The Swedish Central Bank's Jubilee Fund is financing a programme on advanced second language use. People who have learnt Swedish well enough to be perceived as native speakers maintain nuances in their language use that separate them from people with Swedish as their mother tongue, and our research seeks to explore the reasons behind this phenomenon. We study individual factors such as natural language talent, but also whether there is a critical age for language learning. In collaboration with several language departments, we study grammatical and lexical difficulties in advanced learners of French, English, Spanish and Italian.
Other projects include the study of polyglots – individuals who can learn up to 50-60 languages – and bilingual people with dementia. We also carry out sociolinguistic studies which reveal attitudes towards people who speak with an accent. In transnational multilingualism, we study the relationship between a lingua franca, global English, and an indigenous language. Regular field studies are conducted in countries in southern Africa, where Portuguese and English are the dominant languages in school, in order to study the effects of this situation on the pupils, and the countries' language policy, etc.
http://www.su.se/english/research/leading-research-areas/bilingualism-and-second-language-acquisition-1.60413
29.11.11
School readiness
As it has since 2002, last fall MDE, in concert with the Human Capital Research Collaborative, a partnership between the University of Minnesota and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, surveyed a representative cross-section of the state’s elementary schools to obtain a picture of school readiness of kindergartners who began school in the fall of 2010.
Working with incoming kindergartners, researchers gathered data on five types of development necessary to ensure school success: physical development; the arts; personal and social development; language and literacy; and mathematical thinking.
They didn’t test the tots per se, but looked for markers like hand-eye coordination, self-care, and knowledge of shapes, ability to participate in dance and other artistic play, etc. In order to be deemed ready, kids had to display 75 percent of desired markers.
Sixty percent of 2010-2011 kindergartners were judged ready.
Seventy percent were physically developed,
59 percent displayed desired language and literacy skills,
56 percent displayed developed personal and social skills and arts proficiency and
52 percent showed mathematical thinking.
Source: Minnesota School Readiness Study
http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/11/28/33405/to_close_achievement_gap_better_start_early
Working with incoming kindergartners, researchers gathered data on five types of development necessary to ensure school success: physical development; the arts; personal and social development; language and literacy; and mathematical thinking.
They didn’t test the tots per se, but looked for markers like hand-eye coordination, self-care, and knowledge of shapes, ability to participate in dance and other artistic play, etc. In order to be deemed ready, kids had to display 75 percent of desired markers.
Sixty percent of 2010-2011 kindergartners were judged ready.
Seventy percent were physically developed,
59 percent displayed desired language and literacy skills,
56 percent displayed developed personal and social skills and arts proficiency and
52 percent showed mathematical thinking.
Source: Minnesota School Readiness Study
http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/11/28/33405/to_close_achievement_gap_better_start_early
The Two-Year Window
Nov 28 2011 9:28 am
The cover story in the Dec. 1 issue of The New Republic, “The Two-Year Window” is a fascinating story on infant brain development in the first two years of life. Among other things, the story reports the first findings of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, which studied Romanian orphans who have experienced severe neglect and abuse.
Neglect of very young children does not merely stunt their emotional development. It changes the architecture of their brains. After age 2, it is much harder to repair.
http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/11/28/33405/to_close_achievement_gap_better_start_early
The cover story in the Dec. 1 issue of The New Republic, “The Two-Year Window” is a fascinating story on infant brain development in the first two years of life. Among other things, the story reports the first findings of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, which studied Romanian orphans who have experienced severe neglect and abuse.
Neglect of very young children does not merely stunt their emotional development. It changes the architecture of their brains. After age 2, it is much harder to repair.
http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/11/28/33405/to_close_achievement_gap_better_start_early
Formal education to pre-school kids doesn't do much good for children.
Children in the zero to six years age group need physical development, language and articulation skills, social skills and thinking ability. This is the age when critical brain development takes place.
"Giving importance to memorization through the rote-learning system would only add to stress on the kids," Kaul said.
Pre-school education should only involve playful techniques.
"Pre-schools should never be formal setups requiring students to sit, wear uniforms or neck-tie. They should have freedom of space, movement and the teachers should be trained in nursery education," Kaul said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Early-academic-pursuit-of-no-help-to-kids-Experts/articleshow/10908865.cms
"Giving importance to memorization through the rote-learning system would only add to stress on the kids," Kaul said.
Pre-school education should only involve playful techniques.
"Pre-schools should never be formal setups requiring students to sit, wear uniforms or neck-tie. They should have freedom of space, movement and the teachers should be trained in nursery education," Kaul said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Early-academic-pursuit-of-no-help-to-kids-Experts/articleshow/10908865.cms
28.11.11
Neurons grown from skin cells may hold clues to autism
November 27, 2011
Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge "disease-in a-dish" technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have grown patients' skin cells into neurons to discover what goes wrong in the brain in Timothy Syndrome. Affected children often show symptoms of autism spectrum disorders along with a constellation of physical problems.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-neurons-grown-skin-cells-clues.html
Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge "disease-in a-dish" technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have grown patients' skin cells into neurons to discover what goes wrong in the brain in Timothy Syndrome. Affected children often show symptoms of autism spectrum disorders along with a constellation of physical problems.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-neurons-grown-skin-cells-clues.html
27.11.11
Show it to them.
Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do.
I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!' People don't know what they want until you show it to them.
P567, Legacy, Steve Jobs
Parents think that children start learning a language by the 13th month and can only handle one language at one time. Parents prefer books, exercises and discipline in the room. This was how they learned, and why their English is so lousy.
We want to share with parents the latest neurological findings that a new born baby is fully ready for language acquisition, that the critical period for building the software for voice recognition is from birth to 9 months.
We want to show parents that children acquire languages better through interaction and usage in real life, i.e. in games they play, not the teaching of the master.
Young learners learn better when you throw away the books, exercises and let them immerse in that language.
Adults learn when they focus on one issue. Children learn through multi-tasking. They run around when they are in high spirit, searching for exciting things. But when they run around, they capture the sentences and phrase instead of just the words the teacher speaks.
Sam
Director, Le Beaumont
I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!' People don't know what they want until you show it to them.
P567, Legacy, Steve Jobs
Parents think that children start learning a language by the 13th month and can only handle one language at one time. Parents prefer books, exercises and discipline in the room. This was how they learned, and why their English is so lousy.
We want to share with parents the latest neurological findings that a new born baby is fully ready for language acquisition, that the critical period for building the software for voice recognition is from birth to 9 months.
We want to show parents that children acquire languages better through interaction and usage in real life, i.e. in games they play, not the teaching of the master.
Young learners learn better when you throw away the books, exercises and let them immerse in that language.
Adults learn when they focus on one issue. Children learn through multi-tasking. They run around when they are in high spirit, searching for exciting things. But when they run around, they capture the sentences and phrase instead of just the words the teacher speaks.
Sam
Director, Le Beaumont
Products, not the profits, were the motivation.
My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else is secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation.
P567 Legacy from Steve Jobs
Le Beaumont is building up its knowledge base on early brain development and language acquisition, building up its professional team and developing its curriculum instead of busy making profits. Witnessing brain development through languages has been our greatest motivation in the past 7 years.
Sam
Director, Le Beaumont
P567 Legacy from Steve Jobs
Le Beaumont is building up its knowledge base on early brain development and language acquisition, building up its professional team and developing its curriculum instead of busy making profits. Witnessing brain development through languages has been our greatest motivation in the past 7 years.
Sam
Director, Le Beaumont
Expensive "educational" toys and videos
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child reports:
"Although a varied array of experiences clearly stimulates learning in the preschool years, promotional statements about the superior brain building impacts of expensive "educational" toys and videos for infants and toddlers have no scientific support."
Since it is primarily experience that impacts the connections that physically grow and develop the brain, my strong recommendation is that children interact with the real world.
http://braininsights.blogspot.com/2011/11/ipodding-toddlers-when-is-it-too-soon.html
"Although a varied array of experiences clearly stimulates learning in the preschool years, promotional statements about the superior brain building impacts of expensive "educational" toys and videos for infants and toddlers have no scientific support."
Since it is primarily experience that impacts the connections that physically grow and develop the brain, my strong recommendation is that children interact with the real world.
http://braininsights.blogspot.com/2011/11/ipodding-toddlers-when-is-it-too-soon.html
26.11.11
Public Talk on Inspiring Innovation:
Sam's recommendation
Public Talk on Inspiring Innovation: Creating the Future at MIT Media Lab
Speaker : Joichi Ito（伊藤穰一), Director of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, Chair of Creative Commons
Date : Monday, 28 November 2011
Time : 5pm to 6:30pm
Venue : Wang Gungwu Lecture Hall, Graduate House, HKU
Free admission, all are welcome. No registration required.
Public Talk on Inspiring Innovation: Creating the Future at MIT Media Lab
Speaker : Joichi Ito（伊藤穰一), Director of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, Chair of Creative Commons
Date : Monday, 28 November 2011
Time : 5pm to 6:30pm
Venue : Wang Gungwu Lecture Hall, Graduate House, HKU
Free admission, all are welcome. No registration required.
UK women are 'fattest in Europe'
26 November 2011 BBC
Data agency Eurostat, which looked at 19 countries, found 23.9% of UK women and 22% of UK men were recorded as being obese in the year 2008 to 2009.
In Romania, 8% of women and 7.6% of men were classed as obese.
In Italy, 9.3% of women were found to be obese and 11.3% men.
In France, 12.7% of women and 11.7% of men were obese.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15901351
Data agency Eurostat, which looked at 19 countries, found 23.9% of UK women and 22% of UK men were recorded as being obese in the year 2008 to 2009.
In Romania, 8% of women and 7.6% of men were classed as obese.
In Italy, 9.3% of women were found to be obese and 11.3% men.
In France, 12.7% of women and 11.7% of men were obese.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15901351
Holiday Blessings for Early Brain Development
NOVEMBER 2011 EDITION OF RESEARCH TO POLICY
A tremendous amount of space has been devoted to the ways that the holidays can impose additional stress on families, with negative implications for children. But at the same time, the holiday season also represents a time of wonder for young children, and offer an excellent opportunity to nurture their social, emotional and cognitive development. The holidays can mean loving family environments, playtime with relatives and friends, delicious foods, music, and a break for normal routines. All of these opportunities support optimal early childhood brain development.
Play
The holidays offer much needed opportunities to play with young children. Play allows young children to hone their attention spans and to learn to focus on specific tasks. Children strengthen their motors skills, visual tracking, and hand-eye coordination while playing. Cooperative play with other children helps in the development of creative thinking, problem solving, decision-making, and communication skills like listening, cooperating, and negotiating.
http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/research/holiday-blessings-for-early-brain-development
A tremendous amount of space has been devoted to the ways that the holidays can impose additional stress on families, with negative implications for children. But at the same time, the holiday season also represents a time of wonder for young children, and offer an excellent opportunity to nurture their social, emotional and cognitive development. The holidays can mean loving family environments, playtime with relatives and friends, delicious foods, music, and a break for normal routines. All of these opportunities support optimal early childhood brain development.
Play
The holidays offer much needed opportunities to play with young children. Play allows young children to hone their attention spans and to learn to focus on specific tasks. Children strengthen their motors skills, visual tracking, and hand-eye coordination while playing. Cooperative play with other children helps in the development of creative thinking, problem solving, decision-making, and communication skills like listening, cooperating, and negotiating.
http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/research/holiday-blessings-for-early-brain-development
24.11.11
Early education
“More children are involved in early education than ever before.
The report urges school-based programs starting at age 2, saying there’s an “avalanche of evidence” of the benefits of publicly funded learning for the young, when their brain development is at a crucial stage.
McCain stressed the aim is not to “schoolify” preschoolers but rather provide families with optional play-based programs to stimulate brain development in the crucial early years.
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/1091033--ontario-doesn-t-make-the-grade-in-early-childhood-education-report-finds
The report urges school-based programs starting at age 2, saying there’s an “avalanche of evidence” of the benefits of publicly funded learning for the young, when their brain development is at a crucial stage.
McCain stressed the aim is not to “schoolify” preschoolers but rather provide families with optional play-based programs to stimulate brain development in the crucial early years.
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/1091033--ontario-doesn-t-make-the-grade-in-early-childhood-education-report-finds
2012 Workshop on Computational Models of Language Acquisition and Loss
The past decades have seen a massive expansion in the application of
statistical and machine learning methods to speech and natural
language processing.
This work has yielded impressive results which have generally been viewed as engineering achievements.
Recently researchers have begun to investigate the relevance of computational
learning methods for research on human language acquisition and loss.
http://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/servlet/event.showcfp?eventid=19779©ownerid=320
statistical and machine learning methods to speech and natural
language processing.
This work has yielded impressive results which have generally been viewed as engineering achievements.
Recently researchers have begun to investigate the relevance of computational
learning methods for research on human language acquisition and loss.
http://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/servlet/event.showcfp?eventid=19779©ownerid=320
Early brain development
Recent advances in scientists’ understanding of how early experiences shape the physical architecture of the brain – the very wiring of the mind – underscore the importance of focusing policies and resources on children’s earliest years.
So first up at last week’s summit was a presentation, “New Insights in Early Childhood Brain Development,” by Dr. Charles Nelson, Ph.D., research director of the Division of Developmental Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston.
His illustrated PowerPoint highlighted the brain’s fascinating journey from conception to adulthood http://www.mcaap.org/assets/Charles-Nelson-presentation-New-insights-into-early-childhood-brain-development-AAP-MA-chapter-11-16.pdf
A newspaper report on the early childhood summit in Massachusetts http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2011/11/21/ma-statewide-early-childhood-summit-held/
So first up at last week’s summit was a presentation, “New Insights in Early Childhood Brain Development,” by Dr. Charles Nelson, Ph.D., research director of the Division of Developmental Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston.
His illustrated PowerPoint highlighted the brain’s fascinating journey from conception to adulthood http://www.mcaap.org/assets/Charles-Nelson-presentation-New-insights-into-early-childhood-brain-development-AAP-MA-chapter-11-16.pdf
A newspaper report on the early childhood summit in Massachusetts http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2011/11/21/ma-statewide-early-childhood-summit-held/
21.11.11
How can musicians keep playing despite amnesia?
Scientists are trying to understand how amnesiacs can lose all memory of their past life - and yet remember music. The answer may be that musical memories are stored in a special part of the brain.
When British conductor and musician Clive Wearing contracted a brain infection in 1985 he was left with a memory span of only 10 seconds.
The infection - herpes encephalitis - left him unable to recognise people he had seen or remember things that had been said just moments earlier.
But despite being acknowledged by doctors as having one of the most severe cases of amnesia ever, his musical ability and much of his musical memory was intact.
The brain's medial temporal lobes, which are largely destroyed by severe cases of herpes encephalitis are "highly relevant" for remembering things such as facts and how, where and when an event happened.
"But this case and also the Clive Wearing case suggest that musical memory seems to be stored independently of the medial temporal lobes," Dr Finke says.
He has also studied the case of a Canadian patient who in the 1990s lost all musical memory after having surgery that damaged another part of the brain known as the superior temporal gyrus.
This has led him to conclude that the structures of the brain used for musical memory "might be the superior temporal gyrus or the frontal lobes".
"The research we're doing is starting to show that people with damage to mainly their frontal lobes, their musical skills are affected differently to people like Clive whose medial temporal lobes are damaged.
"Clive can still play and read music, but people with frontal lobe injuries might have difficulty reading and performing a piece of music for the first time, but are better at pieces they already know," Dr Ramsden says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15791973
When British conductor and musician Clive Wearing contracted a brain infection in 1985 he was left with a memory span of only 10 seconds.
The infection - herpes encephalitis - left him unable to recognise people he had seen or remember things that had been said just moments earlier.
But despite being acknowledged by doctors as having one of the most severe cases of amnesia ever, his musical ability and much of his musical memory was intact.
The brain's medial temporal lobes, which are largely destroyed by severe cases of herpes encephalitis are "highly relevant" for remembering things such as facts and how, where and when an event happened.
"But this case and also the Clive Wearing case suggest that musical memory seems to be stored independently of the medial temporal lobes," Dr Finke says.
He has also studied the case of a Canadian patient who in the 1990s lost all musical memory after having surgery that damaged another part of the brain known as the superior temporal gyrus.
This has led him to conclude that the structures of the brain used for musical memory "might be the superior temporal gyrus or the frontal lobes".
"The research we're doing is starting to show that people with damage to mainly their frontal lobes, their musical skills are affected differently to people like Clive whose medial temporal lobes are damaged.
"Clive can still play and read music, but people with frontal lobe injuries might have difficulty reading and performing a piece of music for the first time, but are better at pieces they already know," Dr Ramsden says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15791973
What will educators, business people do to fix the education problem?
November 20, 2011
A toddler makes 700 synaptic connections in their brain every second during their formative years. The paths created will serve them – or not – for a lifetime.
Highly valued characteristics like humility, sympathy, compassion, cooperation and even optimism must be taught, usually at an early age.
Attendees at Tuesday’s Early Education Summit in Florence were bombarded with astonishing information about the human brain and the role early, early development can play in preparing said brains for learning by the time school starts.
Old stories and new information were trotted out and mixed with a compelling case tailor made for Tuesday’s audience — which was mostly business persons and educators. The bottom was this: early childhood education matters.
The work of Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman was trotted out as evidence of the latter. Heckman, a ground-breaking thinker and researcher, believes early childhood education produces a solid rate of return.
Invest in education at the earliest possible age. Most people can grasp that kids begin building their brain at a very early age.
The point of the summit is to bring attention to, and emphasis on, early childhood education to the fore on a national scale. It will take a lot of effort, for a long time, to get things turned around.
http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/nov/20/editorial-early-ed-summit-was-great-now-what-ar-2724410/
A toddler makes 700 synaptic connections in their brain every second during their formative years. The paths created will serve them – or not – for a lifetime.
Highly valued characteristics like humility, sympathy, compassion, cooperation and even optimism must be taught, usually at an early age.
Attendees at Tuesday’s Early Education Summit in Florence were bombarded with astonishing information about the human brain and the role early, early development can play in preparing said brains for learning by the time school starts.
Old stories and new information were trotted out and mixed with a compelling case tailor made for Tuesday’s audience — which was mostly business persons and educators. The bottom was this: early childhood education matters.
The work of Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman was trotted out as evidence of the latter. Heckman, a ground-breaking thinker and researcher, believes early childhood education produces a solid rate of return.
Invest in education at the earliest possible age. Most people can grasp that kids begin building their brain at a very early age.
The point of the summit is to bring attention to, and emphasis on, early childhood education to the fore on a national scale. It will take a lot of effort, for a long time, to get things turned around.
http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/nov/20/editorial-early-ed-summit-was-great-now-what-ar-2724410/
Editorial: An early start
Published: Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.
It is a paradox of public education that by the time some children get to grade school it is already too late to begin to educate them.
Indeed the more we learn about the development of the human brain the more apparent it is that early childhood education is crucial to instilling lifelong learning habits.
“Brain connections develop especially fast in the first three years of life in response to stimuli, such as someone talking to, singing to, reading to or playing with the infant or toddler,” notes the Education Commission of the States. “children who start behind stay behind.”
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111120/OPINION01/111119450
It is a paradox of public education that by the time some children get to grade school it is already too late to begin to educate them.
Indeed the more we learn about the development of the human brain the more apparent it is that early childhood education is crucial to instilling lifelong learning habits.
“Brain connections develop especially fast in the first three years of life in response to stimuli, such as someone talking to, singing to, reading to or playing with the infant or toddler,” notes the Education Commission of the States. “children who start behind stay behind.”
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111120/OPINION01/111119450
19.11.11
The Two-Year Window
investigators had observed that the orphans had a high frequency of serious developmental problems, from diminished IQs to extreme difficulty forming emotional attachments. Meanwhile, imaging and other tests revealed that some of the orphans had reduced activity in their brains. The Bucharest project confirmed that these findings were more than random observations. It also uncovered a striking pattern: Orphans who went to foster homes before their second birthdays often recovered some of their abilities. Those who went to foster homes after that point rarely did.
This past May, a team led by Stacy Drury of Tulane reported a similar finding—with an intriguing twist. The researchers found that telomeres, which are protective caps that sit on the ends of chromosomes, were shorter in children who had spent more time in the Romanian orphanages....It was the clearest signal yet that neglect of very young children does not merely stunt their emotional development. It changes the architecture of their brains.
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/two-year-window
This past May, a team led by Stacy Drury of Tulane reported a similar finding—with an intriguing twist. The researchers found that telomeres, which are protective caps that sit on the ends of chromosomes, were shorter in children who had spent more time in the Romanian orphanages....It was the clearest signal yet that neglect of very young children does not merely stunt their emotional development. It changes the architecture of their brains.
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/two-year-window
18.11.11
Investing in early childhood education
When Governor Rick Snyder talks about education in the state, he doesn’t talk in terms of K-12 but rather P-20 education. He describes it as pre-natal through post-graduate.
Early education increasingly considered key to future success
Susan Neuman is a Professor of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan. She served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education from 2001-2003.
Neuman says she can measure an achievement gap between children as early as 9 months. She says birth through age three turns out to be pretty crucial for a child’s future. “This is when brain development is increasing at an enormous rate,” Nueman said. “This is when language development is spurting this is when cognitive development and this is when our belief in ourselves is developing.”
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/investing-early-childhood-education
Early education increasingly considered key to future success
Susan Neuman is a Professor of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan. She served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education from 2001-2003.
Neuman says she can measure an achievement gap between children as early as 9 months. She says birth through age three turns out to be pretty crucial for a child’s future. “This is when brain development is increasing at an enormous rate,” Nueman said. “This is when language development is spurting this is when cognitive development and this is when our belief in ourselves is developing.”
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/investing-early-childhood-education
Dr. Fraser Mustard, world renowned for work in early childhood development
Nov 17 2011
Early childhood development expert, Dr. Fraser Mustard, has passed away at the age of 84. He got the world talking about the importance of early childhood.
Dr. Fraser Mustard’s impassioned campaign calling attention to the crucial first years of life — and how brain development during that time sets the stage for health and wellbeing — inspired economists, educators and politicians around the globe.
Premier Dalton McGuinty called Mustard a “personal hero” and said his death is a major loss to the education community in Ontario and abroad.
“He was one of the first ones to make the connection, if we make the early years right, a child is set for life. If we get them wrong, it takes a lot of investment to turn them around,” McGuinty said.
“He was ahead of his time.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1088364--dr-fraser-mustard-world-renowned-for-work-in-early-childhood-development?bn=1
Early childhood development expert, Dr. Fraser Mustard, has passed away at the age of 84. He got the world talking about the importance of early childhood.
Dr. Fraser Mustard’s impassioned campaign calling attention to the crucial first years of life — and how brain development during that time sets the stage for health and wellbeing — inspired economists, educators and politicians around the globe.
Premier Dalton McGuinty called Mustard a “personal hero” and said his death is a major loss to the education community in Ontario and abroad.
“He was one of the first ones to make the connection, if we make the early years right, a child is set for life. If we get them wrong, it takes a lot of investment to turn them around,” McGuinty said.
“He was ahead of his time.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1088364--dr-fraser-mustard-world-renowned-for-work-in-early-childhood-development?bn=1
More than 1 in 5 U.S. children poor, Census says
In 2010, when the Census survey was conducted, 21.6 percent of children across the country were poor, compared to 20 percent in 2009.
That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009.
"Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.
The figures reflect the overall state of the economy. The national poverty rate stands at 15.3 percent and the unemployment rate is at 9 percent some two years after the recession that began in 2007 officially ended.
The number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high in the United States, despite the country's position as one of the wealthiest in the world. Its gross domestic product per capita of $47,184 was 3,095 percent more than India's $1,477 in 2010.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/us-usa-poverty-children-idUSTRE7AG2C920111117
That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009.
"Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.
The figures reflect the overall state of the economy. The national poverty rate stands at 15.3 percent and the unemployment rate is at 9 percent some two years after the recession that began in 2007 officially ended.
The number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high in the United States, despite the country's position as one of the wealthiest in the world. Its gross domestic product per capita of $47,184 was 3,095 percent more than India's $1,477 in 2010.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/us-usa-poverty-children-idUSTRE7AG2C920111117
16.11.11
The 'British' Germans the war left behind
16 November 2011
Mr McAllister, currently prime minister of the state of Lower Saxony, is one of the brightest prospects in Germany's Christian Democratic Union party.
His Scottish father, who had been in the British army during World War II, returned as a civil servant with the British occupying forces in Cold War Berlin.
He formed a relationship with a German woman, and they had a daughter in 1960.
But they were not allowed to marry until 1964 as in early post-war decades, marriage between Brits and Germans was much frowned upon by the British authorities.
Mr McAllister, born in 1971, recalls early confusion about his identity. His first years were spent in a kind of British bubble in West Berlin.
"I felt British", he recalls. Mr McAllister attended British schools, listened to British broadcasting and spoke English every day to his father, who read the Daily Telegraph rather than a German newspaper.
Later, when the family moved to what was then West Germany, Mr McAllister went to a German secondary school. He then took the key decision to do his military service with the German army - though he retains dual citizenship.
He later pursued a German political career, rising swiftly to his current post, where he sits in an impressively grand office in the Lower Saxony capital, Hannover.
I asked him whether Germans, hearing his name, ever doubted where his loyalties lay? Only occasionally, he said, did he get emails or even "nasty letters". They came mostly, he added, "from elderly men of the very far right".
His rise to prominence, he adds, reflects a new Germany that many outside the country have failed to appreciate. "Germany is becoming more diverse", he says.
He points out that the current German Vice-Chancellor and head of the Free Democrat Party, Philipp Rösler, is of Vietnamese origin.
And the national leader of the Green party is a Turkish-German, Cem Özdemir.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15737185
Mr McAllister, currently prime minister of the state of Lower Saxony, is one of the brightest prospects in Germany's Christian Democratic Union party.
His Scottish father, who had been in the British army during World War II, returned as a civil servant with the British occupying forces in Cold War Berlin.
He formed a relationship with a German woman, and they had a daughter in 1960.
But they were not allowed to marry until 1964 as in early post-war decades, marriage between Brits and Germans was much frowned upon by the British authorities.
Mr McAllister, born in 1971, recalls early confusion about his identity. His first years were spent in a kind of British bubble in West Berlin.
"I felt British", he recalls. Mr McAllister attended British schools, listened to British broadcasting and spoke English every day to his father, who read the Daily Telegraph rather than a German newspaper.
Later, when the family moved to what was then West Germany, Mr McAllister went to a German secondary school. He then took the key decision to do his military service with the German army - though he retains dual citizenship.
He later pursued a German political career, rising swiftly to his current post, where he sits in an impressively grand office in the Lower Saxony capital, Hannover.
I asked him whether Germans, hearing his name, ever doubted where his loyalties lay? Only occasionally, he said, did he get emails or even "nasty letters". They came mostly, he added, "from elderly men of the very far right".
His rise to prominence, he adds, reflects a new Germany that many outside the country have failed to appreciate. "Germany is becoming more diverse", he says.
He points out that the current German Vice-Chancellor and head of the Free Democrat Party, Philipp Rösler, is of Vietnamese origin.
And the national leader of the Green party is a Turkish-German, Cem Özdemir.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15737185
World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)
The inaugural Prize was announced in Doha, Qatar, with the $500,000 (£310,000) award being given to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, whose work has brought education to millions of children in impoverished families.
Sir Fazle, the first education "laureate", has worked across decades and continents to help communities to escape the quicksand of poverty and to gain skills and self-reliance.
Created in Bangladesh in 1972, his BRAC project - formerly the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee - is now claimed as the biggest non-governmental organisation in the world.
An estimated 10 million primary pupils have been taught in schools set up by Brac across 10 countries, in such tough territories as South Sudan and Afghanistan.
It's a vast operation, running more schools in Bangladesh than the entire English school system, and it is claimed to be the "largest private, secular education system in the world".
This WISE summit wants to be a kind of Davos for education, bringing together the great and the good to hear about innovation in schools and universities.
It's supported by the Qatar Foundation, which has the succinct ambition to "convert the country's current, but temporary, mineral wealth into durable human capital". This translates as investing heavily in education and becoming a knowledge hub so that there's something of value left when the oil revenue eventually runs out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15546976
Sir Fazle, the first education "laureate", has worked across decades and continents to help communities to escape the quicksand of poverty and to gain skills and self-reliance.
Created in Bangladesh in 1972, his BRAC project - formerly the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee - is now claimed as the biggest non-governmental organisation in the world.
An estimated 10 million primary pupils have been taught in schools set up by Brac across 10 countries, in such tough territories as South Sudan and Afghanistan.
It's a vast operation, running more schools in Bangladesh than the entire English school system, and it is claimed to be the "largest private, secular education system in the world".
This WISE summit wants to be a kind of Davos for education, bringing together the great and the good to hear about innovation in schools and universities.
It's supported by the Qatar Foundation, which has the succinct ambition to "convert the country's current, but temporary, mineral wealth into durable human capital". This translates as investing heavily in education and becoming a knowledge hub so that there's something of value left when the oil revenue eventually runs out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15546976
"狼爸"將兒女“打”進北大
2011年11月07日 北京晚報
“狼爸”是商人蕭百佑，妻子香港籍，家中一兒三女都在國內接受教育。蕭氏所著《所以，北大兄妹》一書今年6月出版，寫的是自己如何將兒女“打”進北大的。據公開資料，兄妹二人2009年參加了“港澳臺全國聯考”，哥哥蕭堯，以591分被國際關係學院錄取，妹妹蕭君以616分被法學院錄取。隨著第三個孩子也進了北大，這種“打”不但讓“狼爸”聲名見長，也招來了討伐之聲。畢竟，“虎媽”式暴力也只限于脅迫，不見于皮肉。
“狼爸”聲稱自己遵循中國古禮，不僅要讓自己的棍棒之下出孝子，還要在棍棒之下出才子。他在書中大讚“藤條是個好東西，打了不傷筋骨，但絕對的疼，疼了才能記住！” 打只是輔助的手段。打之前要把道理講清楚，怎麼做是對，怎麼做是錯，怎麼錯就怎麼打。
其實教孩子什麼方式都不重要，重要的是要讓孩子接受好的規矩，形成好的習慣，樹立好的目標，這是根本。打是打不出來這些的，但必須通過打。
我這種打可能被大家誤會了，大家可能以為是很粗暴的打。我的打法是：我坐好，動都不動的，讓孩子把手遞高；我拿著藤條，就像拿著煙抽那麼自然，打下去我是不用挪位置的。打之前會講清楚，犯了什麼錯、打多少下，都要孩子自己說。這絕對不是手打，也不是狂風暴雨般的亂打，而且藤條造成的是皮肉之疼，三天之後痕跡就褪掉了。
記者：你覺得在你的教育方式裏，打和講道理，哪個更重要？
狼爸：都重要。國有國法，家有家法，打就是家法。國法跟普法教育一樣重要。那麼在家裏，家法跟講道理也一樣重要，缺一不可。
記者：在家規上是否對子女有過讓步？
狼爸：沒有空間，絕對零容忍。譬如早上幾點鐘起床，這是沒商量的，除了周末。周末晚上我帶他們出去吃夜宵，會到淩晨兩三點。他們在學校是繃緊的，回到家，在家規上是繃緊的。但是在某種空間、時間和方式上，我是放任他們的。比如他們寄宿學校是周五回家，周五晚上他們兄妹聊天或者去姑媽家裏，不睡都可以，我是不管的。
而沒有零花錢，不能看非新聞類、非兒童類、非教育類的電視節目，不能上網聊天這樣的規矩都是死的，沒有商量余地。
除了生活學習的規矩，兒女在其他任何問題上都可以跟我爭論。學識上的問題沒有標準，誰認為自己對都行，可以很自由地講、很自由地回答。但有一條，在學校裏的成績不能掉在第五名以外，這個沒得商量。
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2011-11/07/c_122246586.htm
“狼爸”是商人蕭百佑，妻子香港籍，家中一兒三女都在國內接受教育。蕭氏所著《所以，北大兄妹》一書今年6月出版，寫的是自己如何將兒女“打”進北大的。據公開資料，兄妹二人2009年參加了“港澳臺全國聯考”，哥哥蕭堯，以591分被國際關係學院錄取，妹妹蕭君以616分被法學院錄取。隨著第三個孩子也進了北大，這種“打”不但讓“狼爸”聲名見長，也招來了討伐之聲。畢竟，“虎媽”式暴力也只限于脅迫，不見于皮肉。
“狼爸”聲稱自己遵循中國古禮，不僅要讓自己的棍棒之下出孝子，還要在棍棒之下出才子。他在書中大讚“藤條是個好東西，打了不傷筋骨，但絕對的疼，疼了才能記住！” 打只是輔助的手段。打之前要把道理講清楚，怎麼做是對，怎麼做是錯，怎麼錯就怎麼打。
其實教孩子什麼方式都不重要，重要的是要讓孩子接受好的規矩，形成好的習慣，樹立好的目標，這是根本。打是打不出來這些的，但必須通過打。
我這種打可能被大家誤會了，大家可能以為是很粗暴的打。我的打法是：我坐好，動都不動的，讓孩子把手遞高；我拿著藤條，就像拿著煙抽那麼自然，打下去我是不用挪位置的。打之前會講清楚，犯了什麼錯、打多少下，都要孩子自己說。這絕對不是手打，也不是狂風暴雨般的亂打，而且藤條造成的是皮肉之疼，三天之後痕跡就褪掉了。
記者：你覺得在你的教育方式裏，打和講道理，哪個更重要？
狼爸：都重要。國有國法，家有家法，打就是家法。國法跟普法教育一樣重要。那麼在家裏，家法跟講道理也一樣重要，缺一不可。
記者：在家規上是否對子女有過讓步？
狼爸：沒有空間，絕對零容忍。譬如早上幾點鐘起床，這是沒商量的，除了周末。周末晚上我帶他們出去吃夜宵，會到淩晨兩三點。他們在學校是繃緊的，回到家，在家規上是繃緊的。但是在某種空間、時間和方式上，我是放任他們的。比如他們寄宿學校是周五回家，周五晚上他們兄妹聊天或者去姑媽家裏，不睡都可以，我是不管的。
而沒有零花錢，不能看非新聞類、非兒童類、非教育類的電視節目，不能上網聊天這樣的規矩都是死的，沒有商量余地。
除了生活學習的規矩，兒女在其他任何問題上都可以跟我爭論。學識上的問題沒有標準，誰認為自己對都行，可以很自由地講、很自由地回答。但有一條，在學校裏的成績不能掉在第五名以外，這個沒得商量。
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2011-11/07/c_122246586.htm
Early childhood education key to student success
There is overwhelming academic consensus that birth through age 5 is the time when a child's brain is undergoing the most growth and development. The developing brain triples in the first year alone and is virtually fully formed by the time a child enters kindergarten, setting the foundation for lifelong learning.
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20111115/OPINION/111150315
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20111115/OPINION/111150315
Oxford University warns of losing talented students
Last week, Harvard consolidated its position as the wealthiest university in the world, reporting that its endowment has risen in value to £21bn.
The endowment provides about a third of the university's operating budget, which last year was £2.4bn.
In comparison, the University of Oxford last year had an income of £880m.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15170451
The endowment provides about a third of the university's operating budget, which last year was £2.4bn.
In comparison, the University of Oxford last year had an income of £880m.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15170451
15.11.11
Differences between Second Language Learning and First Language Acquisitio
Acquiring a second language can be a lifelong learning process for many as the second language learners are rarely successful. However, children by around the age of 5 have more or less mastered their first language with the exception of vocabulary and a few grammatical structures.
Read this interesting article at this link
http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2011/shinefirstsecond.pdf
Read this interesting article at this link
http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2011/shinefirstsecond.pdf
14.11.11
Early childhood education key to success
Kids’ brains develop fast and need stimulation to be healthy. Nurturing early experiences have been shown to significantly improve the wiring of their brains, determining intelligence and behavior. The lack of development makes it much harder to adjust to school later.
Poor kids fall behind in their language skills before they turn 3, says Rutgers professor Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research. “We can see differences emerging already in the first year,” he says.
Even in the womb, a baby is affected by a mother’s stress. Brain development is hurt by malnutrition, smoking, drugs or alcohol. After birth, babies learn based on the number of words they hear, and the type — whether angry or supportive.
A parent distracted by a television — even just in the background — means less talk time and can hurt a baby’s language development. The average child in a welfare home hears only about 600 words an hour, while a child in a college-educated, white-collar home hears 2,100, researchers found.
Good early childhood programs pay for themselves. What they do best is change behavior. Success in life depends at least as much on character skills, such as self-confidence and the ability to get along with peers, as it does on reading and math skills, experts say. And that develops very early on.
http://www.nj.com/njvoices/index.ssf/2011/11/early_childhood_education_key.html
Poor kids fall behind in their language skills before they turn 3, says Rutgers professor Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research. “We can see differences emerging already in the first year,” he says.
Even in the womb, a baby is affected by a mother’s stress. Brain development is hurt by malnutrition, smoking, drugs or alcohol. After birth, babies learn based on the number of words they hear, and the type — whether angry or supportive.
A parent distracted by a television — even just in the background — means less talk time and can hurt a baby’s language development. The average child in a welfare home hears only about 600 words an hour, while a child in a college-educated, white-collar home hears 2,100, researchers found.
Good early childhood programs pay for themselves. What they do best is change behavior. Success in life depends at least as much on character skills, such as self-confidence and the ability to get along with peers, as it does on reading and math skills, experts say. And that develops very early on.
http://www.nj.com/njvoices/index.ssf/2011/11/early_childhood_education_key.html
12.11.11
Social Interaction Provides Key to Infant Language Learning
Parents who want to help their babies learn to speak don't need to invest in computers or fancy toys. They need to spend time with their babies.
Kuhl’s survey of the latest research, published in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, found the best thing you can do to facilitate language development is participate socially with your infant. Social interaction is the driver of communication.
“‘Motherese’ is a natural way of enriching and enhancing speech quality for infants, which we believe helps infants learn sounds and words,”
“Motherese has exaggerated pitch content and it has specific linguistic content. We tend to use very simplified words and familiar words to the child’s experience,” Lebedeva says. “We tend, for example, to duplicate sounds. We’ll say, ‘Night, night.’ ‘Pat, pat.’ We use simplified and distinct sound structure within words. This is more than just a cute signal. Infants prefer listening to infant-directed speech when given a choice, and studies suggest that it actually helps them learn.”
The research reinforces the long-held notion that the early years of a baby’s life are the most important for learning language.
“We think that the critical period – between zero to three – is when your neurons are best able to form connections based simply on exposure to input.
http://www.washington.edu/earlychildhood/articles/child-care-is-a-key-ally-in-childhood-obesity-fight-know-whats-for-lunch-1
Kuhl’s survey of the latest research, published in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, found the best thing you can do to facilitate language development is participate socially with your infant. Social interaction is the driver of communication.
“‘Motherese’ is a natural way of enriching and enhancing speech quality for infants, which we believe helps infants learn sounds and words,”
“Motherese has exaggerated pitch content and it has specific linguistic content. We tend to use very simplified words and familiar words to the child’s experience,” Lebedeva says. “We tend, for example, to duplicate sounds. We’ll say, ‘Night, night.’ ‘Pat, pat.’ We use simplified and distinct sound structure within words. This is more than just a cute signal. Infants prefer listening to infant-directed speech when given a choice, and studies suggest that it actually helps them learn.”
The research reinforces the long-held notion that the early years of a baby’s life are the most important for learning language.
“We think that the critical period – between zero to three – is when your neurons are best able to form connections based simply on exposure to input.
http://www.washington.edu/earlychildhood/articles/child-care-is-a-key-ally-in-childhood-obesity-fight-know-whats-for-lunch-1
Television can help children with language
November 12, 2011 12:00AM
TOO much TV does not "dumb down" young children but can improve their language, researchers have concluded in a landmark study of the first generation of "digital natives".
The research, based on data from the federal government's longitudinal study of Australian children, questions the conventional wisdom that TV hinders children's learning.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/television-can-help-children-with-language-researchers-find/story-e6frg8y6-1226193122972
[Sam:TV is harmful to language development before 3 years of age, and beneficial afterwards.
In early years, a baby needs close interaction with people. Face to face conversation enables the child to watch the mouth movement, and to get familiarized with language patterns.
When the basic framework of language has been developed by age 3, TV helps to broaden the vocabulary base and sentence usage.]
TOO much TV does not "dumb down" young children but can improve their language, researchers have concluded in a landmark study of the first generation of "digital natives".
The research, based on data from the federal government's longitudinal study of Australian children, questions the conventional wisdom that TV hinders children's learning.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/television-can-help-children-with-language-researchers-find/story-e6frg8y6-1226193122972
[Sam:TV is harmful to language development before 3 years of age, and beneficial afterwards.
In early years, a baby needs close interaction with people. Face to face conversation enables the child to watch the mouth movement, and to get familiarized with language patterns.
When the basic framework of language has been developed by age 3, TV helps to broaden the vocabulary base and sentence usage.]
What matters is the quality of the teachers
"Throwing a laptop at a problem" isn't the way to improve school standards, she says.
Instead she says what really matters in her school is the quality of the teachers.
"What students like most about this school is access to the teachers. They know they would go to the ends of the Earth for them. They come before school to talk and we have to usher them out at the end of the day. They want to be near adults who are caring," she says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15358964
Instead she says what really matters in her school is the quality of the teachers.
"What students like most about this school is access to the teachers. They know they would go to the ends of the Earth for them. They come before school to talk and we have to usher them out at the end of the day. They want to be near adults who are caring," she says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15358964
11.11.11
Study Links Extra Brain Cells with Autism
By JANICE WOOD Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 10, 2011
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence reveals that boys with autism have an abnormal, excessive number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.
The scientists discovered a 67 percent excess of cortical cells — a type of brain cell only made before birth — in children with autism. The findings suggest that the disorder may arise from prenatal processes gone awry, according to lead researcher Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Autism Center of Excellence.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/11/10/study-links-extra-brain-cells-with-autism/31285.html
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 10, 2011
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence reveals that boys with autism have an abnormal, excessive number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.
The scientists discovered a 67 percent excess of cortical cells — a type of brain cell only made before birth — in children with autism. The findings suggest that the disorder may arise from prenatal processes gone awry, according to lead researcher Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Autism Center of Excellence.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/11/10/study-links-extra-brain-cells-with-autism/31285.html
The teenage brain
Teens also need more sleep than adults (typically over 9 hours of sleep each night) and yet have a natural desire to stay up later and later. This often makes for some stressed mornings as families struggle to get everyone out the door on time. Without proper sleep, all of us (teens especially) have a bit less control over our feelings. So, it shouldn't surprise us too much when our teenagers are emotionally reactive, they need more sleep and it's their emotional brain that is "talking".
Try to always have a positive focus. It is our kids' strengths, skills, and abilities which will help them get through this period of development. Try to remind yourself about your teen's good qualities, and don't be afraid to tell them when you notice these also.
http://www.emckemptville.ca/20111110/lifestyle/The+teenage+brain+-+a+time+of+great+change
Try to always have a positive focus. It is our kids' strengths, skills, and abilities which will help them get through this period of development. Try to remind yourself about your teen's good qualities, and don't be afraid to tell them when you notice these also.
http://www.emckemptville.ca/20111110/lifestyle/The+teenage+brain+-+a+time+of+great+change
Entrepreneurial spirit
Albert Einstein set out this purposeful pursuit of the unknown. "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research."
Stanford University, in California's Silicon Valley, was where Google began as a research project.
The university has a track record with new technology. Hewlett Packard, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems all have roots in this Palo Alto powerhouse.
Stanford says the "entrepreneurial spirit" of its former staff and students has helped to create almost 5,000 companies, employing nearly 700,000 people.
And in terms of externally-sponsored research, including federal projects, Stanford's budget this year is $1.15bn (£714m).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12733522
Stanford University, in California's Silicon Valley, was where Google began as a research project.
The university has a track record with new technology. Hewlett Packard, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems all have roots in this Palo Alto powerhouse.
Stanford says the "entrepreneurial spirit" of its former staff and students has helped to create almost 5,000 companies, employing nearly 700,000 people.
And in terms of externally-sponsored research, including federal projects, Stanford's budget this year is $1.15bn (£714m).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12733522
10.11.11
Investing early allows us to shape the future
We can invest early to close disparities and prevent achievement gaps, or we can pay to remediate disparities when they are harder and more expensive to close.
Either way we are going to pay... But there is an important difference between the two approaches.
Investing early allows us to shape the future; investing later chains us to fixing the missed opportunities of the past.
- Prof. James Heackman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2000
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-ochshorn/early-learning_b_1082924.html
Either way we are going to pay... But there is an important difference between the two approaches.
Investing early allows us to shape the future; investing later chains us to fixing the missed opportunities of the past.
- Prof. James Heackman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2000
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-ochshorn/early-learning_b_1082924.html
The power of language
Alex Morse, 22, who graduated this year from Brown University, defeated Elaine Pluta, 67, the incumbent mayor. Mr. Morse campaigned on a platform of making the city a hub for high-tech jobs, opposing a casino in Holyoke and emphasizing his fluency in Spanish; about half of the population in this town in Massachusetts is Hispanic.
Babies pick up a new language 10 times faster before the age of 3. Don't miss the critical period for language development in the first 9 months after birth. Introduce more friends to Le Beaumont & win the Christmas Mega Referral Bonus!
Babies pick up a new language 10 times faster before the age of 3. Don't miss the critical period for language development in the first 9 months after birth. Introduce more friends to Le Beaumont & win the Christmas Mega Referral Bonus!
9.11.11
The Benefits of Playtime for Babies
Learning While Playing
Playing with your baby may seem like all fun and games -- shaking rattles, squeaking plush animals, and watching as your child tries his chubby hand at rolling a ball. But make no mistake: What looks like downtime is work to little ones, and toys are often the tools for getting the job done.
"Playtime helps develop a baby's social, intellectual, language, and problem- solving skills," says Marilyn Segal, PhD, an early childhood studies program director at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
http://www.juicyjuice.com/Tools/Activities/The-Benefits-of-Playtime-for-Babies.aspx
Playing with your baby may seem like all fun and games -- shaking rattles, squeaking plush animals, and watching as your child tries his chubby hand at rolling a ball. But make no mistake: What looks like downtime is work to little ones, and toys are often the tools for getting the job done.
"Playtime helps develop a baby's social, intellectual, language, and problem- solving skills," says Marilyn Segal, PhD, an early childhood studies program director at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
http://www.juicyjuice.com/Tools/Activities/The-Benefits-of-Playtime-for-Babies.aspx
Reading with child 'highlight of the day for parents'
9 November 2011
The survey found 60% of parents of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun. Parents in England and Northern Ireland are spending more time reading to their children for pleasure.
The poll found parents spent an average of one hour and 26 minutes a week reading with their children in 2011, up from one hour 18 minutes in 2009.
For the majority (71%) reading with their child is one of the highlights of their day. But the poll of over 1,000 parents found 18% felt too stressed to do so.
The research also highlighted how parents valued being read to when they were a child, with 64% saying this was a treasured childhood memory.
The researchers also canvassed the opinions of 207 teachers of four to six-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ) attributed developed language skills and more advanced reading levels to those children who regularly enjoyed a shared book time with parents at home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15635733
The survey found 60% of parents of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun. Parents in England and Northern Ireland are spending more time reading to their children for pleasure.
The poll found parents spent an average of one hour and 26 minutes a week reading with their children in 2011, up from one hour 18 minutes in 2009.
For the majority (71%) reading with their child is one of the highlights of their day. But the poll of over 1,000 parents found 18% felt too stressed to do so.
The research also highlighted how parents valued being read to when they were a child, with 64% saying this was a treasured childhood memory.
The researchers also canvassed the opinions of 207 teachers of four to six-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ) attributed developed language skills and more advanced reading levels to those children who regularly enjoyed a shared book time with parents at home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15635733
6.11.11
Species learn from species.
Babies learn languages through interaction with human beings, not through teaching aids like DVD or sound making educational toys. If you have to go to work, you should make arrangement to send your baby to a quality playgroup. Your baby will learn from exposure and interaction with people, at a staggering speed of 700 connections of synapses per second.
Let your baby join the world tour in the Gifted Babies program. Your child will be received by a native teacher from the country he/she visits that day, participate in games, songs and stories using the language of the country your child visits on that day.
Your baby can visit 5 countries from Monday to Friday. Playing and singing with the teacher from that country will help build up self-confidence, prolong the attention span, build up an enormous data base that facilitate voice recognition, thus enhancing language skill, and quick response, thus having a higher IQ. Time is precious. Start early. Start now!
Two interesting researches were conducted on early language acquisition at the University of Washington in Seattle
in 2003 and 2008.
The 1st experiment was conducted in 2003. A group of 9 month old babies attended 12 sessions of playgroups in Putonghua. In a subsequent test, the babies were able to recognize all the Putonghua sounds.
The control group watch and listen to what was going on in the playgroup next door through video conferencing. They were able to recognize any Putonghua sounds.
The 2nd experiment was conducted in 2008. Two group of babies of similar age, with those who had been learning from Baby Einstein for quite a while, and another group of babies who had not learned from the educational DVD.
Babies who had been learning from DVD knew fewer vocabulary than the group who had never learned from DVD.
The findings shocked America. Walt Disney had to made a US$1 billion refund to parents who bought Baby Einstein DVD.
No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund October 23, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?scp=1&sq=2009-10-24&st=cse
Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy April 2, 2010
http://childrensspeechtherapycorner.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-wordsworth-babies-not-exactly.html?showComment=1270204317046#c4389140822031062767
Let your baby join the world tour in the Gifted Babies program. Your child will be received by a native teacher from the country he/she visits that day, participate in games, songs and stories using the language of the country your child visits on that day.
Your baby can visit 5 countries from Monday to Friday. Playing and singing with the teacher from that country will help build up self-confidence, prolong the attention span, build up an enormous data base that facilitate voice recognition, thus enhancing language skill, and quick response, thus having a higher IQ. Time is precious. Start early. Start now!
Two interesting researches were conducted on early language acquisition at the University of Washington in Seattle
in 2003 and 2008.
The 1st experiment was conducted in 2003. A group of 9 month old babies attended 12 sessions of playgroups in Putonghua. In a subsequent test, the babies were able to recognize all the Putonghua sounds.
The control group watch and listen to what was going on in the playgroup next door through video conferencing. They were able to recognize any Putonghua sounds.
The 2nd experiment was conducted in 2008. Two group of babies of similar age, with those who had been learning from Baby Einstein for quite a while, and another group of babies who had not learned from the educational DVD.
Babies who had been learning from DVD knew fewer vocabulary than the group who had never learned from DVD.
The findings shocked America. Walt Disney had to made a US$1 billion refund to parents who bought Baby Einstein DVD.
No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund October 23, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?scp=1&sq=2009-10-24&st=cse
Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy April 2, 2010
http://childrensspeechtherapycorner.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-wordsworth-babies-not-exactly.html?showComment=1270204317046#c4389140822031062767
5.11.11
Steve Jobs and the Education he Received
For the past month, we have all marveled at the life of Steve Jobs, the adopted son of working-class parents, who dropped out of college and became one of the great technologists and businessmen of our time. How did he do it? He was, of course, an extraordinary individual, and that explains much of his success, but his environment might also have played a role.
Part of the environment was education. And it is worth noting that Jobs got a great secondary education. The school he attended, Homestead High in Cupertino, Calif., was a first-rate public school that gave him a grounding in both the liberal arts and technology. It did the same for Steve Wozniak, the more technically oriented co-founder of Apple Computer, whom Jobs met at that same school.
In 1972, the year Jobs graduated, California’s public schools were the envy of the world. They were generally rated the finest in the country, well funded and well run, with excellent teachers. These schools were engines of social mobility that took people like Jobs and Wozniak and gave them an educational grounding that helped them rise.
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/category/education/
Part of the environment was education. And it is worth noting that Jobs got a great secondary education. The school he attended, Homestead High in Cupertino, Calif., was a first-rate public school that gave him a grounding in both the liberal arts and technology. It did the same for Steve Wozniak, the more technically oriented co-founder of Apple Computer, whom Jobs met at that same school.
In 1972, the year Jobs graduated, California’s public schools were the envy of the world. They were generally rated the finest in the country, well funded and well run, with excellent teachers. These schools were engines of social mobility that took people like Jobs and Wozniak and gave them an educational grounding that helped them rise.
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/category/education/
Social networks and the size of certain brain structures.
Many recent studies in humans have found a connection between the size of people's social networks and the size of certain brain structures.
In fact, Barrett herself has shown that people with larger and more complex social networks have larger amygdalas, a part of the brain involved in processing social cues.
“These findings do strongly suggest that people who are exposed to larger and more complex social grouping will develop changes in their brain structures, that will be measurable and have visible effects in terms of emotional processing, and social ability,” she said.
Those with fewer social interactions early in life might be at a disadvantage later, said Robin Dunbar, a cultural anthropologist at Oxford University. He said this was an especially big concern today, when so many children spend so much time online, engaging in virtual interactions.
http://www.pri.org/stories/health/global-health/larger-social-networks-especially-earlier-in-life-leads-to-larger-brain-development-6781.html
In fact, Barrett herself has shown that people with larger and more complex social networks have larger amygdalas, a part of the brain involved in processing social cues.
“These findings do strongly suggest that people who are exposed to larger and more complex social grouping will develop changes in their brain structures, that will be measurable and have visible effects in terms of emotional processing, and social ability,” she said.
Those with fewer social interactions early in life might be at a disadvantage later, said Robin Dunbar, a cultural anthropologist at Oxford University. He said this was an especially big concern today, when so many children spend so much time online, engaging in virtual interactions.
http://www.pri.org/stories/health/global-health/larger-social-networks-especially-earlier-in-life-leads-to-larger-brain-development-6781.html
Unconscious language learning
November 4, 2011
When linguists talk about unconscious or implicit language learning, they don’t mean learning while you sleep. Rather, they are talking about one of the most intriguing of all mental phenomena: the ability to learn the complex and subtle regularities that underlie a language without even realising.
For children, such ‘implicit’ language learning seems to happen spontaneously in the first few years of life; yet, in adulthood, learning a second language is generally far from effortless and has varied success.
So marked is the difference between first- and second-language learning – at least when it takes the form of classroom learning – it might suggest that implicit learning makes no significant contribution to learning a second language. Or it may indicate that typical foreign language teaching doesn’t take full advantage of the process.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-unconscious-language.html
"Conscious learning" in a traditional classroom setting refers to the content-based learning of grammar rules out of the context of daily conversation.
"Unconscious learning" describe the spotting of sentence patterns without attention to the content in the context of daily usage.
The former approach, commonly used in second language learning in school, is proven ineffective.
The latter approach, found in first language acquisition in early years, is proven to be very effective.
"Spotting of sentence patterns" can be facilitated by games, activities and story books. Le Beaumont would develop story books incorporating "the spotting of sentence patterns" as a distinct feature.
Le Beaumont would develop and publish these books and learning kits in Chinese, English, French, Spanish, German, & Japanese.
We hope that our R & D in Le Beaumont Language Centre can push the frontier of knowledge in language acquisition and benefit more children in language acquisition.
When linguists talk about unconscious or implicit language learning, they don’t mean learning while you sleep. Rather, they are talking about one of the most intriguing of all mental phenomena: the ability to learn the complex and subtle regularities that underlie a language without even realising.
For children, such ‘implicit’ language learning seems to happen spontaneously in the first few years of life; yet, in adulthood, learning a second language is generally far from effortless and has varied success.
So marked is the difference between first- and second-language learning – at least when it takes the form of classroom learning – it might suggest that implicit learning makes no significant contribution to learning a second language. Or it may indicate that typical foreign language teaching doesn’t take full advantage of the process.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-unconscious-language.html
"Conscious learning" in a traditional classroom setting refers to the content-based learning of grammar rules out of the context of daily conversation.
"Unconscious learning" describe the spotting of sentence patterns without attention to the content in the context of daily usage.
The former approach, commonly used in second language learning in school, is proven ineffective.
The latter approach, found in first language acquisition in early years, is proven to be very effective.
"Spotting of sentence patterns" can be facilitated by games, activities and story books. Le Beaumont would develop story books incorporating "the spotting of sentence patterns" as a distinct feature.
Le Beaumont would develop and publish these books and learning kits in Chinese, English, French, Spanish, German, & Japanese.
We hope that our R & D in Le Beaumont Language Centre can push the frontier of knowledge in language acquisition and benefit more children in language acquisition.
4.11.11
Christmas Mega Referral Bonus
With a view to help more babies realize their full potential,and in appreciation of our parents' help, Le Beaumont offers a Mega Referral Bonus that enables you to enjoy half-fees for half a year by making 5 referrals before Christmas.
You still enjoy 10% discount for one month if you make one referral, or 30% discount for 3 months if you make 3 referrals.
For many parents, this involves a new experience of selling one's successful early learning experience in Le Beaumont and in making things happen.
“Selling isn’t doing something to somebody. It is doing something for somebody.” Selling is a good thing and not a bad word.
You gotta have guts,a determination to make things happen.They “do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.”
http://next.inman.com/2011/11/early-development-is-critical-to-success-part-iii/
You still enjoy 10% discount for one month if you make one referral, or 30% discount for 3 months if you make 3 referrals.
For many parents, this involves a new experience of selling one's successful early learning experience in Le Beaumont and in making things happen.
“Selling isn’t doing something to somebody. It is doing something for somebody.” Selling is a good thing and not a bad word.
You gotta have guts,a determination to make things happen.They “do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.”
http://next.inman.com/2011/11/early-development-is-critical-to-success-part-iii/
3.11.11
A New Picture of Brain Development
Thomas Insel
We are still very much in the discovery phase of neuroscience. Like early explorers of the New World, two papers published this week in Nature provide the first maps of the molecular development of the human brain. Both use human post-mortem brain tissue to study development and for both, development means the changing level of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression across time. The paper from Sestan and colleagues looks at 16 brain areas from 57 individuals. Kleinman and colleagues map RNA expression in the prefrontal cortex from 269 subjects. The results are similar and surprising in many ways.
As with all voyages of discovery, these first reports are mostly calls for further exploration. And anyone can explore. Both studies provide access to a treasure trove of data that can now be mined by others.
The prefrontal cortex genetic variability data are available to qualified researchers at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000417.v1.p1 , with the gene expression data accessible at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc5GSE30272. They can be explored with a new interface tool at www.libd.org/braincloud.
Results of the Sestan project are available from www.humanbraintranscriptome.org, and as part of the BrainSpan database (http://www.developinghumanbrain.org), housed at the Allen Institute for Brain Sciences.
For any given gene, these projects will reveal where and when it is expressed throughout the human cortex and other key regions.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2011/a-new-picture-of-brain-development.shtml
We are still very much in the discovery phase of neuroscience. Like early explorers of the New World, two papers published this week in Nature provide the first maps of the molecular development of the human brain. Both use human post-mortem brain tissue to study development and for both, development means the changing level of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression across time. The paper from Sestan and colleagues looks at 16 brain areas from 57 individuals. Kleinman and colleagues map RNA expression in the prefrontal cortex from 269 subjects. The results are similar and surprising in many ways.
As with all voyages of discovery, these first reports are mostly calls for further exploration. And anyone can explore. Both studies provide access to a treasure trove of data that can now be mined by others.
The prefrontal cortex genetic variability data are available to qualified researchers at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000417.v1.p1 , with the gene expression data accessible at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc5GSE30272. They can be explored with a new interface tool at www.libd.org/braincloud.
Results of the Sestan project are available from www.humanbraintranscriptome.org, and as part of the BrainSpan database (http://www.developinghumanbrain.org), housed at the Allen Institute for Brain Sciences.
For any given gene, these projects will reveal where and when it is expressed throughout the human cortex and other key regions.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2011/a-new-picture-of-brain-development.shtml
Growing demand for people who can speak foreign languages.
Several research studies have shown early childhood is the absolute best time for language acquisition. Young children are uniquely tailored to learning a second language. Their developing brains are hard-wired to acquire language. Never again in their lifetime will the brain be as flexible. This presents a small window of opportunity in their development.
Research has also shown ease of learning new languages diminishes with age. As children approach puberty, the nature of language-learning and storage changes, becoming less flexible.
According to Mary Lynn Redmond, the director of foreign language education and associate professor of education at Wake Forest University, learning languages at an early age increases listening ability, memory, creativity and critical thinking skills as children grow into adults.
http://www.dailytitan.com/2011/11/02/withstanding-a-worldwide-war-of-words/
Research has also shown ease of learning new languages diminishes with age. As children approach puberty, the nature of language-learning and storage changes, becoming less flexible.
According to Mary Lynn Redmond, the director of foreign language education and associate professor of education at Wake Forest University, learning languages at an early age increases listening ability, memory, creativity and critical thinking skills as children grow into adults.
http://www.dailytitan.com/2011/11/02/withstanding-a-worldwide-war-of-words/
School odds stacked against summer babies
Children born in the summer in England are at an academic disadvantage throughout school, says a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The study says that among seven-year-olds, August-born children are more than three times as likely to be "below average" as September-born children.
August children are also 20% less likely to attend a top university.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15527145
The study says that among seven-year-olds, August-born children are more than three times as likely to be "below average" as September-born children.
August children are also 20% less likely to attend a top university.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15527145
Inside the Minds of Babies
Experts say the first three years of a child's life is the most intensive period of language and speech development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights. Also, the child should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.
The National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. This means the brain is best able to learn a language during this period. Officials say the ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.
http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Inside-the-Minds-of-Babies-132989898.html
The National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. This means the brain is best able to learn a language during this period. Officials say the ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.
http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/Inside-the-Minds-of-Babies-132989898.html
1.11.11
Acquisition of Language
First language acquisition—the study of how children acquire their first language(s)––is the branch of psycholinguistics that deals with the process of acquisition. This field is variously called “first language acquisition,” “language acquisition,” or “language development.” Researchers have taken two main approaches in studies of children’s language: on the one hand, research that stems from Chomsky’s proposal that language––in particular, syntax––is innate, so children’s knowledge simply has to be triggered through exposure to the ambient language; on the other is research that assumes that general learning mechanisms apply to language as well as other aspects of development.
http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0002.xml?rskey=SDjGCQ&result=19&q=
http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0002.xml?rskey=SDjGCQ&result=19&q=
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