When I think of child development, I usually reflect on all of the special moments that I have shared with children through my experience as a mother and as an educator. I have had the ability to raise a healthy, happy 3 year-old daughter and am excited that we are expecting the next addition to our family in July 2013. I also reflect on all that I have learned from the children in the two plus years that I have been working in child care centers and now as an Education Coordinator for a local Early Head Start program. I am able to see the effects that we as educators can have on children who may come from families who are struggling to make ends meet and we serve as the family's only source of stability in the child's life. The children that we serve love coming to the classroom and I love being able to be a part of their growth and development.
Mark Twain once said "the most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop" (BrainyQuote, 2001-2012). Starting at birth, children are always willing to tell the world around them about what is on their mind. If a child is hungry, they will cry to tell the parent or caregiver that it is time for them to eat. If my daughter is tired, she will tell me that she is tired and it is time to take a nap. Even their actions tell us a story. Children that are not feeling well are often clingy to their loved ones because they may believe that the special someone can make them feel better.
I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their valuable feedback and for reading my blog over the past few months. I am truly excited to be learning more about the field of early childhood education and sharing my learning with all of you. I am looking forward to continuing my work on this blog and reading the feedback from my followers!
Tiffany Booze
Reference:
Brainy Quote. (2001-2012). Mark twain's quote. In Children Quotes. Retrieved on December 15, 2012, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/children.html.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Testing for Intelligence
This week, we were asked how a child be assessed to test their intelligence. This is actually a rather difficult question to answer because what determines a child's intelligence? Is intelligence simply based on a child's cognitive understanding about the world that they live in or is it something much better.
I personally believe that a child's intelligence depends on their development of the whole person. A child may be cognitively intelligent, but may be struggling with emotional intelligence. If the child is struggling in emotional intelligence, this may impact their social relationships with others. Where I work at, we use an assessment tool, Teaching Strategies GOLD, which the teachers use to track the development of every child in a variety of categories, such as cognitive, socioemotional, physical, and language. By looking at the whole child, our teachers can make connections from one developmental area to the next and see if any concerns that they may have are connected to another area.
In Southeast Asia, professionals are using a variety of assessment and screening tools to test children in low-income areas for disabilities. Some of the screening tools that are being used consist of the Ten Question Screening (TQSI), Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST), and basic hearing and vision screens. Of the children that were screened, many were found to have disabilities that restricted their movement and caused poor health, which was mainly caused due to the poor living conditions that they were in. These results can provide organizations, such as the WHO, with an idea of the areas that need special attention in improving the living conditions for these children. If the living conditions are improved, there is a good chance that the percentage of disabilities may decrease.
Reference:
Krishnamurthy, V., Srinivasan, R., and Ummeed Child Development Center, Mumbai. (2011). Childhood disability screening tools: The south east asian perspective. A Review for the WHO Office of the South East Asian Region. Retrieved on December 6, 2012, from http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/NMH_CDST.pdf.
I personally believe that a child's intelligence depends on their development of the whole person. A child may be cognitively intelligent, but may be struggling with emotional intelligence. If the child is struggling in emotional intelligence, this may impact their social relationships with others. Where I work at, we use an assessment tool, Teaching Strategies GOLD, which the teachers use to track the development of every child in a variety of categories, such as cognitive, socioemotional, physical, and language. By looking at the whole child, our teachers can make connections from one developmental area to the next and see if any concerns that they may have are connected to another area.
In Southeast Asia, professionals are using a variety of assessment and screening tools to test children in low-income areas for disabilities. Some of the screening tools that are being used consist of the Ten Question Screening (TQSI), Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST), and basic hearing and vision screens. Of the children that were screened, many were found to have disabilities that restricted their movement and caused poor health, which was mainly caused due to the poor living conditions that they were in. These results can provide organizations, such as the WHO, with an idea of the areas that need special attention in improving the living conditions for these children. If the living conditions are improved, there is a good chance that the percentage of disabilities may decrease.
Reference:
Krishnamurthy, V., Srinivasan, R., and Ummeed Child Development Center, Mumbai. (2011). Childhood disability screening tools: The south east asian perspective. A Review for the WHO Office of the South East Asian Region. Retrieved on December 6, 2012, from http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/NMH_CDST.pdf.
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