Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

Part 1, Establishing Professional Contacts

This week, I started reading information on the World Forum Foundation’s website.  I also looked at the World Forum Foundation Radio.  On one of the podcasts, I heard Susan Lyon discussing how she worked with foreign students in a program that focused on language development.  The radio podcast provided insight in how teaching practices vary in other countries.  As a result, Mrs. Lyon developed an exhibit, which she brought back to the United States.  Based on this information, I intended to continue monitoring these sites throughout the course for information, research, and podcasts.

Part 2, Expanding Resources

I also decided to review the Center for the Child Care Workforce’s website. This organization provides a newsletter and information for childcare research. The CCW also “advocated for public policy to restructure the early care and education delivery system to better address the issues of workforce recruitment and compensation” (CCW).  Therefore, I plan to further study this organization during the course.

References

Center for the Child Care Workforce. (CCW) (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ccw.org/

World Forum Foundation. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php

World Forum Foundation Radio. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php

When I Think of Child Development

When I think of Child development, I think of the whole child.  Child development is based on helping the child to learn, grow, and develop mentally and physically.  One philosopher quoted that "All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual" (Albert Einstein).  This quote shows that child development is based on individual development and it benefits society as a whole.

I would like to thank all of my fellow scholars for participating and contributing to my blog.  I wish you all the best in your future courses and careers.

Testing for Intelligence

I believe that every child is unique.  Children have different abilities, needs, and skills.  As a result, teachers need to rely on authentic assessments to determine the best way to teach children.  This includes assessing the child's macro and micro environments. The ecosystem of a child's life includes different influences and people who help shape the child's life.  Therefore, these people play a major role in development.  This is why I strongly support parent-teacher relationships.  Furthermore, I do not believe that standardized tests can accurately identify an individual's child's intelligence.  Factors such as culture and environment affect how a child develops, therefore, children have different and multiple intelligences. 

In China, education is more vigorous and children either fail or pass.  This commitment to education produces highly educated students that speak multiple languages and do well in school. Also, "Chinese students attend classes five or six days a week from early morning (about 7am) to early evening (4pm or later)" (Chinese culture, 2011) . Although I do not think that this system would translate very quickly in the American education system, I do believe that children will benefit from a greater focus on education.  Children need to be pushed at their own pace, and it is necessary for children to learn; therefore, the holistic approach is the best approach.

References
http://chineseculture.about.com/od/thechineselanguage/a/Introduction-To-Education-In-China.htm