Assignment task:
- Plan: Consider what you have learned about infant and toddler development. Download, print out, and review the Video Observation Guide document you will use to record your observations.
- Observe: Watch the video segment and look for at least two examples of infant or toddler development in each of the following domains: physical, cognitive/language, and social-emotional development among the children on screen. Record your description of each on the Video Observation Guide. Use the information in your course text to help you recognize evidence of development for each age group-such as developing motor skills; emergent language and other cognitive skills; interactions with caregivers or other children; and facial and other expressions that signal social and emotional development. Some guidelines:
- Watch the video as many times as you need. Take notes on what you observe.
- Use only what you see and hear as evidence of physical, cognitive/language, and social-emotional development (i.e., be mindful to not make assumptions about a child). Factors you are not aware of, such as a child feeling tired or hungry, can influence the child's mood and behavior. (For example, an objective observation might be: Infant on back puts scarf over eyes. A subjective observation may be based on personal emotional reactions, personal judgment, or an assumption: Infant is shy [or scared], so she puts scarf over her eyes.)
- Remember that despite similarities shared by children of various ages, each child is different and goes through the stages of development in his or her own way. Keep that uniqueness in mind as you observe each child in the video.
- Enjoy the segment. Use what you've learned this week to try to imagine the world through the eyes of an infant or toddler.
- Reflect: Reflect on your observations by responding to the following:
- Describe the examples you observed that demonstrated infant and toddler 1) physical development, 2) cognitive/language development, and 3) social-emotional development. Be sure to include age levels in your descriptions.
- Describe at least one example of how development in domains overlaps (e.g., how a child demonstrates both physical development and, from his or her facial expression or other response, evidence of emotional development).
- Describe growth from infancy to toddlerhood that you saw evidenced in each of the three developmental domains-physical, cognitive/language, and social-emotional development.
- Explain at least one example of how your perception of infant and/or toddler development has changed or grown based on what you have learned this week and/or the video segment you viewed.
- Submit: Write and submit a summary of your reflection. Cite specific examples from your observations and, if applicable, references to the Required Resources to support your thinking and ideas.