| The end of Psychomotor Development, Spring 2007. |
| Movement and the Changing Senses When a child is first born, he/she can perceive sights, sounds, textures, smells, and tastes, but their abilities to experience these sensations are not as fully developed as older infant's or children's. Newborns' sense of taste and smell are more developed after birth than their senses of vision and hearing are. Because the womb is a dark place, fetuses have little exposure to visual information before birth. But what does a baby actually see at birth? The optic nerve and parts of the brain that process visual information are not fully developed at birth. Visual acuity in a newborn is very poor: what they see at 20 feet is what an adult can see at 300 to 800 feet. Visual acuity improves rapidly within the first 6 months, but it does not reach adult levels until 4 to 6 years of age. With more than 30 distinct visual areas in the brain (including color, movement, hue, and depth), the growing infant must get a variety of stimulating input, including plenty of practice handling objects and learning their shapes, weight, and movement. Children need a flood of information, a banquet, a feast. |
| Aesthetic Experiences and Psychomotor Development (from Creative Activities for Young Children by Mary Mayesky, pages 36 -- 41) An aesthetic sense does not mean "I see" or "i hear," it means "I enjoy what I see" and "I enjoy what I hear." It means that the child is using taste or preference. Aesthetic sensitivity is important for children because it improves the quality of learning and encourages the creative process. Aesthetic sensibility in children has many other benefits, too: ~Children are more sensitive to problems because they have more insight into their world. This means they can be more helpful to other children and to adults. ~Children are more likely to be self-learners because they are more sensitive to gaps in their knowledge. ~Life is more exciting for children because they have the capacity to be puzzled and to be surprised. ~Children are more tolerant because they learn that there are many possible ways of doing things. ~Children are more independent because they are more open to their thoughts. They are good questioners for the same reason. ~Children can deal better with complexity because they do not expect to find one best answer. Aesthetic experiences for young children can take many forms. They can involve an appreciation of the beauty of nature, the rhythm and imagery of music or poetry, or the qualities of works of art. ART -- Most children have plenty of exposure to cartoon characters, advertising art, and stereotyped, simplistic posters. These do not foster aesthetic development and are sometimes even demeaning to children! The foundations for art history need to be laid early. Get beautiful old objects into children's hands so they can 'experience' beauty ... Learning art history starts at home. Browsing through family treasures, minding family history, and sharing these treasures in class ... " (Szekely) COLORS can be called by name or by HUE. RED Scarlet; brick red; crimson; dark red; salmon; pink; fuchsia; hot pink; Indian red; coral; maroon; misty rose; tomato; melon; mulberry; mauve; cotton candy; rubine red; strawberry BLUE Turquoise; cornflower; icy blue; azure; aqua; aquamarine; cadet blue; cyan; royal blue; navy blue; midnight blue; periwinkle; Prussian blue; sepia; cerulean; denim GREEN Sea green; forest; chartreuse; olive green; honeydew; lawn green; lime; teal; asparagus; shamrock PURPLE Magenta; plum; lavender; orchid; indigo; violet red; thistle; wisteria; eggplant; mulberry BLACK Ebony; slate; silver; gray; cadet gray WHITE Snow white; ecru; bisque; cornsilk; floral white; ghost white; ivory; khaki; linen; mint cream; old lace; sea shell; snow YELLOW ... Sun yellow; goldenrod; gold; lemon chiffon; maize; copper; lemon; brass; banana; canary BROWN Burly wood; chocolate; umber; Peru; coffee bean; rosy brown; saddle brown; sienna; tan; flesh; mahogany; tumbleweed ORANGE fire orange; pumpkin; red-orange; peach; apricot; tangerine; bittersweet Talk about LINES in artwork: zig-zags, stripes, heavy, thin, short, long, strokes, separated, parallel, crossed, twined ... Talk about SHAPES and FORMS: geometric shapes (square, triangle, rectangle) or irregular shapes. Two- or three-dimensional. Filled or empty, size, name, solidity, relationship, open or closed ... Talk about SPACE: filled, crowded, sparse, empty, freedom, enclosure, balance, boundaries, inclusion, exclusion, location, solid, permeable, feeling ... Talk about DESIGN: elements which are repeated or varied; the way colors, lines, shapes, and forms are placed to give the visual effect of the work; symmetry; balance; repetition; alteration; asymmetry; variation ... WAYS TO FOSTER CREATIVITY IN CHILDREN: The important adults in a child's life have tremendous influence over his/her attitudes. Here are examples of appropriate and inappropriate responses to foster creativity: INSTEAD OF SAYING: TRY SAYING: "There's no such thing as a blue "I see you made your horse horse." (limiting what is possible blue!" (validates their choice) dampens child's ideas) "I'll show you how to do it." "You try it, I'm sure you can (focuses on the "right" way and do it!" discourages experimentation) "That's not what pots and pans "You've made some musical are for." (limiting possible uses instruments out of the pots for material makes children feel and pans!" (congratulations new ideas aren't acceptable) on the discovery are in order) "What is this a picture of?" "You used a lot of [green] in (focuses on the product rather your painting." (Describes and than the process.) encourages without moralizing) |
| Questions. 1. Why do you think that aesthetic experiences are important for a child's psychomotor development? 2. Do you agree with the benefits to children listed in the gold box? 3. How can you design a classroom that exposes your preschoolers to aesthetically pleasing artwork? What kinds of artwork would you use? Don't you think that you would include artwork that would be aesthetically pleasing to you, but might NOT be pleasing to the children? What can you do to offer variety? 4. Does artwork that is aesthetically pleasing have to be famous works by famous masters? What else can bring to a child an appreciation for art? 5. That was a lot of fun coming up with those hues instead of just boring color names. Invent at least 2 more names for each basic color listed!! YAY!! 6. This particular textbook suggests these things to make your classroom more aesthetically pleasing: fresh flowers brightly colored markers prisms, light catchers instant camera wallpaper sample books music in the classroom Can you think of others? 7. Here is a list of museum websites. Go to a few of them and report their value for use in a preschool classroom: Smithsonian Institution www.si.edu Virginia Discovery Museum www.vadm.org Hands On Children's Museum www.hocm.org Children's Programs and Interactive Gallery from the California Museum of Photography www.cmp.ucr.edu Canadian Children's Museum www.civilization.ca Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose www.cdm.org Kohl Children's Museum www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org Children's Museum of Manhattan www.cmom.org Brooklyn Children's Museum www.Newyork.sidewalk.com |
| AND WE WILL END WITH THE EMOTIONS; WE STARTED WITH THEM ... (from the book "Teaching with the Brain in Mind" by Eric Jensen) ... so, THE BRAIN and psychomotor development: The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds. A sperm whale has a brain that weighs 17 pounds and the gorilla's brain is about 1 pound. A dog's brain weighs only a few ounces. Humans have large brains relative to body weight. The brain is mostly water (78%), fat (10%), and protein (8%). A living brain is so soft it can be cut with a butter knife. From the outside the brain's most distinguishable features are its convolutions, or folds. These wrinkles are part of the cerebral cortex. The folds allow the cortex to maximize surface area (more cells per square inch). In fact, if it were laid out, the cortex would be about the size of an unfolded page from a daily newspaper. The human brain has the largest area of uncommitted cortex (no specific function identified so far) of any species on earth. This gives humans extraordinary flexibility for learning. An infant's relationship with its primary caregiver often determines whether a child develops learning problems. Troubled early relationships cause the child's brain to consume glucose in dealing with stress, glucose that instead could be used for early cognitive functions. Early exposure to stress or violence also causes the brain to reorganize itself, increasing receptor sites for alertness chemicals. This increases reactivity and blood pressure, and the child may become more impulsive and aggressive. Much of our emotional intelligence is learned in the first year. Children learn how to react in hundreds of simple cause-and-effect situations with parents. These situations guide them about being disappointed, pleased, anxious, sad, fearful, proud, ashamed, delighted, apologetic, etc. (CATHY SAYS THESE ARE CALLED INTERNAL WORKING MODELS, AN ATTACHMENT TERM) We now understand that the first 48 months of life are critical to the brain's development. While researchers have always known that infant development was important, they never knew just HOW important. The experiences of the first year can completely change the way a person turns out. Most educators know the value of "crawl time" in developing learning readiness. Yet many babies don't have sufficient crawl (or floor) time because they are strapped in a car seat (even when they aren't in the car!), or seated in a walker, or sat in front of a television (I grew up watching TV and I turned out TV). Considering the tomes of evidence on the impact of early motor stimulation on reading, writing, and attentional skills, it's no wonder that many children have reading problems. As an example, the inner ear's vestibular area plays a key role in school readiness. Infants who are given periodic vestibular stimulation by rocking gain weight faster, develop hearing and vision earlier. Many scholars link the lack of vestibular stimulation to dozens of learning problems including dyslexia. The brain can literally grow new connections with environmental stimulation. When environments are enriched, brains develop thicker cortexes, more dendritic branching, more growth spines, and larger cell bodies. This means that the brain cells communicate better with one another. There are more support cells too. The brain learns fastest and easiest during the earliest years. It nearly explodes with spectacular growth as it adapts with stunning precision to the world around it. The outside world is the growing brain's real food. It takes in the sounds, smells, sights, tastes, and touch and reassembles the input into countless neural connections. As the brain begins to make sense of the world, it creates a neural farmland. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ENRICH THE BRAIN THIS WAY? 1. READING AND LANGUAGE (vocabulary, reading to self, being read to, language development, printing, cursive, sounds, nuances of language ...) 2. MOTOR STIMULATION (exercise, spinning, tumbling, rocking, spinning, pointing, counting, jumping, playing with balls, sports, planning, figuring, problem solving, eye-hand coordination ...) 3. THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING (math, counting, alphabet, colors, models, discussion, paper and pencil, artwork, video games, puzzles, word games, hypothetical problems, real-world problems, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, science experiments, building projects, ...) 4. ARTS (music, art enrichment ...) 5. SURROUNDINGS (inspiration, affirmation, content, safety, comfort, beauty, ...) AND HOW DO WE USE EMOTION IN OUR CLASSROOM IN A WAY THAT AIDS DEVELOPMENT? 1. ROLE MODEL (model the love of learning -- show enthusiasm, bring something with great excitement to class, build suspense, smile, tell a true emotional story, show off a new treasure, bring in your pet -- let students know what excites you) 2. CELEBRATIONS (use acknowledgements, parties, high-fives, food, music, fun, play celebration music, etc.) 3. A CONTROVERSY (this could involve a debate, a dialogue, an argument; let children act out a play, theater, drama, tug-of-war, ...) 4. PURPOSEFUL USE OF PHYSICAL RITUALS (clapping patterns, chants, movements, a song, arrival announcement, departure, celebration, a new project. Make the ritual fun and quick and change it often to prevent boredom. Have a class cheer, etc.) 5. INTROSPECTION (use of journals, sharing, stories, reflections about people, things, issues, disasters in the news, disabilities, sad things in families, happy things in families, etc.) Good learning engages feelings. Far from an add-on, emotions are a form of learning. Our emotions are the genetically refined result of life-times of wisdom. We have learned what to love, when and how to care, whom to trust, the loss of esteem, the exhilaration of success, the joy of discovery, and the fear of failure. This learning is just as critical as any other part of education. Many activities have powerful lifelong effects, yet there are few results to show on a daily scorecard. Emotions encompass one such area. Research supports the value of engaging appropriate emotions. They are an integral and invaluable part of every child's education. |
| 1. Go to this link http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070208131703.htm and read the article. Then answer the following questions: a. What do you think of the findings? b. What do you understand is the difference between white matter and gray matter in the brain? c. What are your thoughts about brain size differences between males and females? d. Do these findings have implications for the enrichment of preschool environments? In other words, since the brain is galloping along in its merry development, why are we knocking ourselves out to make an enriched environment for children of this age? Wouldn't the brain develop regardless of the stimulation and enrichment of early environments (which include people)? 2. For comparative value, read this article also: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/12/971206134420.htm Well? What do you think now? Does this article support the article above? Or not? Do you think that it is a wise thing to make assumptions about humans from studies on rats? 3. Finally, go here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/03/020314080425.htm. This study seems came in the middle of the other two (first, 2007, second, 1997, this one 2002). Now decide what you think. Do you believe that motor development is dependent on sensory development? Do you think that sensory development is dependent on stimuli? Talk to me, Goose. |
| 1. ATTACHMENT. Oh baby. I could go on and on. So much to say, so much to research, too little time. So make this one more fun. Let's look at a few media representations of children who have grown to become sociopathic or otherwise mentally unstable. I want you to find a movie that shows this path. Or a book. A book is fine, too, but let me know in advance enough to have time to read it also. SO choose a movie or a book. I am talking about a movie or book that will give you the childhood history of someone who has grown to be a serial murderer, a person with multiple personalities, or otherwise sociopathic or psychopathic. (examples that just jump to mind -- my mind, sure, since it is the only one I have -- are "Hannibal Rising", "Sling Blade", "Sybil", "Clockwork Orange" (though it has been a long time since I have seen that one -- does it delve into his childhood very much?) Read this quote from "Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of Psychopaths Among Us" by Robert Hare, 1993 "Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets." "Completely lacking in conscience and feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret." "He will choose you, disarm you with his words, and control you with this presence. He will delight you with his wit and his plans. He will show you a good time, but you will always get the bill. He will smile and deceive you, and he will scare you with his eyes. And when he is through with you, and he will be through with you, he will desert you and take with him your innocence and your pride. You will be left much sadder but not a lot wiser, and for a long time you will wonder what happened and what you did wrong. And if another of his kind comes knocking at your door, will you open it?" THAT kind of person is who I am referring to. I am not talking about a slasher movie, but a real study about a real person (or imaginary) that is truly one who is psychopathic or sociopathic. OK. Watch it. Or read it. Talk to me about what you think this person's childhood had to do with the way the person behaved as an adult. Do you believe that this person's misbehavior was directly caused by a traumatic or neglectful past? Review and be prepared to share when we gather together at the end of the semester. |
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