When thinking about the whole child, it is important to be
aware of what a child can do in all aspects of life. I believe when assessing a
child, we need to look at each part of their life. As I was researching this
topic, I came across the website
www.educatethewholechild.org.
This site broke down the different components that should be looked at to
consider the whole child. This ranged from cognitive intellectual activity,
creative- intuitive activity, structured physical movement, handwork- making things
that are useful and engagement with nature and community (Educated the Whole
Child). I think this idea shows that each child develops differently and when assessing
a child, we need to determine which area is their strength. By determining this
strength, information could be presented in that particular way, and could help
a child succeed.
Throughout my research on this topic, I found many articles discussing
the success Finland is finding recently. I looked further into this, and I was
able to learn many differences from schools in Finland compared to schools in
the United States. In Finland, you will not see a lot of standardized testing.
Teachers are prepared for many different situations and are provided with the
resources and strategies to help all students be successful. Hendricks explains
that teachers in Finland are able to have more freedom and flexibility in what
they are teaching. There are many formative assessments where the teacher looks
at students’ performance and adjust their needs based on observation. Finland
looks at all aspects of the child and does not use a numerical grading system. There
is a lot of communication with parents and the students about their success. Finland
exposes children to “art, music, cooking, carpentry as well as history, math,
science, and language arts” (Hendricks, Assessment in Finland). An exposure to
these subjects prepares a child for all aspects of life, and allows the teacher
to see which areas of development a child needs support with. In Finland,
students are not separated based on ability level. If a student is gifted, or
needs more support, there are after or before school programs to place these
children. ln all cases, it is the teacher’s responsibility to complete
formative assessments and place the children accordingly.
Throughout my research I have learned that the United States
is focused on summative testing, which results in a focus on performing well on
standardized testing. This focus takes attention away from what a child’s strengths
are. I do not feel that all testing should be taken away, but I believe that children
should be exposed to more opportunities and should be able to learn through experiences.
References
Hendricks, K. Mid- Western Educational Researcher. Volume
25, issues ½. Retrieved from: www.mwera.org
