Child Observation: Language Learning and Development Essay -- Theory o

Initial Observation The child I observed for this project was Reza. Reza was three years and ten months old when I observed him and took the language sample. Reza has an older brother. Reza attends Martin Luther King Daycare and is on his church’s soccer league. I met Reza two times prior to taking a language sample. We met at a gym the first time. Reza was a little shy, but it did not last but about ten minutes. His mom instructed him to stay with me while she had her workout. We discussed fishing, hunting, and a game on his mother’s phone. I stayed with him about 45 minutes in the gym, and visited about 15 more outside. I had my dog with me, and I let her play with him, which he seemed thrilled with. The next time I saw Reza, he was at his mother’s veterinarian clinic. He remembered me, and needed no prompts to engage in conversation with me. He was happy to see my dog again, and gave her hugs and words of encouragement. Reza has a very outgoing personality, and was very happy to talk with me both times. After two visits, I felt we had built a sufficient rapport, I made arrangements to meet with him to obtain the language sample. Reza’s parents are both very active in engaging him with other children his age. They spend family time together, and they both value education. Student-Child Interaction When I met Reza for the first time, he was with his mother, at the gym. His mother asked him to keep me company, and after a very short period of time, he began sharing stories about his day with me. After a while, Reza decided he needed to work out like his mom. He ran laps through the gym for me to observe. After the gym we talked outside, where Reza used a stick to fish a piece of debris out of a hol... ... said, looking for unspoken meanings. Reza occasionally used words that surprised me. It wasn't so surprising that he said them, but it was that he understood what they meant. An example is when he used the word throttle. I asked him what it was, and he explained it simply, but correctly. He had no problem conveying his meaning when he spoke with me. He recognized not only simple objects, but more complex objects. Works Cited Chomsky, N. (1965) The Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (pp 25) The MIT Press Cambridge, MA. Piaget, J. (2000) An Introduction to Montessori, Erikson, Piaget & Vygotsky (Carol Garhart Mooney) Redleaf Press St. Paul, Mn. Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between Learning and Development (pp. 79-91). In Mind in Society. (Trans. M. Cole). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Pragmatics