Teaching with the brain- Chapter 2 preparing the brain for school. Presenters: C. Fernandez, V. Madrid, & L. Garcia.

Overview of the chapter Conception to birth: parenting with the unborn in mind. Birth to age 2: early “critical” versus “sensitive” periods (pg., 22). Emotions, sensory motor development, and auditory development (pg.,23-24). Ages 2 to 5: Getting the brain ready for school.(pg., 26). Age 5 through the teen years: the school-age brain (pg., 29). The teenage years (pg., 30).

Conception to birth: parenting with the unborn in mind. During pregnancy brain cells are create between the fourth and seventh month of gestation. Fast developing brain cells travel through the neural tube, then migrate and form a vast network (Jensen, 2005). By the time a baby born, the brain has more than a trillion connections and has 60% of synapses that will develop over a lifetime (Jensen, 2005).

Birth to age 2: early “critical” versus “sensitive” periods (pg., 22). The critical periods also know as a “biological window of opportunity” refers to periods in which children brain are more susceptible to learn certain things, such as a second language. In this view, learning motor skills or a second language can be learned better because there are preferred periods (Jensen, 2005). “ The four aspects of development for which the label window of opportunity and critical periods are legitimate are emotions, sensory motor development, auditory development, and vision “ (pg., 22).

Emotions, sensory motor development, and auditory development (pg During the early years of an infant, a healthy emotional attachment is the base for healthy social and emotional skills. Early attachment behaviors by the mother or caregiver has an influence in child’s emotional system later in life. Stress, neglect, and violence damage the brain, and increase receptor sites for alertness, which affect cognitive functions (Jensen, 2005). Vision, hearing, and motor systems require stimulation for developing. Programs such as Smart Start, which provides stimulation for sensory systems had showed to develop higher levels of academic success. Motor activity in early years lead to better attention, listening, reading, and writing skills (Jensen, 2005). Auditory system has a fast development between the birth and 6 months and from 6 months and 24 months. The biggest increase in vocabulary happens between 19 and 31 months (Jensen, 2005). Language develops in the following order: Hearing Speaking Hearing parents speak normally

AGES 2 TO 5: GETTING THE BRAIN READY FOR SCHOOL (pg., 26). According to the author, one way to prepare children for school is to limit the amount of television. Rather, is a good idea to provide creative and exploratory playtime (Jensen, 2005). During this periods, emotional and social skills develop. Parents should replace television time with interactions with real people. To develop good social and emotional skills the author suggest: Provide opportunities for social games and activities. Role-model emotional stability and kindness. Teach children how to behave with their peers. Help children to learn how to be comfortable away from parents.

Age 5 through the teen years: the school-age brain (pg., 29). During this period, the brain does not have very fast changes. However, the brain continues to grow. In fact, in the next five years the brain will develop 90% of its adult weight (Jensen, 2005). Nutrition is very important during this years. Nutritional deficits lower test scores. Children with iron deficiency were more likely to have lower scores in math compared to normal children (Jensen, 2005).

The teenage years (pg., 30). During the teenage years, there is a rapid and massive structural modification, which is the reason of bizarre teen behaviors. There are some brain areas that are going under construction during adolescence. For example, the frontal lobes are areas associated with reasoning, mature later. In addition, frontal lobes of girls mature faster than those of boys during puberty (Jensen, 2005). Brains tend to mature around the ages of 18 and 30. For boys take about 24 to catch up to girls. Most of time, teenagers select activities with smaller and faster rewards than larger and delayed rewards. Other hormones, such as melatonin, which regulates sleeping patterns tend to be low during teen years (Jensen, 2005).

VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owFnH01SD-s

Why do you think brain develops so fast in early years? QUESTION Why do you think brain develops so fast in early years?

reference Jensen, E. (2015). Teaching with the brain in mind. . Alexandria, VA.