Assignment Task: Psychosocial Development
The out-of-school care group in Yellowknife participated in a Walkathon to raise money for the travel expenses of a schoolmate who has to travel to Edmonton for cancer treatment. The children helped organize the event, canvassed for sponsors, and took part in the walkathon. Explain how experiences like this can support the social, emotional, and moral development of school-age children.
Joaquin is a caregiver for a group of eight-year-olds. He would like to change the way some children react when there are problems among them. Danisha, the youngest boy in the group, never does anything wrong, but when someone else misbehaves, he loudly says, "You're going to get in trouble for that." Emily maintains control over her two friends by threatening, "I won't invite you to my birthday party if you don't do what I want!" Joaquin understands that Danisha is trying to be good and wants Joaquin to notice him, but also to punish the wrong-doers. Emily maintains control by doing what generations of children have done: withholding a promised pleasure. Joaquin knows these behaviors are not healthy for any of the children and wants to help them change. 1. Why are the children reacting this way? 2. Joaquin wants to reinforce the importance of rules as well as to help the children move on to a higher plane of morality. What could he say to the children? 3. When you are faced with helping children make decisions about good or bad behavior, what do you want them to learn?
The development of "self"
- Explain the difference between self-concept and self-esteem.
- Explain the importance of peers in determining children's sense of self.
- Explain how someone in your life played a large role in the development of your self-esteem as you were growing up.
Cognitive Development Part I: Piaget
Read the scenario below and then complete the task that follows.
The children at Willow brook School-Age Care Program are very environmentally conscious. They have heard that the number of bluebirds in their rural community has diminished because there are few nesting boxes available for them. The children have decided that they would like to build and put up several nesting boxes throughout their community.
Task: Using terminology/concepts from Piaget's theory, explain how this project might support the cognitive development of these children.
Return to the samples of printing that you looked at earlier (these can be found in the unit 2 readings folder ("Self-Correcting Exercise - Printing Samples Ages 6, 8, and 10"). Identify how the child's literacy skills changed as she progressed through middle childhood.
Part II: Memory
1. Interview two children between the ages of 7 and 12. Tell them that you are interested in learning how they remember things. (You might want to record the interviews so that you can converse more spontaneously with the children.) In individual interviews, ask each child the questions listed below. When you have completed the interviews, there are 2 questions for you to answer.
Child A
Can you tell me what memory is? Are there different kinds of memory?
Are some things easier to remember than others? Give me an example of something that is easy for you to remember. Give me an example of something that is difficult for you to remember.
Compared to other children in your class, how good is your memory?
Suppose you were invited to a skating party with your friends after school tomorrow and you wanted to be sure to bring your skates and money for the arena. How could you be sure to remember them? Is there anything else you could do to remember to take them?
Child B
Can you tell me what memory is? Are there different kinds of memory?
Are some things easier to remember than others? Give me an example of something that is easy for you to remember. Give me an example of something that is difficult for you to remember.
Compared to other children in your class, how good is your memory?
Suppose you were invited to a skating party with your friends after school tomorrow and you wanted to be sure to bring your skates and money for the arena. How could you be really sure to remember them? Is there anything else you could do to remember to take them?
After the Interviews
Based on the information in the interviews, answer the following:
What differences did you find in the children's understanding and awareness of memory and memory strategies?
From your own experience and knowledge, why do you think that school-age children seem to forget so many things that adults believe they should remember? (You might want to get some ideas from other people, too.)
Part III: Vygotsky's Theory
Return to the scenario of the bluebird nesting boxes at the beginning of this learning activity. Think of the various people who could be involved, in some way, in this project and explain how the children's social interactions with these people could support the cognitive development of these youngsters.
Physical development:
Part I:
Complete the following:
You have a friend who has been working with preschool children (4-5-year-olds) for several years, but he has decided now that he'd like to work in a school-age program. What could you tell him about the differences he should expect between the two age groups in terms of their physical growth and development? Briefly describe 5 very important points that you would want to make.
Part II
Read the scenario below and then answer the questions that follow:
A. In your school-age program there is a 10-year-old boy who is very tall for his age. He has long arms and legs and is quite uncoordinated. He is also self-conscious about his height and his lack of coordination. The other children tease him, call him Stretch and Klutz, and choose him last when they are picking teams.
What would you do to help this child become more self-accepting and confident and accepted by the other children?
Provide the instructions for an active indoor game that you could use in a school-age care program, to further support this 10-year-old in his physical development.
It must be different from those suggested in your textbook.