Stimulating the intellectual growth of young children
Summarizing the research work of Swick and Blackwell was a very interesting and
thought provoking experience for me. It deepened my understanding of the importance and
relevance of a research work in stimulating intellectual growth in young children.
They opened their report by focusing on current trends in social studies. In as much as
contributors to the current trend in social studies have come up with specific method of
learning (relaying on verbal or highly symbolic method of learning), these methods
according to them are often inappropriate for pre-school age children especially for
culturally disadvantaged children. Research studies have shown that the intellectual and
linguistic growth of young disadvantaged children depends very much upon the
presence of various concrete learning objects in their immediate environment. This
makes it necessary to develop multi-media materials that will help preschool children
to develop the vast base of concrete experience that will lead them into becoming
capable and healthy adults.
The basic purpose of the study was to explore the possibilities of utilizing picture
analysis as a way of improving preschool disadvantaged children in concrete social and
language experience. In carrying out this experiment, they selected three social
environments which include the high, middle and the lower area and collected ten
pictures representing each of the categories. The focus of this was to gather
quantitative and qualitative reaction of disadvantaged children to the pocket of pictures
presented to them. The authors conducted this research in a preschool learning center
with 30 children involved in the study which lasted five weeks. The children were
presented pictures over a 30 minutes period with teachers observing their response and
taking down notes. The idea of showing pictures was to stimulate thinking and verbal
expression towards familiar and unfamiliar cultures.
The result also shows the quality of the verbal response which was quite meaningful.
Quantitatively, the children responded more often to pictures which represented their
life styles.
While recalling the objective of this study, which is an attempt to examine the value of
utilizing pictures with pre-school disadvantaged children, the result of the study shows
that children did react more often and in more elaborate ways to pictures which
represented their personal life style. Fewer verbal responses were made to pictures
which represented an unfamiliar cultural life style.
Rushton,S and Larkin E.(2001). Shaping the learning environment: connecting
developmental appropriate practices to Brain Research . Early Childhood Education
Journal vol 29. No. 1
The authors researched 12 principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). DAP has its foundation on the idea that children are social learners who are able to
make meaning and knowledge as they interact with their learning environment. The
principle of DAP is quite similar to the Brain research and linked to the classroom
environment .The first of this principle is the domain of children's development. This
principle stresses the inter connectivity between the physical, social, emotional and
cognitive domains. According to the authors, a good curriculum can help stimulate the
five senses and develop every child’s intelligence.
The authors also succinctly stated the role of the classroom environment in stimulating
intellectual growth in young children.
The authors asserted that learning is a social activity. Mixed age grouping is also a
strategy that the authors suggested to support and challenge a range of learning styles
and capabilities of young children. According to the authors, hands on activities
stimulate the various parts of the brain. They emphasized that the learning environment
should allow choices for different developmental styles and capabilities. They added
that opportunities to use the five senses and language skills will stimulate intellectual
growth of young children. The authors advised that learning should be presented in real
life context so that new information builds upon prior learning. Ways of presenting real
life context includes having field trips, inviting guest speakers, interactive technology
and multi-cultural approach will enhance children’s learning.
In conclusion, the authors stated their agreement with Dewey’s (1964) philosophy
which reveals that children learn best when interacting in a rich environment. Dewey
believed that when various senses are used together, the probability of learning will be
greater.
Nabila el Moussaoui . Sjaak Braster (2001). Perception and practices of stimulating
children’s cognitive development among Moroccan immigrant mothers. Journal of child
and family studies 2001, Vol 20 Issue 3, P370-383.
Since the 1960’s, researchers have tried to explain educational inequality with respect
to cultural and social economic background of children but today, academic success is
best explained and understood in the family context in which the child grows up in. The
author tries to explain this based on the findings of this research. He explained further
that in early childhood, the home environment and parenting style influences the
cognitive development of young children.
According to the authors, the aim of the study is to examine the parental view of the
cognitive development of their children and the specific educational activities that the
mothers have used to simulate their children’s cognitive development. They also aimed
at exploring the relationship between the perceptions of mothers and stimulating
activities created as a result of the educational level of mothers and their ethnic
background.
While we acknowledged the quality of work done on this research, there is need
according to the writer to examine some of the short comings which were observed.
Some of which are; the study explored mothers’ perception and their stimulating
activities to foster children’s cognitive development. They also focused solely on
mothers as the main care givers. There is need to explore the fathers perceptions also.
The study also failed to address the social differences between the boys and the girls.
Differences in terms of character of the schools, teacher’s attitude, climate, peer
pressure, can also affect academic performance.
In conclusion, the research revealed that children whose parents are learned do better
than children whose parents are illiterates. It also revealed that the ethnic background
of the parents had no effect on the perception.
References
Swick, Kevin ; Blackwell Jacqueline. The use of pictures to stimulate social learning and
Language development in school children. Education. Nov/Dec 72,Vol.93 Issue 2, p176.
thought provoking experience for me. It deepened my understanding of the importance and
relevance of a research work in stimulating intellectual growth in young children.
They opened their report by focusing on current trends in social studies. In as much as
contributors to the current trend in social studies have come up with specific method of
learning (relaying on verbal or highly symbolic method of learning), these methods
according to them are often inappropriate for pre-school age children especially for
culturally disadvantaged children. Research studies have shown that the intellectual and
linguistic growth of young disadvantaged children depends very much upon the
presence of various concrete learning objects in their immediate environment. This
makes it necessary to develop multi-media materials that will help preschool children
to develop the vast base of concrete experience that will lead them into becoming
capable and healthy adults.
The basic purpose of the study was to explore the possibilities of utilizing picture
analysis as a way of improving preschool disadvantaged children in concrete social and
language experience. In carrying out this experiment, they selected three social
environments which include the high, middle and the lower area and collected ten
pictures representing each of the categories. The focus of this was to gather
quantitative and qualitative reaction of disadvantaged children to the pocket of pictures
presented to them. The authors conducted this research in a preschool learning center
with 30 children involved in the study which lasted five weeks. The children were
presented pictures over a 30 minutes period with teachers observing their response and
taking down notes. The idea of showing pictures was to stimulate thinking and verbal
expression towards familiar and unfamiliar cultures.
The result also shows the quality of the verbal response which was quite meaningful.
Quantitatively, the children responded more often to pictures which represented their
life styles.
While recalling the objective of this study, which is an attempt to examine the value of
utilizing pictures with pre-school disadvantaged children, the result of the study shows
that children did react more often and in more elaborate ways to pictures which
represented their personal life style. Fewer verbal responses were made to pictures
which represented an unfamiliar cultural life style.
Rushton,S and Larkin E.(2001). Shaping the learning environment: connecting
developmental appropriate practices to Brain Research . Early Childhood Education
Journal vol 29. No. 1
The authors researched 12 principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). DAP has its foundation on the idea that children are social learners who are able to
make meaning and knowledge as they interact with their learning environment. The
principle of DAP is quite similar to the Brain research and linked to the classroom
environment .The first of this principle is the domain of children's development. This
principle stresses the inter connectivity between the physical, social, emotional and
cognitive domains. According to the authors, a good curriculum can help stimulate the
five senses and develop every child’s intelligence.
The authors also succinctly stated the role of the classroom environment in stimulating
intellectual growth in young children.
The authors asserted that learning is a social activity. Mixed age grouping is also a
strategy that the authors suggested to support and challenge a range of learning styles
and capabilities of young children. According to the authors, hands on activities
stimulate the various parts of the brain. They emphasized that the learning environment
should allow choices for different developmental styles and capabilities. They added
that opportunities to use the five senses and language skills will stimulate intellectual
growth of young children. The authors advised that learning should be presented in real
life context so that new information builds upon prior learning. Ways of presenting real
life context includes having field trips, inviting guest speakers, interactive technology
and multi-cultural approach will enhance children’s learning.
In conclusion, the authors stated their agreement with Dewey’s (1964) philosophy
which reveals that children learn best when interacting in a rich environment. Dewey
believed that when various senses are used together, the probability of learning will be
greater.
Nabila el Moussaoui . Sjaak Braster (2001). Perception and practices of stimulating
children’s cognitive development among Moroccan immigrant mothers. Journal of child
and family studies 2001, Vol 20 Issue 3, P370-383.
Since the 1960’s, researchers have tried to explain educational inequality with respect
to cultural and social economic background of children but today, academic success is
best explained and understood in the family context in which the child grows up in. The
author tries to explain this based on the findings of this research. He explained further
that in early childhood, the home environment and parenting style influences the
cognitive development of young children.
According to the authors, the aim of the study is to examine the parental view of the
cognitive development of their children and the specific educational activities that the
mothers have used to simulate their children’s cognitive development. They also aimed
at exploring the relationship between the perceptions of mothers and stimulating
activities created as a result of the educational level of mothers and their ethnic
background.
While we acknowledged the quality of work done on this research, there is need
according to the writer to examine some of the short comings which were observed.
Some of which are; the study explored mothers’ perception and their stimulating
activities to foster children’s cognitive development. They also focused solely on
mothers as the main care givers. There is need to explore the fathers perceptions also.
The study also failed to address the social differences between the boys and the girls.
Differences in terms of character of the schools, teacher’s attitude, climate, peer
pressure, can also affect academic performance.
In conclusion, the research revealed that children whose parents are learned do better
than children whose parents are illiterates. It also revealed that the ethnic background
of the parents had no effect on the perception.
References
Swick, Kevin ; Blackwell Jacqueline. The use of pictures to stimulate social learning and
Language development in school children. Education. Nov/Dec 72,Vol.93 Issue 2, p176.
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