In the first few years of life, the brain of a child is in a state of rapid development. Over a million new neural connections are made every second allowing children to naturally develop basic sensory, motor and then higher functioning intellectual and social skills. In the past two decades, progress in magnetic resource imaging (MRI) technology, other imaging techniques and breakthroughs in data and statistical analysis, have deepened our understanding of this fast moving and complex process. Like an intricate building, the basic architecture of the child’s brain, and all its integrated functions, are being rapidly constructed from childbirth.
This early plasticity in the architecture of the brain’s functioning allows a wide number of varied experiences and stimuli to imprint themselves on the young brain- the range of those experiences and stimuli, and the environment in which they are presented will determine most of the raw material the developing brain will have to work with as they get older. There is a finite window of time during which this can occur as the neural elasticity present in the child up until age four rapidly diminishes over time. The increase in the number of synapses per neuron and intracortical myelination (the chemical process by which brain connections develop) in the brain in the first few years is followed by a decrease with maturation
Early education, when properly understood and implemented, does more than simply prepare a child for elementary school (although it does that), it equips the young mind with the proper tools on a basic physical and chemical level it will need to further develop (social, emotional and intellectual) as the child grows into adulthood. While this idea is borne out by cutting-edge science, it’s in keeping with a tradition that stretches back to the Age of Enlightenment.
Over 250 years ago Jean Jacques Rousseau’s masterpiece Emile set out to describe the method by which a child should be educated, from infancy to young adulthood. While Rousseau didn’t have the benefit of MRI technology, or data crunching computers, he did understand the truth of human psychological development. As he understood it: “We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man’s estate, is the gift of education.” Rousseau understood education, discipline and instruction as three separate things. For Rousseau, education was the sum of experience, experience the creation of knowledge; and the educator provided the child with structure and an environment whereby that experience was gained. The mission of early childhood education remains the same, to provide for the child the tools and stimuli through which they can gain knowledge.
For 150 years after Rousseau wrote Emile, early childhood education, if it existed at all, had not adopted any of Rousseau’s methods. It was still, for the most part, a matter of instruction (ABC’s, rudimentary arithmetic) and discipline (“line up”, “sit down”, “say ‘good morning’”). But in the early twentieth century, progressive educators, armed with the tools of the new science of Psychology, developed several new methods that incorporated the ideas of Rousseau into what was seen as a “new” way to educate children. Montessori, Waldorf, and, most notably, Reggio Emilia all incorporated self-directed, play based, child-driven approaches to early childhood education. These new methods have proven remarkably successful and durable, with many of their methods adopted almost universally. In particular, the Reggio Emilia philosophy relies on the child’s curiosity and interest to guide learning. Creating a space where children are free to explore and surrounded by “playthings” that provide maximal opportunities for creativity and productive experience is fundamental to a Reggio Emilia. This, like so many current early education practices, is in keeping with a tradition that stretches back to Rousseau and forward to today’s cutting age brain science.
For example, Rousseau was only half right when he said: “man’s education begins at birth; before he can speak or understand he is learning. Experience precedes instruction; when he recognizes his nurse he has learnt much.” Science has recently taught us that education should properly begin even earlier than Rousseau imagined, in the pre-natal period. Expecting mothers should be aware that pre-natal care goes beyond good physical well-being and regular doctor visits. By the 27th gestational week the auditory cortex of the brain develops. It is no surprise that newborns often seem to be able to distinguish the voice of their mothers from other female voices, as well as recognize environmental and musical sounds from their pre-natal environment. But Rousseau was right in understanding the immediate and critical newborn period- and the importance of recognizing “his nurse.” Studies suggest that there is a critical window in which newborns need to be touched in order to develop certain specialized nerve cells: interneurons. According to a study out of Weill Cornell Medicine, “If the neural circuits needed for responding to sensory inputs do not form correctly in early life, the deficits can lead to abnormal responses to sensory inputs and impaired social relationships in adults.” Young care givers’ physical involvement with their children, holding, feeding, changing, etc. can be understood not only as parental acts of love, but as vital parts of their education.
The modern daycare/pre-school was also well beyond Rousseau’s imagination. His fictional child, Emile, was educated privately by a tutor. But Science has again provided us with numerous studies demonstrating that the most important stimuli for learning in early childhood are other people. The ability to recognize faces and read facial expressions, eventually developing cooperation and conversation skills are jumpstarted in a safe and welcoming school environment.
Not everyone has access to a modern and well-equipped pre-school for their children. But modern technology allows all children access to early childhood learning tools. Online curricula, telecommunication with professional educators, and support networks all serve to help home caregivers. Utilizing these tools in conjunction with some basic home resources are things every care giver can do to provide a dynamic and productive environment for their child in its first few years.
Providing a child with a safe and stimulating environment where they can explore and learn in challenging but supportive ways is fundamental. Providing young minds with the proper stimulation builds the young mind on a physical, chemical level. It’s a method that has been developed, tested and demonstrated to be effective for almost 300 years.
