Reflection on Child Development

• In Week 1, you were asked to consider if one domain—physical, cognitive, or social–emotional—was more important than the others. Review yourresponse. Have your views changed or strengthened? Explain your current thinking on the importance of helping the “whole child” develop.
• Think about assumptions or misconceptions about children’s development that you brought into the course. Summarize information you have learned that dispels those assumptions or misconceptions. Comment on effective ways to share or model what you‘ve learned to correct those same misconceptions in others.
• Reflect on something you learned or experienced in the course that surprised or amazed you. It may be an aspect of child development or a personal insight into your own childhood or adolescence. Describe this “ah-ha!” and why it stands out for you.
• In this course, you have been introduced to many topics and aspects of child development. What else do you want to know about child development, generally or about a specific aspect or stage of child development? Explain your interest, how it relates to your professional goals, and at least two ways to go about gaining this knowledge.
• Learning about child development offers a different perspective on children. Think about how you looked at children in your everyday world before this course. In what ways are you more attuned to children today?

Answer preview

My view of the three child development domains has not yet changed but rather strengthened. I still hold the belief that it is critical that all domains are considered while observing and helping the child develop. Physical development is vital as the child can handle various tasks expected at different levels of development and entails development of the whole being while cognitive domain will help reflect their development mentally. Socio-emotional is critical in shaping the child’s feelings and behaviors and how they develop relationship attributes. My thinking is that helping the child as a whole is critical as it will shape their development either socially, physically or cognitively. Additionally, it helps to determine any trace of disorder or unique abilities early and hence accord the necessary support early enough (Hamre, Hatfield, Pianta, & Jamil, 2014)….

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