One of the most interesting, crucial, and challenging processes people can witness is the emergence of a new life – a new person. It is hard to disagree that for later health and successful development of children, the early years of their lives are of vital importance (“Early brain development and health,” 2020). There is a significant number of unusual facts about brain growth and language development, and some of these facts are rather hard to believe. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the video “Born to Learn” and list several items or situations that stand out in this movie.
Interesting Facts from the Video
Most likely, all people had the opportunity to observe a newborn child. This is a real miracle – the same person as his parents, but at the same time so small and not able to walk and talk (“What is early childhood development,” n.d.). The first interesting fact that stands out in the video is that a baby’s brain is a work in progress and the only organ that does not finish its development at birth (KSPS Public TV, 2015). The human brain is not a static organ as it is rather adaptable and is constantly changing. It has billions of neurons that need to connect and form a complex circuitry of neural pathways.
The second fascinating fact is that the brain of a newborn child works more productively. During the early years, the brain has a creative energy that it puts to work in such ways that it never does later. In other words, adults do not build networks at that rate (KSPS Public TV, 2015). Thereby, the early years are a really critical period in the development of a child because it is when their potential contribution to society and the ability to learn new information and form strong relationships is set up.
The third fact is that the brain of a newborn baby does not know what the system that the culture uses is going to be. This fact is probably well-known, but what interested me is that the brain builds networks to detect those systems, voices, faces, habits, mannerisms, and languages (KSPS Public TV, 2015). The world that surrounds a grownup seems to be rather familiar to him or her. However, it was completely different when this person was just born, and his or her brain started severe work to understand the systems of this world.
Another piece of information that seems interesting to me is that there are some ways to help the brain of a child to adapt to this world. It is hard to disagree that parents are the ones who spend much time with their newborn baby (KSPS Public TV, 2015). Hence, if they sing and talk to their child, describe what surrounds them, and tell some stories, they can help them develop important language connections in the brain.
Finally, I was also interested in the fact that imitation is a crucial part of the brain’s development. Moreover, it is another way of learning and understanding this world. Before having a language, it is the primary mechanism for discovering new things surrounding them (KSPS Public TV, 2015). When children try to imitate some gestures of other human beings, it means that they realize and recognize the alikeness between themselves and the people they see.
Facts from the Video Related to the Material Covered in the Module Readings
In the video, some pieces of information correspond with the material covered in the module readings. First of all, in the movie, it is stated that infants are continually learning from the adults around them (KSPS Public TV, 2015). This idea is similar to Vygotsky’s opinion about the most crucial part of the developmental process (Paris, Ricardo, Raymond, & Johnson, 2020c, para. 2). The researcher believed that peer or adult intervention is the baby’s primary source of getting new information.
Another connection between the video and the module readings is the information about ways of communication. Researchers note that infants “communicate their thoughts and needs with body posture, gestures, cries, and facial expressions” (Paris et al., 2020a, para. 1). As they do not know common languages, it is the only way for them to let parents know what they need. The video states that there are several forms of communication between a baby and a caregiver (KSPS Public TV, 2015). For instance, a smile, gesture, and touch can be their channel of transmission of mood or information.
There is another idea of what is an essential part of the developmental process. Unlike Vygotsky, Piaget believes that children’s own individual interactions with the world are more important than adult intervention. According to the researcher, “infants taste, feel, pound, push, hear, and move to experience the world” (Paris et al., 2020b, para. 4). In the video, there is the idea that when a baby drops a spoon several times in a row, he or she tries to understand how, when, and where it falls (KSPS Public TV, 2015). Thereby, it is an experiment with gravity and an attempt to get to know the laws of the world.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, I can say that the video provided me with rather interesting information, and some of its facts changed my ideas of development. First of all, now I am aware that it is necessary to talk to infants even if it seems pointless. It will help them understand the systems of the world better and faster. Then, I realized that some actions of a baby may annoy adults but are essential for the development of a child’s brain.
References
KSPS Public TV. (2015). Born to learn [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Early brain development and health. (2020). CDC. Web.
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., Raymond, D., & Johnson, A. (2020a). Language development. Social Science. Web.
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., Raymond, D., & Johnson, A. (2020b). Piaget. Social Science. Web.
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., Raymond, D., & Johnson, A. (2020c). Vygotsky. Social Science. Web.
What is early childhood development? (n.d.). Center on the Developing Child. 2020, Web.