1. EDF2310 Field Notes
white papers report and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.
Field Note 1 (ages 0-35 months)
Requirements: 1-2 pages
For this paper, I decided to observe my five-year-old daughter, Haley. It is quite
interesting to use her as a topic on a paper. Before starting this assignment, I assumed I
knew everything there is to know about my daughter. I thought I knew exactly which
category or cognitive limitation she possessed. However, I learned that I am still learning
about this amazing little human. She is her own unique person, but she falls in each of the
Theorists cognitive theories perfectly.
Piaget
According to Jean Piaget, Haley is currently in the Preoperational Stage. When I was first
presented with these stages, I did not think Haley could fall under this category. When it
comes to learning new things, she has always been advanced. When I first read about
animism, I automatically said there is no way that Haley would believe in that. However, the
more I observe Haley when she interacts with her stuffed animals and toys, I clearly see she
still believes that in some ways, her stuffed animals and toys have lifelike qualities. I know
that Haley understands that these items are toys but there are times when she gets
incredibly upset because she thinks she hurt her stuffed animal’s feelings. A perfect example
of this occurred last week. We have a rule that Haley can only sleep with 3 stuffed animals
each night or else she would sleep with them all. I have a zoom class on Thursday evenings,
so my husband allowed Haley to have a fourth animal at bedtime to avoid a meltdown. The
next night Haley tried to sleep with the Elf again but I reminded her of our rule. I told her we
can lay it right on the dresser so Haley can still see it as she falls asleep. She agreed and I left
the room. A moment later, she started crying and said her elf is sad because she cannot see
her(Haley), that she is looking at the ceiling only. I was shocked that she was so upset about
her stuffed animal. To me, this was a perfect example of animism.
While she still strongly portrays signs of animism, Haley shows some understanding
of conservation. I did three of the Piagetian conservation tasks found in our textbook. The
first task we did was the number task. I set out ten dimes and she counted them. Once I
moved them around, she said there are still the same amount. I also did the length task with
her. I set down two pens and asked if they were the same length. She immediately said yes.
When I separated them just like the textbook example, I asked the question again. At first
2. Haley said No, but then asked me what length meant. I explained and she said “yes, they’re
the same but you pushed them away from each other.” I then tried the liquid quantity test
with her. She failed this test. She knew the two small cups were equal but when I poured
one into the taller glass, she immediately said the taller on was more because its bigger.
Haley is very good with numbers so I was not surprised that she passed the number and
length tests.
Erickson
When it comes to Erik Erickson, I believe Haley falls in two different categories. I
believe Haley shows some signs of the Initiative vs. guilt stage, but also the industry vs
inferiority stage. Haley can be a little shy when first meeting new children, but once she is
comfortable, she is great at playing and interacting with other children. At home where she
is the only child, she is very assertive and loves to decide what task she will do. However,
with other children, she can be a bit passive so I know she is still working on taking
initiative with other children. If she’s among friends, she has no problem taking the
initiative.
However, I believe she is already showing some signs of industry vs inferiority. Haley has
been in day care since she was two years and started virtual kindergarten in August. I
noticed that Haley started to compare herself to others last year, when she was in VPK.
Haley started to recognize sight words when she was three. By the time she was four, she
was starting to read beginner books. There was one other girl in her VPK class that could
read, but she was a stronger reader than Haley. Haley started to tells us she didn’t want to
read because she couldn’t do it like Simone. She kept comparing herself to Simone. Now that
she’s in Kindergarten, I notice that she is very hard on herself to be perfect. She gets very
emotional when she makes a mistake on an assignment. I believe these are examples of the
Industry vs Inferiority stage.
Kohlberg
I believe Haley falls under Kohlberg’s Preconventional stage. Haley understands right
from wrong, but she is still learning about rules, laws, and consequences. She is still very
much concerned about herself. She knows we have rules at home, but she still breaks some
that we have been relaxed about. If the action is something that makes her happy, she will
do it even though she knows she shouldn’t.
Summary
Watching a child grow is such a rewarding experience. Haley is five and she never
ceases to amaze me when she learns something new. Now that her physical development
has slowed, it is fascinating to watch as her personality grows and her mind matures. Haley
is still in Piaget’s preoperational stage, but is in the middle of Erickson’s initiative vs guilt
and industry vs inferiority stages. For Kohlberg, Haley is still in the Preconventional stage.
