Reflective Journal

Throughout this course we have discussed some of the important topics surrounding assessment. There is no question that assessment is important as we have learned over the last four weeks, but it is also a heavily debated topic in education. According to Wortham (2012), “Assessments in the early childhood years have many purposes; some are beneficial for young children, and others are detrimental” (p. 21). Reflecting over your coursework so far, as a caregiver, teacher or practitioner, how do the benefits of assessments at any age level directly relate to you and your work with children? What do you feel Wortham means in the above quote that assessments can be detrimental? What might the impact of these detriments be for the child, for you as the caregiver, and for the families? In what ways might culture impact assessments (i.e. language barriers)? Finally, think back to how you viewed assessment at the start of this course. How have your views of assessment changed? How will the knowledge you have gained of assessment support you in your future work with children?