I think a child must be given a chance to demonstrate their understanding of whatever they’re being taught. Because the child is a multidimensional being, I believe they must learn and be taught a variety of things, and be evaluated in various ways. Not only must one type of intelligence be evaluated (ie. Logical reasoning) but several types should be evaluated (musical, emotional, etc.) and valued. A child should be able to learn early what their strengths and weaknesses are as well as what they’re passionate about. (although this changes over time, it’s still good for them to identify current passions) This way, they can develop a love for learning in the area(s) that they enjoy and in which they excel, which might encourage them not to feel like a failure for not grasping another area of intelligence.
Testing is good because schools need to be held accountable for using funds properly so students benefit, tax dollars need to be spent well, parents need to know their children are learning etc. etc. I feel, however, that many children in the U.S. are being tested more than they’re being taught and this is a major problem. Another problem is the way evaluations are done. All children can’t be expected to take “tests” well. We must create better, more natural ways to evaluate our children’s progress. I know this is a serious difficulty in schools with little man power, low funding if any, undereducated/under-experienced, overworked, underpaid, and impassionate teachers and administrators in a society that inadequately values the education of young children. (that was a mouthful :-) This is early childhood right now in many places and it’s got to get better than this. Let’s consider how the Danes do it:
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| Denmark Coastline |
In Denmark, they have a “class teacher” system from grades 1-9 (ages 7 to 16/17) where one teacher stays with the same class this entire time.
[Sidebar: the benefits of this system are amazing: students and teachers form relationships instead of operating under the mindset of being rid of each other the next year, teachers are less burned out from teaching the same subject at the same level year after year and never really knowing how their teaching is impacting their children, the teacher is able to experience the joy of seeing their children progress year after year, the class teacher coordinates with other teachers their students have, children have an automatic social group, parents are involved heavily, the teacher really learns each child well, etc.]
The classes are composed children from all backgrounds and abilities that remain together each year. During this time, tests, quizzes, and grades are not used often at all. Teachers do, however, meet regularly with parents to discuss the child’s progress. At the end of this period (1st-9th grade, Age 16 or 17), the student is required to “pass a series of written and oral examinations on required and elective subjects” (Morrill, 2003, p.3) and then goes on to enter high school or vocational school (age 19-24). Each child has two examiners: their “class teacher” who knows them very well and another “external examiner” who is an expert in the subject on which they are testing. The two examiners hear the student and come up with an evaluation on a scale of 3 (not passing) to 13 (excellent). In this system, praise and encouragement of each child’s skills and progress is more prevalent than criticism and harsh evaluation. I like this sytem! It will be interesting to learn what the contrasting views of this system are however.
References
Danish Ministry of Education
School and Education in Denmark
Education in Denmark
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark
Related Journals
Early Years: Journal of International Research & Development
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
Childhood Education
Phi Delta Kappan
Comparative Education
European Journal of Special Needs Education
