Infants and Toddlers at Work

Now in a second edition, this popular resource shows teachers and childcare providers how to work with young children based on current neuroscience research. Revised and expanded, it contains a wealth of practical and specific activities and materials to use with infants and toddlers to enhance growth and development. For each activity presented, the text examines its relation to the rapid brain growth that characterizes the 0 to 3 years, including major developments in sensory reception, movement, language, cognition, memory, vision, and motivation. Featured 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 edition features many full color images and two new chapters on using electronic technology with infants and toddlers written by outstanding early educators. This is an essential guide for trainers and professionals who work with very young children, as well as parents and other caregivers.

Book Features:

• The interpretation of current neuroscience as a supplement to the wisdom of excellent early childhood educators.
• Numerous vignettes of teachers at work with young children inspired by the experiences of lifelong early educator Ann Lewin-Benham.
• New ideas regarding the responsible introduction of electronic technology to young children.
• Original color photos of children learning with traditional materials such as paint, clay, and fabric, as well as with electronic devices such as cameras and computers.
• Insights and practices of renowned cognitive psychologists, including Stanislas Dehaene.

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.

“In this well-researched and aptly illustrated book, master educator Ann Lewin-Benham surveys authorities (like Piaget), exemplary programs (like Reggio Emilia), materials (like paper and clay), as well as current research on the brain and on technology—and skillfully integrates them.”
—Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Praise for the First Edition

“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

“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

Contents (Tentative)

Foreword to the First Edition
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Impetus for the Book
Research
Teaching Techniques
Materials
Learning Exemplars: The Reggio Schools
Chapter Overview
Four Big Ideas in This Book

1.  Why Use Materials?
Infants and Toddlers in Flow
Humans: Unique Learners
Sensitive Periods and Brain Plasticity
Structuring the Use of Materials
Conclusion: Materials’ Meaning

2.  Framing Experiences
The Brain’s Attention Systems
Facing Complexity
Challenges: Glue, Scissors, Clay, Sewing
Conclusion: Accumulating Skills

3.  Infants and Materials
Infants’ Predispositions
Adults’ Intentionality
Food, Paper, Fabric, Sound
Day by Day in Provocative Infant Spaces
Conclusion: Natural Learners

4.  Man-Made Materials
Cultural Contrasts: 10,000 Years Ago and Now
Reggio and Neuroscience Resonances
The Design and Development of Materials
One Huge and Many Small Events
Conclusion: Meaning-Full Materials

5.  Painting With Tempera
Stumbling, Reflecting, Learning
A Theory of How We Learn
Teaching With Intention
A Culture of Relationships
Beginning Use of Tempera
Conclusion: The Joy of Painting

6.  Clay
6-Month- and 2-Year-Old Reactions
Molding the Brain
Games

7.  Mark-Making
A Natural Language
An Innate Drive
A Story from Reggio
Complex Intersections: Drawing and Decisions
Small Choices/Large Impacts
Self-Portraits Plus
Conclusion: Drawing, An Imperative

8.  Exploring Paper
Paper, Brain, and Hand
New Ways With Paper: Eight Months of Activities
Paper, Infants, and Toddlers: Reggio Stories
Conclusion: New Perspectives

9.  Natural Materials
Learning to See
Infant/Toddler Investigations of Nature
The Bounty of Natural Materials
Research, Nature, and the Classroom
Conclusion: The Power and Pleasure of Nature

10.  Light and Shadow
How We Know What We See
Discovering Light and Shadow
Conclusion: Enticing the Infant/Toddler Brain

11. Using Technology with Infants and Toddlers
by Alex Morgan
Learning the Language of Technology
Exploring Digital Humanity
Building Community Through Technology
Conclusion

12. Making Meaning With Technology
by Ryan Karuda
Coding and Robotics
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Digital Photography
Digital Landscapes
Spectrogram

Appendix A: List of Materials

Appendix B: Art Supplies

Appendix C: Tools

Glossary

References

Index

About the Author and Contributors  180