Neurocognitive Discoveries and Early Childhood Education

1. Neurocognitive Discoveries andEarly Childhood Education

2. Implications from the Latest Brain Research on Curriculum Development in Early Childhood Education: The Importance of Infancyand Toddlerhood Presented by: Nancy T. Cupolo, Professor, Dept. Chair Teacher Preparation Department Hudson Valley Community College Troy, New York

3. Neurological research has found that early experiences influence the very structure of the brain itself. Growth of the Mind, Greenspan

4. The base patterns, 90% of which are acquired within the first few years of life, give us the template on which to attach all future learning. Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head page 62 Carla Hannaford, Ph D.

5. What Does the Research Say?An Interpretation by Nancy T. Cupolo, MS Ed. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience reveals: • That the genes we are born with do not determine the structure of our brains. • Hereditary determines the number of neurons (brain cells) children are born with BUT this is a framework.

6. A child’s environment has enormous impact on how the circuits of the brain will be wired. • Nature AND Nurture determines the outcome of our lives. [25% Nature, 75% Nurture at birth] • Beginning BEFORE birth, the kind of care a child receives affects the “wiring” of his/her brain. • At birth, about 25% of neurons are networked or connected

7. Positive interactions cause synapses to grow and existing connections to be strengthened. • Synapses that are not used regularly become pruned back [especially after the first 10 years of life]. • Synapses that are used become permanent fixtures; those that are not used become eliminated. • Stress activates the production of cortisol, a steroid hormone. Cortisol causes the death of brain cells.

8. Strong/secure attachments promote brain development (especially the 1st year). • Lack of stimulation early on causes or impedes the development of synapses. • During the Early Years, the brain has the greatest capacity for change. • Neural plasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt with experience, confirms that early stimulation sets the stage for learning later

9. Emotional or physical trauma show long-term impairments to learning and development. • An excess of cortisol in the brain has been linked to impaired cognitive ability. • Both behavior and the brain change in recurring growth cycles. • These growth cycles repeat several times form birth – 30 years. • Humans can relearn skills due to brain plasticity. Kurt Fisher, Samuel P. Rose 1998

10. Windows of opportunity exist - Neurons for vision begin sending messages back and forth rapidly at 2-4 months of age, peaking at 8 months. • Infants develop “perceptual maps” for language they hear most frequently within the first 10 months of life. • Brains of babies in Japan develop differently than brains of babies in the United States due to neural plasticity from environmental stimuli.

12. The brain can compensate when a portion is injured. • Brain development affects personality and temperament. • Children need activity-based, hands on experience to build the brain’s learning pathways. • Learning pathways must be strengthened through repetition. • Each child’s brain and learning preference is unique.

13. Measured the activity in a baby’s brain in the primitive brain stem and sensory cortex visual cortex, frontal cortex • The formation of synapses and their pruning occurs at different times in different parts of the brain.

14. Synaptogenesis begins in the: motor cortex - 2 months visual cortex - 3 months hippocampus - 9 months (memory) pre-frontal cortex - 9-10 months (thought/logic) limbic system - 7-12 months (emotion)

15. Neuro-plasticity lessens with age. • Information embedded in an emotional context stimulates neural circuitry more. • Causality is best learned through emotion – “If I smile, Mommy smiles back”. • Regions in the cortex and limbic systems are 20-30% smaller in abused children then in normal children.

16. Learning and the Brain

17. Growth Cycles of the Brain Recent research in cognitive neuroscience reveals: • Both behavior and the brain change in recurring growth cycles. • These growth ycles repeat several times from birth to 30 years. • Humans can relearn skills due to brain plasticity. • A new dynamic skills framework vs. development stages.

18. Nested Developmental Cycles:Four Tiers Composed of Levels of Cognitive Development

19. The intricate wiring of the limbic system shows that in order to learn and remember something, there must be sensory input, a personal emotional connection and movement. Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All In Your Head, page 54 Carla Hannaford, Ph.D.

20. Brain Copatible Elements • Absence of Threat – stress free, peaceful • Meaningful Content – everyday life materials, tactile • Offer and Teach Choices • Adequate Time to Respond

21. Enriched Environment - process vs. product - set the ambiance - see the world unfold through a child’s eyes, mirrors, photos - represents the outside world - sense of order – full & empty - orchestrated environment • Immediate Feedback - sensorial and self correcting materials • Mastery/application - opportunity to repeat activities - push/pull toys

22. Sensory experience is essential for teaching brain cells their jobs, and after a certain critical period, brain cells lose the opportunity to learn those jobs. It is a time when the brain is deciding whether to keep or eliminate connections. And in the process of keeping connections, the brain eagerly seeks information from the senses. Inside the Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of How the Mind Works, page 19, Ronald Kotulak

23. Positive, Age-Appropriate Stimulation from the Time of Birth • Talking to infants increases the number of words he/she will recognize (language – rich environments). • Sing songs, tones are best, short phrases. • Repeated exposure to words helps the brain build neural circuitry for more words later on. • If children are to learn a second “Native” language, they should be introduced to it by age 10 • Effective music lessons should begin between 3 and 10 years of age.

24. High quality parenting is crucial • Children learn best in meaningful, day to day, positive interactions • Infant Stimulation Techniques • Creation of “interactive environments” for young children • Importance of reading & responding to a child’s cues • Importance of play, water play • Establish rituals and routines • Selective television watching • Art supplies

25. Circuits in different regions of the brain are wired at different times. The circuitry of the brain is sensitive to life’s experiences. Now is the optimal time for neuro-networking the brain of a child!

26. The Miracle Bridge