Development with the PILES Domains
Throughout the observation process, Timmy is seen to be physically active and eager to interact with various objects in his environment. However, he is yet to develop strong gross motor skills. For instance, while other children remain seated when eating, Timmy is wiggling around quite a bit. Timmy also has difficulties spreading jelly on his second bagel, which prompts Ms. G to intervene and help him. During observation 2, Timmy is seen holding his partner’s hand while making his way up the stairs. Apart from that, Timmy’s physical skills are not limited. For instance, he is able to click on objects and move them on the screen using a mouse in the computer room, meaning that he has hand-eye coordination and tracking skills.
From the observations, Timmy seems to have limited intellectual skills. He easily forgets and finds it difficult to process some information or instructions from the teachers. For instance, he finds it hard to understand a computer game that involves the concept of sequencing. He forgets to make candy corn figures and immediately picks up his drink. When Ms. G asks the children to form a circle and do simple movements, Timmy is unable to follow the commands and just moves his arms around. He is unable to solve age-appropriate problems and think logically. For instance, he could not make a pattern on a notepad while most of the children have finished theirs. He also forgets his seat in the computer room.
Timmy has limited language skills, as indicated by his inability to communicate easily with others. He is not interacting much with the other children who are having casual conversations and playing with their food in between bites and sips. He also kicks his foot at the floor and often looks to Ms. G., seemingly looking for help in articulating his story. Also, he watches silently as other children converse.
Timmy is having a hard time forming social relations with other children. He has difficulties trying to have casual conversations or play. He seems to avoid group activities and remains fixated to his private area or splits from the group, wandering away from his peers. His poor social skills are further indicated by his waving as an attempt to interact with other children. As other children are smiling and conversing freely, Timmy is not communicating with anyone.
Finally, Timmy has poor emotional skills. He is unable to understand how his actions affect others. For instance, when his mom asks him to take the candy corn to Ms. G., Timmy says no and runs off. He is also in need of a secure attachment with a caregiver, as observed when he asks his mom for a hug as other children are chatting. Timmy is unable to use words as a way of expressing his emotions. He also lacks self-regulation. For instance, he becomes emotional and pouts when a classmate does not sit next to him.
State’s Early Learning Standards
The state of Minnesota has many early learning standards. On social-emotional skills, the standards stipulate that the child should be able to demonstrate self-concept, social competence, and the ability to develop meaningful relationships with others. In the observations, this is seen in the way the educator observes Timmy’s interactions with his peers during breakfast while playing as well as while interacting with adults such as other educators and his mom. Second, on intellectual or cognitive development, the standards stipulate that the child should be able to demonstrate mathematical, logical, and scientific thinking. This is clearly assessed while the educator observes Timmy in the computer room. The educator observes that Timmy is unable to understand sequencing and struggles with making creating patterns.
NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct
The observation and assessment were guided by the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, as illustrated below.
Ethical – The ideals section of the code provides that the assessment information is used to understand and support children’s development and learning and to identify children who may need additional services. As such, the collected information should be confidential. This is demonstrated by the way the educator focuses on gathering information about what matters about Timmy’s developmental milestones. The educator intentionally chooses the individual child and documents all the relevant information about him. Also, the information is kept confidential and only used during a peer mentoring session.
Culturally appropriate – In relation to observation and assessment, the core values provide guidance for educators to recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and social relationships that are based on trust and respect. This can be seen in the way the educator carries out authentic assessments, meaning that they are based on everyday learning experiences. This is well applied in the assessment made in the scenario as Timmy is observed while performing a myriad of activities in different settings and various areas of the classroom. For instance, while playing, interacting with peers, interacting with adults during a Halloween party, having breakfast, playing, speaking, and while using verbal language.
Linguistically Appropriate – The principles section of the code provides that educators shall make every attempt to use two-way communication to convey information in ways that are accessible to the children and every family member. The educator in this scenario uses Timmy’s preferred home language throughout the interactions and assessment process while with Timmy as well as his mother.
Suggested Improvement
The principles section of the NAEYC code provides that educators should not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, degrading, or intimidating to children. This means that children should not be labeled as a result of the assessment. During the observation and assessment process, Ms. M (computer teacher) becomes angry when Timmy is unable to remember his seat. She then gives instructions to Timmy. This can be intimidating, and there a need to ensure that educators avoid getting too emotional to ensure that their actions align with NAEYC’s code of ethical conduct.
Promoting Positive Outcome
One step I would recommend in the assessment practices to promote a positive outcome for Timmy is ensuring that the purpose of the assessment is clearly articulated before the assessment is selected, designed, and implemented. This is because various assessments are designed for different purposes, and there should never be a conversion of a particular assessment to meet a new purpose without careful consideration. For instance, assessments aimed at social interactions should be clearly selected and developed. A purpose should then be created, and proposed learning experiences highlighted to support Timmy enhance his social and emotional skills.