Many different things control
a child’s intelligence. When we look at children we need to view them as a
whole. We cannot just look at regular intelligence. There are many other
factors to viewing a child. In the state of Florida we someone is dealing with
a special needs child they have an individual education plan (IEP). When you
are writing about the child in the IEP there are four different area that you
look at that helps you get an idea of the child as a whole. Those areas are
curriculum, socials and emotional, independence, and communication. I think will
of these areas help you get an overall understanding of the student. These are
all areas that contribute to the child. This shows it’s not just about
curriculum or academic intelligence there is much more.
China focuses on similar areas when they are assessing
their children. In China they place a really high regard to standardized tests
and the curriculum measurements. However, they also look at personality and physicality
(Falbo & Poston, 1993). I think personality is a good measure and helps to
look at what we do in Florida the social, emotional, and communication areas. Physically
I don’t feel is that necessary of a measurement. I tend to like how independent
they are as a better category to look at.
Measuring children’s
ability is not an easy task. I think you need to look beyond the academics
because what good does being smart do if you cannot control you emotions,
communicate effectively with others, or social get along with others. All of
these things are job skills which is what schooling is preparing you for. America
needs to look to special education as the norm and try to elaborate on children
more like the do.
Reference
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Falbo, T., &
Poston, D. L. (1993). The academic, personality, and physical outcomes of
only children in China. Child development, 64(1), 18-35.
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Hello Zina,
ReplyDeleteI agree, measuring children's ability is no easy task. There are so many parts to a growing child, not just the academic intelligence, but emotional, physical, and spiritual intelligence of that child as well. Social intelligence is so important to me. being in a social society, children need to understand and be able to cope and mesh well with societal pressures and stresses; as well as the benefits of understanding and gaining the proper knowledge of a social education. There are a lot of individuals with academic mobility, but lack the social mobility needed to succeed. Great post!
Hello Zina, I agree with your understanding that there should be a greater emphases on social/emotional intelligence when evaluating children. I have always believed that the best predictor of academic success for a child rest on their ability to regulate their emotions successfully and navigate their social world . Thanks for your thoughtful insights on child assessment.
ReplyDeleteHello Zina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your insight on how children should be assessed. It is a very difficult job and there are many factors that are involved in this process.
Zina,
ReplyDeleteChina puts pressure on their kids that I think our American culture lacks sometimes. I feel that China values education as most important but I don't feel like just test should be a part of that. Furthermore that is where American culture does great for the most part we look at what the child offers and the environment they are around.