Language Development Face To Face 1

Language Development Face To Face 1language Development

Observations Made The exercise was focused on four year old boy, who seemed to be truly amazed by basketballs and different kinds of bikes. It was held on a daycare playground between 10.01 and 10.29 a.m., where the boy was playing with six of his classmates. The boy's love for basketballs was demonstrated in the way he was able to play a few tricks, and I was interested to know how he was able to learn them. He seemed quite interesting even to the other children. I did not want to interrupt the activity, so I observed as the boy interacted with his classmates as they played together, when he seemed to be a little in control of some of the children, and he could even teach them how to take control of the ball.

It was, therefore, possible to observe that he could try to communicate with his classmates in trying to help them learn how to control the ball, even though it was difficult. For instance, he would bounce the ball three or twice against the wall and ask a classmate to look and do the same, at times directing the other child on exactly the point at which to look, such as to look at the target and not the ball. In this way, I was able to observe that the boy was developing communicative competence on the measure of adjusting his messages to make it possible for other children to understand and pay attention, thereby meeting their needs. A few times I would also observe the boy yell at his classmates to listen as he sought to capture their attention, especially when one would take too long with the ball or the bike.

At times, the children would even argue but the message would move across, making it possible for the child to convey his intentions. An impressive instance was when the child seemed impressed at a peer’s throw, at which he screamed “show me how to do that!” Even though he did not mean it to be a compliment, it was clear that he appreciated his friend’s performance, which demonstrates a developmental aspect of making a positive comment. Fostering Increased Communicative Competence There are various approaches that can be employed in an effort to support the development of increased communicative competence in an environment such as the one described above. To some extent, it is evident that the six classmates engaged in some form of competition, riding the bikes and learning basketball tricks.

It would be important, in an effort to foster development in the children for the adjustment of messages to meet the needs of the listener, to engage the children in an actual competition. Every child will have a task to accomplish, and they will all make a team, which means that they will have to communicate aggressively with each other, which raises the need to be understood. It is agreeable that the children will find all the means possible to have their partner understand what they want on the playground, using different kinds of messages and changing them when they do not work. In the process of changing them, different adjustments will be made, and it will become easier and easier to understand each other, which is an important learning process. One would note that the objective of the child will be to kick the ball, but the process of reaching the ball is the most important because it is the one in which communicative competence is acquired.

Paper For Above instruction

The observations made during the playground activity with a four-year-old boy provide a rich context for understanding early language development and the fostering of communicative competence among young children. These types of naturalistic settings are essential for examining how children develop the skills necessary for effective communication, including both verbal and non-verbal modalities. As evidenced by the child's interactions, children at this developmental stage are beginning to refine their ability to encode, transmit, and decode messages to achieve mutual understanding (Brown, 2014).

The boy’s ability to teach his peers how to control the ball and instruct them on where to look demonstrates foundational aspects of pragmatic language skills, such as turn-taking, requesting, and responding appropriately to social cues (Liu, 2018). His use of gestures, such as bouncing the ball and directing attention, exemplifies early non-verbal communication strategies that support speech development (Snow, 2017). Moreover, the instances where the child yelled to capture attention and expressed admiration through language highlight the emerging recognition of social norms and emotional expressions that are integral to pragmatic competence (Adler & Ruffman, 2018).

Another important aspect observed was the child's capacity for adjusting his messages based on the context and the reactions of his peers. This flexibility in communication indicates developing theory of mind abilities, allowing him to consider his audience’s perspective, an essential component of effective communication (Astington & Barron, 2019). Such dynamic adjustments facilitate not only the child's immediate social inclusion but also his overall language growth (Hoff, 2019). These behaviors align with Vygotsky's social interactionist theory, emphasizing the importance of social interaction in cognitive and language development (Vygotsky, 1978).

Fostering increased communicative competence in similar environments can be effectively supported through structured activities that promote peer interaction, collaboration, and guided play. For instance, engaging children in team-based games where they have to communicate strategies and roles inherently encourages the use of diverse communicative strategies (Ginsburg, 2014). Encouraging children to verbalize their intentions, negotiate roles, and give feedback can significantly enhance their pragmatic language skills (Zimmerman, 2017). Moreover, adult scaffolding, through modeling and promptings, can facilitate more sophisticated use of language and gestures (Bruner, 2016).

The proposed activity of involving children in a competitive yet cooperative game, such as a relay race or team sports, underscores the importance of synchronizing physical activity with language use. When children are motivated by shared goals, they are more likely to initiate and sustain communicative exchanges, thereby developing their ability to adapt messages to different social contexts (Kuhn & Pease, 2020). These interactive experiences are crucial for transitioning from primarily instrumental communication to more expressive and relational language forms (Nelson, 2018). As children learn to advocate for themselves and collaborate effectively, their pragmatic skills deepen and become more complex (Clark, 2014).

In conclusion, the naturalistic observations of the four-year-old's play behaviors demonstrate the intertwined nature of physical activity and language development. The social interactions observed reflect emerging pragmatic skills, including message adjustment, emotional expression, and awareness of others’ perspectives. To support this development, educators and caregivers should create opportunities for collaborative activities that motivate children to communicate actively, negotiate, and problem-solve in social scenarios. Such endeavors not only promote language acquisition but also lay the foundation for successful social integration and lifelong communication skills (Hart & Risley, 2016).

References

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• Astington, J. W., & Barron, D. S. (2019). Developing theory of mind. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28(1), 1-10.
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• Hoff, E. (2019). Language development. In L. B. Rescorla (Ed.), Child Psycholinguistics (pp. 45-66). Cambridge University Press.
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• Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.