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The author notes that teachers who continually require students to sit still and stop talking apparently prefer to teach a grove of trees rather than a classroom full of students. School environments should be designed to enhance the development of student brains -- and student brains are about movement, not motionless stagnation. 21st century movement involves more than physical movement, since it now encompasses cyberspace movement and status shifts, and it's integral to the arts and humanities -- and probably to a lot of other exciting things that are awaiting discovery.

The present paper aims to propose a theoretical reflection in order to overcome a strong tradition in psychology concerning the analysis of cognition and affectivity as dichotomic processes explaining human behaviours. A general theory of the human subject is presented to discussion, followed by the proposition of a new unit of analysis for the study of mathematical activity, integrating affectivity and cognition. The choice of such a unit of analysis takes into account the specificity of conceptualization and learning in mathematics, the interest of pre-conceptual competencies-in-action, and the need of studying culturally meaningful situations. This theoretical effort is considered especially relevant for increasing the contribution of psychology of mathematics education in the research context of mathematics education. [For complete proceedings, see ED500859.]

While the notion of starting education early with children has gained momentum in the public's mind, our public policies and investments still do not reflect society's increasing knowledge of how the human brain grows and how very early experiences beginning at birth affect a child's future. Arguing that if policymakers fail to include the needs of babies and toddlers as plans are made for universal preschool, in five years the conversation about "school readiness" will instead by about "preschool readiness," this brief examines the gap between what is known about early cognitive development and what is done when it comes to early care and education, and advocates a common conversation about school readiness and a unified movement to develop a voluntary, universal early learning system for children prior to kindergarten that builds upon existing programs and begins with children most at-risk for school failure. The brief expands the notion of school readiness to one encompassing the social-emotional development needed to navigate the preschool environment: approach new tasks with confidence, sit with other children in a group and listen, have sufficient vocabulary and language experience to communicate without disruptive behavior. Next, the brief summarizes research findings on the effects of early experiences on learning at preschool age and older. The brief then describes characteristics of birth-to-three programs, highlighting in particular Early Head Start. Financing models and strategies are then described, noting that the federal government and a few states, including Illinois and California, have implemented such innovative approaches as they build birth-to-five early learning systems. Critical elements for a birth-to-five system are also highlighted in the areas of accessibility, quality, and coordination with other early childhood services. The brief concludes by reiterating that as states engage in discussions to promote universal preschool programs, adequately addressing the learning and nurturing needs of children younger than age three must be at the forefront of the conversation. (Contains 13 notes.) (HTH)

This paper proposes a learner-centered educational system, focusing on aspects that are intrinsically associated with the modern educational system, such as the curriculum, school community, parents, learners, and educational support personnel. It examines: primary level preparation (literacy, numeracy, and basic knowledge; examination and accountability; and complementary skills that enhance learning and character building, such as listening, study, memory, thinking, time management, multicultural, and social skills); high school level preparation, including preconceptual tests, the teacher and continuity, teacher training and subject specialization, sciences as separate disciplines in high school, integration of disciplines, learning as a sequential development, class size and subject rotation, textbooks, scientific literacy, mind tools, quality and quantity of information, the learning environment, and assessment; tertiary studies, which are designed to make teachers competent in using the medium of instruction and maximizing the knowledge of students in the chosen discipline; the teacher within the ideal curriculum (even in a learner centered classroom, education revolves around the teacher); the supervisor's role in learning; the parent-student relationship; brain development; the importance of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle; positive attitudes; and the liaison with parents and the community. (Contains 36 references.) (SM)

Key to the mission of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is answering fundamental questions about how a single fertilized cell eventually develops into a fully functional adult human being and how a multitude of genetic and environmental factors influence that process. This document details part of NICHD's strategic plan for achieving its mission, focusing on goals and objectives to guide NICHD research on biobehavioral development over the next 5 years. The document first describes NICHD's mission and outlines the strategic planning process. The introduction then presents basic concepts underlying the NICHD biobehavioral strategic plan. The first section of the document discusses 2 scientific goals of the strategic plan. The first concerns biobehavioral bases of developmental continuities and discontinuities from birth through parenthood, and includes biobehavioral influences of social behavior and socialization, influence of sex/gender throughout development, fetal behavior, understanding and facilitating learning in typically developing populations, and adolescence. The second concerns the development of individuals with disabilities and chronic diseases, including therapeutic interventions for developmental disabilities and related conditions, developmental neurobiology underlying the emergence of prosocial versus violent and aggressive social behaviors, and biobehavioral effects of the interaction between the individual, technology, and multimedia sensory experiences throughout development. The second section of the document examines research technologies and resources deemed relevant, including data collection and analysis related to neural networks and dynamic systems for analysis of development, animal models, functional neuroimaging, and brain tissue banks. The document concludes by identifying the need for predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs that integrate experiences across the many disciplines relevant to biobehavioral research and the need to create new opportunities for effective and productive multidisciplinary research endeavors. Appended is the roster of members of the strategic plan working group providing advice on the development of this document. (KB)

Noting that most individuals working with young children and their families lack the knowledge and skills to identify early warning signs of significant child distress and that most communities lack resources and expertise to address early social and emotional concerns, this report discusses the importance of healthy social and emotional development and describes the emerging field of early childhood mental health in Illinois. The report asserts that a childs earliest relationships and experiences contribute significantly to brain development and identifies environmental conditions and experiences that place young children at risk for emotional or behavioral difficulties. Behaviors of infants and toddlers and of preschoolers signaling child distress are delineated. The report further describes findings of a study of the effects of maternal depression on the young child. The report then describes three levels of early childhood mental health strategies: (1) promotion of nurturing and responsive caregiving, including periodic screening for emotional and behavioral concerns; (2) prevention of social/emotional problems for children facing constitutional or environmental risks; and (3) targeted intervention for families displaying a disturbed parent-child relationship or for children whose emotional development deviates significantly from typical behavior. The report describes the role of early childhood mental health specialists in consulting with early childhood program staff to incorporate promotion and prevention strategies into their work and that of specialists with clinical training to provide targeted intervention. The practice of early childhood mental health in one Illinois county is described. The report concludes by urging state agencies, policymakers, early childhood professionals, advocates, and families to make the social and emotional well-being of infants and young children a top priority and delineating ways to build a systemic approach to provide early childhood mental health services. (Contains 10 endnotes.) (KB)

This paper comprises remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley at the Early Childhood Summit in Washington, D.C. on June 23, 2000. The paper notes the emergence of a national consensus about the value of early childhood education. The paper maintains that brain development research coupled with new research on how children learn to read has given child care advocates and educators clear direction about setting public and educational policy. The paper argues that it is imperative to have a new, sustained focus on the years birth through five. The motto, "The Stronger the Start, the Better the Finish," is suggested for this policy focus. The paper challenges professionals to help parents in their child's earliest months, to move beyond the current early childhood system of patchwork programs, to change their thinking about how children think, and to collaborate to increase children's chances for success. The paper highlights the French and Italian early childhood education systems as providing valuable information for this country. The following suggestions offered for consideration by the Summit participants are outlined: (1) expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow more parents time with their infants; (2) enact universal voluntary prekindergarten programs; (3) translate research on brain development for parents' use; and (4) elevate the childcare profession and make sure that all teachers have a bachelor's degree with necessary specialized knowledge. (KB)

Even Start is a federally funded program addressing the literacy needs of children and parents by offering parenting education, early childhood education, parent and child together time, and adult education. Noting that recent research on brain development and learning prompts a reexamination of beliefs and practices related to child rearing, teaching, and learning, this article provides information on brain development research and explores the implications for Even Start programs. The article discusses how brain development occurs through an interplay between nature and nurture, and notes the importance of critical periods for particular types of learning. The article maintains that negative experiences and the absence of appropriate stimulation are more likely to have serious and sustained effects during infancy than at later ages. The article further notes that how children are cared for has a decisive, long-lasting impact on their development, ability to learn, and capacity to regulate their own emotions. The following implications for Even Start programs are identified: (1) use parenting education as the vehicle for strengthening parent-child attachment; (2) use parenting education as the vehicle for developing children's literacy skills; and (3) provide opportunities for staff training and development in order to provide and maintain high-quality services. The article concludes by noting that Even Start practitioners have a unique opportunity to have a positive effect on improving the literacy, lives, and futures of many families. (KB)

Technically speaking, brain building is called cognitive skill development and has been in the psychology domain since the early 1960s. Historically, cognitive skill improvement was isolated within progressive coastal school districts and psychologists' private offices. Cognitive skill improvement was used successfully as a treatment in these arenas for learning and even psychological problems. Unfortunately its use as a training tool was ignored, in spite of obvious workplace implications. One learning disability specialist who conducted many field tests with corporations and over a thousand students made some interesting discoveries: individuals can modify or add to their existing learning style inventory, and each person has a unique mental profile with high and low areas. Knowledge of personal strengths and weaknesses gives a person the power to match himself/herself with the demands of potential careers and their skill requirements. Different careers require different skill sets, some more analytical, some more verbal, some more spatial, or organizational. Self-knowledge not only translates into better work proficiency, but also higher income and self-actualization. There are many simple exercises individuals can try, which are based upon formal measurements. Many other games and checklists for assessing right- and left-brain dominance are on the market in bookstores. An individual's ability to organizing or sequencing information is fundamental to office and work management. The best thing people can do for themselves is determine what their strengths and weaknesses are. (NKA)

This paper argues that the fields of education and neuroscience have much to offer one another, suggesting that educators can benefit from neuroscience research by better understanding normal and abnormal behavior and thus creating innovative paradigms of learning and instruction. The paper also suggests that brain researchers might be able to draw from education to better understand brain functioning. For educators, brain research may be used to facilitate the development of improved models of learning and cognition, models which could benefit educational practice. Neuroscience may indirectly benefit students with learning, cognitive, or emotional disabilities by facilitating attitudinal changes on the part of educators who may limit students with their preconceived notions. Given the growing understanding of how the brain functions, it makes sense to include it in the educational equation. Educators' conceptions of learning may encourage neuroscientists to take a wider perspective on neural mechanisms underlying the learning process. Educators have the benefit of observing cognitive functioning in one of the best laboratories available (the school), which is a very different approach from that of neuroscientists who tend to study brain structure and function in isolation. Given that learning is a process affected by contextual factors in the environment, interaction between neuroscientists and educators may facilitate greater understanding of how the brain functions in various learning situations. (Contains 16 references.) (SM)

This paper responds to an article by John Bruer that questions the wisdom behind the recent surge of interest in the educational implications of brain research. Bruer is skeptical about brain-based educational practice and policy. This paper argues in favor of the default alternative that knowledge of brain functioning and development can guide theory, research, and practice in education. The first section examines Bruer's negative conclusion, including the scope of the neuroscience considered, conservative and reform-oriented perspectives, and communication of scientific results to nonspecialist consumers. It also discusses issues beyond specific knowledge. The second section discusses the default alternative, examining prevention versus remediation in child development and education; critical periods and formative postnatal development; plasticity, flexibility, and stability; and aspects of formative postnatal development. The paper notes that education is not the only field where the brain is becoming an important consideration, and it is important to turn to the brain to discover more about how people learn. It concludes that specialists from diverse fields must join forces to investigate this new challenge as a unified body open to innovations and new discoveries. (Contains 59 references.) (SM)

Based on the view that emotional competence is an important contributor to an individual's success, this report focuses on the critical importance of early relationships with important adults, especially parents, on an individual's level of emotional competence. The report maintains that early interactions between parent and infant affect the child's psychological and neurological development, influencing the young child's learning readiness and also the adolescent's ability to succeed in other areas of life. The origins of trust are illustrated in descriptions of two infants and the different caregiving style of their parents. Evidence is presented from the Mother-Child Study that children not receiving sensitive, responsive care in the first few years of life were at significantly higher risk for a variety of poor developmental outcomes. Other topics discussed in the report are the impact of early relationships on brain development, factors placing parents at risk for providing care that does not facilitate their child's healthy emotional development, other influences on children's emotional development, characteristics of child care necessary for promoting healthy emotional development, and the relation between emotion and learning readiness. The report concludes with a description of promising approaches to meeting the emotional needs of young children, including pediatric health care providers sharing with parents information about children's emotional needs, community-based parent support programs, ensuring that child care is of high quality, counseling and infant mental health services, and educating child welfare workers and others who make child custody decisions about the importance of long-lasting, warm relationships. (Contains 17 reference notes.) (KB)

Improvement efforts in American education must be supported and sustained. The 1997 "Education Agenda" identifies the Education Commission of the States' priorities for 1997-98 and describes the broader context within which education systems exist. It provides an overview of the following transformational forces in education: the impacts of brain research, technology, the implementation of academic standards and assessments, new approaches to school governance, demands for performance, alternatives to public schools, and the changing nature of "the learner." A list of ECS priorities is included. The enclosed 1996-97 "Highlights" summarizes ESC's accomplishments and briefly reviews its financial status. The "Highlights" points out that ECS significantly strengthened service in two areas--the provision of technical assistance and accountability to constituents. (LMI)

This paper examines the needs of young children in the Caribbean region with an emphasis on early childhood development programs in addition to early childhood education. The paper maintains that the first 3 years of life are critical for brain development; parents and caregivers should be enabled to provide appropriate experiences, and children have a right to develop to their fullest potential. Early intervention prior to entering school has long-term effects, and the results of research in the United States and in Turkey are cited. The paper also points out the moral and social values connected with early childhood intervention, and the role of early intervention in helping children benefit from primary education. Additionally, a wealth of research points to links between improving the levels of schooling and economic productivity, especially by enabling increased labor force participation by women. The paper notes that early childhood education and development (ECED) reduces social, economic, and gender inequalities, and is especially important in Caribbean countries, where one-third of all children live in poverty and fall quickly and progressively behind more advantaged peers. Additionally, ECED may enhance social equity through improving boys' school preparation and improving expectations for girls' achievement. Early education and development can also provide a focus to mobilize poverty eradication efforts. The paper cites increased child survival rates, changing family structures and childrearing practices, rural-urban migration, growing participation of women in the labor force, the challenge to men to participate equally in nurturing and household contexts, and the relevance of schooling content and methodologies all as reasons for increased investment in ECED programs. (KB)

This paper addresses the contributions that brain research makes to education. Topics pertaining to typical brain research findings and their educational significance, caution in the application of findings to explain differences by population, and the types of research that could be potentially helpful to educators are discussed. Among the research findings that are useful to educators are that perception is constructive, the brain works as a whole system, brain function requires self-knowledge, multiple memory mechanisms are present in the brain, learning happens in an active brain, brains change with experience, organization is critical, and concrete knowledge is different than abstract knowledge. Lists of suggestions of strategies for educational research related to brain research and statements of goals of learning based on brain research are also included. (DDR)

Some researchers believe that phonics is the more natural way to teach reading because, instead of requiring the learner to memorize whole words, phonics shows the learner the process by which alphabetic writing is converted into speech. The human baby babbles more than enough phonemes for any language. Before there was an alphabet, humans drew pictures. Some 3,000 years ago the alphabet was invented with a symbol for each phoneme used in spoken language. There is reason to believe that all who eventually learn to read do so by using the phonic process. The whole word or look-say method appeared in the first quarter of the 20th century. What is happening in the brain when the memorizing of words is substituted for the alphabetic process? If children are to learn to read, they need to be shown the process for using the ABC's to match speech they know. Research of neuroscientists indicates that the brain visually processes words rather than recalls them from memory. Educators who fail to start their teaching with phonics are expecting their students to discover for themselves how the alphabet works. (Contains a list of five phonics primers.) (RS)

Recent advances in developmental science can teach us a great deal about the value of specific kinds of human interactions in the earliest years of life for the developing brain architecture. Animal experiments indicate that enriched environments with opportunity for frequent interaction and new experiences can help the animals' brains develop more healthy connections. Similarly, when adults engage in give-and-take interaction with babies, it provides a solid foundation for social, emotional, and self-regulatory development. The value of such interaction with a wide range of loving, attentive adults in the family and beyond pays indisputable dividends for the child later in life. Using this science to inform public policy could shape what we emphasize to ensure quality child care and early childhood education, how we structure parental leave policies, and how we break the cycle of poverty.

To reduce risk factors for adult disease in our society, we must tackle the problem of toxic stress in early childhood. This condition is associated with the excessive release of a stream of hormones whose persistent elevation can disrupt the wiring of the developing brain and the functioning of the immune system. Children who experience toxic stress in early childhood may develop a lifetime of greater susceptibility to stress-related physical illness, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. Reliable, nurturing relationships with adults buffer children from the adverse effects of toxic stress and are essential for healthy brain development. These protective influences can be provided by families, child-care facilities, libraries, schools, neighborhood support networks, and family-friendly places of employment--each of which has a role to play in supporting the healthy development of all children.

Healthy brain development relies on the quality of early relationships. Supportive relationships and parent-child conversations buffer stress; they contribute to the cognitive and emotional stimulation that developing brains need; and the quality of parent-child conversation is important even before young children are good conversational partners. Young children in secure relationships attain greater insight into people's feelings than do children whose relationships are insecure. What's important is not just what is said, but also how it is said, and by whom. [The interviewer for this report was Richard Louv.]

Early deprivation causes serious disruption in the development of brain architecture and in the behaviors related to the affected brain functions. Some brain structures, and the broad categories of development that depend on them, show more "plasticity," or sensitivity to disruption and intervention for longer periods of time, than others. When problems arise, early intervention can help get development back on track. Professor Nelson's research, including his work in Romanian orphanages, demonstrates how new scientific knowledge can lead to better public policy. [The interviewer for this report was Marcy Ray.]

The public dollars spent to stimulate economic development would be more wisely invested in child development programs, according to two different streams of research. Brain research shows the impact of experiences and environments on the developing brain architecture, with weaker architecture leading to increased vulnerability to later problems ranging from anxiety and depression to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke. Longitudinal studies show that high-quality early childhood programs reduce the number of low-income children who later need special education, public assistance, or incarceration, and increase the number who have well-paying jobs and high school degrees. These studies show a long-term rate of return of up to 16 percent for every dollar spent, making programs such as these a smart economic development strategy. (Contains 5 notes.) [The interviewer for this report was Richard Louv.]

The first five years of life are a period of profound growth and change as children begin to speak, think, reason, and feel. Brain research has found that both children's experiences and their relationships with others influence this early development in important and lasting ways. For local governments, the first five years represent a critical opportunity to support, promote, and enrich the health and development of very young children. These efforts have lasting consequences not just for children, but for their communities as well. Investment in early childhood pays dividends to local governments across time, and across systems as disparate as education, health care, and law enforcement. This paper examines the key areas in which local officials can have a measurable impact on growth and learning from birth to five.

This paper describes three models of brain function, each of which contributes to an integrated understanding of human learning. The first model, the up-and-down model, emphasizes the interconnection between brain structures and functions, and argues that since physiological, emotional, and cognitive responses are inseparable, the learning context is important to learning outcomes. The second model, the side-by-side model, is based on the differences between the two cerebral hemispheres. Central to this model is the idea that the way the two hemispheres work together to produce a unitary understanding of experiences, or the way they fail to cooperate, may account for individual differences in learning. Since balanced instructional practices have a greater potential of reaching a variety of individuals in any classroom, it is recommended that learning experiences include both visuo-spatial (concrete) and verbal (abstract) components. Finally, the connections model of the brain function suggests that neurochemical connections within the brain encode experiences and that those patterns of connections are responsible for understanding. The process of making such connections is seen as a generative action by which people make decisions regarding their learning and behavior. (Author/MP)

Lateral brain research can be used to develop an understanding and appreciation of the vocational and occupational significance of black expressive behavior manifested in some blacks. Historically, employers have placed primary emphasis on cognitive abilities--functions of the left side of the brain. Research has shown, however, that the right side of the brain has the ability to acquire concepts and skills necessary for job task effectiveness. Job requirements and management styles are often prohibitive to the maintenance of good mental health in view of their stress-inducing characteristics and are unduly restrictive to black expressive behavior in the marketplace. This expressive behavior is composed of five aspects: depth of feeling, naturalistic attitudes, stylistic renderings, poetic and prosaic language and speech, and expressive movement. Instead of trying to extinguish the expressions of core black people, educators and employers should assist them to become functionally bicultural. To decrease black unemployment, educators and job trainers need to utilize the communicative modalities of the right side of the brain in concert with those of the left to make their methods of instruction consistent with the learning style of many blacks. (YLB)

Testimony presented at a congressional hearing on illiteracy (March 1986) indicated that good readers use their myelinated corpus callosum fibers (which connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain) at millisecond speeds to coordinate the two brain hemispheres. Students taught using the whole-word recognition method (also called the look-say method and the whole language approach) from the start up to age 9 demonstrate effects resembling those caused by the surgical commissurotomy of the corpus callosum. Some researchers feel that there are several external effects that can be used with remedial readers to make up for the corpus callosum which has gone out of the business of decoding print, including: (1) oral reading; (2) using a fescue-pointer; (3) round robin oral reading; (4) sharing a book using a fescue to guide the reader's attention; and (5) confirming correct readings with immediate praise. These researchers also feel that the whole language approach, which puts primary stress on gathering meaning has, in the end, destroyed it. (RS)