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Archive for the ‘Educating Our Children’ Category

Child Assessment Basics

Monday, November 16th, 2009

In the field of early childhood education, teachers of young children must find ways to show that children are growing, developing, and learning. Parents, as well as teachers, want to see proof of growth and development. Appropriate assessment methods can provide that proof. Assessment is defined as “taking stock of a situation”. It is important that teachers of young children understand the need for assessment in the classroom setting, evaluate children and take stock of their growth and development.

Authentic Assessment is defined as the process of documenting and evaluating growth and development in real-life situations over time. It shows what children can do, what they know, and what they understand. Rather than attempting to explain a child’s performance based on one test, this type of assessment focuses on the progress and growth of a child over time. Authentic assessment helps to paint a more accurate picture of who the child is and how the child is growing and learning. The term assessment, when used in the context of early childhood education, is sometimes interchanged with the term observation. Observation is one method of assessing student growth and development and is probably the best-known, most widely used way that teachers evaluate the progress of the young children they teach.

Teachers may wonder what to assess when working with young children. Using multiple forms of assessment allows a teacher to reveal an accurate picture of the child. Early childhood includes children from birth to age eight and is a very difficult period to assess because the rate of growth is so rapid. Also, growth is highly influenced by nurturing parents, quality of care, and the learning environment. Parents want to be assured that their child is ready for school. In addition, teachers and administrators want to know if they are offering effective programs. Therefore, assessment information is critical to the child, the parent, and the success of the program.

Assessment is a hot topic in the field of early childhood education as accountability becomes more important for teachers and schools. As educators, we must find ways to show we are teaching and that children are learning. It is imperative to find methods that illustrate growth and development over time, allowing children to be evaluated in real-life, everyday settings. It is the teacher’s responsibility to find methods of documentation that report success of children.

By understanding the basic developmental areas of the children you teach, assessment can be made simple. Easy-to-learn methods of assessment will help you document the developmental growth of young children over time. Learn more about assessment tools for the classroom. Visit ChildCare Education Institute to discover over 100 online child care training courses that meet the continuing education requirements of the child care industry.

How Kids Learn – The Importance of Fun Learning

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Most students are having the impression that studying is something boring and tedious. But there are some who have a natural love for learning, and it is these students are usually categorized as ‘achievers’. Intelligent children are usually those who have a positive attitude towards learning, especially learning grammar for kids. And while each child’s potential for intelligence is already predetermined by his genes, how much of that potential the child can use up is influenced by external factors, such as the influence of parents or teachers.

First impressions are very important for children. In much the same way that they first learn that they should stay away from fire by getting scalded by something hot, children, too, create impressions about studying depending on their first experiences. If the parent presents the idea that to learn English for kids is a responsibility, then the child may view it as such and may shun it in favor of more enjoyable things like playing, for example. However, if the parent or the teacher presents fun English for kids learning as something fun and enjoyable from the very start, then the child is more likely to have a positive attitude towards it. And if the child has a positive attitude towards learning English for kids, he will be more receptive towards new information and more willing to learn new things, thus, contributing to his own development and helping him reach his true potential. Also, if you try to notice, things that interest you usually stay in your head longer than things that you find boring. If a child has a negative attitude towards learning, then anything that’s presented to him for studying would automatically be classified as ‘boring’ or ‘tedious’. However, if learning is presented to him as something ‘fun’, then he is more likely to find something he’s really interested in because he won’t be close-minded about the subjects being taught. Hence, there are games for learning English that parents and teachers can use. There are also English songs for kids as well as English dictionary for kids that can help as well. How to learn English for kids should be fun so as to help them grasp the language better.