Amanda Snell C&I 210, Section 9 April 30, 2012

Observation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Date 2/22/2012 2/22/2012 2/22/2012 2/24/2012 2/24/2012 3/5/2012 3/5/2012 3/6/2012 3/7/2012

Time 10:20-10:55am 11:00-11:50am 12:00-12:55 pm 1:40-11:15am 11:15-11:45am 10:00-10:50am 12:15-1:35pm 10:35-11:10am 1:05-1:40pm

Grade Level 7th 6th 9th 2nd 4th 10th 4th 5th 9th

School Rachel Cooper MLS UHS MLS MLS UHS MLS MLS ULS

Snell 1 Analysis and Application Introduction Throughout this past semester, I have had the opportunity to observe students in various grade levels at the Illinois State Universitys Lab Schools in order to gain a better understanding of the developmental periods from childhood to adolescence. The wide variety of grades I observed ranged from the second grade all the way to sophomores in high school. Due to the wide range of grade levels, I was able to observe the developmental differences in cognitive abilities, social aspects, emotional capabilities, and physical changes. This clinical observation write-up will include these four domains. In addition, it will be divided into three sections: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Each part will consist of theoretical applications accompanied with specific examples from my observations at the Lab Schools. This write-up will conclude with a reference of the differences between students at varying levels of development throughout the educational process. Elementary In reference to Ivan Pavlov, Pavlovian conditioning was clearly displayed in the second grade classroom I observed at Thomas Metcalf Lab School. The teacher in this classroom was introducing a new topic, and she wanted to obtain her students undivided attention. In order to do so, she knew she had to keep their interests with positive reinforcements. For example, whenever a student answered a question correctly, the teacher rewarded the student with a piece of candy, which further proved to hold true with Pavlovs operant conditioning. To further describe Pavlovs conditioning concerning behaviors, negative reinforcement was also observed within this second

Snell 2 grade classroom. While the teacher was continuing with the lesson, one student was constantly talking and distracting the other students around him. The corresponding teacher proceeded to negatively reinforce the student by directing him to move his nametag on the front of the board from green to yellow, which indicates the different levels of good or bad behaviors. This punishment negatively reinforced the student by reducing his likelihood of misbehaving again. As a future teacher, I definitely took a mental note of this type of punishment. Even though I will not be an elementary school teacher, this very simple punishment can reinforce the student to behave positively instead of negatively. The little jump from second grade to fourth grade definitely portrayed a huge difference in the students cognitive abilities. Piaget believed that to understand childrens cognitive development, you must not only observe their behavior, but also consider why the child behaved in that way, (C. Bergin & D. Bergin, 96). It was evident that the fourth graders were capable of thinking logically, as compared to the second graders. One math lesson the fourth grade teacher had the students complete was a task that involved number blocks where they had to gather all of the multiples of 3, 4, and 5. They then had to sort them into three different categories and label which group is a multiple of which number. According to Piaget, these fourth graders could be categorized as being in the concrete operational stage, because they had the ability to collect, sort, and classify (102). The other fourth grade class I observed at Thomas Metcalf was a science classroom. Even though I observed two of the same grade levels, I was able to see different developmental aspects. In this science class, the children were able to interact

Snell 3 with one another on their assignment. According to Vygotsky, he believed that social interaction with others is the primary force driving cognitive development, (112). This fourth grade teacher allowed the children to work in groups of two to three, enabling them to interact with one another to complete their assignment. At this point, I was able to observe Vygotskys theory of cognitive development, sociocultural. The children had to put their thoughts together and come to a final agreement on the answers for their assignment through trail-and-error. Even though the teacher was not directly helping the students one-on-one, she was there to answer questions only when they truly needed it. Personally, I agree with Vygotskys theory because I believe that cognitive development and growth results from interactions with peers, (112). As a future teacher, I will definitely be sure to use the sociocultural approach while teaching lessons to my students. The last elementary clinical observation I had was a fifth grade classroom. The maturity levels in these students greatly differed compared to the second graders I mentioned earlier. These fifth graders were much more capable of controlling their emotions and regulating their self-control. Unlike the second grader who was constantly talking and distracting others around him, the majority of these fifth graders portrayed their self-control. One specific student was not capable of controlling his emotions and actions. He was the only student being disruptive, but his classmates displayed their self-control by showing their ability to inhibit impulses, obey rules, ignore distractions, be patient, and stay focused on a task, (252). His classmates were able to delay gratification, even when it seemed desirable in the moment for them, such as talking to their neighbor during their lesson. These fifth graders knew that if they paid attention

Snell 4 during their lesson, then their teacher would allow them to have five minutes of free time at the end of class. Impulsivity decreases as self-control increases dramatically with age, (252). These situations I observed directly relates to the emotional development stage of the transition from childhood to adolescence, considering these fifth graders are at the age where this transition begins. Middle School As the transition from childhood to adolescence unfolds, social development becomes increasingly important. In this sixth grade Language Arts classroom I observed, the theory of mind was evident in the young adolescents because they were able to realize that others have mental sates different from their own. For example, the sixth grade teacher passed out an in-class reading assignment that the students had to quietly complete. One specific student that sat fairly close to me was clearly not reading the short story, and was busy doodling or examining the walls in the class. Whenever the teacher would come close to his desk, he would instantly pretend to be reading. Theory of mind was demonstrated here because he led his teacher to a false belief that he was engaged in his assignment, when in reality, he was truly being distracted by everything possible. This young student developed the ability to understand his teachers desire (wanting her students to complete the assignment). Theory of mind is an important developmental landmark because it can help to predict social competence, (341). Conflicts, arguments, and disagreements are daily issues that young adolescents have to deal with daily, and social competence helps to resolve these certain situations. Throughout the required nine clinical observation hours, it was clear to notice which

Snell 5 student had a strong theory of mind, which in results, reflected their social competence with their peers. When I graduate college, I plan to become a middle level teacher. Therefore, I was truly intrigued when I had the opportunity to observe a seventh grade classroom. One of the reasons I want to teach seventh grade is because I feel that they are socially developed to the point where they can understand sarcasm. I am a very sarcastic person, which is noticeable in my personality. I feel that a relaxing and fun classroom environment is vital to the students education. Many teachers believe humor enhances classroom climate, improves student motivation, and increases learning, (346). Humor is a social-cognitive play that can sometimes be intentional or accidental (346). In my future classroom, if something funny happens, I am not going to ridicule my students from laughing. Granite there will be certain times when laughter and humor is not acceptable, such as exam times, but I think a humorous environment will definitely motivate my students to want to learn. This certain seventh grade classroom I observed had a teacher that obtained the complete opposite beliefs than I. Maybe I observed him on an off day, but this teacher did not allow any humor in his classroom. The students seemed up tight and timid to ask questions, which further proves exactly why I plan to allow a fun environment for my students. I was not capable to observe any social aspects or developments in this seventh grade class, which I believe can hinder a childs learning capabilities. High School The clinical observations at the high school level showed a noticeably large difference in the social development of the adolescents. Peer status was definitely

Snell 6 observable among the boys during the Physical Education period. The athletic boys rejected the non-athletic boys, which proved these ninth graders obtained peer status for their classmates. In addition to this, gender segregation was also clearly displayed, considering all the males affiliated with other males, and the females with other females (431). During this same P.E. period, I was able to notice peer pressure being exerted from one student to another. For example, the students had the opportunity to chose which activity they wanted to participate in. A group of three females where standing near me, and one of the girls wanted to go play basketball while the other two wanted to just simply walk the track. The two girls persuaded the other to walk the track with them, stating that basketball was for boys. Even though this is a simple and harmless example among high schoolers, peer pressure and stereotypes were still being displayed. Some youth are more powerful at exerting peer pressure, and some are more vulnerable to it, (432). As a future teacher, I believe that it will be important for me to recognize the negative peer pressure among the students. Clearly, the social development aspect can easily be observed in the Physical Education periods since the students are not confined to a desk, and they are able to freely move around. I was able to observe more personality traits among the high schoolers in the gym clsass, as compared to a normal classroom setting. One of the main components I observed in the young adolescents is the fact that their emotions changed almost instantly. In the ninth grade mathematics classroom, I was able to recognize the different types of mood the majority of the students were in just from their facial expressions. Charles Darwin argued that emotional expression is innate and universal, (331). This one female student stormed into the class with an

Snell 7 angry face on. She proceeded to sit down in her desk and explain to her neighbor exactly why she was so upset. Adolescents report feeling a lot of daily stress, usually about relationships with friends, sweethearts, or parents, and pressure to do well in school, (300). An adolescent deals with these types of stressful factors on a daily basis, which could account for the stereotype that adolescents are negative and moody. As a future teacher, I need to recognize these specific stress factors and realize that they can interfere with the students education process. It will be my duty to eliminate as much stress for my students as possible, and to try to make my classroom a stress-free environment. The major observation I obtained from the transition of middle school to high school was the physical development. The high schoolers were remarkably taller compared to the middle schoolers. In the tenth grade classroom, I noticed that the young men had un-proportionally large feet, which could account for their clumsiness. According to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, self-esteem needs is the fourth most important for survival (42). Knowing this, it is easier to understand why these tenth graders were constantly looking for approval or admiration from their peers. The majority of the high schoolers I observed were persistently worried about their physical appearance. Throughout University High School, there were numerous of healthpromoting posters dispersed all throughout the building. This is extremely beneficial for the students considering self-esteem needs are an important component for the youth physical development. I believe that schools should promote a healthy living style for the students, so that is one aspect I will be looking for in my potential teaching career.

Snell 8 Comparisons Across Grade Levels It was interesting to notice the different cognitive abilities across each grade level, and how most students cognitively development and grow from each grade to the next. The physical difference was probably the easiest to notice, considering the second graders were about four feet tall, and the high school ranged to about six feet. The emotional differences caught my attention the most because it was interesting to me to notice how their stress factors change as they grow. For instance, the major stress factors the second graders had to worry about was who they wanted to sit next to or who to play with at recess. The high schoolers however, dealt with more real-life stress factors, such as relationships and grades. Overall, I was definitely able to observe the differences between students at varying levels of development throughout the educational process. I think it is needless to say that I have learned a lot from the observations at the Illinois State Universitys Lab Schools. I was able to connect the concepts I learned in Curriculum and Instruction 210 with the students and teachers I observed for nine clinical hours. This clinical observation I completed reassured me the reason I want to become an educator, and I become more and more anxious for that day to come. In my clinical experience, I was able to observe the developmental differences in cognitive abilities, social aspects, emotional capabilities, and physical changes. I applied these domains to three different grade levels, while using theoretical applications accompanied with specific examples from my observations at the Lab Schools.

Snell 9 Reference Bergin, C. & Bergin D. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning