Saturday, October 27, 2012

Important Quotes


“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” --Phil Collins

“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”  --Aristotle

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” -- Benjamin Franklin

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming." -- Goethe

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Testing for Intelligence

  
     
 
 
I think that multiple assessments should be used in middle childhood children to assess their academic intelligence, achievements, and adaptation to environment development.  I think that multiple tests should be used because some levels of comprehension on different areas can be hard to assess properly with only one type of exam.
In India children are tested with assessments that measure literacy, numeracy, and additional skills to measure their development.  China is considered one of the largest education systems in the world and they also measure skills by assessment. Students spend years and months studying for the National Higher Education Entrance Exam ( Gao Kao). This exam lasts for two days and will strongly influence the future of the candidates. The gao kao, can determine the profession students will be able to pursue and which colleges the students will attend.
I have learned about different aspects of assessments and I have formed the opinion that I think assessments can be improved to be more inclusive than just academics because there are other important factors that affect a developing child which should be addressed. However, academic assessments are the only way to for educators to determine the level of a student’s comprehension over their educational material. It is vital in development assessment and researchers are working hard to improve skills tests.  

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Stressors and Children

Natural Disasters

I remember when I was 9 years old there was a flood in my community. I didn't know how bad things were until I went to take a bath and there was no water. We would have to go and get water jugs from the national guard for about a week just to have clean water to use. This was the first moment in my life that I realized how it felt to go without something that you needed.

In Haiti, frequent natural disasters devastatingly affect school aged children and their development. Natural disasters and their effects on the community leave families struggling for necessitites and children stop going to school because their families don't have the means to send them. The circumstances in Haiti are very detrimental to these kids. There are many organizations governmental and non-governmental that are trying to help the communities get food and rebuild their farms so that families can eat, earn money, and children will not starve and also get a chance to have an education.

Global Press Institute. Frequent natural disasters devastate farmers, limit food supply in Haiti. 2012

        Retrieved from:http://www.groundswellinternational.org/sustainable-development/haiti/frequent
 
       -natural-disasters-devastate-farmers-limit-food-supply-in-haiti/

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Mental health of mothers, fathers, and families in general


There are so many misconceptions about mental health and so many stressors in the world we live in today. I think mental health is very important for parents to be able to maintain a healthy living environment for their children and to nurture them. The mental health of children is vital because it affects their ability to learn and develop. I learned that mental health diseases are hard to diagnose not only in America but worldwide. Difficult diagnosis leads to a large number of people who need help that aren’t being treated. I also discovered in places like Brazil it is difficult to institutionalize people with severe mental health problems. Ignoring mental health issues can lead to violence and crime in any community and treatment is the very important, although, I think mental health can strongly be overlooked in any society because it is so hard to diagnose or recognize. I plan to definitely keep what I have learned in mind and look for warning signs in my family members and others who I come in contact with professionally, so that help and intervention can occur as soon as possible.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Day I Became a Mom



*       The birth of my first born took place in a hospital in my hometown, I went in at 6 in the morning and I was given medicine to induce my labor, it was a very long process and by 7 my body wasn’t making enough process so the medication was stopped to prevent overstressing the baby. The next morning the hospital staff and I began with the same routine and this time it worked. I received my epidural and about 2 hours later it was time to push, within 3 minutes I had given birth to my first daughter and my life was changed forever. I chose this experience because it was a huge milestone in my life and I was blessed with my first child. I think that I was very blessed to have a medical staff monitor the entire process and make sure that my daughter and I were safe from complications. Unfortunately, there are many women in third world countries that give birth with no doctors or nurses in unsanitary conditions and they risk the survival of themselves and their babies.  I think that stress during the birthing process and complications can lead to a loss of oxygen for the fetus and increase the risk for brain damage that can affect the child’s development negatively.

 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Educational Resources Websites

Dupage Aeyc/Dupage Association for the Education of Young Children
www.dupageaeyc.org
ECTA Journal: Educating Young Children Journal
www.ecta.org/au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=23
NCEE Projects: National Library of Education
www.ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/nat_ed_library.asp
SERC/The State Education Resource Center
www.ctserc.org

Friday, July 27, 2012

Course Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices


Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being


Note: Explore the resources in Parts 3 and 4 in preparation for this week's Application assignment.

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations