Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Week 1 September 6th 2013


Blog - Literacy and Numeracy Birth-4 years                                  Cathy Stanbury      

Week 1     5th September 2013




The 2 readings this week are:           
What?              
Literacy: Bardige, Betty & Bardige, M Kori 2008, ‘Talk to me baby! : supporting language development in the first 3 years’, Zero to Three, no. September, pp. 4-10   Talk to me baby.pdf


Numeracy:
Tucker, Kate 2010, ‘Why play?, in Tucker, Kate, Mathematics through play in the early years, 2nd edn, SAGE, Los Angeles, Calif., pp.5-14   Why play? 
Blog focus on “Zero to three”           
So What? Talk to me baby’ highlights the use of language as the core to ones being: it is central to ones thinking, social exchange and the sense of self. Developing language in the early years is supported by the contact babies have with the human voices that surround them from birth. The first sounds of communication babies produce are crying, cooing, babbling, body movement, facial expression and eye contact. The more the parent /carer communicate with the use of language through play, books, music and interactions the richer the learning at each stage of development. Language enables children to interpret their world and how it works, make connections to form warm relationships.  The article promotes strategies relative to enhancing the language process but also highlights developmental disruptions where less exposure to language including affirmations persist as they develop. 

Now What?

A landmark study conducted in the 1980’s revealed that parents whom engaged in more talking with their children: at the age of 3 would have heard 33 million words compared to less talkative parents whose children would have heard 10 million words. Beneficial in the research was the use of affirmations, subtle guidance and acknowledgment to feelings compared to commands and prohibitions. The final results showed children hearing 33 million words with 500,000 affirmations had a higher IQ of approximately 25 suggesting a richer language experience during the early years promoting a stronger foundation for achieving positive outcomes in the future rather than risking gaps and educational disadvantages.

References

Bardige, Betty & Bardige, M Kori 2008, ‘Talk to me baby! : supporting language development in the first 3 years’, Zero to Three, no. September, pp. 4-10  

 

Week 1     5th September 2013                 Portfolio: Experience   1.1

On the weekend, whilst enjoying a café lunch I could not help being distracted or consumed by the table next to me and its occupants. Four adults seated to the right of my table whom also were enjoying a lunch with the added addition of one small baby approximately 6 months old.  The baby’s skills using a notepad whilst sitting on her mother’s lap were amazing. The child’s fingers moved across the keys with precise and repetitive skill bringing up icons of colourful fascination, keeping the child engaged for at least one hour.  The mother passed the child to the father who was sitting next to a woman holding a small dog. The child then became fascinated with the dog, touching it gently and giggling with sheer joy.  The parents were amazed by the gentle reactions and contact this child displayed towards the small dog.

My thoughts immediately reflect upon our last week’s session on ‘What is literacy & numeracy? - to me, and to children. This child was learning and grasping new knowledge in the surrounding environment. The adults were responding with language and the child was engaging. Watching very young children using technology today is mind boggling. Below are two YouTube sites – one showing the experience of technology and a baby and the other showing the connections children have with animals.

According to Rogoff (1990) children do not think in isolation; thinking is an everyday social activity and is culturally determined. A contemporary theorist Rogoff’s idea reflects the way culture forms and transforms a child’s development; through shared experiences the child gradually makes sense of the world and of adult meaning. Rogoff (1990) explored the idea that children’s cognitive development is part of their social and cultural environment and that childhood is not universal because there are different ways of being a child.  Cultures vary across time and place and how each child’s world is in relationship with their everyday practices and relationships. Rogoff, (1990)

Researching the baby brain maps in the site zero to three it is evident that children from 2 - 4 months learn to cry, touch, feed, vision and hearing. From 4 - 6 months they add language and 6 - 12 months they gain cognition and learning, movement, language and the social and emotional. This is an extraordinary amount of learning in just a short time frame.

References

·         Baby using iPad2 like a pro, plays Garage Band


·         Dog and Baby Play Tag


·         Rogoff, B (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. New York: Oxford University Press. Ch10.

·         The Baby Brain Map- http://www.zerotothree.org/baby-brain-map.html

 

 

 

 

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