How Toddlers Learn the Secret Language of Movies

by Cary Bazalgette

Overview

This book takes a radically new approach to the well-worn topic of children's relationship with the media, avoiding the "risks and benefits" paradigm while examining very young children's interactions with film and television. Bazalgette proposes a refocus on the learning processes that children must go through in order to understand what they are watching on televisions, phones, or iPads. To demonstrate this, she offers unique insight from research done with her twin grandchildren starting from just before they were two years old, with analysis drawn from the field of embodied cognition to help identify minute behaviours and expressions as signals of emotions and thought processes. The book makes the case that all inquiry into early childhood movie-viewing should be based on the premise that learning–usually self-driven–is taking place throughout.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030974671
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	05/19/2022
Edition description:	1st ed. 2022
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Cary Bazalgette is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Culture, Communication, and Media at the UCL Institute of Education, UK. Previously, she was Head of Education at the British Film Institute.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Part 1 - Preamble
2. Beyond "Risks or Benefits"
3. Two-Year-Olds' Learning
4. The Nature of the System
5. Evolution, Neuroscience and Embodied Cognition

Part 2 - Aspects of Movie-Learning
6. Fear and Sadness
7. Reality and Make-Believe
8. What Happened? Understanding Narrative
9. Watching Together

10. Conclusion: Why Movie-Learning Matters

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is an innovative and important book. Combining meticulous research, fascinating data and the judicious use of theory, Bazalgette brings us much closer to young children’s experiences and perspectives than previous research—and in the process, she refutes many popular myths about their engagements with moving images. Elegantly written, engaging, and wise, this book deserves to be widely read, not just by researchers and students, but also by teachers and parents."
—David Buckingham, Emeritus Professor, Loughborough University, UK

"How Toddlers Learn the Secret Language of Movies is an excellent read underpinned by some serious ethnographic research. I particularly admire Cary’s respect for young children and her openness to their learning. Cary very effectively challenges many ‘taken–for–granted’ beliefs about young children and media and especially the language used when discussing young children and movie watching. Recommended reading for parents and teachers."
—Cath Arnold, Associate, Pen Green Research Base, UK