Learning and development



Learning and development

Introduction

The aim of this report is to focus on the learning and development needs of a young person. To enable me to do this, I needed to consider my ethical responsibility. I began with seeking approval from Adam, aged 17, Fine and Sandstorm (1988) emphasise that the children's age should not diminish their rights. I explained that I would carry out three different observation techniques and provided a truthful explanation for the purpose of the activities. According to Nutbrown (2006), observations are an excellent tool to observe young children's learning and development.

I will move onto discuss holistic needs and evaluate the different observational techniques applied and assess the emotional, physical and cognitive development of Adam. I will also relate current social policy and theoretical perspectives to evaluate the observations. There are three domains of development; cognitive, physical and emotional development, although these three areas of development cannot be separated as they are interrelated.

I have considered the different methods of observation and how they will fit my purpose, as Fawcett (1996) explains there are a wide range of methods that practitioners can use depending on the focus and aims. The methods I decided to use is Target Child, with the aim of exploring his creativity to design a healthy meal for the cognitive domain, a Tick Chart Observation to observe Adam's fine motor skills in the physical domain, and finally a Naturalistic Record Observation as part of Adam's Social Development.

I will discuss in detail my aim and rationale for each observation in addition to this I will evaluate each observation and make links to development theory.

Holistic Child

Aspects of holistic development see the child as whole person; physically emotionally, intellectually, socially, morally, culturally and spiritually. It is very important to outline an understanding of child development in order to clarify expectations. By providing an outline for holistic child development, better evaluation and training can be achieved. Considering each one of the categories, spiritual development comprises of changes in an individual's awareness of and relationship with God. Physical development on the other hand includes changes in size of the body and proportion, development of brain and physical health. Lastly, Socio-emotional development includes changes in a person's relationship with other individuals and changes in emotions and personality over the time (Ruch, 2005).

Observation 1 - A Target Child

Aim: To observe and assess Adam's creativity in designing a healthy meal.

Rationale: I chose to explore Adam's creativity in designing a healthy meal, because I wanted to assess his awareness of a balance diet and how he perceives this. Adam has been given a pen, paper and a list of ingredients, including protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and salad items to choose from.

Young Person's Name: Adam

Age: 17

08/10/2013

Time Began: 12:05 Ended: 12.14

Time

Activity

Language

Social Group

1 minute

TC is reading the list of ingredients

None

TC + A

2 minutes

TC picks up pen and paper and he begins to write.

None

TC + A

3 minutes

TC is looking at the ingredients

None

TC + A

4 minutes

TC looks at A and smiles

A ...