Testing for Intelligence?

There have been many debates regarding assessment tests and whether or not they are an accurate measure of  child's intelligence.  I feel that the assessment tests are necessary in determining if a child is ready to take certain classes.  It also helps at narrowing down which teachers are doing their job.  I feel the test are usually based on the knowledge that a child should have up to the point of testing (such as grade level).  There are some instances where some children do not test well and in that case the situation is not fair, but overall the tests are usually a good indicator of the child's intelligence of the subjects on the test.  The sad thing is that the standardized test that is given to children in their 10th grade year of high school is on an 8th grade level and a huge percentage fail the test on their first try.  Something is definitely wrong with our school system if children can pass a basic test that determines whether or not they will graduate.  Recent psychologists such as Gardner developed the eight emotional or personality intelligences which I feel is great because a test is taken to determine a person's strengths such as music or mathematics etc.  I love this approach because it helps people to realize that they are intelligent in many ways besides the typical stereotype that if you are good at math, you are intelligence.

China places a high value on education.  The children attend school on weekdays from 7 am to 4 pm and are required to attend half days on Saturdays.  They only have one month off for summer break and a couple of week long breaks.  They start preparing the children for college early on.  Before the curriculum reform, it was the case that, for almost all teachers, principals and government officers throughout China, student evaluation or assessment was simply viewed as examinations and tests.  Students needed to pass numerous after-class-tests, module tests, mid-term tests, term tests, year tests, graduation tests and two important public examinations: the senior secondary entrance exams and university entrance exams during his/her school years (Lingbiao, 2007).  All the mid-term tests, term tests and year tests were organized externally and students were ranked according to their scores in these tests beginning in their first year of elementary schooling.  Students’ scores in these tests also affected their teachers’ income – in almost all schools, the distribution of a bonus (a part of teachers’ incomes in China) among teachers was based on their students’ achievement in tests and examinations.  Recently, the new national curriculum changed the objectives of school curriculum from focusing only on knowledge delivery to a wider perspective of student development in three dimensions: knowledge and skills, process and methods, and, emotion, attitude and value.  In my opinion, this is a good change because they are still children and should be allowed to let loose sometimes.  The importance of traditional subject knowledge was still taken into account in the new curriculum; however, more attentions were placed to student real life knowledge and capacities in solving practical problems.  Teachers were encouraged to make their class more interactive and problem solving related to promote student learning in a more active and enquiry way.  The concept of evaluation changed from valuing only student achievement of learning into valuing both the results as well as process of learning. Educators and teachers were invited to develop new approaches and techniques for assessment to liberate students from the heavy pressure of examination.  I feel that this is a change in a positive direction, but they still have work to do.

Reference:
Lingbiao, G. (2007). Assessment reform in China: A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved from: http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html

Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I chose to talk about violence in the home and its affects on children.  My best friend throughout middle and high school is a product of a violent home.  She had authoritarian parents who were not only mentally abusive but physical as well.  I used to feel so bad for her because she could never go anywhere with the rest of her friends and she along with her siblings were spanked or "whipped" as we from the south say, on a constant basis.  This abuse caused her to be afraid of a lot of things such as speaking in public or having a decent conversation.  It was as if she could not make decisions for herself and she was very angry although she was good at covering it up.  It was not until her adult years and she had children of her own that she realized she was angry and was following in the same pattern as her parents were to her.  I admire her because she realized this early on and decided to become a person who was not angry.  Her children are very sweet and well-rounded individuals.

Each child has the right to be protected from violence, exploitation, and abuse.  With this being said, millions of children all over the world, from all socio-economic backgrounds, from all ages, religions, and cultures suffer from violence, exploitation, and abuse on a daily basis (Unicef, 2013).

Some young boys and girls are particularly vulnerable because of gender, race, ethnic origin, or socio-economic status.  These levels rise when the children are disabled, orphans, indigenous, from ethnic minorities, or other marginalized groups (Unicef, 2013).  Other children who are at risk are those living and working on the streets, in institutions and detentions, and live where inequality, unemployment, and poverty are highly concentrated (Unicef, 2013).  Other populations of concern are migrants that are unaccompanied and child refugees.

Most of the time, violence, exploitation, and abuse are someone that the child knows including parents and other members of the person's family (Unicef, 2013).  Others include teachers, caretakers, employers, law enforcement authorities, state and non-state actors and other children.  The sad thing is that only a few of these people are held accountable for their actions.

There is a significant amount of evidence showing that violence, exploitation, and abuse can affect the child's physical and mental health in the short and long term by impairing their ability to learn and socialize.  This can also have an adverse affect on adults later in life (Unicef, 2013).

Early Childhood and Public Health- Immunizations

I chose to talk about the vaccination issue in the country of Afghanistan.  This country caught my interest because of the statistical chart (Table 5.1) in the text on p. 149.  All of the countries listed on the chart showed improvements in the death rate for children under the age of five since 1990, except for Afghanistan (Berger, 2012).  Although this is because of the war, I was curious about the fact of why so many deaths occur because of vaccinations.  Vaccinations are usually one of the things that people can get for free or fairly cheap.

Through further research, I found that in the year of 2012, about 2,600 children in Afghanistan were diagnosed with measles (Madhok, 2013).  This virus could have been fought if they were vaccinated (Madhok, 2013).  Several obstacles make it difficult for children to get vaccinated such as; a health infrastructure that is fragile, difficult geographical terrain, and the constant conflict (Madhok, 2013). Another reason for this problem is the lack of understanding the importance and safety of getting immunized.

Each day in Afghanistan, children are at risk for diseases that are preventable such as tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, hepatitis B, hemophilus influenza type B and pertussis (whooping cough).  Most of these children are under one years old (Madhok, 2013)    

The Unicef organization along with the ministry of Public Health and other partners have made strong efforts to ensure that routine vaccinations are provided.  These efforts have helped tremendously in improving vaccination programs against diseases that are preventable, including polio (Madhok, 2013).  Since implementing these programs, the number children who contracted measles went from 1,117 cases that were confirmed in 2012 to 123 in 2013, the drop is pretty significant (Madhok, 2013).

References:

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Madhok, R. (2013). In Afghanistan, reaching the hardest to reach with vaccines. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org.
        

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

I'm choosing the birth of my youngest son Aiden as a personal birthing experience.  I chose this story because it is a miracle that we are both alive.  The birth of my baby was a scheduled c-section because the laws in Monterey, California states a c-section must be performed if you have had one done in the past.  This worked out for me because I could schedule the date around our impending military transfer.  Everything went according as planned, and then all of a sudden, my doctor said "Oh crap, her uterus is ruptured."  I'm on the table awake of course, but could not move because of the epidural.  So I'm lying there in a frenzy wondering what the heck was going on...am I going to die? They had already stated that the baby had the cord wrapped around his neck twice......I'm asking my husband is everything okay with the baby?  As the doctors are working quickly to repair the ruptured uterus, they began to tell a story about a doctor whose wife had a uterine rupure.  They stated that the baby died, but the wife was lucky to be alive.  Needless to say, they fixed everything and I feel great now!  Afterwards, the doctor told me that I was lucky to be alive because in those situations the mother and baby usually die.  I was in so much shock that I just said, "yeah, we are lucky."  As I think back on that experience, it is funny as well as scary.  However, the staff at the hospital were phoenomenal.  They brought the baby to me fairly quickly so that I could breast feed and begin the bond through skin to skin contact. 

Another country's birthing experience besides the U.S. that caught my interest is Africa.  The birthing experience in South Africa is absolutely horrendous.  The medical staff at the hospitals are extremely rude and abusive to the pregnant women.  Patients or previous patients at the hospitals in South Africa discussed their birthing experience as follows:

Women experience verbal and physical abuse. HIV-positive women are commonly taunted by nurses about enjoying sex and blaming them for getting pregnant if they knew about their HIV-status. Many were told they should receive no care because they were migrants. Being shouted at for "messing up" when they bled on the bed during labor, they were ordered to clean it up.

They were pinched, slapped, and handled roughly during labor.

Nurses continuously ignored calls for help.

Serious treatment delays.

Facilities denied referral letters for pregnancy or childbirth related problems.

After delivery, the mother and baby are left unattended for very long periods.

Women are discharged inappropriately.

Women sent home with no antibiotics or pain medication.

Women in labor women were refused admission, they were not even examined.

Women sent home after Cesarean section with no medications, painkillers, antibiotics, etc.

One witness described a woman who had life-threatening obstructed labor. She was refused entry into a community health center two times. Fortunately, she eventually had a C-section when another hospital accepted her.

Migrants commonly undergo C-sections without informed consent.

Staff asking for bribes and gifts.

Families never told why the pregnant mother or newborn died during childbirth.

This type of behavior should not be tolerated and no human being should have to suffer that type of pain especially after giving birth.

Also this type of behavior goes on in 87% of the hospitals in South Africa.

Reference:
The shocking truth about giving birth in South Africa. Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232413.php

 

Examining Codes of Ethics

The three ideals from the code of ethics that stood out to me from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) are;

From the NAEYC:

  To appreciate the vulnerability of children and their dependence on adults;
 
  To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child;
 
  To ensure that each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

  To acknowledge families' child-rearing values and their right to make decisions for their children

These stood out to me because it is important to understand that children are children and that their brains are not developed enough to understand that some of the things that they do are wrong.  It is important not to get frustrated when dealing with children especially when it seems as if they are not listening or are too active etc.  Just remember they are only children.  Recognizing the uniqueness of a child is a given.  I like this ideal because this shows that you really know each child and care about their strengths and weaknesses.  Respect is also important regardless of the age of the child or their cultures and beliefs.  Child-rearing is similar to respecting different cultures and their beliefs.  Recognizing that each family has a right to raise their child the way they see fit is essential.  It is important to recognize this and know that each child is different and may require different parenting styles.

From the DEC

  We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives.

Children with disabilities are already at a disadvantage with most things in life so they need an advocate to speak up for them and protect their rights as human beings.  It is sad that people with disabilities tend to get taken advantage of.  However, advocates on their behalf help to make things so much better for them.


 

Additional Resources

http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/early_childhood_1467.html

http://web.worldbank.org/

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd

Course Resources for early childhood development

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/