When I Think of Child Development...

5:27 PM by Cortnee Ingram
"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again." ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

I found this quote and it was the one that made me smile and think "yes!" If only every parent, family member, teacher, and educator thought this way we would all have a better understanding of child development! It is so wonderful that children laugh, play, run, jump and look for bugs. So often, no, too often adults try to re-arrange their children's schedules to make sure they are learning the most they possibly can from any experience. Sometimes it is better to allow them to explore and decide what should come next or how they should learn. Our lives would be better off as adults if we truly allowed children the freedom to explore the world around them without confining them to a room and a book. Although they serve their purpose, they should not make up the majority of their day, in my opinion.

Thanks,
Cortnee :)
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Testing for Intelligence?

9:23 PM by Cortnee Ingram
I believe what should be measured or assessed in children's development is how they perform in their own environment. How children act when they are comfortable is proven to show more positive results when being assessed. I believe children should be assessed through their culture, their cognitive ability, their artistic function, etc. it shouldn't be limited to Kaneohe else's made up idea of their environment bit thru actual environment. It may be hard to accomplish but I feel the whole child needs to be looked at when being assessed.

When my grandfather was a little boy he barely got through grade shook before it burn down and they never rebuilt it. Because of this he never graduated high school. Today he is a successful businessmen. He has always talked about how he has street smarts instead of book smarts. I also feel he is very good at understanding people socially. I think this is another area children should be assessed. Especially when being able to work with others is something we all need to be able to do throughout our lives.


Assessments in Other Countries...


A Report Issued by the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence on US Perspectives on Student Assessment in Other Countries Prepared by David E. Kirkland, states that:



"Drawing lessons for America from the European experience with
testing, Feuer  and Fulton argue  that European nations look to the  National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as a model because of its sampling methodology, its wide range of 5 skills tested, and its low-stakes nature." 

It seems as though assessments from other countries are just as biased as assessments done in America. It also seems to be a very difficult project to be objective on. I believe that we need to be open to the fact that all children are different, grow up different, and rely on  differences and similarities to make it in this world. 


Thanks,
Cortnee :-)



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