguistic Stage – 15 Months to 8 Years, Children starts to use words around twelve months and by fifteen months they have developed their own word for an object or person and use it consistently. They then go on to use holophrases – using a single word to express several meanings by changing the sound and using gestures. As they grow children gradually put two words together to form a mini-sentence if your child is exposed to a rich language environment, this will be reflected in his speech development. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Emotional development: Emotional development is the growth of a child's ability to feel and express an increasing range of emotions appropriately. Children's emotional capabilities expand, allowing them to develop a variety of skills that they will need in their adult lives. Emotional development encompasses the feelings that we have about ourselves and others, as well as our capabilities to function well in the world from a social standpoint. (Robinson, M et al, 1998) Social development: Social development is the growth of a child's ability to relate to others and become independent.As they develop and perceive their own individuality within their community, they also gain skills to communicate with other people and process their actions. Social development most often refers to how a child develops friendships and other relationships, also how well a child handles conflict with peers. (Bruce T. Meggitt, C 2004) This is not fixed or written in stone it is simply a guide to child development, It is dangero us to assume that children are abnormal if they do not all progress in exactly the same manner. Variations will always exist, since each child is an individual developing in their own unique way. (Bruce T.Meggitt, C 2004) The significance of social and emotional development is seen in every area of a child's life. A child will have a strong foundation for later development if he/she can manage personal feelings, understand others’ feelings and needs, and interact positively with others. Differences in social and emotional development result from a child’s inborn temperament, cultural influences, disabilities, behaviours modelled by adults, the level of security felt in a child’s relationships with adults, and the opportunities provided for social interaction. (raisingchildren. net. u/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) Social and emotional development for a four year old: Your four-year-old should be able to learn lots about the world and how it works, about peopl e and relationships, makes friends (often short-term) and plays group games. They are now more likely to, share toys, taking turns with assistance and initiate or join in play with other children and make up games. (/raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) At this age, children are more aware of themselves as individuals. They should show some understanding of moral reasoning (exploring ideas about fairness and good or bad behaviour).Children become more interested in relationships with other children and start to compare themselves with others. Children should start to develop friendships, express more awareness of other people's feelings, show interest in exploring sex differences and most children enjoy imaginative play with other children, like dress up or house, they bring dramatic play closer to reality by paying attention to detail, time, and space. (raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006) Children know a bit more about the idea of sharing. But they might not be keen to put the idea of sharing into action, it would be great if children always played nicely together and never had fights over toys or over whose turn it is to lick the bowl after the cake has been baked. If a child is not sharing you can encourage them to share with other children, by reminding them how bad they would feel if someone took their toy. Talking to children about other children’s feelings, helps build their sense of empathy. Children need structures and routines to feel safe, and  when their behaviour is ‘over the top’, they need you to set limits and bring them back to earth without making them feel bad. Raising children. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers, 2006). Factors affecting child development There are various factors that may impact upon the development of the child, learning difficulties such as Autism, ADD/ ADHD disorder are a condition where children have difficulty concentrating and paying attention and may cau se slowness in development in many areas. Children with learning difficulties or special needs will require additional help such as extra support at school/home, to resolve development problem and may or may not catch up. These children may even go through a process called statementing before they receive help.Some children with learning problems do not get statemented as the parents may not want to admit that their child has a problem as they feel ashamed. Children with special needs can benefit greatly if attending a mainstream school that has the resources and funding to help them. (Browne. K. 2008. P. 360) Factors such as extreme poverty and emotional stress can have a devastating effect on children’s development. Poverty can have a profound effect on a child’s development; children who come from poor backgrounds will lack resources, live in over-crowded houses with lack of study space.Their poor diet and ill health can lead to tiredness, absences and missed lesson s. Low income or unemployment may mean lack of educational resources or a home computer is not available. This could affect the child’s educational progress. It could also mean the hidden costs of education such as calculators, sports equipment, and school trips are out of reach of many poorer families. Although many government places are available many low income families in lesser paid jobs cannot afford to send their children to pre-school or nursery. Such starts to education are proven to aid a child’s development and can help with social skills.It can be argued that Material Deprivation also affects the working class. (Browne. K. 2008. P. 360) It can also be argued that although children lack educational resources at home such as computers and calculators they can still achieve developmental levels as many school are well equipped with these materials, also many schools now have breakfast/afterschool clubs and do lots of extra curriculum studies to help children. It can be said children will only benefit from these clubs and extra studies if parent are willing to encourage children to attend them.Many things can cause emotional trauma in children such as death, illness, unstable home life, abuse, neglect, bullying and accidents. Children suffering from emotional trauma can exhibit displays of aggression, withdrawal, show signs of anxiety and have complaints of aches, pains and tiredness. Emotional trauma can leave children feeling frightened and even ashamed or guilty. All these signs and symptoms can cause developmental problems and impact upon their emotional ability which is important to a Childs personal and social growth, a child suffering from trauma may also revert to bed wetting or baby talk.Children who are affected by extreme trauma can benefit greatly with the help of the Schools mentors/councilors who are trained to deal with traumatized children, a teacher with a heightened sense of awareness maybe able to pick up on any problem s. (Marcus, M. Ducklin, A 1998) An inside school factor that can cause developmental progress is labeling, teachers’ judge and label pupils based on a number of different factors such as social class, gender, race, and behaviour rather than on ability and intelligence.Pupils who have reputations and labels because of their behaviour and attitudes are unlikely to be innocent victims; they may have been in trouble before. It can be argued that it is often the case pupils will contest their label and work doubly hard to prove that they can do what they are told they cannot, therefore rendering the label useless, (McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003 Methods to manage behaviour In the classroom environment a teacher who is applying a behaviourist view would typically stand at the front of the class and direct how the lesson takes place and how the class responds to the stimulus provided.It can be argued that the behaviourist approach does not allow for individuality or for spontaneity, it ignores people’s ability to have complex thought processes. It could be argued that the reward giver would need to know the learner to know what the correct reinforcement would be to ensure effective reinforcement. A negative factor would be too much adult involvement. (McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003) A positive classroom environment is one where the teacher adopts the cognitive style of learning.The teacher allows more class involvement and often sits amongst the class rather than standing at the front. The lessons would have a more adaptable framework which allows students to be more independent, the student would be able to set their own targets /goals thus creating independent learning and thinking. The lessons would include role play, presentation discussions, group work, research and working in pairs. The teacher would empower her students to self learn so rather than being a role model would become a facilitator. McNeill, Blundell et al, 2003) Other methods of managi ng behaviour are rewards and sanctions, teacher can rewards children for good behaviour or finishing their work with verbal praise, stars, certificates or table points. Teachers may also give children sanction such as a time out or losing five minutes of playtime. When dishing out sanctions/reward the teacher must be consistent and they have to be relevant and meaningful to the child, it could be argued that to ensure the effectiveness of reinforcers the teacher would need to know the learner. Word Count 1998 BibliographyBROWNE, K. (2008). Sociology. 3rd Ed, Cambridge: polity press. BRUCE, T, MEGGITT, C (2006) Childcare and Education, 3rd Ed, London: Hodder ; Stoughton. MARCUS, M, DUCKLIN, A. (1998) Success in Sociology London John Murray MCNEILL, P. BLUNDELL, J. GRIFFITHS, J. (2003). Sociology. The complete companion. 3rd Ed, Cheltenham: Nelson Thorne. ROBINSON, M. BEITH, K. PULLIN, L. (1998) Early Years Care and Education, 2nd Ed, Oxford: Heinemann. www. childdevelopmentinfo. com/ – updated 26th June 2007-accessed 5th June 2010 http://raisingchildren. net. au/preschoolers/preschoolers. html |