Re: How Children Learn

From: Nina Sazer O'Donnell
Email: nina.sazerodonnell@gmail.com
Date: February 15, 2006

Comments

Hi Joan:

I'm now a grandma too - isn't it grand!! I've had the same worries for my grandchildren and other young children who are exposed to television and so many of the innapropriate (scary) toys that are being developed these days.

There isn't enough good research on the effects of TV to say much about it - there is a book from a while back - The Endangered Mind (Healy) that addresses it, but there's not a lot of hard science.

There is research, however, that shows that overstimulation can occur and probably isn't good for kids and that people are children's best toys. There is also a good deal of research on young children's memory - they remember more than we think from very early ages, so when parents assume they are not taking in and remembering violent images, for example, they may be very wrong.

There is also research on the effects of television violence on children in general and Peggy Charon has long collected and shared these data (you could probably google her for some cites).

But we really need to help people understand that stimulation doesn't equal learning - and that strong and reliable relationships with adults who know and understand each child and who can both explain and extend a child's world are the best foundations for learning.

I've watched my own grandchildren (ages 31/2 and 10 months) tune out TV and other stimulation when they need to, and the good news is that chilldren do let us know - either through tuning out or getting fussy - when they are overstimulated.

So one of the best strategies is to help parents, grandparents and caregivers know how to read children's cues and respond appropriately...

Hope this helps,

Nina