Observation Report
Understanding the Developmental Stages of Students
Purpose: Who is the average 5-year-old; 10-year-old; 15 year-old? What can they do
academically? How do they behave in class? What can a teacher do to help them grow
and succeed? One of the traditional ways we organize schools, by age, requires teachers
to understand the progressive patterns of children’s growth. An understanding of student
developmental patterns will help you to develop objectives, plan activities, and assess
classroom behaviors. Do you know the typical cognitive development, physical
development and social & emotional issues of the students you plan to teach?
Activity: The field of child development has lead to the research stimulated by social
pressures to better the lives of children. The large storehouse of information about child
development is interdisciplinary. Public education has led to the demand for knowledge
about what and how to teach children of different ages; pediatricians’ interest in
improving children’s health required an understanding of physical growth and nutrition;
social services professions’ desired to treat children’s anxieties and behavior problems;
while parents continually asked for advice about child-rearing practices. This body of
knowledge is not just scientifically important but also relevant and useful.
The flow of time has been divided into sensible, manageable parts. Your task will
be to observe and obtain evidence in four periods of development listed below.
Therefore, you will submit four observation reports. One report will be generated from
the field experience assigned by SOE at AUM. This one will relate to the student you
desire to instruct. Data for the other three reports will be obtained by observing a
child in each stage for two (2) hours. You can observe this child in a day care
facility, an afterschool program, at the child’s home, or during the child’s event are
examples. First gain an understanding of the periods of development which can be
found in your textbook. The evidence you obtain will be based on the three domains of
development (physical, cognitive and social & emotional). As you observe the child,
write down what you see the child do and what the child says. Then determine
which domain the evidenced observed should be listed.
Stage 2: Infancy and Toddlerhood
Stage 3: Early Childhood (ages 2-6)
Stage 4: Elementary & Middle School years (ages 6-12)
Stage 5: Adolescence (ages 12-18)
Finally, use the chart below to develop your report. Here is an example of how your
chart should look:
Example
Artifact: Physical development
Stage: 2 - Infant & Toddlerhood (ages birth – 2 years)
Description: Children grow the most in their first year of life.
Physically they experience motor development as they begin to pull up
on things and crawl. They use their senses to learn about the world they
live in. As they continue to grow, their bodies change from being
plump and round to more slender and long.
Evidence Observed: I observed an infant at a Day Care Center. The
9-month old subject was mobile because she was crawling on the floor.
Her gross motor skills were developing well because she could pull up
on an item and stand up. This child seemed to handle small toys well
as her fine motor skill developed. The subject was slender because she
is taller than another 9-month old child.
The description must have at least 10 sentences describing the stage of the domain.
The evidence observed should be at least 12 sentences.
Reflection: What did you learn from this activity? Any surprises? Has this activity
influenced your decision about teaching at a particular grade level? What more would
you like to learn about the students? How can the concept of “average” or “typical” get
in the way of your teaching?
Field Observation
Grading Rubric
Name _______________________________________________________
FNDS 2120
Description
Information detailed the
three domains of
development. At least 10
sentences and no more than
15 sentences used.
Evidence
Observations were identified
in each domain of
development based on the
description of each domain
of development.
Reflection
Exceptional Satisfactory Fair Unsatisfactory
15-13
12-10
9-7
6-0
Exceptional Satisfactory Fair Unsatisfactory
40-35
35-30
2924-0
25
Exceptional Satisfactory Fair Unsatisfactory
10-9
8-7
6-5
4-0
All questions in the
reflection are answered in
detail.
Grammar & appearance
There are no grammatical or
mechanical errors. Writing
exhibits an exemplary
command of language skills.
Assignment looks
professional and portfolioappropriate with no
formatting errors.
Total:
/80
Teacher Comments:
Exceptional Satisfactory Fair Unsatisfactory
15-13
12-10
9-7
6-0
De Ex Sat Fai Un
scr cep isfa r sati
ipti tio cto 9-7 sfa
on nal ry
cto
15- 12ry
13 10
6-0
Inf
or
ma
tio
n
de
tail
ed
th
e
thr
ee
do
ma
ins
of
de
vel
op
me
nt.
At
lea
st
10
se
nt
en
ce
s
an
d
no
mo
re
tha
n
15
se
Evi Ex Sat Fai Un
de cep isfa r sati
nce tio cto 29- sfa
nal ry 25 cto
40- 35ry
35 30
240
Ob
se
rv
ati
on
s
we
re
ide
nti
fie
d
in
ea
ch
do
ma
in
of
de
vel
op
me
nt
ba
se
d
on
th
e
de
sc
rip
tio
n
of
ea
ch
do
Ref Ex Sat Fai Un
lect cep isfa r sati
ion tio cto 6-5 sfa
nal ry
cto
10- 8-7
ry
9
4-0
nt
en
ce
s
us
ed.
Teacher Comments:
ma
in
of
de
vel
op
me
nt.