Course Description: Topics include theories of development and their application at various age levels. Developmentally appropriate practice, as well as a basic introduction to social, moral, emotional and cognitive development of children is included. Content is focused on teacher education.

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Case Study

Erica is in a very difficult situation. Whenever there is a social problem with a child, it always brings up hard time. Erica is a very intrapersonal person who does not get along with students in her grade. She is more concerned about what is going on in her life, and it seems that everyone else does not matter to her. It might be because she is always focused on school and is so busy. However, when she is at her volunteer center, she is very interpersonal. She loves to interact with children around her and she wants to be with them. The thing we have to figure out is why can it not transfer over into the school setting? This could be because she has had some experiences that have led to mistrust. She has lost some of her children she has worked with at this volunteer center. This is a very devastating situation and because of it, she does not want to experience any similar situations. This could be a reason why she is having a hard time forming friendships with her peers. She does not want to be put in a situation where she could lose them all. She is obviously having a hard time figuring out who she really is and what she wants. She is going through what Jean Piaget calls the “formal operational stage.” What this means is that Erica is able to make rational judgments without questioning it. She believes that she is on the right track, even though others may think differently.

The negative effect of Erica being so busy all of the time is that she is losing sleep over it. She comes home late from the volunteer center, causing her to have to go to bed later than normal and wake up earlier in order to complete her homework. This is putting unnecessary stress on her.  As the brain rules state, one needs sleep in order to have a healthy lifestyle.  With her losing sleep over her busy schedule, it is leading to other consequences that are harming her development. Her busy schedule is also taking a toll on her grades. She is having a hard time finishing her homework, and it takes longer than expected on some nights. Some might wonder if she should take some time off or at least work less at the volunteer center. We realize that it is a huge part of her life, but is having a negative impact on her as well. She can still volunteer, but not as much. Later on in life, when she is through with her adolescent years and moves on with her college life, she can focus on what she wants to do. There is no question that it will help her get into college, but she should take it down a notch and focus on school and her social life.

When it comes to her home life, it is not very good either. Her parents are divorced so right away that is a negative. This lifestyle can dramatically change her life, and it is indeed doing so. It greatly affects her social life because she is trying so hard to stay together with her family that she is losing touch with her friends. She stays with her father on the weekends, watching television and hanging out. That is a time where she could be hanging out with her friends. However, she is more concerned with maintaining a strong relationship with her father.

It seems that Erica is a pretty successful student. She gets enough done to get by. It is bad because she is not putting in her best effort and receiving the grades she deserves. She has no idea what full potential she can reach. If she tried harder in school, got on the teacher’s good side, she could end up at a great college. For example, the class with her favorite teacher, Mrs. Veltman. In this class she is much more social and is engaged in learning. Mrs. Veltman realized that she is a very good writer, and believes that Erica has a future in writing. If Erica can try to find this comfort zone in all of her classes, it will help her social development so much more. It seems that Erica wants to put her activities first. For example she puts more time toward community service and volunteering because that is what she believes in. However, there is more time in her life later on that she can focus on this. Maybe that is what she will become in life and there is nothing wrong with that.

When it comes to Erica’s morals, she is very devoted to her beliefs. Erica overheard her parents talking about how they lied to their insurance company to receive a surgery that they could not afford. Erica had a hard time grasping why her parents would do such a thing. The reason why her parents did this was because they believe that they should do anything to help their family, even if it means breaking the law. This could be tied into how Erica is such a intrapersonal person. All she cares about is herself. She cannot grasp the concept that other individuals need help, and people are going to do whatever it takes to receive that help. Sometimes in life, people need to go against their morals, to help individuals.

Erica is a very bright individual who has a lot of potential.  She is having an identity crisis that is typical of an adolescent teen.   She is going through what the theorist Gardner says is identity vs. role confusion.  Erica does seem to realize what she wants to do with her life in terms of volunteering, but other than that, there are a lot of answers to be filled.  She does not know who she is socially and emotionally.  She is having a tough time forming friendships with her peers at school, and trying to work on a relationship with her parents.  She is also trying to discover who she is morally even though she thinks she already knows.  Overall, Erica seems to be getting through life comfortably, and will continue to try to make progress.

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