Saturday, April 7, 2012

Assessing Our Children

            As I looked for journal articles as a reference for talking about assessment of school age children, I came across hundreds of  studies about the many ways to assess and measure a child’s learning of  math, science, and literacy. I learned about summative assessment, which tells us if a child has learned the particular information from a unit of study. And I learned about formative assessment which tells us if a student is able to use the information learned to figure out what comes next. Summative assessment results are used to assign a grade, and formative results are used to make adjustments to continue with further learning(Colburn, 2009).And so on… While all this is important in terms of having basic skills to potentially become employed in a particular field, or to enable further higher levels of education, I wonder about the excess of it all. It seems that since the enactment of No Child Left Behind, schools are increasingly put under pressure to have their students perform well, hence the new phrase “teaching to the test”. Teachers and students are sacrificing the overall creativity and enjoyment of learning in order to memorize the information needed to score well on the standardized tests. Is this the education we want for our children? I read a few articles about assessment of children in China. It seems their learning is measured in much the same way as the children here in America, with standardized tests. There was plenty of information comparing American and Chinese children’s performance in testing. I think we need to be careful not to squelch learning in order to score well. I also am concerned that there seems to be little else measured. What about the “whole” child? Are we keeping track of socio-emotional development in the way we should be? Are we measuring how well children get along with each other (Stratton, 1997)? Or are we gradually diminishing “recess” or down-time so we can spend more time in preparation for the testing period? Maybe that is a topic for further research.
Colburn, A. (2009, April/May). An assessment primer. The Science Teacher , 10.
Stratton, B., (1997). Is there an ultimate measurement? Quality Progress 30(7), 5.
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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Poverty: At Home and In Rwanda

Poverty: At Home and In Rwanda
As a child living in a rural farm community, I didn’t realize how “low-income” most of us were. There were several families who were noticeably poorer than the average family I knew. One in particular comes to mind when thinking about poverty and its effect on development of young children. This was a family of twelve children, living in a small house with a kitchen, a living room, one bathroom and three bedrooms. The father did have a job at a lumber mill and the mother stayed at home. The atmosphere there was not conducive to learning and development. Children were left in the care of their older siblings often (the mother just didn’t have the skills to keep an eye on all of them at the same time). They did rely on government assistance for help with buying food. At least half of the children dropped out of school when they got to high school and eight of the twelve became parents in their teens, some of them continuing to live at the same house with their children. This atmosphere was not conducive to building a good sense of self, and I am sure that the socio-emotional development of these children suffered greatly.
I am interested in poverty-stricken Rwanda. I am learning about what is being done there to help the people who are poor and suffering from malnutrition and AIDS. Surely the children of poverty there lack education, and are not given the opportunities necessary for optimal cognitive, physical, or socio-emotional development. There is some good news, though. As a result of programs like the World Bank Poverty Reduction Support Grant, which continues to give money ($115.6 million in 2010 and $104.4 million in 2011) in support of Rwanda, over one million people there have risen from poverty in the last five years(MENA report, 2011). This money is used to focus on development of agriculture productivity, improvement of rural roadways, jobs, exports and governance. Also, one project in the United States, Goats for Life, has been supporting these people with funds for purchasing goats for villages, schools, orphanages and families. Goats, at about $30-45 each, are a source of milk for families, can be bred easily, are inexpensive to feed, and can eventually be used for meat (Rodgers, 2011).   

Anonymous, (2011 March 17). Rwanda: Poverty rate reduced by 11.8 pc in Rwanda. MENA Report.
Rodgers, A. (2011, December 24). Stocking lives with livestock former Pittsburgh pair fighting poverty in Rwanda with goats. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. A1.

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Breastfeeding Perspectives

I looked briefly at breastfeeding in the United States and in Africa in general. In Africa, the most evident issue is the danger of passing the HIV virus from mother to breastfed infant as opposed to increasing the likelihood of survival of the child in general. There was a multitude of information available on this topic. Some people believe that the risk of passing on the HIV virus is too high, so HIV infected mothers should not breastfeed at all. Some believe they should breastfeed for a short time, and others believe that with the use of antiretroviral drugs, the risk of HIV is reduced enough to allow for breastfeeding. The research seems to be continuing, and the debate will continue as well. The information about breastfeeding in the United States varied. There is research about the length of time mothers breastfeed and the health benefits of breastfeeding. The most prevalent information about American mothers seems to be about how willing they are to breastfeed in public, based on others' perceptions of that, and how difficult it is to comfortably breastfeed while remaining in the workforce (whether you make arrangements to feed your baby throughout the day, or pump breast milk for later use). The one common thread between the two is that breast milk has health benefits for the child, and we should recognize and address the needs of both the mother and child in this regard. 
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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Birth Experiences

The birthing experience I will share with you is that of my giving birth to my first child, my daughter. The pregnancy was full term, with no complications at all-I didn't even experience morning sickness! My husband and I had attended childbirth instruction (Lamaze) classes beforehand, and thought we were as well-prepared as we were going to be. We went to the hosptal just after midnight and fell into the flow of breathing through contractions, etc., just as we had practiced. This went on all night! Apparently, I was "failing to progress" (past 4 cm of dilation). SO, I was given an oxygen mask and some medication to speed the process, to which I didn't respond well at all. SO,eventually, out of concern for the baby's well-being (oxygen intake level), it was determined that a C-section should occur. Because of the need for speed, I was given general anasthesia, so I was not involved from that point on. My husband was allowed to observe the procedure in the operating room, and twelve minutes later we had a healthy, 6 lb. 10 oz. baby girl, Sarah! He stayed with her through the APGAR scoring,etc., and was the first to bond with her , since I was "out of it" for quite a while. I often think that without the assistance of all those medical professionals and that hospital equipment, either I or my daughter may not have survived to tell the story.Twenty-two years later, I am still grateful for those people. We were truly blessed.

I read an article about giving birth in 6 different communities studied in Africa. There, it is not necessarily the norm to have prenatal medical care, or to give birth in a medical facility. There are many factors determining why women in that area choose no medical services. A prominent factor is that their behavior is impacted by the perception of others in the community. To give birth unassisted is considered admirable by community members. In West Africa childbirth is said to be a "woman's battle". For women who do choose medical guidance for childbirth, the biggest determining factor is their level of education. More highly educated women have more decision-making power in the family, and more awareness of and access to health related services. There is a much higher mortality rate for women in childbirth in Africa  than in the U.S.While I can try to respect the choices made by these women as a result of their culture, I am certain that I am grateful to live where I live, and to have the luxury of the medical care that is available to me.
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Friday, February 17, 2012

Ethical Ideals

From NAEYC's Ethical Code of Conduct:
Ideal-1.2 -- To base program practice upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child.

This is important in my professional life because I need to remember not to become complacent in program development. Sometimes we get stuck in the loop of doing the same things over and over, not really taking new developments and ideas in to consideration when planning or updating curriculum and policy. We also need to be careful to include individual needs when planning, so as to meet the needs of all children, not just the general needs of a particular group.

Ideal- 1.12 -- To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next.

This is a significant piece of our professional life because one goal that we should have is to make all transitions smoooth for children, especially from preschool to Kindergarten. It has become clear to us locally that when preschool children are given opportunities to see and experience their future Kindergarten classroom, the transition is exceptionally smooth for most children. This is so important to their first experiences in elementary school, where they can concentrate on learning rather than on the transition itself.

From the Code of Ethics of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children:

Responsive aamily Centered Practices
2. We shall provide services and supports to children and families in a fair and equitable manner while respecting families' culture, race, language, socioecenomic status, marital status, and sexual orientation.

This is important for all of us to remember. Even if we have values that differ from that of a family, we must not let that interfere with provision of services. Having respect for the choices of others is not only appropriate, but also sets a great example of tolerance and acceptance for the children we serve.
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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Additional Resources

http://www.aap.org American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.ala.org/alsc Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.naccrra.net/ Nat’l Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
http://www.nccanet.org/ National Child Care Association
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Resources...Resources

  • Video Program: “The Resources for Early Childhood”
    Five early childhood professionals discuss their preferred and trusted resources.

  • NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/78618/CRS-CW-6284750/educ6005_readings/naeyc_dap_position_statement.pdf

  • NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

  • NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

  • NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

  • NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

  • NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

  • Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

  • FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

  • Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al.  (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.
    Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title. 

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