Thank you to colleauges in Early Childhood Development

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 chose this quote because I truly believe that the most important part of childhood is play.  I knew , but it was emphasized again in this course how important play really is, especially for three to five year olds.  The play doesn't begin or end there, but play is of utmost importance during those years.  I appreciated the reminder how important play is for middle childhood as well.  Children are indeed busy during these years building relationships with other children and with adults.


I want to thank my fellow students for these past eight weeks.  I have gained so much insight by hearing you tell your stories and experiences.  I wish you all well as you continue your studies.  I hope that our paths will cross again as we journey through the next step in our learning and careers.

Assessing Intelligence

                             

I believe that we should use a combination of strategies to measure and assess children.  Bloom’s taxonomy should be considered when creating real life situations that students work to solve so that children learn to develop their critical thinking skills instead of regurgitating information learned about a particular topic.   Can students apply what they have learned to a new situation?  Can they analyze data in order to come to their own conclusions about that data?  Can they evaluate the information they have and apply it to a new situation or create a new way of doing something as a result of reviewing the information given?  These are life skills that the children need to be able to do in order to be successful in life.

There are certain basic skills that need to be assessed such as basic math operations, but it can be done through practical application so that children are able to solve real life problems as they arise.  Assessing children’s understanding of their native language is also necessary in order to be able to effectively communicate.

               Depending upon the topic, children can choose from a variety of ways to present what they have learned.  Gardner’s multiple intelligences would be used to create a rubric to determine the level to which the child has mastered a particular skill or skill set.  This in conjunction with standardized testing, which is required, gives a clearer picture of what the child actually knows.  Some children freeze when they hear the word “test” so giving them other opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge is very important.

               In Sweden, children begin school at age 7 after completing kindergarten.  The objectives that they hope children will attain are as follows:

·        Develop curiousity and a desire to learn

·        Develop their own way of learning

·        Develop confidence in their own ability

·        Learn to listen, discuss and respond

·        Use knowledge as a tool to form and test asssumptions as well as solve problems (Jackson, 2012)

Children do self-assessments of tasks using a four point scale: “fail, pass, pass with distinction, and pass with special distinction.” (Berkeley, 2010).  National assessments are conducted in 5^th and 9^th years of school.  Teachers can choose from a variety of test questions and change the test according to what has been taught.  Then the teachers grade the standardized tests.  This has caused some controversy because of the variance in test scores. Students can also choose to use technology, illustrations or dramatizations to demonstrate their knowledge.

All of us are different and learn in different ways.  We can probably tell you what our preference is when it comes to learning.  Restricting that assessment to the mode of standardized testing does not allow for all children to excel if they know the material.

References:

Jackson, A. (2010, Feb. 10). Sweden: The Answer Isn’t A.B.B.A. Education Week. Retrieved from

               blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global.learning/2012/01sweden_the_answer_isnt_a_b_b_a.html.

Berkeley Education. (2010). Sweden. Retrieved from

               bearcenter.berkeley.edu/measurement/pubs/apG51.pdf.

Steele, S. (2004, July 23). Ways to assess student learning. Retrieved from

               ww.indiana.edu/~theme/elementary/assessmentoptions.htm.