In this book, the author tells the recent history of the natural and creative growth of a vital community of learners, of an experiment in collaborative education and social celebration of diverse experiences and skills that works to benefit young children, parents and practitioners in education and social services. After a background section,…

This book examines children's acquisition of a first language, the stages they go through, and how they use language as they learn. There are 16 chapters in 4 parts. After chapter 1, "Acquiring Languages: Issues and Questions," Part 1, "Getting Started," offers (2) "In Conversation with Children," (3) "Starting…

Healthy brain development relies on the quality of early relationships. Supportive relationships and parent-child conversations buffer stress; they contribute to the cognitive and emotional stimulation that developing brains need; and the quality of parent-child conversation is important even before young children are good conversational partners.…

Early experience has a powerful and lasting influence on how the brain develops. The physical and chemical conditions that encourage the building of a strong, adaptive brain architecture are present early in life. As brains age, a number of changes lock in the ways information is processed, making it more difficult for the brain to change to other…

Betsy Lozoff is among the world's leading experts on iron deficiency and its effects on infant brain development and behavior. Iron deficiency is the most common single nutrient disorder in the world, affecting more than half of the world's infants and young children. Research by Lozoff and others has shown that there are long-lasting…

As education professionals work to incorporate scientific, evidence-based practices into reading instruction, one thing is clear: sound decisions depend on a solid understanding of what the research says. This book brings together all the information readers need in a single volume. A masterful synthesis of information from leading experts in the…

This book is a timely response to the research findings of the last decade. It focuses on the need to understand just how prevalent training is in the lives of our students, how it impacts the brain, subsequent learning, and behavior. This book also details what educators do not only to prevent further harm to our students, but also to intervene…

This paper addresses the contributions that brain research makes to education. Topics pertaining to typical brain research findings and their educational significance, caution in the application of findings to explain differences by population, and the types of research that could be potentially helpful to educators are discussed. Among the…

This book integrates the use of three tools (the Internet, the theory of multiple intelligences, and brain research) to help teachers design projects and activities that help students gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum, discussing how these educational tools work together to help teachers make better use of their classroom time as they…

An audiotape explains an Iowa rainforest project that promotes experiential learning for children, and explores the effects of the physical environment on the brain. The project is a one-of-a-kind private/partnership that has created a fully integrated, seamless educational facility that combines a public school (prekindergarten through fifth…

This study was done to see if sixth grade students could improve their drawing abilities by looking at lines more abstractly--by drawing a picture viewing the original upside down and comparing it to the same student's drawing done viewing the original right side up. Pairs of works were scored on the basis of line quality, proportion, and likeness…

Using recent economic data on state spending and information about childhood brain development, this Kids Count mini-report offers a snapshot of where Arkansas stands on early education and spending on such programs. The report examines the next steps, challenging conventional wisdom in order to explore the best path for improving child outcomes…

Noting current brain development research, this book offers simple, straightforward ways to boost children's brain power with active exploration, repetition, sensory exploration, laughter, and more. The chapters describe how and why the brain develops and explain how parents can give their children the best foundation for future learning.…

Even Start is a federally funded program addressing the literacy needs of children and parents by offering parenting education, early childhood education, parent and child together time, and adult education. Noting that recent research on brain development and learning prompts a reexamination of beliefs and practices related to child rearing,…

This paper discusses a multi-part longitudinal study which compared the developmental movement levels and the academic learning level in young children, noting that the relationship between movement education and academic education is based on the assumption that both realms of learning are dependent on the adequate development of the brain. The…