When I think of Child Development

More Quotes about children: "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." — Emilie Buchwald "Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today." — Gabriela Mistral "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go." — Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!" Retrieved from. (http://www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/quotable/). These quotes about reading and children are inspirational to me because they are true about the benefit of books and reading. I value books in my house, I love to read, and I love to offer new and exciting books to my children. Books offer new information, as well as a journey, or escape to a world of imagination, which makes us unique. Lastly, books are a way to offer children a new way to obtain information other than their relatives, or through the internet. I would also love to give a shout of thanks to all of the important people in my life at the moment. My colleagues and Instructors are important for helping me through my journey to advance in my field of study. I value all of your remarks, criticisms, and words of wisdom. You indeed help me go another day with true passion to teach and love young children. I hope that you continue your positive path towards making an impact in our world, and to value the job that you do because it does help others. You helped me. Thanks again and take care. References Reading Rockets: Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. Retrieved from . (http://www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/quotable/).

Testing for 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. I do believe that children should have testing to measure if they are developing or progressing as expected via their age. Also, I believe that some tests can let teachers and parents have ideas as to where a child needs improvements or is advancing. I also, believe that as teachers and parents learn about how children learn, they are also developing strong bonds and relationships with the children. • 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.) School-aged children are tested in West Germany, the Netherlands, and England just as it is in the US. Standardized Tests are used for special needs assessment and educational guidance and there is some trend toward increased use of graded objective tests. Germany uses testing to measure intelligence, while standardized tests are rarely used because “it was generally found that teachers do not use standardized tests of their own accord, mostly because tests are not tailor-made for what the teachers have been teaching” (Neville, P. T. November, 1986). • What additional ideas, comments, suggestions, examples, and/or concerns related to assessing young children would you like to share with your colleagues? I feel that testing children to see if they are progressing in school is a great way to see if they are ready to move on to higher learning. Also, by watching them in their natural environment, with their peers, and during play, we can really see how a child is developing and grows. The issue of testing can be a way to measure competency, and to measure skills of the whole child, but testing can also discourage children, especially the kind of test that measures intelligence. I feel that observation is the best way to learn from a child. References Neville, T. Postlethwaite. (November 1986). “The use of Standardized Tests in Secondary Schools in four European Coutries. National Center of Educational research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. (38 pp.). retrieved from.( http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED304455.pdf ).