How I Believe Child Development Should be Assessed
in the School Setting
There is much debate on the way children are being taught and assessed in the grade school setting. Now even in early child development children are being tested to see where they are in their developmental growth and how they meet other children's progress based on their results. I personally do not agree with or appreciate the idea of standardized tests to assess one's knowledge. These tests are biased with the wording in which the questions are phrased and create lots of unnecessary stress on students. Young students already have many challenges to face such as social groups, sports, and just trying to stay healthy in general with enough sleep and nutrition in their diet. These tests make students and children more self-conscious and can cause added anxiety and self-doubt in their day to day lives. In an article, The Case Against Standardized Testing, one quote from a student's opinion on standardized testing was
“I feel like we have to take all these tests and if I pass the tests I live and if I don’t, I die” (Mulholland 2015).
"The focus on test prep eats up time that could be spent doing hands-on projects and collaborative, interactive activities" (Randall 2015).
I think these opinions are very important and one that school boards need to take into heavy consideration. I agree with the method and technique of hands-on learning. It is a more interactive and engaging approach to learning. You are learning and developing new skills and cognitive development in a safe and fun environment. I know I personally drive with projects and written assignments than multiple-choice tests. However, I also know that students learn and thrive in different types of settings. I believe that the pressure of the standardized test format and the constant memorization and cramming for these tests should be decreased. I also think it should be an option to participate in standardized test assessment and interactive approach assessments. This way each type of student can show their strengths and knowledge in a way where they feel comfortable and confident that they can achieve.
Education in China
The area where I chose to dive more into the way children learn and are assessed was China. I chose this region because in my high school I had many exchange students from China and it was very interesting and fascinating to hear their ideas on the way our education system works versus what they are used to in their homeland. I learned that they spend much more hours and time in the school environment throughout the course of the day. If they are studying for the Gao Kao (similar to our SATs the test used to get into college and universities) they attend Saturday morning classes which sometimes is a different institution in which they have to pay tuition to attend these prep classes (OpenLearn 2019).
"Most schools start from early morning (about 7:30am) to early evening (about 6pm) with 2 hours lunch break" (OpenLearn 2019)
Self-study classes run from 7pm-9pm (OpenLearn 2019)
“Many parents and educators view Chinese education as important for foundation, and American education as being helpful for the cultivation of students’ creativity.” (Office of International Affairs 2014)
The difference between Chinese and American base learning is that in China they are very strict and enforce the main idea and concept of self proficiency with lots of hours of memorizations and following the guided instructions found in textbooks and by the teacher (Office of International Affairs 2014). In America, though we also strive on memorization especially in public school settings where the main purpose is to succeed in standardized tests, there are other types of schools that thrive on creativity and the chance for students to show their work and thinking process in various types of projects outside of the test format.
I am a firm believer in the fact that each child and student is different and has different skills, "Neurodiversity: The idea that each person has neurological strengths and weaknesses that should be appreciated, in much the same way diverse cultures and ethnicities are welcomed" (Berger 2018) This being said educators and school board members in charge of how education is being distributed to their students need to keep this thought in the back of their heads and realize that different approaches are needed for different students. Educators need to work with parents and students to find the right fit for them that will help them show their strengths and be confident with themselves in a safe and nurturing environment.
References
Berger, K. S. (2018). The developing person through childhood (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Mulholland. Quinn. The Case Against Standardized Testing. May 14, 2015. Harvard Political Review. https://harvardpolitics.com/united-states/case-standardized-testing/
Office of International Affairs. 08 May 2014. Differences Between Chinese & American Education. https://internationalnewsroom.com/cn-us-education/
OpenLearn. 30 August 2019. A brief introduction to the Chinese education system. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/brief-introduction-the-chinese-education-system#:~:text=Basic%20education%20in%20China%20includes,secondary%20education%20(six%20years).
