When I think of child development............

The following quotes about children and development serve as a reminder that each child is unique and develop at their own pace within nurturing relationships.

Development, it turns out, occurs through this process of progressively more complex exchange between a child and somebody else--e specially somebody who's crazy about that child.

                  - Urie Bronfenbrenner

Children allowed to develop at their own speed will usually win the race of life. 

                   - Fred O. Gosman

There’s one basic rule you should remember about development charts that will save you countless hours of worry…..The fact that a child passes through a particular developmental stage is always more important than the age of that child when he or she does it. In the long run, it really doesn’t matter whether you learn to walk at ten months or fifteen months – as long as you learn how to walk.

                      -Lawrence Kutner

 

Every child has an inner timetable for growth--a pattern unique to him. . . . Growth is not steady, forward, upward progression. It is instead a switchback trail; three steps forward, two back, one around the bushes, and a few simply standing, before another forward leap.

                      - Dorothy Corkville Briggs

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.”

                     - Virginia Satir

Multiple intelligences and standardized testing

During a recent conversation with my sister-in-law, I inquired as to how my 3 ½ year old nephew was doing in preschool. I was dismayed to learn that he is going through what sounded like an intensive process to prepare him for an assessment he will have to pass in order to gain admission into elementary school in another year and half. Homework in preschool? A test at age 5 to gain admission to elementary school? I have been trying very hard to understand why my nephew at the age of 3, has to sit and practice his letters each evening instead of being free to play and run around outside like any other 3 year old. This has become a source of stress for his mother who struggles to get him to sit and focus and has created a negative idea about school and learning for him. 

Looking back at my own experience attending school in Sri Lanka, I remember the amount of emphasis that was placed on standardized testing. It truly was a source of stress to all; both children and parents. The school year was divided into three terms and at the end of each term we had to face an examination in each subject. The grades earned determined each student’s overall ranking in the class at the end of the year. At the national level, in fifth grade, children had the option of taking a test that would allow them to be transferred to a school with a higher ranking. For many children from rural areas this exam was their only path to gain access to a better education. In 9th grade all students began to prepare for a written national level exam referred to as the Ordinary Level exam that they took in 11^th grade where they were tested on content learned during the previous three years. The scores from this exam determined what majors the students were eligible to pursue. For the next 2 ½ years student prepared for another written exam referred to as the Advanced Level examination. Students were assessed on content related to their major and scores on this exam determines a student’s eligibility to gain admission into college. This exam is extremely competitive as this is the only path to gain access to higher education to state universities and they don’t have the capacity to accommodate all the students seeking a higher education. Throughout a child’s school career, the goal of parents and eventually the children is to use all possible means to excel in these exams, as these exams alone determine their future. 

                Only a few of my friends did well enough at the national level in the advanced level exam to qualify to gain admission to a state university. I was not one of them. Does this mean we were not as intelligent as others who did? The answer is no. It just means that some of us were either not as good as others at retaining information drilled into us or didn’t do well at test taking under pressure. Or it meant that a single written test was not at all the best way to assess all students. Unfortunately for us then and now, the structure of the education system requires such testing. I recall friend who used to get panic attacks each time exams were near. Another who would get stomachaches during exams. Although our intelligence was judged by our parents, our teachers and ultimately ourselves based on the results of these exams alone, many of friends have proven that test results alone don’t determine intelligence by going on to excel in their chosen career paths. What if were assessed on what we could instead of testing to find out what we couldn’t? What if my friend who was very creative but not so good at writing was allowed to do a science project on atomic structures instead of struggling to write them out during an exam? What about my friend who couldn’t remember much taught in class but remembered every line in the school play? What if our individual abilities and intelligences were taken into account rather than measuring it by comparing it to others? If so, many of us would have felt far less stressed throughout our school years and had a feeling of more self-worth about our intelligence. 

                I believe that each individual is unique in how they learn and the type of intelligences they have. I agree with Gardener’s theory of multiple intelligences (Berger, 2012). He believed that humans have multiple intelligences; linguistic, logical, mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential. Some display more intelligence in one area while others excel in another. My 10 year old niece loves to read and write and therefore does well in school assessments. My 13 year old nephew on the other hand is a hands-on-learner who doesn’t read unless he has to and struggles to maintain his grades but can figure out anything to do with electronics on his own. Is a formal written exam the best way to assess both? Both of them are intelligent in their own way but the type of assessments they face say one is more intelligent than the other. According to an article by the California Department of Education, “Students may perform poorly in a given subject not because they cannot learn but because the strategy used to teach them was inconsistent with their learning styles. And teachers and students alike often confuse mismatches in styles of teaching and learning with lack of ability”. I believe that it is important to recognize that individuals vary in their intelligences as well as learning styles. I believe that instruction should be modified to meet individual needs and the assessment methods used should allow individual children to display their knowledge in their own unique way. Students should be given the opportunity to be assessed over a time period rather than just in one instance. Consideration should be given to the fact that how a student responds to an assessment may depend on facts such as the assessment setting, whether the way the child is being assessed allows the child to understand clearly what is being asked of him etc. 

References

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

California Department of Education (2001). Effects of Multiple Intelligences on Instruction     Retrieved from http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/documentlibrary/effectintelligence.aspx

Consequences of War and Violence

As a child growing up in Sri Lanka, I was exposed to continued violence due to the civil war that the country was involved in at that time. My family and I lived in the capital of the country, far away from the actual war zone. However, the capital was a prime target for terror attacks, political leaders being the main target. I have lost count of the number of suicide bomb attacks that occurred during that time; bus bombs, train bombs and locations where masses would gather. There were time periods when schools remained closed for months for safety reasons and we had to be home schooled by our parents. I couldn’t see my friends. Who would be the next target, when and where another bombing would occur was the question on everyone’s mind. There were many we heard of who lost their lives because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel blessed and fortunate that my family and I were never harmed. The attacks really hit close to home when my school was affected due to an attack on a nearby government office. No children were harmed but it damaged several school buildings. It didn’t take long for these ‘incidents’ to become a normal part of our lives. Security checks wherever we went, even in schools became routine. Each time an ‘incident’ happened the country often imposed a curfew, schools closed, roads were blocked off and transportation came to a standstill. The newspapers were covered with gruesome pictures as was the news on the TV. The causalities became just numbers.

                Looking back, I’m not sure what went on in mind as a child in the midst of everything that was happening around me. Whatever happened, I knew that home was always the safest place to be away from the violence. I prayed every day that my loved ones and I would be able to make it back home safe every day from school and work.  None of the violence we witnessed was ever discussed with us by our parents or teachers. The culture was such that adults did not see the importance or the need to discuss many issues with children. There was no real effort to shield us from it but then again that was probably an impossible thing to do. The adults had their own worries about the situation. There were no systems in place to help children understand and cope.  The father of a fellow schoolmate who was running for president was the target of an attack and lost his life several days before the election. I can’t imagine what she went through and how she would have coped with it all. I don’t really remember even discussing these events with my friends. Maybe the fact that we were all in the same situation made it okay. We just didn’t know anything different. As a child I just couldn’t understand why people would act out so violently against each other. Sadly, after witnessing everything I did, I feel that I just became immune to the violence. My husband, who as a seven year old unfortunately witnessed people being burned alive during one of the most violent periods, agrees.   I think through it all, faith kept us going and faith kept us safe. 

None of what I experienced comes anywhere close to what many children in different parts of the world face each day. The children of Sudan, the largest African nation, face challenges to survive each day. Children live under the threat of violence, the possibility of being exploited or abused as a result of ongoing violence. They face shortages of food and water. 31% of the children are underweight and only 58% of the population has access to clean water. Children have little or no access to healthcare and education with girls averaging about 6 years in school. Sudan has one of highest infant mortality rates (56 per 1000 children) and one of the lowest life expectancies in the world (61 years) (Save the Children, 2012). 

Save the Children is one of many organizations that have implemented programs in Sudan to address the many concerns in that region affecting children and families. Some of their work includes immunization programs for children and expectant mothers, creating access to proper sanitary facilities and safe drinking water, distribution of food and non-food items, creating access to education through construction of schools, teacher training and access to school supplies. Another important area of that work includes reintegration of separated children; the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers; and support for communities affected by violence (Save the children, 2012).

References

Save the children (2012). Sudan. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150471/k.CAAA/Sudan.htm#sources