When I think of child development...

This video clip represents my view of child development in a few ways:

• It shows developmental intelligence.  How smart children are and that their capabilities go beyond the surface and sometimes into the playful and the imaginative.
• It represents developmental progression.  I am sure that as Mateo grows up he will start to see that his behavior was acceptable and appropriate, for his 3 year old self that is.
• It shows communicative development.  It seems that Mateo has learned enough language to make a “point”.  He also might have learned the word “honey” from his mother.  Oh, and don’t forget those facial gestures and movements.
• It represents the innocence of a child.  You can’t help but root for him even though his argument is flawed, how sweet.

Now I want a cupcake…

Thanks everyone!

Testing for Intelligence?

I believe that children should not be assessed for their academic abilities.  Standardized tests can be daunting for many reasons other than the content.   There is the preparation, anxiety, stress and pressure, all negative emotions that school-age children should not be experiencing, especially from an assessment.  Keeping in mind the idea of the whole child, there are many reasons for each child’s cognitive abilities based on each child’s cognitive development and these tests are not addressing that.  I think the only reason to assess children is to simply check for understanding in an applied way and then use that information to provide specific support.

I had heard a lot about the education system in Finland and wanted to learn in what ways school –age children were assessed there.  I learned some interesting facts that all contribute to a highly successful public education system in Finland.

-Retention is very uncommon and almost unheard of

-Teachers are selected from the tops of their required master’s in education programs and are trusted and respected

-Small schools lead to a more supportive and caring environment (Hancock, 2011)

-There is less homework

-There is lots of play

-No private schools or universities

-Teachers receive decent pay, have more responsibilities and are not accountable

-The Finnish attitude does not celebrate competition but cooperation

-All schools are equal and there is no public recognition of any superiority

-The belief is that educational equality breaks down social inequality

-They provide free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance

-No mandatory standardized tests before voluntary upper-secondary school, “high school”

-Teachers assess children, “using independent tests they create themselves. All children receive a report card at the end of each semester, but these reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher” (Partanen, 2011).

If we compare the Education System of the United States to that of Finland the differences are striking and make a lot of sense.  Helsinki, Finland Principal Timo Heikkinen sums it up, “If you only measure the statistics, you miss the human aspect” (Hancock, 2011).

References

Hancock, L. (2011). Why are Finland’s Schools Successful? [Web Article]. The Smithsonian, September. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/?no-ist

Partanen, A. (2011). What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success. [Web Article]. The Atlantic, Dec., 29. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.co m/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/