25/07/2018
I was reading a post by someone on "How can a teacher present a very poor result to his or her pupil's parent?...with the whole result paper filled with red ink"
Some of the information caught the attention of the teacher in me and I quote "You have to understand that it will surely take some time for monkeys to swim like fishes in the ocean, likewise fishes competing with monkeys on trees. Monkeys are celebrated for their climbing skills and fishes for their swimming prowess." and I just couldn't keep quiet. This is why as an Early Years Educator with competency in Early Detection and Intervention of Children with Additional Needs, I can't but correct this notion.
I do not believe that a child is so dumb that the result will be so awful. What is the teacher teaching? How effective is his/her teaching methods? What are the instructional materials employed? Do they suit the child's learning needs or style? All of these are what should be considered before planning or assessing any child objectively.
No fish can climb a tree and no monkey can swim in the water. Please let's understand that children are unique and they learn at their own pace. Where is the place of differentiated learning. A good academic setting should be able to identify the learning needs of each child and create an educational plan that meets each of their learning needs. That is only when we can confidently say that we have objectively and effectively assessed the children. I'll like to emphasis again that we can never teach a fish to climb a tree, whether as much as the monkey or not.
On a final note, I'll like to say that, knowing our children, identifying their learning needs and adapting our curriculum/teaching methods to meet their individual needs will bring out the genius in each of them, thereby enhancing the 'swimming skills of the fishes in the water' and the 'climbing skills of the monkeys on the tree'.
