Chapter 4….continues

+ Everything is learned through your body!

Neurons – Transmit: Receive info from senses or neurons and communicate the info back to parts of body Axons - Send Dendrites - Receive Synapses - Connect Glial Cells - Support Circuits - Maps

 Regulates other systems in the body  Senses information from the body and environment  Guides child’s movements  Forms Associations  Reads Emotions giving experiences Meaning  Translates thoughts and feelings into words, images and behaviors  Determines actions needed to achieve outcomes or goals ROLE IN THE BODY-BRAIN SYSTEMMENTAL ABILITIES

Inside and Outside of the Brain

 Prenatal development – production, migration, connection (or die)  Infancy and early childhood – dendrite branching, (synaptogenesis), synaptic pruning, myelination, foundation of later abilities  Middle Childhood - two hemispheres more distinct, more elaborate mapping, pruning, learning, myelination  Adolescence - myelination, planning, simultaneity,

 Plasticity – The brain’s ability to develop and change in response to experiences  During early childhood – Brain is most receptive and responsive to experience  Both positive and negative experiences modify the brain architecture  Windows of Opportunity - At times the brain is more open to certain types of learning; Montessori called these “sensitive periods”

 BLUE  BLACK  RED  YELLOW  VIOLET  GREEN  ORANGE  BLUE  BLACK  RED  YELLOW  VIOLET  GREEN  ORANGE

 Give children many opportunities to learn simultaneously  Be optimistic that everyday experiences and classroom instruction can have an impact throughout childhood and adolescence  Accommodate individual difference in neurological functioning  Provide extra guidance to children who have had early exposure to drugs and alcohol.  Encourage children and adolescents to think about he consequences of their actions – Play! Act them out!  Help children who have been neglected or abused to form warm, trusting, and stable relationships.

“Let the wild rumpus begin”

 Different types of play have different benefits  Functional play  Constructive play  Symbolic play  Games with rules  Extending play  If you pretend, children will begin to pretend too  Begins as functional becomes more symbolic  Unimaginative play = immature play  Games with rules can be symbolic

What is the connection between mirror neurons and play? What do children pay attention to? Role of emotions… Development of feeling/thoughts

 Rapid growth in pre-frontal cortex where self- regulation occurs  Self-regulation predicts academic performance in 1 st grade more than cognitive performance  A child from at risk family who has self-regulation does better than even middle class child who doesn’t possess these skills  No self-regulation…you don’t know if you know something unless the teacher says you do

 Marshmallow Experiment Marshmallow Experiment  Self-regulation involves:  Inhibitory and effortful self-control  Working memory  Cognitive flexibility

1. Being regulated by another person (to internalize standards). Teacher regulation is not the same as self- regulation and this is apparent when children misbehave out of the view of the teacher. 2. Regulated other people (shows the child is thinking about the rules/standards and applying them). This is often seen in tattling. 3. Self-regulating. This occurs when children voluntarily apply rules to self-not mere obedience.

+ What does this mean? Everything is learned through your body!

Theory into Practice and Practice Driving Theory

 Following WWII  Founder Loris Malaguzzi  Child rich in potential – Citizen with rights  Hundred Languages of Children  Inherent genius of each child  Process of learning – demonstration of learning  Languages – symbols systems to promote understanding  Make learning visible  Not a curriculum  Not a model  The place theory and practice touch like the magic moment when night becomes day

 The image of the child  Children’s relationships and interactions  The role of the parent  The role of space

Interactive Areas Construction - big and small Dramatic play and movement Music exploration Nature explorations Book area Mini-atelier: painting, drawing, sculpture, weaving, composition Message Center Design Elements Color/ Light/ Transperancy/ Reflection/ Mirrors Texture/ Nature/ Shapes/ Lines Continuity between inside and out Complexity of ideas - Layers/ Different Perspectives Organization and freedom Variety of work spaces-heights, levels Focusd - Nothing by chance Use of cloth/mobiles to soften

 Teachers and children as partners in learning  Curriculum as a process of inviting and sustaining learning  The many languages of children

Drawing Explorations Game Board of the City Constructing The City of Reggio Emilia Projecting a transperancy of the city on the construction site

Collage with White Things Steps in a composition Composing Nature Collages on Nature Pictures Color compositions with watercolors with inspiration from Kandinsky

Moving from 2D to 3D Paper making center

 The power of documentation Documentation is listening - listening changes you - courage of doubt Narrates a learning story Gives life and value to the learning experience Reinterpret and re-elaborate on the process Occurs on many levels Day-to-day traces: diaries, work, dialogue Display panels as a memory and history of learning Valuing process Uncovers personal meaning, understanding, and learning Emerge from invisibility Creates culture