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HOW CHILDREN LEARN
HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN?
 CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH MOTOR SKILLS (PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT)
 CHILDREN LEARN BY KNOWLEDGE THEY ACQUIRE OF PEOPLE, PLACES,
OBJECTS, AND EVENTS AND THEY CAN GAIN SOME INSIGHT ON HOW TO
LEARN (INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
 CHILDREN LEARN TO UNDERSTAND, SPEAK, READ, AND WRITE WORDS
(INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT)
HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN CON’T?
 CHILDREN LEARN HOW TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS (SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT)
 CHILDREN LEARN TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS IN A HEALTHY WAY ( EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT)
BRAIN BIOLOGY
2 TYPES OF BRAIN CELLS
 1) NEURONS – THESE ARE THE BRAIN CELLS THAT SEND AND RECEIVE
CHEMICAL IMPULSES TO EACH OTHER THAT DIRECT THE VARIOUS TASKS OF
THE BRAIN.
 2) GLIAL – THESE BRAIN CELLS SUPPORT NEURONS AND ARE LIKE GLUE
BRAIN BIOLOGY CON’T
3 TYPES OF NEURONS ( EACH HAS A SPECIFIC TASK)
 1) DENDRITES – TREE LIKE CABLES THAT ALLOW EACH NEURON TO RECEIVE
SIGNALS SENT BY OTHER NEURONS
 2) THE CELL BODY – IT CONTAINS THE GENETIC INFORMATION AND PROTEINS
FOR CELL MAINTENANCE
 3) AXONS – A LONG THICK CABLES WITH TERMINAL BUTTONS THAT TRANSMIT
ALL THE SIGNALS FROM A NEURON TO OTHER NEURONS
MAKING AND SORTING BRAIN
CONNECTIONS
 IN THE BEGINNINGS NEURONS ARE CLOSE TOGETHER SO IT IS EASY FOR THEM
TO MAKE CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNICATE.
 THE NETWORK OF FIBERS THAT CARRY INFORMATION (BRAIN SIGNALS)
BETWEEN NEURONS IS CALLED WIRING. GENES CREATE THE STRUCTURE FOR
WIRING SO EACH PERSON IS UNIQUE.
 WIRING IS NEEDED AT BIRTH TO SUSTAIN LIFE (BREATHING, HEART BEAT,
DIGESTION, REFLEXES, ETC.)
MAKING AND SORTING BRAIN
CONNECTIONS CON’T
 BRAIN CONNECTIONS ARE SORTED BY A STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS CALLED
LEARNING. WITH EACH OF OUR EXPERIENCES SIGNALS ARE SENT AND A
SINGLE NEURON CAN SEND AS MANY AS 25,000 SIGNALS TO OTHER
NEURONS.
 NEURONS NEVER TOUCH EACH OTHER. THEY SEND THEIR SIGNALS AND THEY
CROSS A TINY GAP IN THE NEURONS CALLED A SYNAPSE.
 WITH REPEATED EXPERIENCES WE BUILD UP AND STRENGTHEN THE
CONNECTIONS AND FORM EVEN MORE SYNAPSES. THIS IS HOW YOUR BRAIN
LEARNS TO ASSOCIATE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND LEARN FROM THEM.
TIMING OF EXPERIENCES
2 TYPES OF PERIODS IN WIRING THAT ARE CRITICAL TO LEARNING
 1) CRITICAL PERIOD –THESE AR TIMES WHEN SOME PART OF THE BODY IS
VULNERABLE TO A LACK OF STIMULATION. EX: BABY BORN WITH CATARACTS
THAT ARE NOT REMOVED WITHING A FEW MONTHS WILL FOREVER BE BLIND
BECAUSE THE VISION NEURONS DIE.
 2) SENSITIVE PERIODS – THESE ARE TIMES WHEN THE BRAIN IS BEST ABLE TO
LEARN SPECIFIC SKILLS FOR ALL CHILDREN. THIS MEANS EASIER LEARNING
AND A BETTER FOUNDATION FOR SKILLS LATER IN LIFE.
TIMING OF EXPERIENCES CON’T
 THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING ARE CALLED A WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY AND IS DESCRIBED AS A TIME IN A CHILD’S LIFE WHERE
LEARNING A PARTICULAR SKILL IS PRIME.
 ON THE OTHER HAND, A WINDOW OF VULNERABILITY IS WHEN THE CHILD
DOES NOT RECEIVE THE CORRECT STIMULATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE SKILL MAY BE IMPAIRED.
PROVIDING LEARNING EXPERIENCES
 CHILDREN NEED A LOVING CARING ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO LEARN.
CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING AND OBSERVING AND CAN PICK UP MANY
SKILLS ON THEIR OWN BY OBSERVATION.
 CHILDREN NEED REPETITION OF EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THE
BRAIN PROPERLY
 GOOD BOOKS AND TOYS THAT ALLOW FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLAY ARE
BEST. EX: (BALLS, BLOCKS, SAND, AND WATER) THE CHILD IS ABLE TO USE
THEIR IMAGINATION TO DEVELOP DIFFERENT PLAY SCENARIOS EACH TIME
THEY ENCOUNTER THESE TOYS.
PROTECTING THE BRAIN
 THE BRAIN NEEDS NUTRITION, SLEEP, ACTIVITIES AND GOOD GENERAL
HEALTH. EX: 60% OF THE DAILY NUTRIENTS ARE USED BY THE BRAIN DURING
THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE. THAT IS WHY NUTRITION FOR AN INFANT IS CRUCIAL
AND THAT THEY NEED THE FAT FROM BREAST MILK OR FORMULA.
 REST RESTORES THE BRAIN AND MAKES FOR BETTER CONNECTIONS AND THUS
LEARNING IS EASIER.
 ONE OF THE BIGGEST OFFENDERS IS LACK OF POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH
PARENTS AND STRESS DUE TO NEGLECT OR ABUSE. THIS CAN AFFECT THE
BRAIN AND CAUSE TOO MUCH HARM AND DAMAGE THE CAPACITY TO
LEARN.