Testing your Intelligence
- Considering a commitment to viewing young children holistically (i.e., a commitment to "the whole child"), what, if anything, do you believe should be measured or assessed? Explain your reasoning.
When viewing children I believe what mostly that should be measured or assessed is the child's interaction with their teachers, peers and caregivers. The way children interact with their peers and teachers is important it shows the child's development skills.
- In what ways are school-age children assessed in other parts of the world? (Choose a country or region of the world for which you have a personal affinity.)
In South Africa when psychologist are assessing they typically use three main categories; physical, visual, hearing and speech. Certain studies examine these children and compare their findings to different parts of the world.
- What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues?
As an educator I enjoy reading and learning about different strategies and other countries use to help educate their children. Children learn in many different ways here in America and this makes me think just how differently there methods are compared to the children in South Africa.
References:
http://www.hpod.org/pdf/Kar-thematic_edu.pdf
References:
http://www.hpod.org/pdf/Kar-thematic_edu.pdf
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct when you talk about the interactions of children. There is so much learning and growing that takes place when children are interacting. Too many times assessments only focus on cognitive skills and not the social emotional areas. In South Africa, it appears that the assessments are more focused on the basic needs of children. They are measuring the speech, hearing and physical development of the child which is fundamental before any learning can take place. Like you stated, very different methods than in the US.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned something I always try to remind teachers, and is that children learn in different ways. Children of all ages are unique, with unique needs. This is why I believe the testing procedures is not the best practice. I agree with you about assessing children interaction with people aroun them. If we pay attention (through our ongoing observation) we are going to realize what they are capable of, and where they need help with. Thank you for sharing!
I agree with assessing children on their developmental skills and their reactions to their peers and teachers. Often we don't take the time to see how well children communicate or interact with others but it is imperative that children develop social skills.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy researching the various ways children learn in different countries as well.It's amazing to me how different their learning styles are from America.
ReplyDelete