Infants and Toddlers at Work: Using Reggio-Inspired Materials to Support Brain Development

by Ann Lewin-Benham, Sharon Ryan

Overview

This book contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development. Writing in the accessible style that her readers appreciate, Ann Lewin-Benham looks at current research from the neurosciences to show what teachers and childcare providers can do with very young children. For each material or activity presented, the text examines its relation to the rapid brain growth that characterizes the zero to three years, including sensory reception, movement, language, cognition, memory, vision, and motivation. 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 is the definitive guide for trainers and professionals who work with young children.

For information about Ann’s teacher workshops visit her website: AnnLewin-Benham.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807751077
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	06/25/2010
Series:	Early Childhood Education Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

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

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Ann Lewin-Benham’s book represents an extraordinarily comprehensive yet usable guide to the neuroscientific state-of-the-art in infant and toddler cognitive development. Full of practical recommendations for engaging young children’s brains with the physical world around them, this volume will connect strongly with educators and caregivers alike."
—Mariale Hardiman, Interim Dean, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University

"As we learn more and more from neuroscience about the development of the infant brain, two things have become clear: how competent babies are, and how much they depend on relationships to frame their early development. In her new book Ann Lewin-Benham helps us to understand how to respectfully relate to the developing brain."
—J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director, Center for Child & Family Studies, WestEd

“This book does not patronize or talk down to the reader: It assumes that teachers and parents are eager to think hard about how the brain works and children learn. The information is scientifically up-to-date and its implications for education are stimulating to laypersons and professionals alike. Reading this book will forever change the way you think about how children learn.”
—From the Foreword by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont Graduate University

Editorial Reviews

A wealth of information and specific suggestions for creating learning environments that capitalize on current knowledge make this an invaluable guide for practitioners and teacher educators.”

—Young Children

From the Publisher