Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Something that I consider pretty important to know is:

The Myth of Attentional Deficit Disorder (ADD)

For this, Let's see the following video:

Now, let's take in account what psychologist think about ADHD:

It is crucial to learn more about the difference between ADD and ADHD:

The Main Behavioral and Cognitive Differences Between Boys and Girls (Middle Childhood)

Girls enjoy running and chasing, but Boys engage in more playful wrestling and hitting

It is true that "Imput" from the child's eyes is transmitted to the brain and the "output" occurs in the form of messages to the child's slip and tongue. In general, The brain, is organizewd according to many neural circuits; one neural circuit is thought to have an important function in the development of attention and working memory. This Neural System Circuit involves the Prefrontal Cortex. According to this, It is important to take into account that the maturation in the development of a number of cognitive and socioemotional skills includes Attention, memory, and self-regulation.

Cognitive Self-regulation

This is the process of continuously monitoring progress toward a goal, checking outcomes, and redirecting, unsuccessful efforts.

Children can develop their self-regulation by being monitored toward achieving their goals by developing confidence, self-steem, and self-regularion as well.

Studies have shown that Boys are more active than girls. Boys have shown that they do not like to be sitting lengthy periods and they do not enjoy activities that are in nature. Therefore, it is difficult for them to read and color.

Cognitive Differences (Middle Childhood)

Boys tend to:

• perform visual-spatial activities
• appear at the extreme upper and lower ends of the assessment spectrum
• enroll in math, physical, science classes

Girls tend to:

• perform classroom activities
• earn higher grades in school
• choose language and literature-based courses

Main Behavioral (Middle Childhood)

Boys tend to:

• be more aggressive
• engage in agressive and bullying behavior without being provoked
• hang out in large groups of other boys, they enjoy physical play such as competitions

In class, they tend to:

• be more active (talking more and asking questions)
• dominate group discussions and ignore girls' ideas

Girls tend to:

• to demostrate their agressiveness in nonphysical way
• spread rumors
• engage in more cooperative play, they are more aware of other girls' mental and emotional states

In class, they tend to:

• be less volunteers in asking questions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  References:

  http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/gender-differences-in-the-classroom-physical-cognitive-behavioral.html
  
  
  
  

Gross and Fine Motor Skill (Early and Middle Childhood)

Fine Motor Skill (Early Childhood)

They are able to:

• Approximate a circle in drawing
• Cut paper
• paste using pointer finger
• Dress and undress doll
• Build eight-block tower; although, they have trouble building towers.
• String and lace shoelace
• Print first name
• pour from various container

Here we have a video in which we can observe how children develop their fine motor skill:

Early childhood Fine Motor Skill

Further, I will present a video that shows a way to improve the fine motor skill in early childhood:

Fine Motor Skill (Middle Childhood)

They are able to:

• fold paper into halves and quarters
• trace around hand
• draw restangle, circles, squares, and triangle
• cut interior preces from paper
• reproduce letters
• copy words

As we can see below, Middle Childhood Fine Motor Skill

I would like to improve this skill by doing some activities like the following:

Keep an eye on it!

Gross Motor Skill (Early Childhood)

They are able to:

• hop
• jump
• run back and forth
• throw ball underhanded
• bounce and catch ball
• complete forward somersault (aided)
• hop on one foot
• carry a 16-pound objects
• skip alternating feet
• roller skaletes
• skip rope

In this following video, we can observe how children develop their gross motor skill:

Gross Motor Skill Early Childhood

Now, we can take into account some activities to improve the gross and fine motor skill in early childhood at the same time:

Gross Motor Skill (Middle Childhood)

They have already improved the abilities such as:

• running
• jumping
• climbing

They have increased their muscles coordination, they are able to:

• skip
• stop
• change directions while running and throw a ball
• participate in turn-taking, organization, role assignments, realism, and rough and tumble game

Gross Motor Middle Childhood

We as teacher can improve the gross motor skill by doing several activities in class, For example, as we can see in the video:

References:

uwf.edu/smathews/.../physicaldevelopmentinmiddlechildhood.ppt‎

Papalia, D., et al. A child world. Mc Graw Hill. USA, 2006

A Case of Study (After)

After Recording the Video

As far as I am concerned, I could say that the psychologists thought not only in studying in a group of children but also in studying children by dividing the ages and their behavior while they are facing the reality in which they are. As I observed, the three theories are applied in salvadorean children as well. 

To me, Vygotsky's assumption goes beyond what Piaget's think; Vygotsky considers that not only experience form the life of the people but also the context or environment where they are forms the personal identity of the people. Otherwise, Piaget considers that experiences and observations help them to understand the life of people; thorought this process, people assimilate their environment through the growing of their brain; I mean,the maturation of their brain. 

On the other hand, Erikson is not far from this two theories above. He certainly resolves what for Vygotsky and Piaget was still unclear. It is true that people learn or assimilate their life by being mature, it is likewise so that people face some conflicts at the time they perform the process where they are. He perceives the stages between conflicts and resolution. To people get their identity need to face every obstacle in their life through each stage where they are.

A case of Study (During)

During the Performance of the Video

Vygotsky's Theory

During I was performing this video I could observe how theories were taking form.

First, I expected to apply Vygotsky Theory.

Vygotsky assumes that children learn what adults have learned. In concrete; Samaly, the girl who is 1 year old, tries to call the "pan" as is heard.
The second assumption is related to the language, language becomes independent; for this, children becomes independent as well. They try to express their own ideas to be in a social activity as we can see below.

Through passing the stage called preintellectual speech, when children cry to express their uncomfortable possition, they start inventing words to communicate with adults. This Stage is called autonomous speech. After this process, they pass for other two stages naive psychology and communicative and egocentric speech to reach an advance level of communication between speech and thinking. Nicole, the girl who is 8 years old, could express what she usually do during the recess while she is in the shool. View the next video.

Piaget's Theory

Piaget states six assumptions, however, I could observe the first of them which defines children as active and motivated learners. I could observe while I was recording this video that Samaly, the little girl, she surpresingly engaged a toy to taste and learn more about this as we can below.

Erikson's Stages

According to Erikson, at the age of about 1-3, they like to expore their surroundings and develop interests of their own help to foster a sense of autonomy. I could observe this stage in the following video.

In sum, I could observe in every theory that Vygotsky, Piaget and Erikson are applied in real life. Those are not simple assumption; they are right, children assume their space as it is thaught by adults, thus, they learn not only by their own experience but also by their interests in discover what is around them.

A Case of Study (Before)

Before Recording the Video

I pretended to encounter specific information and facts to understand the theories promoted by Vygotsky and Piaget about the cognitive development in children. I was pretty curious in knowing more than what the book provides. I was like scooping the information from every resourse that I was founding. First, I watched some interesting videos and read important files to observe in a practical way what Vygotsky and Piaget considered by their own researches. Then, I compare the theories by observing the children's reactions. Lev Vygotsky's Theory Piaget's Theory Vygotsky Vs. Piaget

How the brain grows, each stage shows how our perception of the world grows as well through the experience, environment, or simply, through the curiosity.

In here, we can observe how children perceive the environment. According to Vygotsky children learn the adults teach; they learn through the environment. Vygotsky confirms that children are influenced by the environment. In theory is acceptable, as it is in real life. We all already know that the house is called like that because our parents said that a house is the place where we live.

This other video shows how children learn by simply perceiving their environment by giving their own responses because for them the fact is what they think or consider. Each mature brain gives responses according to the capability they have. This idea comes from the Piaget's Theory; "cognitive development focuses on how learners interact with their environment to develop complex reasoning and knowledge," he says.

I continued reading and I found that the person who has been researched about the psychosocial development was Erik Erikson and his stages in trying to find and understand how the identity is formed while children are growing up to become adults Erik Erikson's STages. He provides the eight stages; one of which I pretend to link with the stages, toodler, early, mid childhood. What he argues is that people live in a constantly identity quest. As a matter of fact, I was interested in learn about the first fours stages; he states the Oral-sensory stage, which encompasses the first year of life. It is of vital importance for children to live in armony with their parents in order not to be in conflict the rest of their life. According to Erikson, during this stage children are in conflict between trust and mistrust."Infants during this time learn to trust their parents if they're reliably cared for and fed; if not, if they're neglected or abused, they'll develop mistrust instead. Infants at this stage either learn that they can trust others to fulfill their needs, or that they can't, that the world is a dangerous and unreliable place,"He says.

The second, third and fourth Stages are the ones I will study in this video.

• Muscular-anal Stage

For Erikson, during this stage children are in conflict between autonomy and shame and doubt. This stage corresponds to the Toodler Stage from 1 to 3-year-old child. He states that children need to be sure who they are and discover what they are capable to do, "to explore their surroundings and develop interests of their own help to foster a sense of autonomy. But parents who are too restrictive or cautious with their children can instead leave them with doubt about their abilities," he says.

• Locomotor Stage

According to Erikson, he says that children between the ages of 3-6 years old are in conflict between initiative and guilt. For instance, they have the capacity to start an activity; however, if they do not get what they expect, they would probably feel frustated or guilty for not reaching their expectation. He argues, " If they are not encouraged to do this, or if their efforts are dismissed, they may learn to feel guilt instead about their desire for independence." 

• Latency Stage

Erikson defines this stage like a conflict between industry and inferiority. At the ages of 6 and 12 year old, children have the capacity of reading, writing, and thinking logically. The way it is explained I consider it is true and observable in the reality. " If they're encouraged, they'll develop industry, or motivation to keep learning and practicing; they'll start to want to be productive instead of just wanting to play. Children who aren't encouraged to work hard at learning new skills will instead feel inferior and unmotivated." He says.

Wewill see then, how was the process in which I tried to go in pursuit of observing the reactions in children through conducting the Vygotsky's and Piaget's Theory.

Teaching Practicum I (video)

My Teaching Practicum Video

Brief Intro

This video aims at observing how the theories provided by Vygotsky, Piaget, and the four stages by Erickson are applied in salvadorean toodler, early and middle childhood.

In sum, I could say that both Vygotsky's and Piaget's theories are applied in avery single children under every environment. The physical, cognitive, and psichosocial development is possible even they are from El salvador. They can percieve the things are in their lives according to the influence of the society in which they are. 

First Period (July 22nd- August 31st)

In this period we will get involved in the knowledge of:

1. The Physical and Cognitive Development in early childhood.
2. Psychosocial Development in early childhood.
3. Physical development in middle childhood.
4. The concrete operational in middle childhood.
5. The agressive students.
6. The Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

I hope this video will help us to understand what we need to do when we be facing ADD or ADHD!