1. Based on the evidence from age 6 and 8 years, how well is your child adapting to the school social environment and to the peer group? To what extent does this adaptation seem to depend on personality characteristics that are fairly stable in your child, and to what extent does your child seem to be developing novel behavior to cope with these new situations? Refer to the textbook for particular points about the responses of children in this age group to the peer group and the school environment. (2 points) Many changes occur between the ages of 6-8 years old. Children are leaving the comfort of their preschool environment and entering the school environment. This new environment exposes children to multiple new experiences. How a child responds to these changes can impact how successful they are in the school environment. One of the bigger changes is the amount of other children in the classroom. Typically pre-school classes are smaller in number and children become comfortable playing with only a small social group. Kindergarten and first grade could potentially have 30 children and can cause a child to feel shy and unable to cope with the new social situation. Another factor that influences a child’s ability to adapt to the school environment is the teacher controlled environment and then the more child controlled environment on the playground. Most children are used to being monitored closely throughout the whole day. However, the playground environment and the independence they are given to choose friends to play with can be a difficult to navigate and once again cause problems for the child’s social development and peer-relationships. Some emotional milestones that occur during the ages of six to eight years old include developing relationships with people outside the family as they realize emotional needs can be met by peers as well as the family unit. This can include becoming attached to another adult besides parent, i.e., teacher, caregiver, club leader (Ormrod & McDevitt, n.d).Children start to understand more complex emotions, start to want more emotional freedom and space from parents, become better at controlling and concealing feeling and also begin to form a broader self-concept of themselves by recognizing their strengths and weaknesses especially about social, academic and athletic ability (Ormrod & McDevitt, n.d). In terms of social interaction children in this age group still prefer to socialize with their own gender (Ormrod & McDevitt, n.d). There can be some interactions between boys and girls but this usually comes in the form of teasing. The start to become aware of gender stereotypes more and this can lead to exclusion of the opposite sex in play. Children tend to be competitive, bossy and unhappy if they lose in a competition (Ormrod & McDevitt, n.d). .Most children have a "best friend" and as more friendships develop friend influence also grows stronger and therefore children become concerned about being liked by others. One other common social trait that occurs during these ages is tattling and this is a common way to attract adult attention. From my research I believe that Bryson is adapting well to school. Initially it was reported that Bryson was shy around his classmates and was not as outgoing as he seemed to be in the preschool environment. In his first grade report he it stated that he “worked cooperatively in groups ad consistently respects the rights and possessions of others and consistently demonstrates appropriate peer social interaction” (Manis, 2012). However, in the comments the teacher said that “Bryson over-reacts to stressful situations and can become anxious, moody or slightly depressed. With encouragement, he usually seems to come out of it before the day ends” (Manis, 2012). To encourage Bryson to be more open to new experiences I started to choose options that exposed him to new environments to push him out of his comfort zone. By the end of the first grade Bryson was able to feel comfortable and perform well in the school environment. To help develop this ability to cope as a parent I made sure to get Bryson involved in group activities like sports teams and a choir so that he would have more experiences meeting new children and develop his social skills. I believe that by exposing Bryson to new and different situations it helped him to feel comfortable in the school environment.

2. How smart is your child, and in what areas? Refer to the summary of multiple intelligences that appeared at age 6 and to sections of your textbook and the course reader article on multiple intelligences. Find specific evidence regarding your child's verbal, logical mathematical, spatial, musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence from your observations of your own child as well as the psychologist's report at age 8 years, 11 months and explain how it ties in to the your course reading material. (2 points) The three common areas that are assessed to determine cognitive ability are verbal ability, spatial ability and logical-mathematical ability (Manis, 2012). The multiple intelligences theory, created by Howard Gardner, suggests that there are in fact nine different intelligences instead of the standard three. The different intelligences include musical ability, linguistic ability, logicalmathematical ability, spatial ability, musical ability, bodily-kinesthetic ability, interpersonal ability, intrapersonal ability, naturalistic ability, and existential ability (text book). Gardner believes that ability can be developed and that a person has multiple abilities not just one. Sometimes a person is aware that they are stronger in one area than another, for example a person may be talented in musical ability but not as strong when dealing with spatial problems. He also comments that a person who is low in one of the abilities can work on making it stronger however it may just take a longer time. Since Bryson was very young reports showed an increased development in his linguistic development skills. He tested above average in all the reports for language development and reading ability. This was the case again at the 8 years, 11 months report stating “his scores were in the average to above average range in word reading, reading fluency, phonological awareness and spellings” (Manis, 2012). He scored into the gifted range for the verbal portion of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Due to his strong and constant results in language tests, I believe that Bryson leans towards the linguistic ability in terms of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory. However, Bryson is not only linguistically intelligent. He also scored into the gifted level for both his mathematical and spatial ability. This shows that a child can have multiple different intelligences that aid in how successful they are in the school environment. One area that Bryson struggles with is his musical ability. Although he has attempted an instrument and joined a choir, the program always states that he is out of tune and this has actually turned into a family joke. A person does not need to be great in every ability, but being aware of your strengths and weaknesses can help a person to plan ahead to prepare for the challenges they may face when using an ability that may not be their strongest. It is also important for teachers and parents to be aware of children’s abilities to either encourage them or know when the child will need more assistance. Abilities can be developed so if child is musically inclined, but never given the chance to develop it, they will not become a musician. Parents and teachers need to include different learning experiences so all children can use their different abilities and become more confident in their stronger abilities.

3. Describe some examples of your child's behavior or thinking that you think are due to typical American gender role socialization and explain why you think so, referring to the text and lectures regarding gender roles and sex differences in behavior. Several examples can be found in the Virtual Child program at ages 6 and 8. How closely does your attitude toward gender roles correspond to typical American attitudes, and if there is a discrepancy, to what do you attribute this (e.g., cultural background, attitudes of your own parents, etc.)? (2 points) Socialization is the process of how young children learn to fit into society (Chartschlaa, 2004). More specifically is how gender roles are taught to children in our society whether parents or teachers know they are doing it or not. From a very early age boys and girls are treated differently. People are becoming more aware of the gender stereotypes and are trying to break the patterns; however there is still a long way to go before a child would be able to grow up in a gender neutral society. Examples of gender stereotypes in children include that girls like to play with dolls, they like to help their mothers, they talk a lot, girls never hit and they will grow up to be a nurse or a teacher. Boys on the other hand like to play with car, help their dads, build things, enjoy rough and tumble play and are expected to be a boss or in charge of a business when they grow up. Bryson plays mostly with other boys. Typical American gender role socialization tells kids that boys need to play boy games that are usually rough and dirty while girls typically will play games that involve dressing up or homely duties. In the program I have volunteered in the classroom at Bryson’s school and observed that he plays with a large group of boys whereas the girls in his class tend to socialize in smaller groups. Bryson and his friends spend a lot of their time playing sports, roughhousing, or roaming the neighborhood on bikes and skateboards. They rarely play with girls, but Bryson seems more tolerant of girls than many of the other boys. I have tried to make sure that Bryson includes his little sister into activities with his friends as well as making sure he has one on one time playing with her which I believe has helped him to become more tolerant of girls. I also try to expose Bryson to exceptions to the rule like pointing out when we see a female firefighter or a male nurse to show that boys and girls are not stereotyped to work in different jobs and can choose to be in any career they want. My attitude is different from the typical American view of gender roles. I believe this comes from my background as my family breaks many of those roles on an everyday basis. My father is a teacher and my mother is a Doctor of Law who attends conferences and is very well respected in the Australian law community. As woman in a male dominated career, she has shown to me that if you work hard and are committed to your goals, you can succeed no matter what gender you may be. When choosing the options for what toys Bryson plays with and who he plays with I try not to be gender oriented and never stopped him from playing with dolls and encouraged him to socialize with girls which promotes my feelings about gender roles in society.

4. Describe changes in your child’s academic skills between ages 6 and 10 and assess how well these skills are developing. If your child has any problems that affect school work, such as dyslexia, ADHD, or low levels of verbal, mathematical/scientific or spatial ability. Describe these problems and explain what you and the teachers are doing about them. The 5th grade report card will be useful for this but you should also incorporate your own observations. If your child doesn’t have any academic difficulties, describe what you are doing any way to help your child do well in math/science and literacy (reading, writing and communicating). (4 points)

Between the age of six and ten years old, many changes occur in a child’s development and growth. In terms of academic skills children in this age group start to think in more complex and logical ways. While they are still considering thinking in concrete terms they are able to consider several parts of a problem or situation (Kail, 2011). While the ability to start thinking about several parts of a problem is developing, children in the lower age range will still struggle creating connections (Healthwise, 2011, Topic Overview). Some dognitive development milestones include rapid development of mental skills, a greater ability to describe experiences and talk about thoughts and feelings, less focus on one’s self and more concern for others and thinking logically (Bhalla, 2012). In terms of speech and language development a child’s use of language becomes more sophisticated and they are more direct and clear in their speech.

As all of this growth in cognitive and language development is occurring some problems may arise for different children in the form of learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are different from intellectual disabilities as the disability has nothing to do with the intelligence of the child. Generally learning disabilities will be discovered as a child struggles with certain subjects, reading and writing or language development. According to Kail the three categories that determine if a child has a learning disability include: 1) difficulties mastering an academic subject, 2) have normal intelligence, and 3) are not suffering from any other condition that could explain poor performances (Healthwise, 2011, Common Concerns. It is important, as parents to be aware of the milestones that occur during this age range to monitor the progress of their child (Healthwise, 2011, Common Concerns). There are three main types of learning difficulties concerning how a student interprets information being taught in the classroom. Developmental dyslexia refers to a student that has difficulty reading individual words (Kail, 2012). When a student is able to read without any problems but struggles to understand or comprehend what they have read, it is called impaired reading comprehension. Finally the third type of learning disability is not as understood as well as the other two and is called mathematical learning disability or developmental dyscaculia and refers to students who have difficulty learning and retrieving mathematical information from memory (Kail, 2012). About 5% to 10% of all school children in the U.S. have learning disabilities (Kail, 2012). Dyslexia is the most common type. Since reading is a key element in learning, children with dyslexia can have trouble mastering basic skills and succeeding in school. Some symptoms of dyslexia include late talking, pronunciation problems, difficulty rhyming words, impaired ability to learn basics such as alphabet, problems writing, confusing letters such as “b” and “d”,and trouble connecting letters to their sounds (Healthwise, 2011, Common Concerns). Students who struggle with dyslexia struggle to connect what they see due to problems processing information they also tend to have challenges with writing, spelling, speaking and math (Healthwise, 2011, Common Concerns). ADAH or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is another common disorder in children that can impact their learning. According to Kail, “roughly 3% to 5 % of all school aged children are diagnosed with ADHD” (2012, pg.155). There are three main ways children suffering with ADHD show signs. The first is inattention or the inability to stay focused on one task and jump to another, hyperactivity and the child’s inability to sit still and finally impulsivity referring to the child acting before thinking what they are doing (Kail, 2012, pg. 155). Some common signs to look out for as parents and teachers include a students who are in constant motion, squirm and fidget, do not seem to listen, have difficulty playing quietly, often talk excessively, interrupt or intrude on others, are easily distracted and do not finish tasks (Healthwise, 2011).. Bryson is constant receiving positive feedback concerning his academic abilities. In his fifth grade report he was described as being gifted in language development and reading ability as well as the verbal portion and for both mathematical and spatial ability. The psychologist report also went over behavioral and attention problems and reported that he did not have any unusual problems with impulsivity, inattentiveness or hyperactivity. By this report and my research I am confident that Bryson does not suffer from any learning disabilities or ADHD. Throughout the program I have chosen answers to ensure that Bryson has had lots of experiences and access to books and information to fuel his desire to learn. I think this has helped him to become such a successful student.

5. How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems that have become apparent between 6 and 10 years of age? (some possibilities include internalizing and externalizing problems, ADHD, and obesity). Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them? (2 points)

Starting school and being exposed more to the larger world can cause problems in both social and emotional growth for children. Between the ages of six and ten children push away from their parents and start to form more relationships with friends, teachers and people outside the family unit. If a child struggles in social situations or is emotionally unstable to deal with all the changes occurring when they enter school, problems can arise which can be multiplied as other children are sometimes not the friendliest. This is where self-esteem and a child’s sense or worth or belonging can be affected drastically depending on what is happening around them. Some signs of this stage of social and emotional development in children show the child starting to show concern about being accepted by peers, the tendency to assemble in larger groups than in early childhood, a lesser need for adult supervision than in early childhood, outdoor peer groups structured with games and sports, increase in gossip as children show concern over friends and enemies, some social exclusiveness, with friends being reluctant to have others join in their activities and predominance of same-gender friendships (Ormrod & McDevitt, n.d). Issues concerning bullying are common during this stage and can be attributed to a number of factors including a child having either a learning disability, ADHD, being overweight, and a children lacking in social skills who often end up being rejected by peers. Bullying can have devastating effects on a child’s self-esteem. Self-esteem in elementary school is usually linked to scholastic achievement, athletic ability, social ability and physical appearance (Kail, 2012, pg. 354). From reading the factors that are linked to bullying and then how self-esteem is built a connection can be made between why children who suffer with disabilities or being different tend to be picked on by other students. Bryson has seemed to fit into school very well. Although he is sometimes shy he has always had many friends. When he started school he was reported as not being as outgoing as he was in preschool. He also showed signs of being scared and worried about starting middle school. In one report it stated that Bryson sometimes becomes anxious and frustrated but after some time he calms down. I believe that Bryson is developing well in terms of building a strong sense of self-worth and good social skills which are needed to be successful in school and in life. One way I have ensured Bryson develops this is by getting him involved in many group activities and inviting friends over to the house so that he learns how to play and make friends with lots of children and adults and is not afraid to do so.

6. Has your parenting changed since the preschool period and if so, why do you think it has changed and what effect might this have on your child? Refer to your textbook or lecture notes for evidence on typical changes in parenting that occur in middle childhood. (2 points) Naturally as a child grows older and demands more independence, parenting styles change. One of the biggest milestones for change in parenting style is when children go to school for the first time. At this age the child starts to develop connections with more people rather than just the parents for guidance. This shift from being the primary caregiver and person who your child goes to for help and assistance, starts to be shared with others like the teacher and their friends. There is also a switch from helping children accomplish essential milestones allowing them to choose how and what they want to learn and be more independent. This change in goals mean that parents have to learn to respond and interact differently with their school-aged child compared to how they would have responded to their child when they were in preschool (Bigner, 2006).. An example of this type of change is the need for parents to be less hands on or physical helpers and should be there as a psychological support for their children to develop their new emerging abilities and gain confidence (Bigner, 2006).. Instead of constantly monitoring every move, parents begin to exercise general supervision and will only intervene if their child is misbehaving which allows the child to work on their own self-regulation due to the trust of the parents to do the right thing (Maccoby, 1984). The trust parents start to give children when they start school comes from the higher level of self-control children have learnt in the preschool years. But some methods can help to increase how much self-control the child has. This includes often reassuring children, helping them to recover from social blunders, and giving positive reinforcement for efforts to learn new skills (Bigner, 2006).. School-age children continue to need their parents but in ways that are very different from preschoolers. Also expectation of your child changes as they get older. Starting school is a big milestone and can be the first time a parent realizes how quickly their child is growing up. Example of expectations that parents have for their school aged child could include better social skills and cooperation with both adults and children, improved information processing skills in their schoolwork, the ability to complete tasks and assignments without direct adult guidance using their own self-control and motivation (Bigner, 2006). I believe my parenting style has changed as Bryson has started school. I was quite lenient and possibly smothering when he was younger, being careful to introduce him slowly to new situations and always being there to help him if he needed me. One example of my change in parenting style was when I was asked what I would do instead of running in to rescue him I have started to choose options that required him to engage in uncomfortable situations so he can grow and gain more confidence in his own decisions. From his report card after grade five and the wonderful year reported for grade six I think the extra trust and independence I have allowed Bryson to have has helped him to grow and develop into a strong and competent young man.

7. Has your child’s personality type changed since age 4? Are there any personality traits and abilities on which your child closely resembles you? Describe two of them. Do you think this comes about because of a “genetic” resemblance (i.e., your questionnaire responses) or some consistent practices you’ve followed in your parenting? For example, if you and your child are both highly open to experience, and you took every available opportunity to explore new things with your child, is possible you’ve taught your child to be open to experience? (4 points) Bryson has always been an outgoing child. When he was younger he was very dependent on both me and my partner and was wary of strangers. When he entered pre-school he started to become more comfortable being around other people and children and was reported as being very co-operative and he had many friends. In fact he was the leader of his group. Because of this at four years old I placed Bryson in the resilient category. “A resilient child is one who is cooperative and follows the rules, is friendly, non-aggressive and outgoing, is able to focus on tasks without being too distracted, has good regulation of his or her emotions, and is adaptable to new situations” (Manis, 2012). Many changes occur when a child enters school and it causes them to leave their comfort zone. The push away from their parents to gain more independence can also cause some children to rebel. If social and emotional skills are lacking, it can cause children to have problems dealing with their emotions and the changes that are occurring around. Therefore, sudden changes in personality can occur due to low self-esteem or anger over the lack of emotional control. Another issue that can cause changes in a child’s personality is the influence that is coming from the expanding social groups and interaction that school brings. As children strive to become more independent and develop their own opinions but they still need guidance. Bryson has always been a well behaved child. He follows the rules, enjoys school, loves to play sports with friends and is respectful to others. In pre-school he did show some signs of aggression but as he got older this has not become a problem. The reports show that he is a very cooperative and friendly student. I believe this trait is something that is very similar to how I am wired. I am very friendly and tend to get along well with many different people without any issues. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules but generally cooperativeness is something that I see both in myself and in Bryson. I think my answers to the questionnaires definitely impacts how Bryson responds to different circumstances. For example, when Bryson and Tarni (his little sister) squabbles my response to the fight was to take both of them and put them in time out for a minimum of 10 minutes with the condition that they would not be allowed to play again unless the play calmly. Even though I am sure one of them started the fight I didn’t want to make one sibling think they won the fight over the other and create competition. Instead by punishing both children by giving them a time out they have to work cooperatively together to be able to play again. I also think Bryson’s ability to focus and work hard to achieve good grades is very similar to me. I work extremely hard in school to ensure that I get high grades, but it’s not just the grade that matters but what I get out of the work that I have put in. I constantly chose to take Bryson on many different learning experiences and read books constantly to him to stimulate his love of learning and understanding about what it takes to be a good student. By stimulating his passion for reading it has helped him in all other areas of schooling. Initially I was worried about his attention span but by challenging he to read more complex books it helped to increase how long he can focus on different topics. We all need a break from time to time so I also made sure that Bryson has time to wind down and just be a young boy also which is why I believe he is quite stable emotionally.

8. In what ways have factors from Microsystems outside the family, from the mesosystem, and the exosystem possibly influenced your child’s development at ages 6, 8 and 10? Find four examples of such influences and make clear why you believe they should be categorized at the particular level you chose within Bronfenbrenner’s model. For example, you could choose two microsystems (e.g., classroom and peer group), one mesosystem (parent-peer relations or parent teacher relations) and one exosystem (something affecting the parent directly but the child only indirectly, through the parent. (4 points)

The Bronfenbrenner model was created in 1979 and views child development in an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). He believed that relationships between individuals as well as their environment as being “mutally shaping.” The model describes four interlocking systems that have the ability to shape and individual. The four systems include the micro-system, the meso-system, the exo-system and the macro-system. The micro-system is the level that refers to the people and objects that are present in one’s immediate environment (Kail, 2012, pg.436). Usually this starts with the home of the child and involves interactions with only one or two people in the family (mother and father). As a child grows older the micro-system can become more complex by involving more people in the system. Increasing the size of the system can enhance child development as long as they are enduring reciprocal relationships (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Examples of influence in the microsystem include family, school, day care center, peers, church and the neighborhood play area (Kail, 2012, pg.436). Starting school definitely had an impact on Bryson. Throughout the program he has never been musically inclined. However, due to his peer group he signed up to be in choir and also in a talent show despite reports stating he is lacking in this ability. His peer group directly influences his development by giving him the confidence to try out new things even if he isn’t the best at them. Tarni, Bryson’s little sister also influences Bryson in terms of his behavior towards girls. By having a younger female sibling, the reports show that Bryson is more tolerable towards girls in his class compared to other boys without this influence. The Meso-systems are the interrelationships between the microsystem and the exosystem for example the home, a day-care center, and the schools. These links between the systems can have a powerful influence on child development depending on how diverse and strong they are (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). This system refers to how the microsystems connect to one another. An example the Kail gives is coming home after a very stressful day at work and still being grouchy even though you are no longer in the workplace (2012, 436). An example of how the meso-system impacted Bryson was when he returned home after hearing stories about how mean the eighth graders would be when he starts middle school. The stories he heard at school and about starting school were brought back to us at home and caused him to become stressed over moving to middle school. The exo-system refers to influences that can affect child development even though it is not experienced firsthand by the child (Kail, 2012, pg. 508). This experience however does have a direct on effect on the parents and other adults who interact with the child and can include places like the parent work, school boards, social service agencies etc. If a person is so stressed about work they will not be able to focus on ensuring that their children are being well cared for and this how something that has no direct contact with the child can still effect the child’s development (Kail, 2012, 436). It has been reported that my partner and I have been fighting more often about working too much and money. This impacts both the children as it makes them feel uncomfortable and it also distracts both me and my partner from focusing on what the children need as we are too busy worrying about work and finances. Finally the Macro-systems refer to the culture and subculture in which all the other systems are embedded (Kail, 2012, pg. 510). They provide the foundation and organization to the patterns seen within a society. This includes being part of a certain culture or religious group. All four of these systems have the ability to change and this is termed the chronosystem (Kail, 2012, pg. 437). In the macro-system war or a recession can cause change. In the microsystem somebody leaving home or moving away can cause change so it is important to be aware that these changes can occur.

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