Sociocultural Lens: A Case Study

The first section of my case study considered how to observe a child’s cognition and language development through a sociocultural lens. I mentioned that development is a composite of a person, a circumstance, a place, an action, and an activity; and when those elements are cohesive, an educator can perceive a child’s development holistically. This second part now questions, “Who are we teaching?” However, there is a twist to that question. Educators are often responsible for making inferences about students, whether it is through pleasant words of affirmation, or labels that view children from a deficit perspective. Therefore, what I think of my student, Michael, is not relevant in this paper. Rather, this study unveils how Michael views himself as a child, a student, a friend, a family member, and a participant in his community.
Foram Bhukhanwala, Associate Professor for the School of Education at Arcadia University, requested the report. Based on Dr. Bhukhanwala’s expectations of the course, she wants to assess how students in her Human Development class, ED 517, can conduct fieldwork to understand that children have personal beliefs, feelings, and judgments that form a self-constructed image of who they are. A clear instruction Dr. Bhukhanwala gave is to avoid forming conclusions about children based on the information we gather. Instead, we must position ourselves to learn how a child communicates his or her self-concept and self-perception, and how a sense of self plays a role in their actions. When I receive a piece of the puzzle children provide for who they think they are, and combine their piece with the type of learners I want them to become, both of our concepts and perceptions can mold a curriculum that functions bilaterally, and not unilaterally. Personally, this study gives me insight to not simply focus on how a child thinks, but to understand a child’s being in the cognitive