Tutoring Tots

ByStephanie Erickson, Fernel Vasquez,

Maddie Wiese, Amy Schield, Julie Perez, Shawna Burke

Group Objective

Our goal was to work with children on techniques to help aid in their cognitive skills.  After observing the students, we applied our own techniques that we have learned from researching cognitive processes, memory, attention, language development, the Abecedarian Project, and child play to help them learn. We then observed the children to see if there were any changes

Enhancing Brain Development and Cognitive

Skills in Infants and Toddlers

Developmental Sequence

Age 2› Dependent on adult

guidance› Refers to self by name› Socially very immature,

has little concept of others as “people”

› Self-centered› Beginning a sense of

personal identity and belonging

› Enjoys physical affection

› More responsive to humor and distraction than discipline or reason

› Vocabulary of about 272 words

› Can say phrases and simple sentences

› Understands simple directions

› Likes to look at books and can identify simple pictures

› Short attention span

Developmental Sequence

Age 3› L ikes to con fo rm› Easy-go ing

a t t i tude› More secure› Great sense o f

pe rsona l i dent i ty› Beg inn ing to be

adventuresome› En joys be ing w i th

o thers› En joys b r i e f g roup

ac t i v i t i es requ i r i ng no sk i l l

› L ike’s to “he lp” in smal l ways

› Responds to verbal gu idance

› Vocabulary of about 896 words

› Tel l s s imple s tor ies and says short sentences

› Enjoys mus ic

Developmental Sequences

Age 4› Seems se l f- a ssu red› Tes ts the i r

boundar ies , needs con t ro l l ed f reedom

› Coopera t i ve p lay› En joys o the r

ch i l d ren ’ s company

› High ly soc ia l› Ta lka t i ve and

ve rsa t i l e

› Vocabulary o f up to 1 ,540 words

› Asks end less quest ions

› Learn ing to genera l i ze

› High ly imaginat ive

› Dramat ic› Can draw

recognizab le s imple ob jects

Developmental Services

Age 5› Se l f- assured› C a p a b l e o f s o m e

s e l f- c r i t i c i s m› E n j o y s re s po n s i b i l i t y› L i ke s t o f o l l o w t h e

ru l e s› H i g h l y c o o p e ra t i v e

p l a y› H a s s p e c i a l “ f r i e n ds ”› “ Sc h o o l ”› Fe e l s p r i d e i n

c l o t h e s a n d a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s

› E a g e r t o c a r r y o u t s o m e re s p o n s i b i l i t y

› Vo c a b u l a r y o f 2 , 0 7 2 w o rd s

› Te l l s l o n g t a l e s› C a r r i e s o u t d i re c t i o n w e l l› C a n re a d o w n n a m e› C o u n t s t o t e n — E n g l i s h

a n d S p a n i s h› K n o w s c o l o r s › A s k s m e a n i n g o f w o rd s› B e g i n n i n g t o k n o w

d i ff e re n c e b e t w e e n f a c t a n d fi c t i o n — l y i n g

Stimulating Brain Growth

Encourage playing with blocks and soft toys› Helps to develop hand-eye coordination, fine-

motor skills and a sense of competence Give consistent warm, physical contact

including hugging and body-to-body contact› Establish toddler’s sense of security and well-being

Be attentive to child’s rhythms and moods Be supportive and encouraging, with firm

discipline as appropriate, but without yelling or hitting› Provide consistent guidelines

Stimulating Brain Growth Continued

Experiences that provide a sense of discovery in the use of tools, cause and effect, object permanence, understanding space, imitation and learning schemas allow children to engage in opportunities to develop cognitive skills

Programs should include› A secure environment that provides both challenges and

predictability› Opportunities for independent exploration› A flexible approach which accommodates spontaneity and allows

toddlers to try to do things for themselves Planning everyday play activities which encourage trial and

error, manipulation and repetition will further support cognitive development.

Learning through the process of discovery, exploration, and repetition enables infants and toddlers to make sense of the world around them› The accumulation of this knowledge develops their cognitive skills

and confidence, leading to a clear sense of identity about who they are and what they are capable of doing

Memory

Memory Preschool children remember what they do

through concrete experiences, they can use language effectively, recognize familiar people, places and objects, and understand a wide range of concepts

They are better at reconstructing than recalling They are very good at remembering poems,

stories, and songs

Memory Continued

Can hold in mind a whole sequence of spatial maps and know where things are in their environment and they are also able to hold two emotions in their mind at once

Mnemonics are good memory techniques such as acronyms-ROYGBIV which stands for the colors of the rainbow red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet

Other things that help child’s memory are finger plays, story time, and free play

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmRSGvmlMDg

Attention

Attention

Age Group: 18 months – 3 years How they signal attention Day to Day Experiences How we can help

Language Development

Language Development

Language development beginsat birth through:› reading books› telling stories› singing songs› talking

Language Development Continued

1st Study› Interaction between

mothers and their children

› Involved 24 children› Between the ages of 15

and 21 months› ½ inside and ½ outside

Outcome breakdown: Inside group showed more speech development due to less distraction and more involvement

2nd Study› Involved mother and

children that were videotaped at home for 6 months

› Given certain toys› The amount of time the

mothers and children spent together was related to the child’s vocabulary

Outcome breakdown: The more time interacting with kids the more language is learned

Joint Attention & Early Language

Abecedarian Project

The Abecedarian Project

The Carolina Abecedarian Project was a controlled experiment that was conducted in 1972 in North Carolina by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute to study the potential benefits of early childhood education for poor children to enhance school readiness

Abecedarian Project Continued

It has been found that in their earliest school years, poor children lag behind others, suggesting the fact that they were ill-prepared for schooling. The Abecedarian project was inspired by the fact that few other early childhood programs could provide a sufficiently well-controlled environment to determine the effectiveness of early childhood training.

Individuals, born between 1972 and 1977, were randomly assigned as infants to either the early educational intervention group or the control group

Abecedarian Project Continued

111 infants born between 1972 and 1977 participated in this project, 57 of which were given high-quality childcare while another 54 acted as a control group. 98% of the children who participated in this experiment were African American, with the average age of participants being 4.4 months upon participation. Whereas other childhood programs commenced from 2 years old onwards, the Abecedarian Project started from infancy and continued for a period of 5 years, a period longer than most other programs. The participants received child care for 6 - 8 hours a day, five days a week. Educational activities were game-based, and emphasized on language. The control group was provided with nutritional supplements, social work services and medical care to ensure that these factors do not affect the outcomes of the experiment

Abecedarian Project Continued

Children from low-income families received full-time, high-quality educational intervention in a childcare setting from infancy through age 5

Each child had an individualized prescription of educational activities

Educational activities consisted of "games" incorporated into the child's day

Abecedarian Project Continued

Activities focused on social, emotional, and cognitive areas of development but gave particular emphasis to language.

Children's progress was monitored over time with follow-up studies conducted at ages 12, 15, and 21

The young adult findings demonstrate that important, long-lasting benefits were associated with the early childhood program

Abecedarian Project Continued

The significant findings were:› Higher Cognitive test scores due to

enhanced language development› Higher academic achievement in both

reading and math› Higher IQ than peers at all follow-up exams› They were more likely to attend college› They were also more likely to hold off on

having children until they were older

Abecedarian Project Continued

Cognitive Development› The experiments provide data in three

developmental areas Instrumental learning Visual and manipulatory exploration Vocal and communication skills

These studies are aimed to discovering on how an infant can be helped to learn that he can control what happens around him. This principle is thought to be particularly crucial among high risk children, many of whom develop a belief early in life that they are helpless to change their situation

Child Play

Child Play

Play is crucial to the normal development of the child

Expands their understanding of themselves and others, their knowledge of the physical world, and their ability to communicate with peers

Major tool for facilitating children's mental development

Child Play Continued

Enhances every aspect of children’s development and learning

Develops cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being

Improves academic functioning Higher level of competence

Child Play Continued

Children’s play gets more advanced as their cognitive skills develop› Different types of play:

Sensory Motor Pretend Play Games

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Conservation of Solid Quantity

Conservation of Liquid Conservation

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Toys that will Make your Child “Smarter”

Children with Mental Illness

Children with Mental Illness

All aspects of development and learning are affected

Hinders cognitive, emotional, and social well-being

Impedes with academics

Children with Mental Illness Continued

Starts school with no significant difference between peers

As get older, cognitive skills do not develop as quickly

Fall further and further behind in school

Children with Mental Illness Continued

Studies show caused by:› Low socio-economic class› Education of parents› Behavioral problems› Motivation

Future Directions Try to make sure that teachers

teach to all of the children Try creative ways to help children

learn Try to stop the gap before it gets

too big Interact with children at a young

age to develop skills Keep in mind that children with a

disadvantage are just as important as their peers

Questions for You to Think About….

For those who have little brothers or sisters or are around little children, do you notice the difference in cognition?

Do you think we expect too much from children today?

What do you think can help minimize the differences of cognitive skills?

What do you think the implications of No Child Left Behind are?

Questions???

References Estigarribia, B., & Clark, E.V. (2007). Getting and maintaining attention in talk

to young children. Journal of Child Language, 34(4), 799-814. Miller, S.A. (1999). Let me think about that. Scholastic Early Childhood Today,

13(7), 15-16.  Klossek, U. M.H., Russell, J., & Dickinson, A. (2008). The control of instrumental

action following outcome devaluation in young children aged between 1 and 4 years. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 137(1), 39-51.

Robbins, J. (2005). Contexts, collaboration, and cultural tools: A sociocultural perspective on researching children’s thinking. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 6(2), 140-149.

Wang, X., Bernas, R., & Eberhard, P. (2005). Maternal teaching strategies in four cultural communites. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 3(3), 269-288.

Saarnia, David A. (1990). Schematic knowledge and memory in young children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 13(4) 431-446.

Gleitman, H. (1981). Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whaariki: He Whaariki Matauranga mo o

Mokopuna o Aotearoa. Learning Media: Wellington. Newberger, J. (1997). New Brain Development Research – A wonderful Window

of Opportunity to Build Public Support for Early Childhood Education. Young Children Vol 52 No. 4, 4-9.

The Far West Laboratory for Educational Research. (1991). Discovery of Infancy – Cognitive Development and Learning. California Department of Education: Sacramento, CA.