Assignment Cover Sheet

Program Details
Program Name : Diploma in Early Childhood & Primary Education
Module (Unit) Name : Contemporary Issues in Education
Submission Date : February 22, 2024
Due Date : February 22, 2024
Total Word Count : 1400

Student Details
Student Name : O.P.M. Chathurya Wijerathne
LRN (Student No.) : 12401007

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21/02/2024 Chathurya.
Date Student’s Signature
 12401007

05

Contemporary Issues in Education

22nd February 2024

❖ The way health and child development affect education.

A child’s health and development have a direct influence over a child’s education.

Beginning with the child’s first five years, which is considered the crucial period that

paves the way for the child’s long-term social, emotional, cognitive, and physical

growth and future learning experience. Social and environmental factors such as early

life stress, socioeconomic status, relationships with parents and caregivers, and finally

early education programs like kindergarten can have an impact on early childhood

development. Poor health outcomes, physical abuse, and developmental delays like

stressors can have a significant negative influence on a child’s physical and mental

well-being.

Research has indicated that for example, children in low-quality schools with limited

health resources are less likely to have better mental and physical health. According to

the Carolina Abecedarian Project, the children who participated in high-quality and

comprehensive early childhood education booster programs, that had health care and

nutritional components bestowed upon rich chronic diseases free health during their 20s

and 30s. (The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020) Better learners

are always academic achievers and healthy students as well.

Recent studies demonstrate the association between higher academic grades and more

positive culminating individual healthy behaviors. (Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 2019) Data collected by the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey

(NYRBS) displayed healthy dietary behaviors like eating vegetables and fruits and

having breakfast regularly which played a great role in influencing the education and

academic grades of the students. (CDC, 2021). Similarly, the socioeconomic status of
 the family has the potential to prevent or aid in reaching the age-expected

developmental milestones of the child.

❖ The way education policies are changing towards inclusive education.

The modern-day classroom is not just a classroom with typically developing kids,

but it grants the opportunity for inclusive education as well. According to UNICEF's

definition of inclusive education, having all children in the same classrooms and

schools provides real learning opportunities, traditionally excluded groups, including

children with disabilities and speakers of minority languages. (UNICEF, 2022)

Therefore, education policies, the policies that govern the operation of education

systems at various levels, including local, state, and federal levels (Wikipedia

Contributors, 2019) are also shaping in line with current demand. Education policies

and strategic frameworks implemented by ministries in charge of the education sector

should be coherent, systematic, executable, measurable, and accountable.

In today's world, inclusive education policies such as Maldives Inclusive

Education policies (2021) and policies promoted by UNICEF globally took steps

towards the notable transformation of encouraging inclusive education over the world.

The Maldives Inclusive Education Policy secures the right to education for all students

while laying out equal and equitable chances. The Universal design concept “Shaamil

Veshi”, facilitating environment, early intervention, inclusion sport class,

Individualized Curriculum and Plans (ICP) students with complex learning are major

components introduced. Whereas UNICEF ensures learning for children with

disabilities and without disabilities, non-discrimination, and social integration.

❖ How technology can assist students with special needs in their learning

process.

Even education in the modern era of this century has become digitalized along with

other aspects the world. Students with special needs also have been considered by

digitalized education. As a way to assist them, Assistive Technology (AT) was

invented and formalized. It is either a device or a service. Examples of assistive

technology (AT) are braille systems, braille chess, computer software, and hardware

like voice recognition programs, screen readers, tools such as automatic page-turners,

talking calculators, proofreading programs, optical character recognition, audiobooks,

electronic math worksheets, closed captioning, etc.… under the categories of

mobility, vision, hearing, communication, and cognition. Each of the Assistive

Technologies is designed in a way to help students with special needs fulfill their

academic and personal needs. In the academic setting, these powerful tools make

students more independent and improve themselves effectively. Most importantly,

they bind the gap between kids with and without special needs by allowing them to do

things like others without disabilities and equal access to participation in social

activities. Assistive Technology is a greater support system for special needs students

to strengthen their mental as well as physical health and in some aspect their

academics as these tools let students with disabilities connect with others more

comfortably.

❖ Different Assessments that can be used to assess students’ performances:

 Student performance assessments used in educational diagnosis are pre-evaluated by the

tutor to gauge the level of knowledge and skills a student possesses regarding a subject matter.

In a nutshell, these assessments help the teacher to have a basic understanding of the student’s

knowledge and the area that needs to be addressed. Various types of assessments can be pointed

out mainly including, diagnostic assessments, formative assessments, summative assessments,

ipsative assessments, norm-referenced, assessments, and criterion-referenced assessments.

Beginning with the diagnostic assessment which is the identification of a student's

weaknesses, and knowledge about a specific subject matter beforehand. Quizzes, interviews,

surveys, graffiti walls, posters, performance tasks, checklists, and impromptu quizzes are used

to evaluate students. Formative assessments, for instance, peer evaluation, questions &

answers, in-class activities, and teacher feedback, collect information on student’s

understanding throughout the learning process. Whereas summative assessment takes down the

data after the lesson has been taught. Unit tests, final/ midterm tests, and portfolios are

summative assessments used by teachers. The ipsative assessments like curriculum-based

measurements most important among all comparing the current scores with the previous scores.

Comparison and ranking of a group of students is what norm-referenced assessments function

but the criterion-referenced assessment assesses the comparison between a set performance

level to a student's score. (Harappa, 2021; Staake, 2023)

❖ How Daily Living Skills are important to be integrated into the curriculum

& three living skills that need to be taught to kids with special needs.

Children learn not only knowledge but also life from school. Thus, it is essential to

combine both book knowledge and life skills which are vital to survive in day-to-day

life into the curriculum. As a little human being who is one day going to be an adult
citizen knowing a few basic life skills can be handy. Problem-solving, empathy,

creative thinking, effective communication skills, critical thinking, interpersonal

relationship skills, self-awareness building skills, decision-making, and coping with

stress and emotions can be highlighted as the ten core living skills listed by UNESCO,

WHO, and UNICEF that a child should know. Creating a curriculum that prioritizes

practicality in a way to strengthen daily living skills is a good way of integrating daily

living skills into the curriculum. Research says life skills development programs have

left long-term positive impacts like increased pro-social behaviors, decreased violent

and self-destructive acts, and progress in self-image, self-awareness, and self-control.

Managing stress and handling anxiety well. Studies found that sex education based on

life skills has displayed a significant change in adolescent contraceptive use and delay

in substance abuse and alcohol consumption.

Life skills like understanding basic emotions, communication skills, and

managing stress and emotions which are very vital for daily life can be suggested as

essential life skills children with special needs should be taught. Children who are born

with disabilities be they physical, intellectual, or mental have a hard time tackling and

getting familiar with their innate hardships out there. Especially children with

intellectual disabilities like Autism, ADHD, or Down syndrome.

To cooperate with their day-to-day life, they must tightly grasp at least some of the

core life skills. For example, Autistic children have difficulties identifying even basic

emotions like happiness, sadness, or anger and expressing those emotions. Expressing

and identifying own and others' emotions are important interpersonal skills that allow

people to be empathetic but, in their case, it is challenging for them.

 Synchronously, they cannot converse well with the rest. For the purpose of

conversation, they need to be taught basic conversation skills, how to introduce

themselves, especially about eye contact and listening when others are speaking.

As for the last skill, coping with stress and emotions management can be proposed.

For example, children who are diagnosed with an intellectual disability like ADHD -

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder battle to stay focused and calm. When they

are facing a stressful situation, it is crucial for them to learn how to deal or handle it.

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