A Note of Professional Thanks

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." <Brian Tracy>

I will like to thank each of my colleagues for the learning experience and for the knowledge that I have gained while completing this course of study. We are all doing something special with our talents, and that is to make a better life for young children. I encourage you to make a mark on the world and to shape it the best way possible. Yes, it will be hard; if it wasn't everyone will be doing it. We are all called to have a great impact on young children and with patience and commitment, I am confident that we will excel. Good luck in your future!

When I Think of Child Development

 

"Your children will see what you're all about by what you live rather than what you say." <Dr. Wayne Dyer>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." <Pablo Casals>

 

 

"If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders."
<Abigail Van Buren>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING FOR INTELLIGENCE?

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein

Assessments are vital in the school systems and the educational field. However; what exactly is being assessed when viewing children and their progress or decrease of performance? The most effective way to measure children's minds and abilities, I believe, is by reading to a child and encouraging creativity in children as well. Reading to children at a young age and asking questions after storytime may benefit the child's ability to increase and improve their comprehension. Creativity is an essential problem-solving technique that allows children to not only look inside the box; however, it allows them to look outside the box as well. It is evident that most schools use standardize testing to measure children's academic achievement. However, is standardize testing effective when viewing young children holistically? The school systems use the standardizing testing as a source to determine their effectiveness. A child should be looked at more than just needing to learn the basic courses in school; such as, math, science,etc; because ultimately a child makeup is greater than that.

 The problem with assessment in South African public schools persists. In 2008 thousands of candidates taking South Africa's first ever National Certificate Examination could not be resulted because of a failure to report school-based assessment (SBA) tasks. Only 62.5% of candidates prepared for the final external examination through a process of continuous SBA passed. In 2009 the pass rate dropped to a new low of 60.7%, which begs the question: why is SBA not serving its purpose of enhancing learning and preparing candidates for the high stakes external examinations? We focus on English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers' perceptions of SBA in the Further Education and Training (FET) band and the challenges they face with the implementation of the curriculum that calls for drastic changes in assessment practice.

Reference:
           Assessment Reform Group 1999. Assessment for Learning: beyond the black box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge. School of Education. Available at http://arg.educ.cam.ac.uk/AssessInsides.pdf. Accessed 2 March 2006.   

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