A Child's Potential

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world."
- Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori's statement is simple and effective. A child's development is subjected to many various factors and his/her potential can be boundless. Children are able to develop at rapid speeds and act like sponges that soak up knowledge and experiences. This quote also ties in with how opportunity is a key factor in child development as potential can only be extended if the situation allows for it and many children are unfortunately unable to be exposed to such opportunities.

Assessments for Children

To assess a child holistically, one should consider the child's relationship to the world around them. The way that children interact with others, use their knowledge in different circumstances, and challenge themselves in new environments demonstrate a sense of self and can determine a child's knowledge of empathy and being a part of a community. Making holistic portfolios, providing book reports, and giving children progress cards can help a child learn about their strengths, weakness, and steps to improve their learning. These tools will also help parents understand how to help support their child's learning and growth, which can be further established through parent-teacher conferences. As children become older, regular topical tests, short writing, reading and performance tasks can be used to provide children with more opportunities to experience success and increase their desire to learn.

Singapore's education system has a bilingual policy aim to equip children with the language competencies to incorporate Asian culture into learning and develop a global outlook. This provides children with a competitive edge and allow them to appreciate culture and heritage as well as respect people from different backgrounds. Children are allowed to explore their interests and goals by developing talents in music, arts and sports. Enrichment programs help hone children's leadership skills and help develop socio-emotional competencies. These programs, however, are set apart from school life and are usually used as creative outlets for after-school activities. In Singapore, children are graded starting at the age of 6 and are able to learn a second language at the age of 8 (if able to). Without a second language, older students may not attend certain junior colleges. In grade 6, the grades from their Primary School Leaving Exams will determine the schools that students go to (elite vs non-elite schools). Because children are graded and streamed at such a young age, a large percentage of Singapore' population are not given opportunity as certain children take longer to learn certain skills. Singapore's educational system favours those with "book-smarts" and does not cater to the holistic idea of incorporating emotional, interpersonal, and artistic intelligence. The emphasis on meritocracy alone provides no equity among children.

Authentic assessments consider particular situations surrounding an evaluation of individual children, which can include different issues from the settings and the appropriateness of the assessment instrument used. Performance-based assessment focuses on daily activities and skills where keen observation and anecdotal notes are important. It is important, at a certain stage, for a child's family to be involved in the assessment of a child through, for example, parent reports and observations.