Welcome to my blog Effective Programs and Practices colleagues. I am looking forward to reading your posts.
Elise
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
When I Think of Child Development.....
I think of Marian Wright Edelman.
"Investing in children is not a national luxury or a national choice. It's a national necessity. If the foundation of your house is crumbling, you don't say you can't afford to fix it while you're building astronomically expensive fences to protect it from outside enemies. The issue is not are we going to pay - it's are we going to pay now, up front, or are we going to pay a whole lot more later on."
Thank you to all my child development colleagues for your support and I wish you good luck in your future courses and endeavors.
Elise
"Investing in children is not a national luxury or a national choice. It's a national necessity. If the foundation of your house is crumbling, you don't say you can't afford to fix it while you're building astronomically expensive fences to protect it from outside enemies. The issue is not are we going to pay - it's are we going to pay now, up front, or are we going to pay a whole lot more later on."
Thank you to all my child development colleagues for your support and I wish you good luck in your future courses and endeavors.
Elise
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Testing???
As an educator I know that testing is a necessary tool to use to base instruction upon and to monitor growth and understanding of skills. As a parent, I hate to see what it does to my child. Every spring my daughter has to endure SOLs and then worry about whether she passed them. When she came home the other week after taking her science SOL she said "My brain hurts!"
Research in education recognizes the following:1. children help shape their own development; 2. children learn at different rates and through different methods; 3. children learn through social interaction within a sociocultural and historical context; and 4. children are part of a family, community and the larger culture (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bruner & Haste, 1990; Donaldson, 1978: Vygotsky, 1962).
Teaching children involves viewing children holistically, providing developmentally appropriate practices and to consider all the various environments in which children spend time. Within those developmentally appropriate practices and best practices, some children need to be taught a modified curriculum in order to meet their needs.
Every child is different and unique and as every child is different and unique so should their instruction and assessment be. No test is going to be an accurate measure of that child on that given day. While I understand the needs of assessing students in order to give them accommodations or extra support I don't understand why everything in the curriculum has to be test driven.
I came across an article about special needs students in India. The article was titled "Included by law, but little else". The article states that the Indian School Certificate Examinations board allows students with disabilities to be given grace marks in tests and additional time to finish papers. Unfortunately, the school administration where the child in the article went to school didn't follow the guidelines. The boy was retained and the mother is now taking the case to the Bombay High Court. It seems that there is support (legislation) for disabled children in India but little follow through. Education of children with disabilities is still considered an act of charity. The article closes with the fact that India needs a regulatory system.
Research in education recognizes the following:1. children help shape their own development; 2. children learn at different rates and through different methods; 3. children learn through social interaction within a sociocultural and historical context; and 4. children are part of a family, community and the larger culture (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bruner & Haste, 1990; Donaldson, 1978: Vygotsky, 1962).
Teaching children involves viewing children holistically, providing developmentally appropriate practices and to consider all the various environments in which children spend time. Within those developmentally appropriate practices and best practices, some children need to be taught a modified curriculum in order to meet their needs.
Every child is different and unique and as every child is different and unique so should their instruction and assessment be. No test is going to be an accurate measure of that child on that given day. While I understand the needs of assessing students in order to give them accommodations or extra support I don't understand why everything in the curriculum has to be test driven.
I came across an article about special needs students in India. The article was titled "Included by law, but little else". The article states that the Indian School Certificate Examinations board allows students with disabilities to be given grace marks in tests and additional time to finish papers. Unfortunately, the school administration where the child in the article went to school didn't follow the guidelines. The boy was retained and the mother is now taking the case to the Bombay High Court. It seems that there is support (legislation) for disabled children in India but little follow through. Education of children with disabilities is still considered an act of charity. The article closes with the fact that India needs a regulatory system.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Consequences of Stress on Children's Development
Chaos in the neighborhood
When I was about eight years old a family moved onto our street that had five children, a mom, and a dad. My brother and I played with the kids everyday after school. If I remember correctly they were all boys. We lived in an area where we were surrounded by woods and a state mental hospital, which made exploration very interesting. One cold, gray afternoon we were startled by a pounding on the front door. It was the dad of the five kids who lived up the street. He had the kids in the car. My mom invited him in and he started crying saying that his wife had left him. I think it was the first time I had ever seen a grown man cry. The kids in the car looked shell shocked. The mom had run away and left them. The mom never returned and the family imploded. The dad started drinking and couldn't take care of the kids. The children were placed in the orphanage (yes, we had one in the town I grew up in). We still saw the kids in school, but they were never the same. If I remember correctly, the older boy was returned home and the dad had a girlfriend that moved into the home. I heard that the other kids got into trouble and then they moved away. I often wonder what happened to them.
Childhood Poverty in India
I chose to learn more about how poverty impacts the lives of the children in India. I read a book about poverty in India several years ago and the book opened my eyes to the daily struggles of people in India. Life for children in India is very hard. Almost half of all children under the age of five are malnourished. There are inequalities in child well being based on gender, class, and caste. Despite the efforts of society and government, the cycle of disadvantage begins at birth and continues throughout childhood to adulthood and even into the next generation.
In recent years India's anti poverty programs have been subject to reform to ensure better targeting and coverage. Rural poverty continues because of lack of access to skills, health, and education. Despite the recent economic growth poverty numbers remain high. The enrollment of primary school-aged children rose from 68% to 82%. India still accounts for 20% of the world's out of school children. It has the largest numbers of working children in the world, with nearly a third of children below 16 years working.
References:
World Deevelopment Indicators Database, April 2003
World Bank, 2000, India-Reducing Poverty, Accelerating Development
UNICEF Country Statistics: India
When I was about eight years old a family moved onto our street that had five children, a mom, and a dad. My brother and I played with the kids everyday after school. If I remember correctly they were all boys. We lived in an area where we were surrounded by woods and a state mental hospital, which made exploration very interesting. One cold, gray afternoon we were startled by a pounding on the front door. It was the dad of the five kids who lived up the street. He had the kids in the car. My mom invited him in and he started crying saying that his wife had left him. I think it was the first time I had ever seen a grown man cry. The kids in the car looked shell shocked. The mom had run away and left them. The mom never returned and the family imploded. The dad started drinking and couldn't take care of the kids. The children were placed in the orphanage (yes, we had one in the town I grew up in). We still saw the kids in school, but they were never the same. If I remember correctly, the older boy was returned home and the dad had a girlfriend that moved into the home. I heard that the other kids got into trouble and then they moved away. I often wonder what happened to them.
Childhood Poverty in India
I chose to learn more about how poverty impacts the lives of the children in India. I read a book about poverty in India several years ago and the book opened my eyes to the daily struggles of people in India. Life for children in India is very hard. Almost half of all children under the age of five are malnourished. There are inequalities in child well being based on gender, class, and caste. Despite the efforts of society and government, the cycle of disadvantage begins at birth and continues throughout childhood to adulthood and even into the next generation.
In recent years India's anti poverty programs have been subject to reform to ensure better targeting and coverage. Rural poverty continues because of lack of access to skills, health, and education. Despite the recent economic growth poverty numbers remain high. The enrollment of primary school-aged children rose from 68% to 82%. India still accounts for 20% of the world's out of school children. It has the largest numbers of working children in the world, with nearly a third of children below 16 years working.
References:
World Deevelopment Indicators Database, April 2003
World Bank, 2000, India-Reducing Poverty, Accelerating Development
UNICEF Country Statistics: India
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Public Health Topic
I chose to learn more about the mental health of mothers' and fathers' and the effect on children's development. I have a student this year who has been diagnosed with depression at the age of seven. His mother suffers from depression and bipolar disorder. I have another student who is being neglected because his mother is depressed from a volatile divorce and the subsequent loss of her home to foreclosure. It is very hard and disturbing to see such young children with a heavy burden to bear.
From my research I have discovered that a father in better mental health may buffer the influence of a mother's poorer mental health. Maternal depression is known to have a broad influence on a child's health and well-being. Children of mother's who are depressed or who have depressive symptoms are at increased risk for developmental delay, behavior problems, depression and injuries. Depressed mothers are less likely to to engage in preventive parenting practices and are more likely to use child health care services. A father may help to reduce the adverse effects of maternal depression child health by increasing his role as caretaker. If both parents are in poor mental health , the child may be at high risk for poor outcomes (J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2001;42:381-394).
I found a very interesting article about the prevalence of potential psychological disorder among fathers in New Zealand during their child's first six years of life. The associated financial, psychological and physical strain placed upon fathers trying to balance work and family can have an adverse impact on family life. The World Health Organization has realized the importance of research and their behaviors to improve mental outcomes among young children. Pacific peoples experience higher rates of mental illness than New Zealanders. This study found that employment and mental health were linked and that employment helps mental illness suffers in their recovery and decreases their dependence on services. Interestingly enough, discrimination in New Zealand was cited as a barrier to employment more than any other factor. Pacific approaches and understandings of mental illness differ from western perspectives, and some Pacific ethnic groups describe mental illness that are unique to their own particular culture.
Pacific Health Dialog Vol 15. No. 1. 2009
From my research I have discovered that a father in better mental health may buffer the influence of a mother's poorer mental health. Maternal depression is known to have a broad influence on a child's health and well-being. Children of mother's who are depressed or who have depressive symptoms are at increased risk for developmental delay, behavior problems, depression and injuries. Depressed mothers are less likely to to engage in preventive parenting practices and are more likely to use child health care services. A father may help to reduce the adverse effects of maternal depression child health by increasing his role as caretaker. If both parents are in poor mental health , the child may be at high risk for poor outcomes (J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2001;42:381-394).
I found a very interesting article about the prevalence of potential psychological disorder among fathers in New Zealand during their child's first six years of life. The associated financial, psychological and physical strain placed upon fathers trying to balance work and family can have an adverse impact on family life. The World Health Organization has realized the importance of research and their behaviors to improve mental outcomes among young children. Pacific peoples experience higher rates of mental illness than New Zealanders. This study found that employment and mental health were linked and that employment helps mental illness suffers in their recovery and decreases their dependence on services. Interestingly enough, discrimination in New Zealand was cited as a barrier to employment more than any other factor. Pacific approaches and understandings of mental illness differ from western perspectives, and some Pacific ethnic groups describe mental illness that are unique to their own particular culture.
Pacific Health Dialog Vol 15. No. 1. 2009
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Childhood Web
Wow! I am realizing what a lucky child I was to have such an extended family to grow up with. I am sorry my children aren't having that kind of childhood.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Today
One of my Kindergarten students said I was a giraffe today! I was also told that I was a horse and a lamb because they are their favorite animals. I guess that is good!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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