Sarah+S

 **Brain Development in Early Childhood**

There are billions of nerve cells present in the brain. The job of the nerve cells, or **neurons**, is to send and receive messages to and from muscles and organs. Neurons are made of a cell body, dendrites, myelin sheath, and an axon, and look like this:


 * Dendrites ** are long threads of tissue that receive messages from the axons of other neurons. **Axons ** are very long threads of tissue that send messages to the dendrites of other neurons. In other words, dendrites receive messages, axons send messages. The **myelin sheath ** is a fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the axon to make sure that messages travel quickly and accurately from cell to cell. 

Neurons are different from other body cells in that they are not packed tightly together and therefore do not touch one another. A neuron sends a message to another neuron by releasing chemicals called **neurotransmitters. ** These neurotransmitters travel across the **synapses, ** which are the fluid filled gaps that exist between neurons.

 

During the prenatal period of development, more neurons are produced than will be used. Neurons begin to form synapses with other neurons. These synaptic connections are strengthened through stimulation by environmental input. Neurons that are rarely stimulated will lose their synapses, a process call **synaptic pruning **. The connections which are eliminated are not predetermined as was once thought, but rather dependent upon environmental influences. Children must receive appropriate stimulation in their early years in order for the necessary connections between neurons to be established and strengthened <span style="color: #00b050; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">(Trawick-Smith, 2006; Beck, 2005). <span style="color: #e36c0a; display: block; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center;">**Theories of Brain Development** <span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Over the last several centuries, many theorists have formed their own ideas of how a child’s brain and cognition develops. The following is a timeline that highlights some of the more influential theories that continue to influence educational practices today.

17th century: John Locke theorized that all children are born equal with a mind that is a tabula rasa, or “blank slate”. He believed that children are the products of their environment and that knowledge comes only through experience and learning.

18th century: Jean-Jacques Rousseau theorized that children are born with ideas and knowledge that emerge with age. Any knowledge not possessed innately by the child is learned through interactions with their environment. Rousseau believed that children benefit and learn the most by exploration and discovery, instead if formal instruction.

20th century: Jean Piaget theorized that all children moved through the same four stages of cognitive development. He believed that intelligence is a process and not just something that a child has. Knowledge is only acquired by actively operating on the surrounding world. Schemes, or cognitive structures, are formed and modified based on the child’s interaction with their environment.

Lev Vygotsky theorized that the culture surrounding children is where the bulk of their knowledge comes from. In addition to heavily influencing what a child knows, culture also impacts thinking and reasoning processes. In other words, children are taught what to think and how to think by culture. <span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

Urie Bronfenbrenner theorized that a combination of unique characteristics and interactions with surroundings influence how children develop and learn. Children become producers of their own environment when they instigate different responses and reactions from the people around them.

(Vasta, Miller, & Ellis, 2004) <span style="color: #ae0271; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Research in the field of brain development has had dramatic impacts on the practices early childhood educators use when working with young children. It is well known that positive early experiences have a large impact on childhood development. Other findings of recent research include:
 * <span style="color: #ae0271; display: block; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;">Brain Research **

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #ae0271; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Prenatal and early childhood brain development occurs more rapidly than what was previously thought.

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #ae0271; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Brain development is greatly influenced by environmental factors. This influence is long lasting.

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #ae0271; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Stress experienced by children early in life can have negative effects on brain function.

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #ae0271; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Environment affects a child’s number of brain cells, number of connections among them, and how these connections are wired. (Carnegie Corporation, 1994)

In the 1960s and 70s, David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel conducted experiments on cats in order to investigate the occurrence of critical periods of development. They discovered that by withholding stimuli from a kitten’s eye during a critical period of development, connections between the eye and the visual cortex would be hindered. Critical, or sensitive, periods are the optimal time in which certain capacities emerge with the environmental influences having great impact on development.

Baylor College of Medicine reported that children not engaging in play or who are rarely touched have brains that are 20-30% smaller than the average for their age (Stone, 1999). <span style="color: #548dd4; display: block; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;"> Implications for Educators and Caregivers <span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Educators and caregivers should use this research to determine the best and most appropriate practices and strategies to use in their work with children. These practices include:

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Providing children with stimulating experiences from the time of birth

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Building strong relationships and attachments with children

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Giving each child individual attention

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Encouraging children to explore and experiment

·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Assisting and guiding children as they attempt to make sense of the world

Since brain development is occurring even before birth, the need for high quality day care and preschool programs has become more apparent. A high quality child care or preschool program has well trained professionals, low student-teacher ratios, a stimulating environment, and strong relationships between families and staff.

The following chart provides examples of brain research that has been conducted, and how that research has impacted educational practices. || Children with special needs should be included and expected to be successful in general education classes. || ||
 * Research || Practices ||
 * 98 % of learning occurs through the senses. || Children are provided with many opportunities to explore their environment and engage in activities that require them to use their senses. ||
 * Brain research shows that children with special needs and those without both benefit from the same teaching methods.
 * When the frontal lobe is optimally functioning, a person’s attention is more sustainable. || Activities and materials that are of interest to students should be present in the classroom. Students should have the option to choose what they want to engage in.
 * Evidence shows that for children to successfully learn something, they must be taught it through their modality of preference.

Approximately 20% of children are auditory learners, while the remaining 80% learn either visually or kinesthetically. || Activities should be planned that accommodate auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic learners. || || Second language learning should begin at a younger age, when children are in primary school. || · Authentic assessments · Teaching multiple intelligences
 * Sensitive periods of development exist, which greatly impact how children learn language.
 * Diverse learners have a variety of learning strategies that are accommodated by differentiated teaching strategies. Curriculum should be adapted to meet each child’s learning needs. || · Leveled reading programs

|| =To learn more about the history of brain research and Neuroscience, click [|here].= =Click on this [|article] to read about how brain research has impacted education.=

= =

References

Berk, L. (2005). Infants and children (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Trawick-Smith, J. (2006). Early childhood development: a multicultural perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Vasta, R., Miller, S., & Ellis, S. (2004). Child psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Walker Tileston, D. (2005). 10 best teaching practices: how brain research, learning styles, and standards define teaching competencies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lee Opalek, T. (2009). Best practices of brain research for teaching primary readers. Retrieved October 28, 2009 from []

New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2003). Brain research & classroom teaching. Retrieved November 3, 2009 from []

= Willis, J. (2007). Brain-friendly strategies for the inclusion classroom: Insights from a neurologist and classroom teacher. Alexandria, VA: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. = = Stone, S. (1998). Brain research and implications for early childhood education. Retrieved October 28, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_199801/ai_n8807705/?tag = content;col1 = = =