"Children are like wet cement, whatever falls on them makes a lasting impression."


 This is such a true statement. I would like to thank all of my classmates for bringing and sharing such inspiring and useful information. This has been such a beautiful journey with each of you.

Week 6

Testing

Assessment is an important part of learning and teaching and helps provide useful information to children, teachers and you. Assessment is generally carried out for two main purposes, to measure pupils’ attainment and report evidence of learning in different learning areas and to support pupils’ learning and classroom teaching.

 

At Primary 1 and 2, children are just beginning school; a key focus would be on building his/her confidence and desire to learn. Thus, assessment will focus on providing rich information on the learning progress of the child. Quantitative feedback in the form of grades and marks, and qualitative feedback in the form of teacher comments will help children learn about his/her strengths, weaknesses and steps he/she could take to improve in his/her learning. As parents, this feedback can also help you support the child’s learning and growth.

 

As schools adopt more Holistic Assessment practices, the child’s development will be supported by a range of appropriate assessment modes for different purposes. At Primary One, single-point assessments such as semestral examinations will be de-emphasized to ensure a smoother transition from pre-school to primary school. Bite-size forms of assessment such as topical tests, short writing, reading and performance tasks will be used to provide the child with more opportunities to experience success and build his/her confidence and desire to learn. Teachers will also use a range of assessment strategies such as questioning, giving of feedback, and peer- and self-assessment to support the child’s learning.

 

Standardized testing in children between the ages of 10 to 19 is described in four European countries: England, West Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. In the decentralized English system several published standardized test are available. These tests are used for special needs assessments. They are used in the educational setting for grade objective testing. In West Germany education is the responsibility of the states, rather than the national government. These standardized tests are not used on a population-wide basis.  These tests are restricted to counseling centers and other specialist schools. There is rarely achievement or intelligent test used in the schools. The Netherlands created a national curriculum development center in 1975 and has created national examinations, although they are not widely used. Achievement tests are used by teachers only, and intelligence test use is similar to that in West Germany. In Sweden, national standardized tests based on objective techniques are used above the primary levels.

 

Week 4 Consequences of Stress (Poverty) on Children's Development

Consequences of Stress (Poverty) on Children’s Development:

 

 

I have worked with a family and the mother stated as a child she was embarrassed to attend school because her parents could not afford clothes for her. She stated she was only 5 years of age. She stated that really affected her self-esteem and she can vividly remember it as it was yesterday. She stated that affected her in a way that she will never forget.  The ramification was that she state she goes out of her way to make sure her children never have to encounter this. This did affect her in a positive and negative way. She really strives to make sure her children are never without the necessities of life. She stated that she coped with this by imaging that she was rich and trying to look like the other students that were around her. She stated this was difficult, but this was the only method that she had to cope; due to the fact she knew she had to attend school.

 

Regions where others are experiencing stressors:

Throughout South Africa about 66% of children are living in extreme poverty. The

households in which these children live are often too poor to afford to buy even the most

basic necessities. Poverty has been one of South Africa’s greatest challenges and is a

cycle that can’t seem to be broken as generations after generation remain in poverty once

at that point.



The poverty rate in South Africa is the highest among children from newborns to 4 years

old and gets slightly lower in percentage as the age of the children get older. Those aged

15 to 17 years old have the lowest poverty level in their families, perhaps because these

older children are able to contribute more to the family through working than the

youngest children would be capable of doing.



In South Africa, poverty means more than just a lack of money. The poverty that these

children live in affects their access to schools, health care, and their chance of growing up

in an environment that could help them possibly break free of the poverty. Most of the

children in South Africa who are living in poverty are malnourished from birth. This lack

of nutritious food affects the physical and mental growth and development of the

children, as well as their overall health. A lack of access to clean water and adequate

sanitation methods also leads to health problems amongst this group. Diseases are spread

quickly and easily when they are caught, especially amongst children in South Africa.



www.childsponsorship.com

 

Swww.wwwouth Africa Child Poverty, Poverty in South Africa
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week 2 immunizations

 The health topic I chose was immunization due to the seriousness of vaccine-preventable diseases that may still occur. Unfortunately, some babies are too young to be completely vaccinated and some people may not be able to receive vaccinations due to allergies, illness, weakened immune systems, or other reasons. To help keep these individuals safe, it is important that our children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized. This not only protects our families, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to friends and loved ones. A child with a vaccine-preventable disease can be kept out of schools or daycare facilities. A prolonged illness can take a financial toll because of lost time at work, medical bills, or long-term disability care.

 

 

 It is reported that vaccines in the country of Europe varies. This country is stated to still have wide spread measles (Lancet infectious disease).Despite the proven safety and efficacy of vaccines, common vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles are not yet controlled in all European countries. This is largely due to three factors. First, vaccination systems differ widely throughout Europe and they vary between highly centralized and totally decentralized systems.

 

The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 3, Issue 2, Pages 103 - 108, February 2003

 

week1 chid birth in your life and around the world

 I witness the birth of my second grand child in 2009. This was the most amazing sight to see. I was actually able to see the entire process. I have only one child and to be a part of my grandchild's birth  was astounding. My daughter's husband was with her every step of the way. Birth is such a beautiful experience, especially when everything goes well.

I cannot imagine in some other countries where there are no doctors or medical attention. This would be a very scary process, without getting the proper medical attention. There are many things that can go wrong. Children can be born with needs of immediate medical attention that could cause severe disabilities.

wk8 When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Three consequences of my experience of a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for my professional growth and development would be:

• Getting my parents and keeping them involved with their child's education
• Making sure I understand working with diversity of all families.
• Making sure my staff understand the child's needs and keeping updated professional development on working with all children and families.

One goal would be to be prepared to prepare others to learn how important it is to be able to advocate and provide the best developmental education to all children from all diverse backgrounds.

week 6 My Hypothetical Family Situation

I am a soon to be parent of a child with Down Syndrome. I am a now single parent that husband abandoned me after realizing he felt he could not deal with this child. I am confused about how I will be able to make sure this child and myself receive the support and educational needs of such a special child. I live in an area that does not offer the best early intervention services. I want my child to be able to receive quality service at an early age.