- Physical changes
- Social changes
- Emotional changes
- Behavioral changes
- Understanding each child as an individual
- Achievements
- Obstacles
- Learning new things
- Health issues
- Psychosocial needs
- Resilience
- Empathy and Moral Development
- Brain Development
- Fine and Gross motor skills
- Language Development
- Education
- Play
- Developmental Delays
- Special needs
- Peer pressure
camping labor day weekend
Thursday, October 27, 2011
When I Think of Child Development …
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Testing for Intelligence
Over the course of this week, the readings, video, and research on standardized tests I have come to the conclusion that not all tests are created equal. Throughout my childhood I remember having to take tests and remember how much I struggled with tests. I don't know if this stress is normal or hereditary, but it is something that my mom struggled with too. I feel that testing can be stressful and it is not for everyone, especially those with learning disabilities. I don't think it is fair to say how intelligent a person is based on their test scores. I never had a learning disability that I knew of, but I can't imagine how difficult it would be to someone who does have one. If I had to chose how successful a student is in school I would definitely look at a more holistic approach. I would base their intelligence on what they know about the world around them, and what kind of smarts they have based on their experiences. I know that in most schools tests are based on what is taught out of a book, however if this is not interesting to the child because they cannot relate to it and do not retain the information because it doesn't have meaning to them, then they fail that part of the test. I think that each child comes from a different family and each child is exposed to different environmental factors. I think that a child that lives in a ghetto, they will learn more how to protect themselves and their families, and even start work earlier and taking care of their parents and possibly siblings. It is not fair to say that the child that is exposed to this and does not have the time to do homework or think about what they are learning in school, is not smart because they don't achieve in math, science, and reading. I really think that a child should be tested in what they know based on their world around them.
Also, I think that more tests should be verbal, because sometimes it is harder to put on paper what you know. I had a teacher once in college test me verbally and I aced the test, but the other ones that I had that were written I did not do so well. I think that people are better to speak what they know, and the teacher could then know that the child is learning, and then will be able to see that they deserve a better grade. This would be a very good way for children with learning disabilities to verbalize what they know as their disability might hold them back.
I looked online various websites that talk about tests that are done in other countries, and it sounds like most of them are doing the same standardized tests that we are doing here in the US.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html was a website that talked about Shanghai being the highest ranking country for Program for International Student Assessment, a test known as PISA. Another really interesting website that relates to children with learning disabilities is http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm
Also, I think that more tests should be verbal, because sometimes it is harder to put on paper what you know. I had a teacher once in college test me verbally and I aced the test, but the other ones that I had that were written I did not do so well. I think that people are better to speak what they know, and the teacher could then know that the child is learning, and then will be able to see that they deserve a better grade. This would be a very good way for children with learning disabilities to verbalize what they know as their disability might hold them back.
I looked online various websites that talk about tests that are done in other countries, and it sounds like most of them are doing the same standardized tests that we are doing here in the US.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html was a website that talked about Shanghai being the highest ranking country for Program for International Student Assessment, a test known as PISA. Another really interesting website that relates to children with learning disabilities is http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Consequences of Stress on Children's Development
The stressor(s) that I chose to write about was that of war/poverty, the two go hand in hand. I have a very close friend that I have known for around 12 years who experienced the Bosnian war, that I interviewed for this assignment. I had known about her experiences when I first met her, but never really realized how it affected her childhood, or the lack thereof.
When she was 9 years old the war in Bosnia began, she was Muslim and the Serbs were taking over. Most of her friends and family fled as soon as possible, but they endured almost the full length of the war, 2 1/2 years. She said that parents can't even protect you, and its like being in an open field when it's thundering, you know it's going to hit you, but you don't know when. You learn to overcome the fear of death and the only thing you have left is your faith. You become afraid of being tortured and raped. When the soldiers came into her house to take things, you become afraid of being raped. She always prayed that this would not happen to her, and she was very lucky that she didn't.
She said that she didn't really have a childhood, and she grew up really fast. She had survivors guilt, thinking such thoughts as "why didn't I get raped or die?" She said when you live in war, you live in fear. There is no water, electricity, or food. She said that you sell everything in your house just to get food. You can't play outside, because there is gunfire and bombs going off. She and her brother couldn't go to school because the Muslim teachers were fired and the Serbs took over. They slept in a room underground, kind of like a bomb-shelter to keep them safe from the bombs that were constantly going off, one hit her bedroom once, blowing out a window. She said that you have no hopes or dreams, and you live day by day. She said that after her dad left to go to the concentration camp that her mom, brother, and herself snuck to her Aunt's house to sleep, which was five blocks away and very risky because of the spies that surround all of the houses.
Her family had gotten word from a Serb that her father had befriended that her house was the next one on the list to be raped and tortured and they fleed when she was 11 1/2. They had barely made it safely to Croatia where there was a safe place for them to stay for a night till they went to Germany. She still thanks God for her safety and have had many rough times from the stresses that she had to endure as a child.
I look back at my childhood 9-11 and it was very carefree. I had no fears except for a bad grade on a test. I would play with my friends outside, in the streets, or wherever I had liked. I could not have imagined losing my childhood to war. I feel for all those children that are currently living in war, such as Iraq, and Afghanistan or any other war-torn country.
When she was 9 years old the war in Bosnia began, she was Muslim and the Serbs were taking over. Most of her friends and family fled as soon as possible, but they endured almost the full length of the war, 2 1/2 years. She said that parents can't even protect you, and its like being in an open field when it's thundering, you know it's going to hit you, but you don't know when. You learn to overcome the fear of death and the only thing you have left is your faith. You become afraid of being tortured and raped. When the soldiers came into her house to take things, you become afraid of being raped. She always prayed that this would not happen to her, and she was very lucky that she didn't.
She said that she didn't really have a childhood, and she grew up really fast. She had survivors guilt, thinking such thoughts as "why didn't I get raped or die?" She said when you live in war, you live in fear. There is no water, electricity, or food. She said that you sell everything in your house just to get food. You can't play outside, because there is gunfire and bombs going off. She and her brother couldn't go to school because the Muslim teachers were fired and the Serbs took over. They slept in a room underground, kind of like a bomb-shelter to keep them safe from the bombs that were constantly going off, one hit her bedroom once, blowing out a window. She said that you have no hopes or dreams, and you live day by day. She said that after her dad left to go to the concentration camp that her mom, brother, and herself snuck to her Aunt's house to sleep, which was five blocks away and very risky because of the spies that surround all of the houses.
Her family had gotten word from a Serb that her father had befriended that her house was the next one on the list to be raped and tortured and they fleed when she was 11 1/2. They had barely made it safely to Croatia where there was a safe place for them to stay for a night till they went to Germany. She still thanks God for her safety and have had many rough times from the stresses that she had to endure as a child.
I look back at my childhood 9-11 and it was very carefree. I had no fears except for a bad grade on a test. I would play with my friends outside, in the streets, or wherever I had liked. I could not have imagined losing my childhood to war. I feel for all those children that are currently living in war, such as Iraq, and Afghanistan or any other war-torn country.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Child Development and Public Health
The topic that I chose to research is family mental health. The reason I chose this topic is because I thought it would be interesting as a preschool teacher and just in general to find out what the link is with families and mental health. The article that I researched is called Resilience and Culture/Ethnicity, Examples From Sudan, Namibia, and Armenia written by Edith H. Grotberg, Ph.D.
This article talks about how confident one feels about themselves, particularly in the area of resilience. it is critical to a child's feelings of confidence, hope, trust, and love, and an ability to seek help and solve problems that are perceived as experiences of adversity. Three sources of resilience are the following I have, I am, I can. I have is the external supports that cultural/ethnic identity of a child that reflects the supports, values, role models, and limits determined by a cultural/ethnic group. I am is the mental health of a child to that reflects the extent to which a culture fosters identity, self-esteem, empathy, autonomy, altruism, responsibility, and hope. I can is the interpersonal and problem solving skills that children acquire that reflects the extent to which a culture encourages mastery of skills, in communication, problem solving, and management of behavior.
Two methods were used to identify cultural/ethnic similarities and differences in the area of resilience among children. The study showed that families in Namibia and Armenia were traditional, some rich, some poor and the child rearing practices reflected the outcomes of the resilience among the children. The study gave a situation where a nine year old girl named Rita walks to school every day and passes a place where a group of older children stands around. When she passes them the call to her, make fun of her and sometimes push her. She has become so frightened she refuses to go to school any more and tells her mother she is sick. her mother knows she is healthy...
Most frequently used parents' responses that promote resilience:
Sudan: helping the child resolve the problem, encouraging them to resolve the problem by themselves, being a role model in how to resolve the problem
Namibia: calming the girl; talk about what is going on; showing empathy; expressing love; pointing out that school attendance is her responsibility; helping her to solve the problem
Armenia: talks to her mother and shares feelings of fear; mother helps girl solve problem with help; shows child how to deal with situation; helps the child feel safe; encourages child to gradually solve the problem herself, but with support; mother feels the child's pain; calms child and assures her that everything will be alright; showing the girl how much she is loved
Most frequently used parents' responses that prevent the development of resilience:
Sudan: forcing the truth; punishing the girl for lying; leaving her alone to solve her own problem; expecting the girl to hate school, not attend school, or become ill; displaying little emotion of caring or empathy to the girl
Namibia: hitting the girl for lying; forcing the truth; feeling sad and afraid for the girl, but not helping; forcing the girl to go to school
Armenia: mother forces attendance; girl continues to feel fearful; parent does nothing but feels she should intercede; thinks girl believes she is bad, but does nothing to help; girl would learn her lesson and tell the truth after this
The major responses from the three countries that concern mental health and mastery of resilience are:
Mental Health:
Sudan: autonomy, confidence
Namibia: empathy, expressions of love, feeling lovable
Armenia: empathy, expressions of love, self-esteem, feeling lovable, confidence
Mastery:
Sudan: role models, communication, problem solving, seek friends
Namibia: communication, problem solving
Armenia: sharing feelings, share process of problem solving, seek friends
The study concluded that the things that prevented promotion of resilience were:
Sudan: indifference, punishment for lying, withdrawal and illness, wandering streets, sad, angry, and afraid children.
Namibia: parents concerned about their own feelings, punishment, forced attention, no resolution, lose friends.
Armenia: forced attention, no resolution, sees self as bad, must tell truth, punishment, fearful, helpless.
The comparison among the three sites concluded that parents and children differ in terms of communication, discipline, and love. The Sudanese encourage a sense of autonomy and confidence. In Namibia parents express love, and make the child feel lovable, and express the need to be responsible. Armenian parents provide a loving, trusting relationship and encourage autonomy but with support, they show empathy and build confidence. Each site focused on communication skills and problem solving. Armenian parents were the best at communicating with each other to resolve problems.
This article talks about how confident one feels about themselves, particularly in the area of resilience. it is critical to a child's feelings of confidence, hope, trust, and love, and an ability to seek help and solve problems that are perceived as experiences of adversity. Three sources of resilience are the following I have, I am, I can. I have is the external supports that cultural/ethnic identity of a child that reflects the supports, values, role models, and limits determined by a cultural/ethnic group. I am is the mental health of a child to that reflects the extent to which a culture fosters identity, self-esteem, empathy, autonomy, altruism, responsibility, and hope. I can is the interpersonal and problem solving skills that children acquire that reflects the extent to which a culture encourages mastery of skills, in communication, problem solving, and management of behavior.
Two methods were used to identify cultural/ethnic similarities and differences in the area of resilience among children. The study showed that families in Namibia and Armenia were traditional, some rich, some poor and the child rearing practices reflected the outcomes of the resilience among the children. The study gave a situation where a nine year old girl named Rita walks to school every day and passes a place where a group of older children stands around. When she passes them the call to her, make fun of her and sometimes push her. She has become so frightened she refuses to go to school any more and tells her mother she is sick. her mother knows she is healthy...
Most frequently used parents' responses that promote resilience:
Sudan: helping the child resolve the problem, encouraging them to resolve the problem by themselves, being a role model in how to resolve the problem
Namibia: calming the girl; talk about what is going on; showing empathy; expressing love; pointing out that school attendance is her responsibility; helping her to solve the problem
Armenia: talks to her mother and shares feelings of fear; mother helps girl solve problem with help; shows child how to deal with situation; helps the child feel safe; encourages child to gradually solve the problem herself, but with support; mother feels the child's pain; calms child and assures her that everything will be alright; showing the girl how much she is loved
Most frequently used parents' responses that prevent the development of resilience:
Sudan: forcing the truth; punishing the girl for lying; leaving her alone to solve her own problem; expecting the girl to hate school, not attend school, or become ill; displaying little emotion of caring or empathy to the girl
Namibia: hitting the girl for lying; forcing the truth; feeling sad and afraid for the girl, but not helping; forcing the girl to go to school
Armenia: mother forces attendance; girl continues to feel fearful; parent does nothing but feels she should intercede; thinks girl believes she is bad, but does nothing to help; girl would learn her lesson and tell the truth after this
The major responses from the three countries that concern mental health and mastery of resilience are:
Mental Health:
Sudan: autonomy, confidence
Namibia: empathy, expressions of love, feeling lovable
Armenia: empathy, expressions of love, self-esteem, feeling lovable, confidence
Mastery:
Sudan: role models, communication, problem solving, seek friends
Namibia: communication, problem solving
Armenia: sharing feelings, share process of problem solving, seek friends
The study concluded that the things that prevented promotion of resilience were:
Sudan: indifference, punishment for lying, withdrawal and illness, wandering streets, sad, angry, and afraid children.
Namibia: parents concerned about their own feelings, punishment, forced attention, no resolution, lose friends.
Armenia: forced attention, no resolution, sees self as bad, must tell truth, punishment, fearful, helpless.
The comparison among the three sites concluded that parents and children differ in terms of communication, discipline, and love. The Sudanese encourage a sense of autonomy and confidence. In Namibia parents express love, and make the child feel lovable, and express the need to be responsible. Armenian parents provide a loving, trusting relationship and encourage autonomy but with support, they show empathy and build confidence. Each site focused on communication skills and problem solving. Armenian parents were the best at communicating with each other to resolve problems.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Personal Birthing Experience
Well I have two very memorable birthing experiences...the birth of my two boys now 15 and 13. My firstborn son Ryan was an extremely memorable one, when going into labor with him I didn't know exactly what to expect, so after feeling contractions for about five hours I decided to finally go to the hospital around 4am. I was one week overdue and ready to get this baby out of me, so we drove to the hospital just to find out that I was barely dilated, it was disappointing but the doctor told me that I would be induced which made me very happy. After I was induced they broke my water just to find there was meconium in the water, and luckily I was about to give birth at a hospital that had one of the best neo-natal intensive care units. The doctors warned me that my son would not be able to breath for the first few minutes after birth and that they would suck out all of the meconium from his lungs and then I would be able to hold him. After I had the epidural I wasn't too concerned about what was to come, I felt very reliable on the doctors experiences and everything had gone as planned. After they were able to suck all the meconium from him, they handed him to me and wondered very quickly whose nose he had and checked out all his other very long and adorable limbs. He turned out to have a snort for a while, and a skin disorder but otherwise just perfect!! My youngest son Tyler was a wonderful experience, I knew what to expect when giving birth and the pregnancy was wonderful! I stayed at home a very long time before rushing to the hospital and by the time we got there, he was 8cm dialated and fully efaced. I had a mid-wife with this pregnancy and she was just wonderful! I did not have an epidural with him, just a pain killer, I gave birth to him and when he was born he was just perfect and as there were no complications I was able to hold him right away and bond...it was simply wonderful!
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