Experiences in early childhood

A baby is born with approximately 100 billion neurons, or nerve cells, in his/her brain that communicates through tiny connections that form networks. These networks allow neurons to transmit information involved in sensing, feeling, thinking, learning and remembering. At birth, most of these important connections are not yet formed; neural networks are established in the brain in response to experiences.

Every experience a baby has forms a corresponding network in his/her brain. Movement is a central part in acquiring these experiences and stimulating the brain.
Experiences are like food for the brain. A rich diet of love and healthy stimulation causes the brain to grow and flourish. A positive environment nourishes the child's innate intelligence and allows his/her unique gifts to blossom.

Conversely, an impoverished environment diminishes the brain. Unfortunately, many children's brains are starving due to a lack of attention, movement and the right kinds of experiences. Without the opportunity to be used, neurons can actually wither away and die.

Fortunately, the human brain has an amazing capacity to grow and change throughout life. However, for optimal development, timing is critical. There are periods of opportunity, "prime times" during which the brain is particularly efficient at specific types of learning.

During this time, networks are forming at an astonishing rate - by age three, the weight of a child's brain has almost tripled! During these first three years the brain is storing information and memories that will be the foundation for all future learning. Experiences in early childhood have decisive and long lasting effects on the holistic development of the child.

http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/appeal/ECCE/Advocacy_letters/Brain_development.pdf

Critical periods

Critical periods in early postnatal life are windows of time during development when the nervous system must obtain certain critical experiences, such as sensory, movement, or emotional input, to develop properly. These periods are characterized by high learning rates.

After a critical period, connections diminish in number and are less subject to change, but the ones that remain are stronger,more reliable, and more precise.

Research also shows that enriched environments can bolster brain development. For example, studies show that animals brought up in toy-filled surroundings have more branches on their neurons and more connections than isolated animals. In one recent study, scientists found that enriched environments resulted in more neurons
in a brain area involved in memory.

Many people have observed that children can learn languages with greater proficiency than adults, and recent research suggests that the heightened activity of the critical period may contribute to this robust learning.

Brain Development, Society for Neuroscience
http://www.sfn.org/skins/main/pdf/brainfacts/2008/brain_development.pdf

Early childhood matters

A child's experiences from infancy to early childhood build the foundation for intellectual growth, emotional stability and personality development. Neglect places a child at risk for cognitive delays, anxiety and depression as cited by the Child Welfare Information Gateway. Neglected infants become insecure and fearful; they lack trust, feel threatened by their environment and lack self-esteem and initiative. Their arrested development from infancy to early childhood through age 4 establishes the possibility of lifelong failure and disappointment.

Join the Gifted Babies Program with caring teachers and enjoy the fun in learning.
http://www.ehow.com/list_7559973_effects-infant-early-childhood-development.html

wrong scientific beliefs that were held for long periods.

An American psychology professor in the 1950s claimed that exposure to a foreign language too early (he was in fact referring to a 3-year old, comparing with an 8-year old)would lead to language confusion. He thus recommended that language education should first focus on the mother tongue and then move on to a 2nd language. This confusion theory has dominated our education policy for more than half a century.

The emergence of bilingual families in America, as racial segregation recedes, and as we come to know the existence of multilingual regions like Singapore, Malaysia, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries, early language exposure to a wider range of languages has been proven a great asset than a liability.

"Science can contradict itself. And that's OK. It's a fundamental part of how research works. But from what I've seen, it's also one of the hardest parts for the general public to understand. When an old theory dies, it's not because scientists have lied to us and can't be trusted. In fact, exactly the opposite. Those little deaths are casualties of the process of fumbling our way towards Truth*."(Boing Boing)

Read a host of interesting cases from the following link
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/thaler10/thaler10_index.html

樹仁大學新聞與傳播學系學生

1. 為什麼貴中心會有意開辦資優兒培訓計劃？
希望喚起家長對嬰幼早期腦部發育及語言發展的重要性，能夠為幼兒提供一個充滿互動和富啟發性的多語環境，發掘幼兒的龐大潛能。

2. 培訓計劃對小孩有什麼的幫助？
初生兒有千億腦細胞神經末稍 (neurons) ，到半歲時激增至千兆，學習能力，包括語言學習能力驚人。語言神經末稍的發育期在首8個月，用則保留，不用則被淘汰。一般情況下，90%以上的語言神經末稍被浪費。

嬰幼早期語言培訓，可培育樂觀性格，提升智商，及能說多國語言。半歲前開始和地道的英國或北京籍老師一起成長，到兩歲，英語和普通話的發音和用詞，可以比美英國和北京長大的孩子。

3. 培訓計劃大約共有多少人參加﹖
總學生人數已超過900，0至3歲的約佔3份2。

4. 要在某種語言獲得顯著的進步，一般需要學多久﹖
最關鍵的時要把握出生後的『黃金半歲』，到一歲半已有顯著進步。

5. 怎樣吸引家長為小孩報讀﹖
社會上對嬰幼腦部發育和語言發展的認識，落後了半個世紀。家長教育是最大的挑戰。

6. 您對這類嬰兒課程的未來發展有何看法﹖
20年後，嬰幼多語培訓，將成為社會最重視的一部份。

Raising Thankful Children

During this month of giving thanks, Zero to Three.org offer you some tips on helping children develop the values of thankfulness and gratitude. Learning to be appreciative helps children to build strong and healthy relationships and to become sensitive to the needs of others less fortunate than they are. Click here to discover tips on how to raise a thankful child.
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=zh-tw&shva=1#inbox/12c65c8e9a167104

Listening before speaking or writing

Teaching methodologies that emphasize listening comprehension as the first skill to develop more closely reflect the natural process of language acquisition, and therefore, should be chosen over language teaching methodologies that emphasize developing all language skills simultaneously, or developing reading, writing, or speaking before listening.

http://www.examiner.com/esl-in-cincinnati/second-language-acquisition-listening-before-speaking-or-writing