thank you!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have helped me in my online learning.  It has been a wonderful experience for me because of all of you.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hopefully, I will be lucky enough to be in another class with you.  Good luck to all of you and enjoy the holiday break! 

favorite quotes about children

Anyone who does anything to help a child in life is a hero to me    -- Fred Rogers

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think    --Margaret Mead   

A person's a person no matter how small - -
                                                              Dr. Seuss

The soul is healed by being with children - - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Child Assessment

     In considering a holistic approach to assessing young children, the focus should be on the learning progress of the child.  Children develop at different rates  physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.  They also have different family, cultural and experiential backgrounds (Guddemi M., Case B., 2004). These variables need to be taken into consideration when assessing children. There are several ways to track the progress of a child including student portfolios, observations, running records,  photos, and videos. Portfolios are an excellent way to keep samples of a child's work such as art, writing, or photos of cooperative work the child has participated in (Grace C., 2001).  It is an ongoing assessment and the authentic work samples reflect real situations.  Observations or anecdotal records should also be used as these provide factual data from the learning environment.  These all show progression as the child improves in all the developmental domains.  Another thing to consider is that people have muliple intelligences.  The academic intelligence is what is measured in IQ tests and achievement tests.  Creative intelligence is measured by the imaginative endeavors of the child.  Practical intelligence is measured through everyday problem solving (Berger, 2009).  All of these combined need to be considered to accurately assess a child. 
     Developmental milestones can be impacted by the cultural background of child assessments as most assessments are done with Western tests.  This is not culturally appropriate for African countries (Wellcome Trust, 2010).  Children in these countries may not recognize items such as a car or a book in pictures that are used in Western tests.  Researchers from the College of Medicine in Blantyre, Malawi produced a developmental assessment tool that features more culturally appropriate items as compared to Western assessment tools.  Their design, the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT), appears to be an effective and reliable method of testing.  It correctly identified most children with a known neurodisability or delayed development (Wellcome Trust, 2010). It also identified children who did not have a known disability as normal.    
     I agree with NAEYC's position on assessment in that they should rely heavily on demonstration or expression of skills and knowledge (NAEYC, 1987).  They also need to be age appropriate and be individually administered in order to obtain accurate information. 
References

Berger, K. (2009). The Developing Person Through Childhood. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Grace, C. (2001). Assessing Young Children. Retrieved from 
       http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/assessing.html.


Guddemi, M.P., Case, B. (2004). Assesing Young Children. Pearson Education, Inc.

      Retrieved   from http://www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/FD21F054-A5AD-42AE-  

          9A00-43878827FD76/0/AssessingYoungChildren.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1987). Standardized testing of young
      children 3 through 8 years of age. (Position Statement),  Washington, DC:  NAEYC. Retrieved
      from:  http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/pscuras.htm.

Wellcome Trust (2010, August 11).  Refining the milestones:  assessing child development in Africa
      Retrieved from http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com/2010/08/11refining-the-milestones-assessing-
      child-development

stressors on child development

     My cousin's son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3.  He is halfway through his 3 year treatment plan. The family was devastated to learn of this and it is taking its toll on all of them. Corey experienced the side effects of chemotherapy, including his hair falling out and being very weak. During treatment, he has to be excluded from school and people in general because of his weakened immune system. His hair has grown back, but now he is experiencing bladder problems. He feels the urge to urinate constantly, but can't go. It is like the symptoms of a bladder infection only without the infection. This stressor does not seem to be affecting his biosocial development or his cognitive development as of this time. This is probably due to the tremendous involvement of both of his parents. He is very bright and enjoys playing with cars, puzzles, and loves science. His psychosocial development; however, is what is impacted the most. He has been isolated from large groups of people and cannot participate in family events when he is enduring rounds of chemo. Through all this little boy has been through (and has yet to go through), he remains positive. He enjoys going to the park with his parents, bike rides, and the science center. I believe we may not know the effects on his biosocial or cognitive behavior until later in his life.  We can only hope and pray that he is able to avoid any long term developmental deficiencies.

      In contrast, children in Sri Lanka are dealing with the stressors of war and disaster. Children are affected by armed conflict in many ways.  Some are being kidnapped to become soldiers, some are tortured, some are crippled from mine explosions, and some are orphaned (Fernando, Gaithri A.; Miller, Kenneth E.; Berger, Dale E., 2010).  These children had a little reprieve in 2002 when a cease fire was agreed upon, but then a tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004, devastating them again.  Many are still in refugee camps from this disaster.  To make matters worse, in 2005 the armed conflict resumed.  Studies from the effects of these stressors have shown that girls tend to internalize their stress through anxiety or depression. Boys tend to externalize their stress through aggressive behavior.  Social conditions from these stressors may also relate to the high instance of child abuse.  The psychosocial well-being of these children can be improved by the development of child abuse prevention programs.  Greater attention also needs to be paid to meeting the basic needs of these children such as access to water, safe housing, and schooling.

Reference

 

Fernando, Gaithri A.; Miller, Kenneth E.; Berger, Dale E. Child Development. Jul/Aug2010, Vol. 81      

         Issue 4, p1192-1210.

 

 

"If we are to reach real peace in this world...we shall have to begin with children."
                                                                                                     Mahatma Gandhi

"Children must learn how to engage in satisfying sociodramatic play, which means that adults or more capable peers must take responsibility for assisting them in this learning."   Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D.

"To be judged fairly, this young man must only be compared to himself."   Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard

"I'm not here to save the world.  I'm here to make a difference."
Raymond Hernandez,  Executive Director

"We have an opportunity to shape a child's life for the better.  That's what makes me passionate."     Sandy Escobido, Deputy Field Director

"To implement individually, culturally, and linguistically appropriate curriculum is not possible without family involvement"               Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D.

"The challenge for early childhood educators at all levels is to ensure that our practices reflect this current knowledge while also staying true to our principles and core values - - a challenge but also an opportunity."          Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D.

                          My Kindergarten class - - 1970 - - that me standing on the far left!

"To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded."

                                                  Ralph Waldo Emerson

To all my Walden colleagues:
I'm sorry it took me so long to figure this whole blog thing out.  I created a google+ account and thought that was my blog!  I know you are all laughing.  :)  
Anyway, I really do have it figured out now.  I think. 

It's that time of year again!  Love the Steeler Moon in this photo.  Proud to be from the 'burgh!

So, I'm finally figuring this out.  Better late than never.

Another favorite book of mine is "We Are All Alike. We Are All Different" I love that it is written by children. It is a great book to use for diversity. Posted just now by Lynn Kline. Lynn Kline's Bl...

I love the children's book, "The Magic Locket" by Elizabeth Koda-Callan. It is about a young girl who is given a locket. She thinks it holds magic powers. One day she opens the locket and sees that the only thing in it is a mirror. Then she realizes it is she who has the power to do things. A great self-esteem story for children. Believing in themselves makes things happen.

"Children are our most valuable natural resource" - - Herbert Hoover

https://plus.google.com/102360664241211371740/posts/8kpesB9UBid

Another favorite book of mine is "We Are All Alike. We Are All Different" I love that it is written by children. It is a great book to use for diversity.

Lynn Kline originally shared this post:

I love the children's book, "The Magic Locket" by Elizabeth Koda-Callan. It is about a young girl who is given a locket. She thinks it holds magic powers. One day she opens the locket and sees that the only thing in it is a mirror. Then she realizes it is she who has the power to do things. A great self-esteem story for children. Believing in themselves makes things happen.

 

 

                     

 

                     

I did it!

Ok I guess I finally figured this out.  I never thought that I would have a blog before any of my children!  They will be so jealous!