Infants and Toddlers at Work

Using Reggio-Inspired Materials to Support Brain Development

Ann Lewin-Benham (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

240 Seiten

2023 | 2nd edition
Teachers' College Press (Verlag)
978-0-8077-6878-5 (ISBN)

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Now in a second edition, this popular resource shows teachers and childcare providers how to work with young children based on current neuroscience research. Revised and expanded, it contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development. For each activity presented, the text examines its relation to the rapid brain growth that characterizes the 0 to 3 years, including major developments in sensory reception, movement, language, cognition, memory, vision, and motivation. Featured materials, with guidance for their use and where to find them, include paint, mark-makers, man-made found objects, natural objects, clay, paper, and light and shadow. This edition features many full color images and two new chapters on using electronic technology with infants and toddlers written by outstanding early educators. This is an essential guide for trainers and professionals who work with very young children, as well as parents and other caregivers.

Book Features:

The interpretation of current neuroscience as a supplement to the wisdom of excellent early childhood educators.
Numerous vignettes of teachers at work with young children inspired by the experiences of lifelong early educator Ann Lewin-Benham.
New ideas regarding the responsible introduction of electronic technology to young children.
Original color photos of children learning with traditional materials such as paint, clay, and fabric, as well as with electronic devices such as cameras and computers.
Insights and practices of renowned cognitive psychologists, including Stanislas Dehaene.

Ann Lewin-Benham founded and for 20 years directed the Capital Children’s Museum in Washington, DC, where she also founded and directed the Model Early Learning Center. She is the author of Possible Schools: The Reggio Approach to Urban Education and Powerful Children: Understanding How to Teach and Learn Using the Reggio Approach.

Contents

Foreword to the First Edition Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Impetus for the Book 1

Research 4

Teaching Techniques 5

Materials 6

Learning Exemplars: The Reggio Schools 7

Chapter Overviews 7

Four Big Ideas in This Book 10

1. Why Use Materials? 13

Infants and Toddlers in Flow 14

Attention and Materials 16

Humans: Unique Learners 16

Sensitive Periods and Brain Plasticity 19

Structuring the Use of Materials 27

Conclusion: Materials’ Meaning 31

2. Framing Experiences 32

The Brain’s Attention Systems 33

Facing Complexity 36

Challenges: Glue, Scissors, Clay, Sewing 40

Conclusion: Accumulating Skills 48

3. Infants and Materials 49

Infants’ Predispositions 49

Adults’ Intentionality 52

Food, Paper, Fabric, Sound 54

Day by Day in Provocative Infant Spaces 59

Conclusion: Natural Learners 65

4. Man-Made Materials 66

Cultural Contrasts: 10,000 Years Ago and Now 67

Reggio and Neuroscience Resonances 69

The Design and Development of Materials 73

One Huge and Many Small Events 78

Conclusion: Meaning-Full Materials 83

5. Painting With Tempera 84

Stumbling, Reflecting, Learning 85

A Theory of How We Learn 87

Teaching With Intention 90

A Culture of Relationships 91

Beginning Use of Tempera 96

Conclusion: The Joy of Painting 101

6. Clay 102

6-Month- and 2-Year-Old Reactions 102

Molding the Brain 110

Joyful Tactile Experiences 116

Conclusion: Clay, Creativity, and Competence 118

7. Mark-Making 119

A Natural Language 120

An Innate Drive 123

A Story from Reggio 125

Complex Intersections: Drawing and Decisions 129

Small Choices, Large Impacts 130

Self-Portraits Plus 133

Conclusion: Drawing, An Imperative 135

8. Exploring Paper 136

Paper, Brain, and Hand 137

New Ways With Paper: Eight Months of Activities 139

Paper, Infants, and Toddlers: Reggio Stories 145

Conclusion: New Perspectives 150

9. Natural Materials 153

Learning to See 154

Infant and Toddler Investigations of Nature 157

The Bounty of Natural Materials 161

Research, Nature, and the Classroom 165

Conclusion: The Power and Pleasure of Nature 168

10. Light and Shadow 170

How We Know What We See 170

Discovering Light and Shadow 175

Conclusion: Enticing the Infant/Toddler Brain 184

11. Using Technology with Infants and Toddlers 186

Alex Morgan

Learning the Language of Technology 187

Exploring Digital Humanity 188

Building Community Through Technology 190

Conclusion 193

12. Making Meaning With Technology 194

Ryan Kurada

Coding and Robotics 194

Augmented and Virtual Reality 195

Digital Photography 195

Digital Landscapes 195

Spectrogram 196

Conclusion 197

Appendix A: List of Materials 199

Appendix B: Art Supplies 203

Appendix C: Tools 205

Glossary 207

References 211

Index 215

About the Author and Contributors 224

Erscheinungsdatum	05.09.2023
Reihe/Serie	Early Childhood Education Series
Mitarbeit	Herausgeber (Serie): Nancy File, Christopher P. Brown
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	178 x 254 mm
Gewicht	340 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Entwicklungspsychologie
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Vorschulpädagogik
ISBN-10	0-8077-6878-2 / 0807768782
ISBN-13	978-0-8077-6878-5 / 9780807768785
Zustand	Neuware