Running head: FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

Focusing on the Childs Interaction with Adults

Research Paper
Alma Ramirez-Rodriguez
Pacific Oaks College
HD 305 Cognitive Development: How Children Learn
Dr. Glenn
February 19, 2016

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

Abstract
Cognitive development approach is derived from the great work from theorist of Piaget to
Erikson. The developmental growth becomes an important role for a child to understand many
aspects for their development. Vygotsky and Piaget set the fundamentals of cognitive
development through stages of processing, reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving and
language development. Contributions for a childs developmental environment consists of adults,
teachers and other students to continue raise the skills of language and other cognitive forms. In
the observation that I conducted at my local public elementary school the observation was
divided in two different days, one hour each at different times, morning, and mid-morning to
witness students development.

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

Focusing on the Childs Interaction with Adults

Observation
Cesar Chavez Elementary School is located in the city of Norwalk California, serving the
local community. Cesar Chavez Elementary School serves a diverse community of Latinos,
African American, Asians and Caucasians. Classes begin from Transitional Kindergarten through
fifth grade. The purpose of the observation is to target the importance of a childs interaction
with an adult in a classroom setting. My observation was conducted in a transitional kindergarten
classroom with students who are four and five years old. The observation was done in intervals
of two hours on two different days which consisted of morning, and mid-morning. I will also add
my analyzation of my observations within the transitional kindergarten classroom and an
observation I did at a child development center. I will briefly go into detail on my observation,
broken down and tie into the theorist that relate to the interaction between a child and an adult.
My observation began at 8:30 am during carpet time. As I walked into the classroom the
walls were covered with colorful art work of the students from numbers, names and ABCs. To
my right was the sink area, to my left was the building block and dramatic play area. Further
down to my right was the teacher assistant flipping through paper work and across from her was
the computer area. Carpet area was to the left, this is where the students were sitting with eyes
focused onto the smart board. Behind the carpet area were the students seats, there were twenty
round tables and each table seated four students. Each student had an assigned seat.
Mrs. Gomez was to the side of the smart board working on the letter of the day through
the projector while students were sitting attentively on the carpet. Mrs. Gomez was going over a
booklet that the students also had in hand. She would read a sentence and asked the students to
repeat after her. The booklet had a few brief sentences and the letter of the day, the letter of the

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

day was Rr. While this was going on Mrs. Sanchez, the teacher assistant, called a student over to
where she was sitting, Nathan. Nathan? he turned around and said, Yes? Come here
please, he gets up and walks towards the table. She then explains, I called you over so we can
go over some sight words and sounds, he replies Okay. She brings out a laminated paper with
words and on the back is the alphabet. She proceeds, Okay Nathan say this word. He struggles
for a bit and she quickly begins to sound out the first letter of the word, La la la Nathan says,
Like Well done Nathan. Mrs. Sanchez was talking to Nathan in a whispering voice and I
could see Nathans head tilting to the side as if he was going to sleep.
I redirected my attention to the carpet area where the students and Mrs. Gomez were still
going over the booklet. She told the students, Use your index finger when you are reading a
sentence. Some students were using their index finger while others were asking their classmate
what the index finger was. Mrs. Gomez rang a bell three times, the students got up, she then told
the students to partner up, You need to partner up and read to each other students were doing
as they were told. Except one, Sandra was standing on her own off to the side, she was
approached by a student. Sandras face looked confused and unfocused. When Sandra noticed
that the little boy had approached her she responded with a loud, NO! Sandra moved away
from the boy. Another student approached her and the same thing happened, she was approached
one more time and continued to say, NO! Sandra would move carefully around the carpet
trying not to touch any of her fellow students until she was by herself on the corner of the carpet.
Mrs. Gomez approached her and said, Sandra I asked you to partner up with someone
and you didnt Mrs. Gomez looked around and saw Nathan approaching the carpet area.
Nathan come here and partner up with Sandra. Nathan walked over to Sandra and Mrs.
Gomez. Mrs. Gomez sat next to Sandra and patted her back, Mrs. Gomez told Nathan to proceed

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

with the reading and vice versa. Sandra was hesitant when it was her turn to read to Nathan. Mrs.
Gomez said, Sandra we are all participating so now it is your turn to do the same, read to
Nathan. Peer reading came to an end with the ring of the bell followed by a song.
The song was a mixture of movement and direction, the students were in a line, a
rotating line, the song specified what movement the students were to do and suddenly it said,
Freeze and so the students froze. Some would stay frozen others would throw themselves on
the floor. My attention is still set on Sandra, she would not move and seem to have dragged her
body around the classroom. Sandra was quiet, not participating and was not in tune with the
music.
The bell rang again, different task had approached. Music stopped and all students went
and sat at the carpet. Mrs. Gomez brought out a deck of colorful cards, these cards had animal
faces with the appropriate letter attached to the animal. Mrs. Gomez said, Repeat after me, we
are going to sound out the letters all the students including Sandra were participating.
My second observation began at recess time, arriving a little late I thought it was a great
opportunity to observe the same class in an open environment. It was three other classes of
twenty children, four faculty workers and two student workers. I approached the faculty workers,
introduced myself and told them what I was there for. The outdoor space has much room for the
students to move around. The playground had a swing set and monkey bars to the side, the
cement area had circles on the floor, an apparatus and soccer area were accessible for the
students. Each faculty worker supervised each play area and the students who played there. I
noticed Sandra, far off to a corner she would run after a boy with her hand in the air and
swinging it as if she wanted to hit him. Sandra stopped and joined a circle of girls that were
sitting under a tree, one of the little girls turned and said, Hello while the others got up and

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

moved away, leaving Sandra alone. Recess came to an end, students lined up and their teachers
were waiting for them and walked towards the classroom.
Center time began, students broke off into fours. Some went to the computer area, others
to the audio center, carpet area and free play area while others were in the color and cut and
writing the letter of the day. Mrs. Gomez sat at a center helping the students with their booklets.
She said open your booklets and lets start tracing students did not respond and did as they
were told. Students who were in the color and cut area had the chance to play in the dramatic and
building block area. Students were verbal amongst themselves, they were using the phone,
cooking and changing diapers. It was two girls and one boy, the first girl was on the phone
talking in Spanish, Hello! How are you? Yes you told me, how is the puppy? Oh Really?! I want
one too okay are you coming over for dinner? The little boy who was changing diapers was
talking to the doll he said, Baby I will change your diaper and you will feel better second little
girl was using a spoon and pot, What do you want to eat? I like spaghetti, would you like that
too? Mrs. Gomez rang the bell, all students stopped what they were doing and rotated centers
again.
My other observation was at the Norwalk Child Development Center, The state head start
facility provides education to children between the ages of three to four and has the maximum of
forty students. The center opened at 8:00 am, one by one parents arrived and lining up some of
the students were smiling, while others were observing and holding tight onto their parents.
Rosa, the director of the facility, walked out and opened the gate to let the families in. She
greeted every single parent and student with a hand shake followed by a good morning, the
director greeted in both Spanish and English making them all feel welcomed.

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

I walked into the classroom, in the middle were the tables and chairs, the setup was
similar to Pacific Oaks College and there were a group of ten tables and chairs to my right and
left. The walls had a few pieces of the students art work, a few decals were also on the walls
which represented on how to wash hands and where certain things would go. The classroom is
set up with different centers, to my left was the carpet area on the side of that was the library
corner with stuffed animals. Alongside the wall is a stretch of cubbies, a few were filled with
trinkets others with puzzles, a few bowls with marbles and sand. On top of the cubbies was a
turtle, birds in a cage and two fish bowls. To the right was a small closet with different costumes,
the kitchen play area and a music area where students were able to explore. Behind me was the
sink, paper towels and hand sanitizers.
The students were lining up to wash and dry their hands and sat down at their designated
areas. A cart filled with bowls, forks and cups was making its way to the classroom. Some
students were talking amongst themselves while others were sitting quietly. There were twenty
students and two teachers who were helping to serves breakfast. One by one students were
served egg, fruit and milk. The students ate their breakfast, drank their milk while soft music was
playing in the background. As each student finished their breakfast they picked up their plate and
put it on the cart and walked towards the carpet area. Ms. Lucy was waiting for the students next
to a boom box.
All the students were finished and seated at the carpet. Mrs. Mary the lead teacher put a
good morning song and students were participating, repeating the words while following
directions. Students were clapping their hands, wiggling their fingers and moving side to side.
They transitioned from the carpet area to a table that had cups of play dough, there were many
different colors from which to choose from. Mrs. Mary told the students to think of what they

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

would like to do in which they had to use their own creativity and build anything they wanted.
The students were smiling and giggling as they were grabbing the cups, one student was able to
open and pull out the dough as he pulled out the dough he said, Mine is soft! the other students
were having a difficult time getting the play dough out. One of the students was banging the cup
upside down on the table so it would come out. A student approached him and asked if he could
help, he nodded and gave him the cup. A few students were talking amongst themselves about
what they were going to make. One said, I am making a princess another said, I am making a
boat. One of the teachers was walking over to the table when the student said boat. She then
asked, What color did you chose for your boat? He replied, Red! the teacher then asked,
And where can you drive a boat? he quickly answered with enthusiasm, In the water!
Analyze
I was overwhelmed to see the walls tapered with art work of the students, to create an
environment that displays an over load of their work does not seem too attractive. A nourishing
classroom is displayed with the teachers philosophy and not an overwhelming outpour of
academics when its constantly done day in and day out. Not to say that displaying the students
work is not valuable which it is but other factors should also take into account. Curtis and Carter
(2008) state that The impact of the environment is dramatic and specific, not merely influencing
the general direction of development, but actually affecting how the intricate circuitry of the
brain is wired (22). An environment that holds value to a child becomes a place for creativity
and an enrichment for students to grow in a way that they can understand their world.
I understood what teacher based curriculum consisted. The academic curriculum taught in
Mrs. Gomez class was very much that, as you read, she was at the smart board dictating what
had to be read and what was to be repeated. The learning environment was manipulated by what

FOCUSING ON THE CHILDS INTERACTION WITH ADULTS

the students had to learn that day. Polly, Margerison, and Piel (2014) state Teacher centered
educators believe that the acquisition of information is more important than the process (3). In
other words this method is straight forward, clear cut and time efficient. No room for the student
to explore and use creativity. Although there was adult interaction involved the engagement with
students was not all there because students were not able to explore more than what was in the
booklet and the teacher assistant.
Although there are important factors that come with learning through teacher based
curriculum. Mrs. Gomez also used movement in between changing tasks she was used the
balance of learning. Jensen (2005) states teachers who include these kinds of activities arouse
their students attentional systems naturally. Teachers who avoid active learning run the risk of
having bored, fatigued learners (38). The enjoyment that the students had when they danced
was seen through their movements. After doing the dance the students had the ability to focus on
the material that Mrs. Gomez had them learn. This is also true, when it comes to recess and
lunch. When I observed the student during recess they were naturally elated to play through their
own methods of movement. Running, kicking the ball, using the jump rope and going up and
down the apparatus.
Another important aspect was how the students used their fine and gross motor skills
when they got up, sat down, danced around and using their fingers to point out the words in a
sentence. Using their motor skills while sounding out the alphabet, each letter was correlated to
the animal. Mrs. Gomez would make the connection with a movement of what defined the
animal. For example, the letter Ee for elephant, she would move her arm like the elephants trunk.
Which the students found it funny.

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When center time began and students were broken off to into centers, I was able to see
the how easy it was for the students to transition into each center and eager to go through them
all. Neither of the students were fussing or complaining that they were not interested in doing the
activity. I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between the students in the dramatic play area. Hoorn @
all (2011) states Vygotsky coined the term zone of proximal development (ZPD) to refer to the
context in which the childs understanding is furthered as a result of social interactions (35).
Development learning took place as these three students were forming social interactions
amongst themselves and the language in which they were using. Communication can serve as
expressing and receptive language. Language becomes the source of communication which
begins in the womb and later throughout their development. Their expressed language is
developed through adults and other children when they have learned the pattern of oral language.
The dynamics used in a child development center are different from the transitional
kindergarten classroom. At the child development center, students were allowed to be
independent, to use play through social encounters, not that Mrs. Gomez did not, it was just a
different social interaction, and responsibility. Nutrition also played an important factor at the
beginning of class as well as proper hygiene. Fine and gross motor skills were also used with the
students, this happened while singing, wiggling and playing with play dough. McCarthy (2015)
states Placing students at the center of their own learning requires their collaboration. I saw
more interaction between the adults and students than I did in a teacher based classroom.
The educators allowed the students to use their creativity, ask open-ended questions and
socializing through parallel play. According to Oakley (2004) Childrens complex thinking was
acquired through social interactions between children and the adults around them (37). The
interaction that the students had while playing with play dough was guided by the adults and

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their peers. The classroom environment at the child development center was different to Mrs.
Gomez classroom, the classroom was not tapered with art work and not an explosion of colors.
Blumenfeld, Soloway, Marx, Krajck, Guzdial, Palincsar (2011) add Learning occurs in a social
context, learners interact with and thinking represented and practice in a community (371). The
learning method was through a student based center, the students became the small community
while sharing their ideas and creativities thus developing their cognitive skills.
Relevance through class
I am able to relate my observation with the theorist of who we have learned from.
Piagets theory of cognitive development was used through interactions among adult and
students. The preoperational theory, symbols, feelings and spontaneous action took place among
these two classes that I observed. According to Jones and Reynolds (2011) the developmental
task in preschool is mastery of play, most particularly constructive, dramatic and sociodramatic
play (10). As in both classes, dramatic and social interactions were expressed.
Other theorist of who I was able to relate was with Maria Montessori, Montessori
expresses that a student grows through love and nurture and an environment that also enhances
their cognitive development through seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement.
The example given within the play dough area, the students were hearing, seeing, tasting and
touching. Vygotskys theories also came into play through the students language, culture, inner
speech, ZPD and scaffolding.
In conclusion, going into detail of the interactions between an adult and the students were
concluded in two different days, at two different times as well as a prior observation. The
dynamic at these two different class were two extremes. Mrs. Gomez classroom was set up as a
teacher based while the child development was enhance by student based learning. Both have

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great qualities when it comes to the interactions with student but I found that a student learns
much more when they are exposed through social interactions. Mrs. Gomez was scaffolding with
pronunciations that will help the students for the future. I enjoyed observing both sides of a
based learning center and seeing how theory is used in a non-standardized environment.

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References
Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2000). The art of awareness: How observation can transform your
teaching. St. Paul, MN. Red leaf Press.
Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2008). Learning together with young children: A curriculum framework
for reflective teachers. St. Paul, MN: Red leaf Press.
Jablon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., & Dichtelmiller, M. L. (2007). The power of observation.
Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies.
Jones, E., & Reynolds, G. (2011). The Plays' the thing Teachers role in childrens play. New
York, NY: Teachers college press.
Lieberman, V. H. (1993). Play at the center of the curriculum. New York: Merrill.
Oakley, L. (2004). Cognitive development. London: Routledge.
Phyllis C. Blumenfeld, Elliot Soloway , Ronald W. Marx , Joseph S. Krajcik , Mark Guzdial ,
Annemarie Palincsar Educational Psychologist (1991), Motivating Project-Based
Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning Vol. 26, Iss. 3-4,
Polly, D., Margerison, A., & Piel, J. A. (2014). Kindergarten teachers orientations to teachercentered and student-centered pedagogies and their influence on their students
understanding of addition. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 28(1), 1-17.
doi:10.1080/02568543.2013.822949