Report On Observation Exercise

(A) What were some of the thoughts I had about people/children? Did I make any judgments or evaluations about a person based on his or her clothes, hair, facial expression? What could I tell about the people/children I watched? What did I learn? If I had some thoughts about people or even evaluations, what would I have to do in order to verify those assumptions?
The thoughts I had about people and children while observing them in a shopping mall focused on the behavior of those who care for the children, particularly the predominance of gender-related concerns in providing support. Other thoughts focused on trying to decipher these people’s feelings through facial expressions, non-verbal communications patterns, the way they walk, talk, dress, and behave in public. At one instant, there could be tendencies to make judgments or evaluations based on people’s physical appearances, including how the dress and how they act (like if they were hurried or leisurely). From then, I could tell which among them were in the mall to achieve a defined purpose, such as make an errand, spend time leisurely, enjoy time spent with each other, or just pass the time. I therefore learned that through close observation of people, one could actually perceive a certain pattern of behavior based on social constructs and expected norms. If there were thoughts that need to be verified, I could have approached those who I observed and courteously sought their responses to concerns that need to be confirmed.
(B) Do you observe children in your work and life? What do you think you learn by observing children? Do you tend to observe for one area of development (cognitive, physical, social or emotional?) Which one is more dominant in your observations? Which area do you tend to watch the least?
I usually observe children in one’s work and through everyday conduct of activities. By observing children, I learn to confirm theories learned on child development according to expected behavior. In observing them, one could evidently see physical areas of development (through their sizes, weight, height) and also social cues from the way they behave in public. Other areas of development, such as cognitive or emotional, are watched the least since these need closer interaction and a more long-term evaluation before a conclusive assertion of these development statuses could be validated.