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The Children's Cottage
The critical years for developing atttiudes ofself-worth are best enhanced by u learning
environment that offers such opportunities for children in the homeas well as in the school.
Each child needs to progress at his own pace and style of learningthrough various stages.
Encourage, but do not pressure, learning.Respect childhood and know that certain
achievements must be met before a child will be ready to moveahead.
Because all aspects of growth are interrelated, consider hisintellectuaf physical, emotional and social development.
Consider the VThole Child.
author unknown
Tonight we will be discussing:
A variety of things to lcrow about the preschool age childDiscipline and setting llmits
tearning stylesfuven intelligences that a1l of us have
Cognitive development of the presdrooler
A few things to understand about young children.
They:
1. operate in the present time2. are concrete in their thinking3. have selective memory4. are not abstract reasoners5. absorb information at a non-verbal level, attending to tone first, contentsecond6. learn through interacting with their environment7. internahze behaviors which they experience from significant people in their
lives8. are intent upon self-mastery9. are innately curious--you cannot stop thdm from leaming and adapting for
better or worse10. are one-on-one with their environment. Language has not yet fully developedto mediate their perceptions of the world.11. are not able to delay gratification for long and are aware of immediateconsequences of their behavior12. require clear, consistent limits in order to bring order to their chaoticperceptions of their world. Thuy search for rules.1"3. thrive when their discoveries and accomplishments and goals are takenseriously by adults14. become trustful when responded to with loving consistenry15. develop independence and initiative by experiencing their own competence16. acquire self-confidence with their emerging awareness that they can trustthemselves to take care of themselves.
A FEW TIPS . . . . To Encourage Autonomy1. Let children make choices."Are you in the mood for your grey pants today or your red pants?"
2. Show repect for a child's struggle."A jat can be hard to open. Sometimes it helps if you tap the side of the lid with aspoon."
3. Do not ask too many questions."Glad to see you. Welcome home."
4. Do not rush to answer questions."That is an interesting question. What do you think?'
5. Encourage children to use sources outside the home."Maybe the pet shop owner would have a suggestion."
6. Do not take away hope."So you're thinking of trying out for the play!That should be an experience."
. . . . Instead of Punishment1. Express your feelings strongly--without attacking hislher character"I'm furious that my new saw was left outside to rust in the railtl."
2. State your expectations."I expect my tools to be returned after they've been borrowed."
3. Show the child how to make amends."What this saw needs is a little steel wool and a lot of elbow grease."
4. Give the child a choice."You can borrow my tools and return them, or you can give up the privilege ofusing them. You decide."
5. Take action.Child; "\Atrhy is the tool box locked?"Father: "You tell me whv."
"Play" or Meaningful Activity or Montessorf s "wotV'
It is through play (meaningful activity) that the child learns. learning is not imposedfrom without, but comes from within the child. This is abasic tenet of Montessori'sphilosophy. According to Silberman (cited by Erby), Piaget also believes that a childteaches himself. "Piaget's most important contribution has been his demonstration thatthe child is the principal agent in his own education and mental development. . . .through an enormously complex and continuous process of interactionbetweeen thechild and his environment that begins at birth. But the critical factor is the child's ownactivity in assimilatinghis experiences and accommodating to them." Erby continues,"Given the proper conditions, children prefer educating themselves to any otheroccupation. However, there is a distinctionbetween the work of an adutt and that of achild. An adult works to obtain some goal following the law of minum effort and to savedetail. As he works he does not look for gain or for assisstance. He does not becomeweary with toil. The drilds work is that of producing the adult he will become."
"Education is not something the teacher does . . . Individual activity is the one factor thatstimulates and produces development. This is not more true for the little ones than it isfor the junior, middle and upper-school children." -Maria Montessori
"Dolly's school would be better ifthey didn't have that ladyup fronttaling all the time."
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SAJq'NgTHtH6
Authors: Medication, TV arebad for kidsJust one more program.
It took weeks for the kids tocompletely detox, followingwhich they began acting likechildren - curious, eager tolearn, imaginative, creative, .cheerful and funny. It was a joyand a revelation to watch themrediscover that which had beenall but lost.
It has been 25 vears sinceWinnwarned of tfre effects ofallowing children to watch tele-vision- any telwision, mindyou - and it is painfully wi-dent that if hervoice was heardin the wilderness, it was heardby few. The 'boob tube" has notonly changed what it rpans tobe a child, it has even changedthe way a child's brain devel-ops, how a child thinks andleams - and all for the wome.
TWenty-five years has beenmore than enough time to cal-culate and catalog the damagetelevision is doing to America'skids, families and culture, andWinn has done exactly thaL Inaddition, she's added a broad-side on the negative effects ofearly access to computers.
Warning: Reading'ThePlug-In Drug" could behaz-ardous to your family's presentlifestvle.
O INTO ALMOST anyelementary school inAmerica just before
noon and you'll see a slowlymoving line of children outsidethe main office. Ask and you'llbe told these children are wait-ing for their prelunch doses ofmedicine - medicine thathelps them sit still, pay atten-tion and do their work. If thissounds like a children's vercionof "Brave New World," in fact,Richmond, Va., psychologistDavid Stein says it is.
Stein is one of a small butgrowing number of mentalhealth and medical profession-als who are joining arms in thebattle against what is becom-ing known as the "diseasing ofAmerica's children."
The term refers to thealarming rate at which Ameri-can kids are being medicatedfor attention deficit/hyperactiv-ity disorder (ADD/ADHD), op- .positional defiant disorder ;(ODD) and the relative new-comer to the bunch, childhoodbipolar disorder (CBD).
Dr. Dave, as he is known bvthe thousands of parents who-became disciples after readinghis first book, "Ritalin Is Notthe Answer," has released vetanother salvo in the medicationwars, this one titled "Unravel-ing the ADD/ADHD Fiasco:Successful Parenting WithoutDrugs" (Andrews McMeel,$14.eD.
Dr. Dave is nothing if not aniconoclast, and his latest opus
JOHN ROSEMONDAffirmative Parenting
is nothing if not provocative.Most psychologists and pedia-tricians truly believeADD/ADHD is a biologicallybased disease. Stein saysthey've been taken in by badresearch funded by the compa-nies that make the drugs kidsare taking.
Do the drugs work? In theshort term, yes; in the longhaul, no. For the parent whowants nothing more than to getthrough the day without a ma-jor hassle, a drug is the ticket,but five years of gettingthrough the day is five years ofgoing nowhere fast.
, foithe parenf whdqredC*-'to get somewhere withoutdrugs, Stein has a parentingplan for the ADD/ADHD child.Called the Caregiver Skills Pro-'gram, it has garnered rave re- 'views from hundreds of par-ents who regularly visit andparticipate on my Web site:www.rosemond.com.
Some books are merely help-fuI. Dr. Dave's is full of help.
Another book that has re-cently caught my attention isthe long-awaited new edition of"The Plug-In Drug" (PenguinOriginal, $14.00), Marie Winn's
hassle, a drug is theticket, but five yearsof getting throughthe day is five yearsof going nowherefast.
classic critique of the damagetelevision is doing to America'schildren.
The first edition, which mywife and I read in 1978.brought about great and lastingchanges in our family. Shortlythereafteq, we unplugged ourtelevision and gave it away.Our children, 10 and 6 at thetime, went through classicwithdrawal - obsessing abouttelevision, hatching deviousplots to watch television atother people's houses, havingmeltdowns when their plotswere discovered and thwarted,and when all else failed, beg-$ng to be allowed to watch
fohn Rosemond is a fami$ psy-chologist in N orth Carolins-Queshons of general intprestcan be sent to him at PO. Box4124, Gastnnia, NC 28054 andthroughhb&b site atwww.rosemondcom.
Do the drugs work?In the short term,yes; in the longhaul, nq. For theparent who wantsnothing more thanto get through theday without a major
America:,the landof fatand sugar
ByMaryAliceDavisTTqOD -SAFEry recentty ra_f-{ cheted up in the Top t0-Wor_
I ries, what with E. cbli threat_ening the nation's beloved burgersupply
{*ing in_ve1tqry of the array ofmodern anxietiei, we're stirrei towonder: Will our food products killus quickly (ethal formd of food poi_sonin$ orslow$ (carcinogens, dholesterol, etc)? Then along comes aneven more disturbing question: Canwhat American children are eatingeven be considered food?
_ "Nobody in the world could eatth€t much food," roared the fatherof two hardy sons whose ages putthem somewhere in "the voraci6usyears."
'A highly refined
to see who can add the most zugarand caffeine, giving the produ"ctsntrmes that frankly stress their pri_
clreq.a.scnoot pnnopal who banned.me ngn-octane beverages from cam:''pus after students weit into a two_fised gulping binge that Ieft ttreri.s6.' :
[iK1* they nearly deshoyed fh9' ,
mary mission: Surge, Jolt, I(rank,, .erc. rne old reconlmended pick-me-t1p dosg of Dr pepper "at tb, 2 and4" certamly seems quaint when suck-..9 dooF the eguivalent of a six_pabi ,rn ae gfiernoon is common.
A recent New york Times storyl'about the speeddrinks phenomenon
fl:"9,1_'1T:l !1l1!ra, wlo banncd,
trere'sing to Dr.physicianhealth. %fattv diefi
@cmroren are coqsgming. the studvsuggesm, ls mainly_taL_4gd sugar.
Pediatrics, the study says tde aver_age yo-uth queried in a telephone sur_vey of eating h{itr ** letting 4t)percent of theday's energr sufplyrrom sugar added to food and drinkand from fal That's four times tberecommended limit of I0 percent.
The.average American each yearcon.sumes nearly 149 poundi ofsugar and otler caloric sweeteners.(this excludes caloriefree srpeeter:rers.qgh as gsp"g$m$, acotafiag 6l
M?alq/hilqleges are enterin! into
- Dr.
,_,,o1oyT snu havrng bouble imag_ln{g-wnat a serving of vegetablJslp$ ti}",g-thi",Hitf a cuf is one_third of a Coke can. a cup is trvo-thirG of a small Jolt-
ome of our fonclesr memories ()fbeing a chilcl are about pets. I re-member dressing up ()ur patient
cat for hours r)fl end, putting him inlong baby cloll gowns ancl bonners. perscan be extremelv valuable to vour chil-clren. They don't talk back like siblingscio ancl they clon't boss you arouncl likeaciults do. Here are 10 gooci reasonswhy pets are goocl for kids.
1 Thev are there for your child un-conclitionallv. lffhether vour child isin a good mood or a bad mood,that pet doesn't care. The per stillmakes itself available to be pettecl.carried, pia,veci with and sometimessat onl
2 Thev are almost aiwavs available.With parents being so busy, some-rimes chi.ldren come home to a par-endess environment. A pet canmake it feel iike the child is norcoming home to an empry house.Thev can provide hours ofhealrhyenrenainrnent and companionshipforvour child.
3 A per reaches responsibiliry.Responsibiliw may include feeding,bathing, medicating, prevenrativeI'realth care, exercising, groomingancl of course, cleaning up rheirMCSSCS.
byMarlme Stegel,D.VM. andKathrym Kuok, author ofRedirecting Children'sBehal'ior
Pers have a way abour them thatunites the familv in a c<>mmon love
The lifb long iessons vour chilcl willlc lrn inclut lc uiving anct rcceivinguncondir ional l t lve. nunudng. andhonorine all other lives.
Pets teach chilclren the cvcles ctf lifeancl cleath. Often the flrst clearh achilcl experiences is the death of aper.
Pets can be eclucational. The selec_tion of a pet shoulcl include re-.search inro the personaliw. man-agement, and the requirementsnecessarv for sustaining the pet.Ler your child assisr in rhe invcsrige-rion of rhe pets naturel environ_menr and diet. The librarv. inremer,locai veterinarians, ancl pet storesare good resources for gatheringinformation.
Pets are similar in size or some-times smaller than children. Thevare. therefore. a less rhreateningrhan looking up ar adults or oldersiblings all day.
PeLs are excellent for shanng ar"show and tell." Volunteering withtheir pet at hospirds rrnd nr-rrsinghomes is an exceilenr lvav to giveback to vourcommuniv.
lO pets can provide a healthy arena forvour child to leam about spons_manship ancl teamwork throughgroup organpation like horse ancitlog sht-.,ws.
For chil<Jren in cides, aparrmen$ erc.,popular pets now include luards,snakes, various repdles, birG, fish, fer-rets, heclgehogs, and even frogs.Althr>ugh some of these may not givethe tail wagging, warmfuzzylove, rheydo provide hours of fun and enioy-ment.
Knowing comm()n problems specificfor that species may help clecicie if thatpet will be suited forvour householcl.T<-ro many times people purchase perbased on emotional whims without ful_lv understancling the responsibilirv a.s-s<;ciatecl with that panicular pet, Takingthe time to properly research vour petto be sure it fits into both vour familv'sphvsical l i fe srvle and economic sirua_. jr )n is iml)()rtant.
An imprctper selectir>n could be ciis_estrous. Cenain species are high mecl-ical maintenance. For example, Sharpeiclogs hal.e a high inciclence of eye. ear.ancl skin clisease. Iguanas often sufferlrom merabolic bone ciisease,as a resultof inaclequate sunlight and calcium. Alittle research can save vour Fami_ly mon-ev ancl heanaches.
Pets teach our chilclren valuable lifeIong lessons. TI-rev provicle aclciitionallove, protection, and enjovment for ourchilclren. Some of their hilarious anticszrre well wonh taping ancl sending intothe world most fiinniesr video program.
Marlene Siegel is a Doctor o|Veterinary.lledicine. Sbe bas a pritate practice in ltttz,Florida limited to vull animak/exotics. Attclin addition. sbe is a cenified instructor of the" Redirecting Cbildrm's Behauior,' parentingcouTse.
Knthryn Kuok is tbe presidmt of theInteftailonal Network for Cbildren awtFamilies. Sbe is also an inteftMtional speak-er ard the autbor oftbe book an^d course
: , I
I{AVE Ycu V'S'TEPevR' 'RE€ENIEIL-!F,'
wwwm-On1s5soriiory
Our newe.mail addr€ss isunr:[email protected].
whyPetsAreGoodforKids
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Bedfime Wifhout a BattJeby Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.
What's bedtime like at your house? Dovou dread your child's reaction when youannotmce it's time to put on pajarrras? Areyour evenings disrupted by his resistanceto spending an entj.le night in his ownbed? While bedtime precipitates con-flicts*if not actual crises inmanyhouse"holds, I have found several parents r,r'ithyoung children (age 7 or younger) whoreport hat'ing few bedtime problems. Thesecretforthem was sefting and maintain-ing consistmt routines and clear bound-aries.
One of the parents I spoke with, Anna,is the mother of a six-year-old daughter.
Gattins tue tu MtKeEp tttc rautine fatly corsbtent, htt ffi clnirzs about little partsaf tlu routines. For exantpk, lsu wigl* let yaur child choo* his oatnwashcloth, which story she wants yat ta read to hn or which paja-mashe zoants to rseor.Establish a routine and stickto it- Bedtime itilali tttight includcbathiflg, blnshing teeth, putting an pnj anas, reading, saying ?royers,snuggling nnd caddling, talking about the iby, ar naking plans fortomofisuJ.Discuss routines,tties andlimits, md. any changesbfu, ttwy rc-curWhenyour childrenbroat ahmd of thnewhah erpeet,thq atemuehbetts prqared to eoop*ate.Keep it simple.lf your childten nre not uxd to a Mtime routine,start of with one ol tuo rifuals rnd granuaily inctew fin eomplex-ity. Be prepared to dtange routines as your chMren Wcome oWi anamore indqedilent.Be sure to start ear$ enough ta allotp thne fot thc whole wutine-Keq bedtine (and tlu time childrett start gettkg ready for bed| thesflm& exctpt for rare anil spcial ocssins.Iilany parntts report tlwt varticipating in firc routine with tlstr chil-drat not anty helps lcep the children on tosk,but atgp altmps for oalu-able tfuu for shaing and interdcting.Idf,ke it clearfomtle start thatyour chlldrenhmetheir oumfudsand ydo yoa- AII of the parents inte,vimtd strongly tecommiledrc! alloaingyoar chil*en to slep withyon.Abooe all, cmsistmq is thc rule. gfifuen Imrn new fuhnoisrs wt ffitlwir parents requcst them elearly anitfotlwt through consistaztty.
she wouldn't budge-"Anna and Amy got into some rather
intense power struggles until Anna real-lzed how her inconsistency and lack ofboundaries were creating ano-r,r'in situa-tion for them both. Armed with a com-mibnent- and a fer,r'new skilb-from arccent parenting class, Anna initiated asimple, new bedtime routine. Amy wasto put on her pajamas, brush her teeth,and get into bed on her own. KnowingthatAmy loved being read to, Arrna prom-ised her a sbory as long as she was in bedby 7:45. After that time, she was willingto tuck Amy in and kiss her goodnight,but the storywould have to wait r:ntilnexttime.
Anna also said that she was planningto watch a special shorv at 8:00 and wouldbe unavailable for the rest of the evertingA:nv could stay up if she wanted, as longas she stayed in her room.
Anna announced bedtime at 7:30 andgave Amy a five.minute waming ten min-utes later. "Of course," Anna reports,"Asrywas still up and inherclothes,play-ing in her room at five hll eight. I wmt in,kissed her goodnight, and went down towatch my show."
Ten minutes lateq, Amy had changedclothes, brushed her teeth, and was inbedready for her storv. "It was agonizing lis-tening to her call me. I felt iike a real mon-ster refusing to go up and read to her. Isat in my chair with my fingemails duginto the upholstery to keep myself fromgoing up. I was so upset that I barely re.member r,r'hat was or, tt e TV, but I foicedmyself to stay there."
The follon'ing evering, Anna repeatedthe procedure with similar results. Bv thethird night, Amy managed to ger in bedin time forherstory. Only throughAnna,sconsistencv, and her willingness to followthrough on the boundaries she set, hasAmy become more independent and self-managing at bed time. " I har.e to stavarvare of the time and be willing to go inand rcad even tvhen I'm exhausted or ina bad mood. There are a lot of nights itwould be easier to just not bother. But Iknovr' her improvement at bedtime is on-lv
She told me how she was able to changesome of the bad bedtime habits she hadcreated early on in her parenting careet'nWren I was little, bedtime was a hit-or-miss thing. Sometimes someone wasthere, but most of the time we justdropped in our tracks when we got tiredenough. Therefore, I had no idea how to"do" bedtime when Amy was born. Sheleamed quickly that if she fussed enough,l'd pretty much let her do whatever shewanted. Sometimes it was no big deal- Butthere were times when I really needed myevenings to make a call, get some workdone, read, watch TV, orjustbe alone, and
REPoRTER 9? Winter 199?, !bl. )Oil. l{o. a
as good as my consistency. Besides, thistime togetherhasbecome one of the mostspecial and important parts of our day-,,
Another couple confessed that theirthree'year-old son refused to er,'en stay inhis room, often ending up sleeping on-thecouch, in the hall, or in their bed. I askedTami Gerrard, president of fthool Str-rffin Denver and. rnother <lf two boys agedthree and five, what she recommended.
"I'd suggest getting one of those littlegates to put across his door and tell himthat he has to stav in his bedroom, even ifhe doesn't stav in his bed. He can comeout of his room in the morning, whenMorn and Dad are up."
"If the;r go through whatever theirbed-time ritual is, puthim in bed, and tell himgoodnight, they can expect that he willfuss as soon as they leave. Let him fussfor about five minutes and go back, iustto the door. Say,'Adarn,we've alrcadyputyou to bed for the night. you can,t comeout of yourroom and we can,tcomebackin. Wb're here and we're all going to sleepnow.' Then just leave. If he fusses again,vvait another five minutes and repeat theProcess."
"After he gets used to the idea thatthey're not going to let him out andthey're not going to corre in, thev can startincreasingthe time,maybe to a tenminubewait. Thmi foliowed this process Ior twonights with her own son when he was 14or 15 montfu old and still in the crib. Bvthe third try, he was sleeprng through thenight."
But what about kids whose sleep isintemrpted bv bad dreams or monstersund.er the bed? Learure Hassett, motherof a six-vear-old daughter, said that allow-ing Brittany to sleep with themmeantnosieep for anyone. They ultimately foundthat rvalking the child back to her ownbed, spending a few minutes with her inher room, and allowing her to leave thelight on.was usually cornforting enough.
Another mother from Corpus Cfrrgti,Texag solved the ,,monster,, problem byfiiling a spray bottle with witer and re_placing the label with a sticker marked,"Monster Sptay.,'The mother told. herfour year-old son that the store guarafl_teed. one sguirt would get rid of ariy mon_ster.in existence. Simply leaving Ure Uottteo.n,fty
ryn s night table acknowledged thechild's fegl and provided enougf, secu_riry*to gethim through thenight.-On par_ticularlv difficult evtnrngs, a night lightand a chair in front of the cloiet dior
hetped the child feel even morc safe. Amother in Chicago followed a ritual forseveral weeks which included sweepingthe monsters out of the closet and into theBarage for the night.
John and Elena, parents of four chil-dren under ten, decided their childrencould choose their own bedtimes. Thevwere very strict about "after B:00,, beingtime for Mom and Dad. Although the par-ents spent sone time each er.'ening withthechildren, the kids werepretty well ableto get ready for bed on their own. Eachhad become self-regulating, and even bvthe age of four were able to decide whenthey were tired enough to go to bed.
When asked how ther childrm couldresist the temptation to stay up all night,the parenb laughed and said, ,,The alarsrgoes off at 6 a.m. either way. It doegr,t takeIong for them to figure out hor,r. muchsleep they need."
According to these and other parcnts,several key ingredienb need to exist First,an established bedtime routine, reguladybegirudng at a specific time, is essential.Clear and consistent boundaries aboutwhat times and spaces were off limits tokids alsohelped. Add to thatan acknowl-edgment of thechild's feelings (includingthe night time fears they usuallv wait tospring on you at four in the moming andthe empowennent of allowing childrenthe freedom to make many of their owncho,ices, and you've got a recipe that canmake bedtime another peaceful and re-warding part of vour dav.
Aboatthe authorDr. Bluesteinhas appeared intenutionallu as a
speaker and talk-slwu guest, including smaal aVpedrdnces as a grl,est exp€rt on )rlatbnal public ra_dio, The Dovid Brannet Shou, Talk Nr,os Tetni_sion. The Vicki Show and The Oprah WinfreyShow. She was the Keymote spealer at tllt iggTNCM-E Confermce in San Diego, Catifornia.
^ .She i1 tlte author o! 21st Cenhry Discipline.Eeira Successfrtl Teachg, parentsin a prissttreCaoker. Parea!, . Teens and Boundaries. md ler lat_est, Wnlors.t_Aelterc.and Mrs. McCts MakingaDifercnce. aswell asnumeiarr, *c*zine a*iclcs. Dr Bluedein atrrxntly heads Instiuc_tional Support Serxices, lnc., a consulting and re-source frm in Albuquerque, 'iie.a'' I"Ienci.
You can contact Dr. Bluestein at I9Z5 luanTlb_o,N,E, ?t:ite B-2J9, Albuqtwqtre, NM. BiI12,USA. 1.-800-588-1.960, fax 50i323-90+5. e_naitto : 7 1643. 70 34@comp useroe, com
Bedtime Without a BattleA l995' I.9.S. Publications
Pressured LearnitgDoes Not Work
by fane Rust
predictable twes of personality traits. Themost corrunon trart ot tnese parents $ tnalQ!extreme
this viewpoint, the parent is easily drawn intothe theories of early learning and IQ enhance-
are not deve
frit-o-FeTabest no mitter what the cost,not for the child's development or esteem, butfor his own.
GT oossession and a statusThE image the child projects must be one offirst-class, top of the line. Elkind notes, "Muchpressure contemporary parents feel with re-spect to dressing children in designer clothes,teaching young children academics, and giv-ing them instruction in sports derives directlyfromtheir need to use their children to impressothers with their economic surplus"(Miseducation, p.77). Elkind also writes, "In-troducing preschool children to sports likeskiing is in part symbolic. The small childwaddling about in ski boots that take up athird of his or her total weight is making astatement for his parent. The statement is onenot only of conspicuous consumption, but alsoof conspicuous concern: 'How concemed weare that our child get a head start, that he be
ittle ambition in his own life. The
parents
jobs or homemaking and child-rearingthrough their children's participation in sportsor in other competition" (Miseducation, p 37).This attitude leads to the general demise ofchildhood play. tn his book The DisaPPear-ance of Childhood, Neil Postman says/"Children's games, in a phrase, are an endan-gered species" (p.S).In this way even the es-cape into play is denied to a pressured child.Play is serious business. Games are not for fun,but to be won. The ones who do not win arefailures. The parent who is living vicariouslythrough his child sees himself as a failure ifthe child is seen as a failure. Pressure will begreat to avoid this imagined failure.
Why Pressured Leaming Does Not WorkPressuring a child to perform at an acceler-
ated level rarely creates the successful indi-vidual that the parents envision. -Pressuring
does not work. It does not allow the
fian". ffre *iaetv accept"a a
Sign posted in the rear windout of a mini-oanwith an infant seat clearly aisible-"Fttture Physi-cist on Board."
Fiae ymr old Susan is highly concerned abotttdoing her work to perfection. An error toill bingon lrysterics thot mny last thirty miruie; Susanshows little natural ability with numbers and fewproblem solaing skills. Her parents refer to her astheir "little math genius" anil haae decided thntshe wiII be a medical doctor some day.
Eight year old Peter is required to practiee hissoccer skillsfor ahalf hour eoery morning withhis
father, He wiII also spend at least troo hours prac-ticing euery eaening. When asked why he prac-tices so much, he responds, "My father says Ihaae to be better than eoeryone else."
"The American child has become thc tmwilling,unintended oictim of ozteruthelming stress born ofrapid, bewildering social change and constantlyrising expectations. Children, these days, are un-der extraordinary pressltre to achieae, to succeed,to please." (Youngs, p. 27).
The Orieins of PressureChildhood is disappearing from theAmeri-
can culture. It is no longer a time for play andfun, but is instead treated as serious business.
Elkind calls these children "hurried." Otherscall them "super kids." Whatever label is ap-plied, they are pressured.
Anv area is open to pressured achievement,
sivelv done bv the parents. It starts at an earlvaFe, sometrmes at birth or even before. andcontinues until the child can take no more andquits.
Parents who oressure their children do soin order to fulfill needs in their own lives. Thevmaintain that they only want what is best forthe child. They want them to be successfuland for that they need a head start, a jump onthe others.In
navenoam-
ment,but@see what is best for his child. hegls maga-Zine made the observation that this parent is"often misled by the promise of early reading.
tellect. Jane Healy writes, "Well-intentionedparents may unwittingly short-circuit thepathways to skill development by forcinglearning" (p. 26). It has been found that theseforced skills are limited in their value. Re-
if any, of his ac-c6mplishments will be good enough for long.
The early learner also tends to exhibitmarked decreases in later learning abilitywhile his slower peers will eventually catchup and pass him. One long term study onreading skills found that the child who startedearlier has an initial advantage on the readingtests used to assess pupil progress, this advan-tage disappeared by the time the children were
the child. In thito be moie interested in
hievement than in artistic or
complish his achievement. This parent wants
a "super kid," usually in academics. He views
Thementa materi-
all have staees or levels that each
think-will Pres-
[f Rreonrrnsz Fall 1997, VoI. )Oil, No. 3
in grade four (Elkind, Hurried ,p.34).Anotherstudy showed, that pressured children whoincreased in IQ dramatically during the first
all normal lna
before it is
does not work. Ronald Gotz stated, "The childwill learn only when he is developmentallyready. He will learn only what is appropriateto his state of development" (Healy, p. 69).
The Effects of PressureAttempting to accelerate a child's develop-
slow to be
commitment to
ment oriented ways tend to be unable to thinkfor themselves and have little regard for theirown ability to choose. These children also tendto suffer "bum out" when emotionallv thevcannot continue on the path they have b"entraveling. They might reach a point wherethey refuse to play the game or practice andno one is going to make them do it. This willoccur as the child ages and begins to rebelagairst the pressure and the people who dothe pressuring.
Children who have been hurried carry scarsfrom the trauma of losing the natural time ofdevelopment. Childhood is a vitally impor-tant time. It must never be considerei *uit"dtime. The child is growing and learning ac-cording to inner leadings. No one can changethese leadings. To deny them is to deny thechild a part of his life.
The Montessori Method: A Non-Pressure Ap-proach to Education
Young children can be successfully taughtwithout pressure and the damage it causes.
sleep disturbances, fear of failure, addictionto television, depression, a sense of useless-ness, alienation from parents, general arxietyand stress, and stubbornness. The child mayalso refuse to be pushed anyrnore and may"make leaming or not leaming his particularbarricade" (Roiphe, p. 191). The later problemsinclude all of these (depression, stress and thebehavior they produce are especially long last-ing) plus "pseudo independence" resultswhen the "child must deny his legitimate de-
child can damage the still forming brain.Healy puts it this way, "It is possible to forceskills by intensive instruction, but this maycause the child to use immature, inappropri-ate neural networks and distort the naturalgrowth process. Trying to speed leaming overunfinished neuron systems might be some-what akin to racing a limousine over a nar-row path in the woods. You can do it, but nei-ther the car nor the path end up in very goodshape! Moreover, the pressure which sur-rounds such learning sifuations may leave per-manent emotional debris. (Healy) "There isan order in which leaming is programmed totake place; while it can be encouraged, it neednot be forced" (Gardner, p. 24).
If the area of achievement is physical, suchas dance or sports, the child will likely sufferinjury that will prevent any serious future par-ticipation. If the injury is not physical, it willbe mental. @apressured child*iusintplyffi_:F=t+-While pressured Ieaming ultimately doesnot work, the pressured child will attempt to
Children must not be rushed. Pressure to
sex and the use of drugs. . Marie Winn writes,"The diminished emphasis on fantasy andplay and imaginative activities in early child-hood education and the increased focus onearly academic-skill acquisition have helpedto change childhood from a play-centered timeof life to one more closely resembling the styleof adulthood' purposeiul, successlcentered,competitive. The likelihood is that these pre-school'workers' will not metamorphose backinto players when they
-ou" on to grade
school. This decline in play is surely one ofthe reasons why so many teachers today com-ment that their third or fourth graders act liketired businessmen instead of like children" (p.81).
"ftggqgred children suffer from diminishedsocial skills. [email protected] expected tb be 'ahead, of tireirpeers in intellectual or social skills, they areoften competitive and egocenfric in theiipeerrelationships" (Elkind, Hurried. p. 140). ,,They
are often seen as rude and ill-mannered, butin reality they do not know how to treat peopleor get along with them. These children areregarded as "badly brought up" (p. 141).
Children who were pushed in physical ar-eas may also have health problems such asjoint or bone trauma. It is likely that thesechildren will be "overly dependent uponadults for guidance and direction" and thattheir sense of autonomy will be lessened"(Elkind, Miseducation, p.114). Children whoare coached or instructed in formal, achieve-
Method was set up to teachwithout t works wfifeach child asan individ
teract in a
is on the ch-ild and his work, not the teacher orthe schedule. Montessori recognized the im-portance of a pressure free environment, She
view, adults
ured
The
pendency needs because self-sufficiency hasbeen expected too early" (Maynard, p. tZZ-124)). Other are a lack of loyaltv or
nal activitv and suicide. child
sensitivener directives." The Mq4tessori classroom
i Method does not advocatelearning. MaritTl6friffit
na
abilities.
The children also develop true independenEe,as opposed to "pseudo independence," be-cause their dependence is not denied, but
assistance of lessons and ma
uct that is im
ith children, adults
Because of thispressured
Rrponrrn 97 Fall 1997, Vol. )O(I, No. 3
empqv that is to be filled through their ownefforts, as something inert and helpless forwhich they must do everything as somethingIacking an inner guide and in constant needof direction. In conclusion we may say thatthe adult looks upon himself as the child's cre.ator and judges the child's action as good orbad from the viewpoint of his own relationswith the child. The adult makes himself thetouchstone of what is good and evil in thechild. He is in-fallible, the model upon whichthe child must be molded. Any deviation onthe child's part from adult ways is regardedas an evil which the adult hastens to correct.,{n adult who acts in this wav, even thouehhe maybe convinced that he is filled with zeal,love, and a spirit of sacrifice on behalf of hischild, resses the
chiidhood"(p. 11). Part of what makes theMontessori Method a desirable education sys.
tem is the fact that it does not pressure andthe normalization process can free the childfrom many of these psychic disturbances.
In conclusiory it is clear that undue pres-sure to excel or perform does not benefit thechild. It serves only to fulfill some need of theparent. His attempts to satisfy this need leadsto misguided parenting. A study by BurtonWhite shows that, "Inbringingup healthy,cre.ative and self-assured youngsters, the amountof time and money spentby parents is not theimportant thing. What matters is how theents rnefiEelves are rn [te. Most simificant in
Toronto: Little, Brown ana Company, f'e8i. -Glove, fohn A. A Paren{s Guide to Intelligmce Tsting. HoJv
!g llelp Your Children,s Intelletual Dwelopmmt. ilelsonHalL Chicagq 1979.
Gotz, Ronald E. M.D., ph.D. and Barbara A. Gotz, M.D. car-ing for Your Unbom Child. Briarcliff Manot New york:Stein and DaylPublishero/Scarborou gh Hotse, tW.
Healy, fane M., Ph.D. Your Child's crowing Mind. GadenCity, New York Dciubteday and Corrpany,tttc.,:'91Z.
Marzollo, Jean and Elizabeth Sulzby ph.1i., r,jtents l,fagazine.July 1988, Column 63, Number 7.
Maynard, Fredelle. Pmnts Maguine. April 1989,Volume 64,Nmber4-
McCall, Robe* B., PILD. palents Magazine. Decenber 19gg,Volume 63, Number 12.
Montessori, Maria. The Secrct of Childhood. Ballantine Book,New York,1956.
Postman, Nei!. The Disppearance of Childhood. DelacortePress/New York 1982.
St. Martin's Press, New
pany, Inc., Reading Massachusetts, 19E8.Elkind, David. Miseducation: prcschoolers at Risk. Alfred A,
Knopf, Inc., New Yorlg 1989.Gardner, Howard
Wr-"Ee.
\<_-
{?o
ment of the child's own personality,,(Montessori, p. 15). This is a good descriptionof the modem parent who is prone to pushingand rushing his child. Montessori felt this typeof parenting could bring about ',serious pjy. ichic disturbances that have their origin inj
Roiphe, Herrran, M.D. and Anne Roiphe. ymr Childt Mind.lane Rust is Montessori certifted in Eartv Chi6hood. ,.,1t Ygmt ftuo/Marek, New Yorb t985.
. pantheon Bcoks.i,fl4i'illttfltite
V.,
*)
ryliltlln
{tqA
is number one in significance (Brown, p. 173).
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l. The pencil rests on the firstioint of the middle finger wirhthe thumb and index Ansersholding the pencil in pla?e,
Same as fizure I exceotthe fingerfare closer'to the pencil point.
Pencil held b.v tips of fingers.Thumb on one side, mid-dleand index finger on the other,
8, Pencil is held benpeenthe index and middle finsers.pressing pencil ro the thrimb.
I LThe thumb holds the pencilalong the firsr ioints oi rherest of the fingers,
Same as figure I except thepencil is held perpendicularto table.
6. Thumb raps around pencil,with rhe index and rniddle finserspressing pencil ro ring finger.-
Thumb on one side,index and middle finserson the oilrer, all presiingthe pencil to ring finger.
2.
7.
. . t
Incorrect Writing GripsCorrect
Incorrect
Thum.b and index finger hotdingpenci.l, with the indeifinseroverlapping the thumb. -
Index, middle and ring fingertips hold one side of pincil, thethumb holds rhe othei.
l0.lndex finger holds pencil romiddle finger, wirlrihe 0rumboverlapping the index finger,
ThePencil GrrpP0. Box 67096 tos,lngeles, CA 90067 (3t0) 7ffi.9495 rax (jl0) 7ff.-M44
l2.1he penci.l is grasped inthe fist, and held upagainst the ftumb,
Paent nos.5 I 43463, 3297 ig
Sun at the rnjddle line; go left around,down to the bottom line, around and
,A rrp to the beginning;close;retracrLtL dovm,and suring up.
[Around, down, up, down, urd amonkcy tail.l
Start at the top line;slant down to the
ll bottom line;go right around, up to theA middle line;curve left and close.U $ltgnstart, down, around, up into a
tumrny.J
Start a little below the middle line;9oup to the middle line;go left around,
/n doy to the bottom line;curve right
L, and stop.[Cuned start, around, down, up, andstop.J
. Start at tbe middle line;go left around,dowa to the bottom line, around up to
) *, top line; retrace dowa, and swing{*,r9"
fAround, down, up high, down, and anoakey tai!.]
Start between the middle urd bottomEnes;curve right up to the middle line;
- {F left around, down to the bottom
U ine;e.rrvr rigirt rnd rtop.lCurre up, around, down, up, andscp.l
Ser: a [rJe below the top liae;go up- to tbe top line;go left arpund, slant
-adosnr to the bottom line. Make a+ ciossbar on the middle line.t :Ctri.ed irigh stan, arou:rd, down.
eoss-j
Sart at the middle line;go left around,dcwa to the bottom line, around up
- ts i.h€ middie line; close; retrace down,
fi d. go half a iine below the bottomj iice; book to the left.r
:*=:nc, dowu, up, down, and a !ish-asck. =rier water.l
Start at tha top liae; slant downto tire -Dottom line; retrace up haifway;
.l_ *.*e a !:ump to the righr, and swing4"P'
IHigh start, down, up, and a humpwith a monkey tail.]
Stait at the mjddle line;slant down to,,: the bottom line, and swing up. tvtaketL a dot above the letter.
[Down, and a monkey tail. Add a dot.J
Srarr at the middle line; stant down balf,,' a line below the bottom line;hook tof the left. Make a dot above the letter.
\J IDown, and a fishhook under water.Add a dot.l
Start at the middle line; slant donmhalf a line below the bottom line; re.
if) trae up; go right around, down to thef bottom line, and close.'
[Down under water, up, around, anda tummy.]
Start at the middle line;go left around,down to the bottom line, around and
n up to the beginning; close; retracet1 down, and 9o half a line below the
v bottom line;hook to the right.[Around, down, up, down, and abackward fishhook under water.]
Start ar the middle line;shnt down tothe bottom line; retrace up; aake ahump to the right, and stop.[Do"m, up, and a roof.]
Start a little below the middle line; go ,up to the fiiddle line; go lefr around, ''down halfway;tben go right around,down to the bottom line;curve leftand stop.
r
sstart at the rop rine;srant down to the [r:1"
start' ardund left, and a snake
,L r:!"flffi'j;'ixT.lg11lffi, ,,",, ., the top rine; srant down to the,g to the bottom line, and svring up. ,D bottom line, and swing up. Make a
[High stan, down, up, srnall tummy , ,+ crossbar oo t't. middle line.ud a monkey tail.J U [High stan, down, and a monkey tail.
,, start at the top line; slant down to the Cross']
I l-o-l':t line,and swing up' start at the middte line; slant down rov IHigh start, down, utd a monkey tail.] the bottom line;curve right;slant up
start at the middte line; srant down to ,t/ ,:rff#:dle line;retraee down, and
the bottom line; retiace up to the mid- [Oown, over, up, down, and a monkeydle line;make a hump to the right; tail.l.-^ _ slant down to tbe bottorn line; retracetfTLup;make another hump to the right; Stan at the middle line;slant rightslant down to the bottom line, and down to the bottom line; slant rightswing up. l/ up to tfre miaae Une.
lDoim, up, bump, hunp, and a mon. [slant right down, slant right up.]ls.y ra!.]
sran at .Jre middre rine: stant down to ,, , ,*il|,H illlx*t:Ht-:,ru"i:ire bottom line; retracre up to the mid- ltJ,/ tothe middle lin ,r"o".. down; curve
n I" lhe;make a hump to the right; rigbt; slant up to the middle line.r
" y,_1_"1 to the bottom line, urd [Down, o"rr, up, down, over, up.]$nng uP.[Dorn, up, hump, and a monkey tait.] Start at the middte line; slant right
start at the middle rine;so reft around, )d' fi:r:$nt:|rTff'.1m,!.n f*t::
the bcttom line, around and [Slant down and a monkey tail. CrossU up to the beginning;close.[Around, down, up, aad close.J
with a siant']
Start at the rniddle line; slant down tothe bottom line;curve right; slant up
,, , to the middle line; retrace down, and'Ll no half a line below the bottom line;v Hook to the left.
z
[Dovm, over, up, down under water,and a fishhook.J
Start at the middle line;make a bar tothe right on the middle line; slant leftdown to the bottom [ne; make a barto the right on the bottom line.fOver, slant down, over.]
Annie Schlechter Fleadi o
;EIUI:0U
{cnm?
tJ ttt\ :r soberi 'g fact: Despite che etTorts of educarors over Berhesda, MD,:rnd conducted bv che Narional Reacling pa'el,I I the last 25 years' o'e-third of our country's for-rrth-graders conclude<J that a combinarion of rhe rrvo 'rethods
is ch e icrealc;tu'r rc'ad' This was revealed in the 20()0 National Asseisrne,rr fo, ,u...rrtli-;;;;;;"rr.uction "nd*perhaps
'rore rmpor_'
:"*;t|lff:T*"ffi:(*l; *;:;l:",Hn:il,r...,r.Ttnli canc_rhar chldren,iho,," taught phonics 6rsr n,ake signin_considered thc
'rrnirnunr level of
*€' rdrr ucrow wna[ s cant garns in reading and spelling. These fintlings reinforce whar
' "'$:ff':$::::t;erieve rrrese \\lrole-language leanring was al ;::::':'i.',.T;5:,T;; ,T':i:;
lo*r.or., '..
p",,t;;;;;J;;; the rage in classrooms of the United Stares. I' cornr'trniriesa lonsstanding dispute over horv 'Bos. schoolstodayare refurningto iffi,:: Til'.".:J$, :l'#;:'j:'T-:?:i *:**n':fl::: phonics-first reading instruction, schoors with a phonics-rocused
:ilffi3::'.."ri,flfi,l*ll butwith amore modern approach. il:''1,:.:"il?,T;*5:.H.""1ingout words'whiie others have touted rhe "whole language" First tnitiadve, he hinted t.#rtiJlfilr*r?:1 ft:,*:approach thac emphasizes learning words by sight and .oor"'*r. based reading insftuctiorfr; Io$it 9ti.g$ioo for tea.tt.rr"rrrap"r..u, iiile.
"- - 'r and cfe reading pane-l rePolt.
,*r _,u^"_d"-*;efrtibngrlmayendthedebate;*t""aforall.A wher.e,rvgvebep -' . '( 'iLar9r studv, oo-'i'i,,ion.a uv
''l r.r'0"';r;;;,:; #:"Y:,**"5X;':.""rilr,d,i!i"il".rion unrir the re20s,\{tnt*ood
Health and Human o.".top**i Giiaffi; ; ;;;;;ilffibndeGiopingalrernarivesrophonics,
al. _E "- , , . i : ,WWWCHILD,COM
rnechanical clr i l ls, which thcy said resuited in dul l , word-bv-.,vord relcling that tatrght childrcn how co sound our words br.rtnurde their reading less f- luenr and, sonte argr.red, lcss tun. Overthe rrext 50 years, cducators t l ip-f lopped berween advocaringphonics :rnd chauipioninq I variety of orher approaches thatertrph:rsized relct ing for ureauing- Srart i l tg in rhe '-10s, for c'xarn-ple, one of thc nrost popr-rlar r.nethods of reading insrr uction rvrsthe " look-say" approach, in r,vhich kids were raught ro menlo-rize u'ords bv sight, r.rsing rcpetition-based rnaterials sr.rch as tlashcarcls ancl D i ck u il Jat rc-stvlc' prinrers.
Afcer R.rrdolf Flcsch clescribed the fai iure oi look-sav in i .r isI955 book, l l 'hyJolrt t tr1, Catr ' t Ranl,phonics st lged:r conrebeck.Bur in che carlv '70s. a new theory enrerged: whole language. inrvhich enjovnrcnr of l i rerature is rhe rnain soal. The nlerhod,n'hich encorrmges stuclertrs co gletn nrcaning fronr contett ;rncli l iustrat ions and ro skip over irnfamil iar words, bccame so pop-ul;rr that in t 987 the statc of Californir rewrore ics language-.rrrscurr iculum to nrandate rvhole-language insrruction.
For che last 15 or so years, reachers have rended toward rvirolelangr-rage. teaching phonetic elcmerrrs onlv as thcv conrc up irrtext. lJut proponcnrs of r.vholc langulge ran inro troublc wlrenstr.rdics showed rhat Califbrnia's reading resr scores had plurn-rttctecl under that approach. In i 996, che pendulunr srvung rgain,lnd Calitbrnia ove rhauled irs curriculurn, this tirle ',vith explic-it phonics requirer.nenrs. States like North Carolina and Ohio-rv irich had also rdoptcd whol e-lenguagc programs-follo',ved
sr.r i t , lnd now wirh rhe Nrt ional l leading panel studv, schoolsnationrvide lre prin'red to shift toward phonics-first instruction,
:- ' - : .- " 7=,,. . , .3., i . : : l i - : :_. i- , l l - l -_:Thor-rgh nrnv see phonics as old-flrshioncd, todav's instructionrs nothing I ike rhar of our parencs'gencrarion. " 'We'rc not ralk_ing :rbout having kids hunched over workbooks," savs LouisaMoacs, Ph.D., a reading expcrr who helped Cll i fornia rervorkits curr iculurn. "The shif t conres borh in horv rve'rc telchingphonics-n-rore Jcrivelv, using glmes ancl songs-:rnd ivhen."
While she and other experrs stress thar rherc'.s no "one sizcf i ts al l" rnethod, rhey do rc-cornmencl rhlr teachcrs give kids :rbigger dose of phonics up f ionc. This becorles r l-rc ;rnchor tbr lbalanced rcading progranr. "Contrarv to rhe clainrs of ,"vholc-
lar-rguage propollenrs. phonics docsn'c inhibit relc. l ing f lucncv orrednce r chi ld\ love of books," Dr. Moars savs. " ln i lct, wc t inclrhe opposite. rhat a skilled reader is nrore able ro enjov reacling."
"Phonics today is nruch nrore intornred than rhe phonics bivesrcrdav" egrees Lucy Calkins, Ph.l). , direcror of rhc l{elc, l ingand'Writ ing Project at Columbia Universitv ' .s Teachers Collcge.' 'Wc no longer ccach lccters ;rnd sounds in isoi: tr ion." Ncrr,.rpproaches show kids how ro recognizcblends. plrrerns, rnd word farnilics rnd #DJ l:r:l"li.-:-terch thc'r ro be ;rcrive. rc'sourccrirl fd giflltJ:8:?trvord_solvers, Dr. Calkins savs. ln kindcr- for .Helping y^our Chilci
garren. children learn the i.;";i;" ffffi:S,rtj::;-
00
sound and then putting chem backtogether (/t/ + /ain/ = fain).
For first- and second_graders, phonicsnow invoives more rhan merely ieft_to_righr_decoding, Dr. Calkins says. ,.Wewant kids ro come ar a new word from alla:Cl:s, so we help thern iearn to recog_nize base words, sound patterns, and prefixes.,, A lesson on theop sound, for example, starts offi.rrrodu"lr,g
"nlaren ro simple.wnvl,.li{r,/urarndpup alcf nlen moves o.r ro-prograrsively hard_er words such as operator and,opp"ririor.ilrrIrri; ,n",, incorpo_rate rhe sound in class reading,rd;;r;;;;;
T:::'0"*r:ringgames.c;ifi;;,;;::?,il::'.i::i::.:::iplenry ofwriting _opportunitjes,since *.iri.rg ir-orr. ofthe mosrrlgorous forms ofpuning phonics i.rro pr".ii... Good phonicshomework assignments ask students ,i-*ri*..", the words
Afer decades of debadng the pros .rncicons,of whole language and phonics.,,vcnow know that children need a balance o[both ro learn co read. They need ro makesound-letter correspondences to decodeword structure and nrust have access tolevel_appropriate books ofall genres.And there's one more thing that rnrt.rl'IiLrence in kids,readin_g success: cime sp,
..rsi;-;;'*"*i'P-e-4j-r-e-as!krg'tsF-grwrfh=f rulifl'*tb^
::i1:11;:,1;;il;""l:l;Trii:fii:Til:".,f,"#tr;:#:l-" : i,,,^.J.^: j. -
*. id:.rur,,".io "n a ". Jnu..,.,i o n rn d
aiphabet lnd also have lessons designed toraise awareness of rhe sounds in*words:rhyming, clapping our rhe syilables in aword.while speaking i t out loud, andDreaktng words apart into chunks of
found on cheir spelling hsts, use thenr ina sentence, and then list othe, *ords thevknow with che same sound.
', i:i3.lai-ra :ri-1, :-:l_l i_ j3ti( -;i -i
providing a rich and,ri*rr";;;i;";;.H;:H:T:]"" tH
STE'HANIE HUNT isa freelance writerin Ch".l";;;;;lives r.vith her husbancl and three daughters.
How to tell w/aet/eeryourcbiDl apeec/a id rwrmal
by Kather ine L. Mart in. Mr.A.
'1Tbc tpuck ia w&l"a) ' ' . i . ' r i| ,Avc u fo nad"I wintpa4h*tLi"frIyfezta ia co0.""
But when such rnistakes persisf or newones arise, parbnts maywonderwhethertheir chill's language. development is"on track,"
Throughout my career as a Speech-l,anguage Pathologist (SLP), parentshave repeatedly expressed certain con-
-
cerns: Is my child's speecManguage be-havior normal?'What should I e.1p99tfrom my child'at this stage
"e a.;3oi-
ment? Should I taLe await-and-see ip-proach or seek professional assistSoc:5?This article will help you answer someof these guestions about your."iJvinchild; by diicussing the five basii jf&cesses of speech and language_skills:articulation, Ianguage, fluency, voice,and listenirg larrrditory processing, .
ArticulationAnticirlitidn,is the., abiliqr to'spea^k
dearly and inte[igibly. It is normal for achild to go through a process of trial anderror before their articulatiorr slcillsemerge and mature (e.g., saying "wed"for'red,? "diddy" for"kitty," and "cah"for."car'). Sowhat shouldyou do ifyouobse#C such behaviors? Ilere are somethinpto keepir min& :., nat& t'ut *b.,' s"^i: "ouoi"
r.g*::,,ftf:s,l
t
i : t , ,* : i t i : t ; . . i . - ' ;
-r; t.v "w' "
o'',
then
pbyqrcal or congenrtali , ' , . - : i
problems, such as hearing loss andcleft palate..
. Tbe numtrer of aunZa in crror. Thernore speech soun& your child has'difficdlty with, the more likely it istn", .5. will be a candidate for speqchtherapy. One way to judge this is toobserve hovl intelligible or easily un-derstoodyour child is to aperson whodoesnt know her. The more speechsornds that are in.error, the morelikely it is thatyour child will be mis-understood.
Resist the temptation to forceyourchild to say a word correctly. Ratherthan sa$ng, "No, doo't say that, say
-" simply model the correcr pro-
duction for him after he makeS'anerror; by repeating his senienci butsaying it correctly. Cbildren need re-peated exposure and awarenessof speech sounds through watching,listening and feeling how,iertainsounds feel in the mouth. Your eoal atrhis stage is basic awareo."", oJ, o"r-fecprodnctioni ':. :: :. .-t : ^1 ",
l,.anguage
varieqz of enriching experiences from
infancy onward.- opportunities to
play with toys and other objects, to
listen stories and songs, topla;rgames(ma"ke upyour'own), and to interactwith people iather than television or
d1s 6qmiuter. Everyday tasks are op-portunities to learn, so talk, talL., talk
"booe*h"t rroo r"a .aoorrd rrou: ho*
things feel"rhat they do, how-theyale used, :nd their physical at-
tributes-size, color, shape, etc.. Remember that comprehension of a
concept (receptive language) will al-ways &velop, before expressive lan-
guage.,So;, ifyoir. :want your child to
"ay'the #ord %allrii he will,firsi,have
todevdop a.nsunderstanding ofwhata
'bd[.is"drrough.sb-eing;touching andpldyi"gjdth balls; '.i - . r ,=, : , , , . . ; , j ' . . : , , , , . . : . , . . i . .
iien a tinytot ma kes speech-migtalces lik e these, parents.ard more likely:to becharmed.than. alaimed.
Behaviors you might see in a childwith language difficulqr include incor-rect gramrnar ("Me qated apple);'iisingan improper na.ure for a concept (e.g.a,llilg a horse a cow), or''ramb-ling- (aIistener can tell the child'ii'talking'itrsentences but finds it difficult to makesense bf what the,i:hild.means). It isnormal for a child t6 make such Bnam-
, i.,'|
I
' l
I
lems in chil&enisvocal nodules. (Somepeople referto them as ',screamer's nod, ,ules.) Theie are small bumpd that de;velop on the vocal cords wfien.their.,re :,stressedwithexcessive screaming, shlut_,,,ing oi loud tqlking. Vocal nodJs makethe voice sound hoarse and/or breathv.
While it! narural f"" " "hild
to iioitor use her voice in a loud manner, espe_cially during play, the kev is th.
"rrroiot:f
fu: the vocal cords are stressed bythese behaviors.
Ifyourchild's behavior and voice fitsthis desci.iptior:. l:e first step is to ta-kehin to'an e+r,'oo". aid throJlipecialist(ENT) for''lrn evaluation of the vocalcords. If vocal nodules *. d;;Jthe ENT may recoruneod ,,rrJcal ru_moval. Regardless ofwhether srirgery i"performed, the next step should:bJ tocontact a Speech-L,anguage pathologisttor a vocal hy$ene program" designedto elrmrnate orchange the behaviorsthatcaused the vocal nodules. Ifthe behav_ior is't cha"nged, the nodules will
!9epcomingback.
, Follow these steps for better vocal
hygrene:
':toddler ftirth to 2years, 9 months) isin need of early intervention fol asignifi cant developmental speecf, de- .lay, phone this prograrn, *hi"h p*-vides intervention forall kiir&
"f"""_cial needs. Santa Clara County (SOO)
,404-590A "r No. Sania Cruz (8gl)'462-1274.
In Crcntra C.."t" "o,roti.,
,.,jy-glenizcFe+" _ceU..e! c_48F4(800)_-l 28L-3U23, canprovidereferalstoap- l
propriate services. In Al"-edac""t ty,the Family Resource Netwbrk, (510) .
. ' - : M7-TS22,camprovidereferals. '. Euiiic acboola. {.Jnderthe Indiviouals
Wiih Disabilities Act, eligible chil-dren ages 5 to 21 can get.speectt/l4ngqege therapy. in public schools.
j A prieatc Spezb-Innguagc Patlolo--jE-a*Youcan-pieTe;Js-fr;AlE;
American Speech-Language Hearing' Association, (800) 558-8255. aKatberine L. tlIartin, &[.5., it a certi/iz)
Speecb-Language Patbotogi^tt anl author o/fbe book Does .&V Child Have a SpeechProblem? (Cbicago Rzoiew Prud, 800-8E8-4741, I99Z 816.95). Comments? [email protected],
you go_utu*1lf-s to brush your teerh,come back ic;'the kilchen a.rrd feed the
. Ifyour child is suffering &om an up_per respiiatory infectionor cold, tei-porarily reduce or avoid intake ofchocolate add milk products, espe_cially if.the cLild is recov.ring Flmvocal lodules. (Adults shoul-cl
"Iso1:juge- use of tobacco and caffeine.)Chocolate and
-ilE increase the like-
lihood of throat-clearing, whicb"slams- the v^ocal cords togetier. Dr{rrkplengr of water,rtoo:.
. Train y.our chilil.to avoid using the. - '+eice it improp.r loudness Iivels(shout'.g s1 'alLi.g loudly),.ar im_proper pitch (e.g., t"lking like MinnieMouse) or at improper quality (e.g.,excessive Marilyn Monroe-likebreilhi negs). \,r6;"es areu t desipned toU. p""[i'J bey<inaill;i rli".Jli-1t".
I Avoid eom.petiqg. wir-&.lou+ Inachin--'ery-or gaikgr8srnaadie; iir?cn *""", childdg.eo"to
"r"ttieirdqri or te lleseihe'dstance between hei and,therfrS-
f lc.l:t+r*'*,*r":*l**a_ulil,.J",::::-..:.-:.*,'::-;.;
T::gffipassed away a mo-ntb agq and Ifound this cokrmn of yours in herboxof "special thingsi I'hope youwill print it again. A lOt of parentsshould see it. ; Charlotte inMountain, Wis.
Dear Charlotte This essay wasorignally prepared by the police d*partment of Houston, Texas, and ap-peared in my column back in 1959:
Tlvelve Rules for,Raising :.Delinquent Children
1. Begi4 in infancy to give thechild everything he wants. In thisway, he will grow to believe theworld owes him a living.
2. When he picks up bad words,laugh at him. This will make himthink he's cute. It will also encour-age him to pick up "cuter" phrasesthat will blow off the top of yourhead later.
3. Never give him any spirituaitraining. Wait till he is 21, and thenlet him "decide for.himself."
4. Avoid use of the word '1rrong."It may develop a guilt complex. Thiswill condition him tobelieve, late4,when he is arrested for stealing acaq, that society is against him and
10. Take his part again* ne1g!;,,bon, teachers and policemen. Thejt'are all prejudiced against yourlClild
ll. When hegets into realtror$lgapologize for'yourself by saying,-"I', .never could do any.thing with himf '.
' L2. Prepare for a life of grief;*.'.. You wr!.!e apt to have it.
he is being persecuted.' 5. Pickup everythinghe leaves
$ingaround-books, shoes and rclothing. Do everything fcirhim sohe will be experienced in throwingall responsibility onto others.
6. Let him read any printed mat-ter he can get his hands on. Becareful that the silverware anddrinking glasses are sterilized, butlet his mind feast on garbage.
7. Quarrel frequently in thepresence of your child. In this way,he will not be too shocked whenthe home is broken up later.
8. Give a child all the spendingmoney he wants. Never let himearn his own. Why should he havethings as tough as you had them?
9. Satisfy his every craving forfood. drink and comfort. See thatevery sensual desire is gratified. De-nial may lead to harmful fmstration.
Children need you to bethe parent, not a ftiend
JOHST ROSEMONDAffrmrative Parenting
must sometimes say, "Nq I won'thelp you, You can do that on yourown" and stand firm in the face ofthe child's demand that his delu-sions of helplessness be acknowl-edged and indulged. The Fuly lov-ins parent is wilins.fi-6ffiEiwords. to cause his child ftustra.donJasenimAfr evm Eate-reKnows rus crulo ooes not Know+what s rn hF owribesfEtenilst. He@oodr-qecuilon ano relolces m a Da(l one.ffibound in the heart ofthe chilf(Proverbs 22:15) and that only astrolg love can exorcise this im-pruoence.
The parent who understandsttratJEfr i:eari-iEl3te@EEiatso-unoeNlanos tnal a leacer cannot
When the chiidlS qq adult, thet .+cruo neeos a Darent wno N a.-....-friend. & everything in parenting
EeElfi season. Tdccintuse the"season is to confuse the chiid.
IGep always in mind: You arenot raising a chiid. You are raisingan adult. What sort of adult do vouwant?
thinks he needs
especially those that are "undevel-" hlbelsA-be$ss,ixe
in old-fashioned
True love strengthens. True love
@discioiine are one and the same.F{e will question because he can,but he is not likely to rebel in self-destructive ways, even though he
,2.
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f r l? FF i r Fi i; ci c'j
May 1995
The Freeclom of Responstblltty
by Chn'stopher A ckerman
n essenttal asnect of our workas Montessorians is to oromotethe develooment of resoonsi-bi l i ty in chi ldren. How we dothts is an ongoing chal lenge,
one that has not gotten easier over time in anAmerican culture that often fails to encouragesuch growth in individuals.
Family life todav is more harried, fast-paced,separate, and dislointed than lifestyles of thepast. As a result of this instabilitv. we seemore chi ldren lackino consistent parental guid_ance and attention. We see more chi ldrenraised by the electronic media child,care sys_tem. We see chi ldren without the orerequisite
necessarv to healthy, confident, well_rounoedda\/al^nmani::-lL:g
In short, in greater and greater numbers ofchi ldren, we see a l inoerino state of immatu_rity and lack of abi l i ty to assume resoonsibi l iw.Often this is accompanied bv a crioolinq per-fect ionism, an overblown fear of fai lure. andan assumed
'n2rleqracv that keeps Vounqc!.19lg@lojrg!.c-lhese a re some effectsthat our society has had upon chi ldren. as Ihave observed in nearly twenty{ive years asan educator.
There are few concepts more misunderstoodand abused by the "Me Generation', of par-ents than the issue of freedom. In the name offre"do.n,
'-nany par"nts haue ci-ilffi
respectful behavinr rtcec nor f,reoare the chilCIor successful relationshios anvwhere. Free-dom of self-expression is imoortant; equallyso arel imits based u by-product of our lifestyles is a cloud of guilt toooften hovering over relationships with ourchildren. Working. separated, or divorced par-ents are particularly prone to this type ofstress. Also, many parents are truly ambiva-lent about how to go about imposing l imitswhen their goal is to experience ' , qual i ty t ime,'with their chi ldren.
Children who are qiven the maioriw of powe.i! the family are not haoov campers. Theirb
rn charoe. As Montessorians. this is often thegreatest service we can render the chi ld in ourclassrooms.
It is how we go about this work of heiping thechi ld Iearn to assume responsibi l i ty, that is ourmost tmportant task. we often have to alterbehavior patterns adopted at home. Also. achi ld may be tremendorrsly ambivalent abouttotto*t.g ow dlr.
tiveiy resist what is good for thenr
As the adult, our job is to have faith in what wedo, as well as in the inner resources of the.hild. We!qg-!9-!9|jgyg__Uet every chitdn""0.@self-discipline, simolv hecause there can beno true and lasting hanninpss in life without it.We must believe that we are not over-burden-ing small chi ldren when we lead them in thisdirection. We must know that in our work asMontessorians we offer a great service toanother human being. We try to guide her orhim to what is the truth.
This is often an internal struggle for the adultin the classroom. Like parenrs, we too can
Atheir own
Newsletterdren fundamental values l ike discipl ine and
NAMTA Memberc
I t amazes me how often I hear young chi ldrenspeak to their parents with utterly inappropri_ate rudeness, and the parent either ignores orsheepishly tolerates the incident. lqnoring dis_
Practical
forresponsibilitv. lt's hard work being there con_sistgntlv.with r-hi ldren, quidino, correcting,sett ino t imits. ana
sronal attemot.
fob Bulletln page 6
continuecl on the bllowing p4ge
page 2
. . . Freedom of Responsibilitycontinued
more easily let things slide, ignore inappropri-ate behavior, and hand over an inordinatedegree of power to the child. But it is the adultwho must take charge in the Montessoriciass_
Observing in a Children,s House classroomr ec e ntiy^, llgi!4 e ss_ed a s ce r.r e tha t wo nd e rf u l l v
wttheendoi rnetr tesson together, the directre!*ffi--.--a young oov,.tact-o rot@-
--ialk rlfused.whinr nrs olrectress, knowing otherwise in an e._.r"T!$"9 t""".r".ttrr perore. He became tearfully oostratJiii
exptained why it was necessary anO offeGE to!r-.
-nerpJacrge@consume a iot oi time and en€rgy and therewere numerous other children the directressnoped to get to in the not_toodistant future.Still. she never lost patience throughout.)
a
%nson-6iiffi,
but couldn
ambivalent
t-"9:Ith th".ei"ins
t.
tne ru,S-slid saf ely__home._
&S_f eatu res. Thp .ri.""rress sincerEli-oZGnrm once aqain for a lob well done,
A.whi le later,@ptcture. Finished, he qot uo !o rettrrn 2 hack.roj cqlored markers and soilted them out ailthe floor. "Thisl,, I thought, ,,should be inter-
As the aclult, our jobis to have faith in whatwe clo, as \ruell as inthe inner resources ofthe chilcl. We have tobelieve that everyrchild neecls and wantsto attain responsibilityand self-cliscipline,simply because therecan be no true and
rogwr-rapsec Into a twisted blob. Jack esiatatea ni.g]lrre proce1ggtthe ctai,tfii the t"rche-
cirrectress rema@
!r -t[e chilq,became a catatust in tfrelEnGi
the:?l, Jack watk".r;healthier This is
Iasting happiness in, iln?ry't'acl'<slour @,.o"-ii'?q,iaci< s:iourd _,
ili,.n'e|_- o.ss'st tne cniu lru
o*n inne, ,.esouiiGjEiin po*ei to, oeueLcanfrnud on the bllodnggge
to the rug rack. More
This type of encounter is what we should seein a Montessori classroom. Lhances
"rn goJ
that it would not have happened in most other
:::lY',@
his 9irectress rendered a oreat.e*, . . tothi . .h l |d. l twou|dhaveoeen tar easier, and easilv iustifi_qOie, had she simplv ,,helped,,
J-ack roll up and ,et rrS.
life without it.
page 3
At what age clo webegin? Accorclingto Dr. Montessori,by Z1/z to 3 years ofage, just about everylchilcl is not onlycapable, but clesirousof being responsible.
opmgnt of a responsible self . Here was anexample of a trained Montessorian practicinothe phi losophy in the spir i t of self lesslv oivinoto the child what was trulv in his hpst interestsShe invested great energy in helping .Jackexpenence the effects of assuming, ratherthan avoiding, responsibi l i ty. Her act ions werean expression of love.
school-teacher observer, mignt have wit_nessed this scene and iudged the directressas too strict or overbqarino about such a minorqgas rolgg up_!-!g. The observer mightteel that such a young chi ld needed moredirect help, that l i t t le Jack was almost beingpersecuted by this powerful adult; he shouldhave been free to leave the rug as it wasinstead of the big deal made over i t .
m" Al*atr"a. ""rlW,taken the popular view that iittle children don;t
reallv need to be so resoonsible. They haveplenty of time for that later in life; for now weshould let them enjoy the freedoms of child_hood as long as possible. Simply let them havefun doing as they nleaset 
I ' I {O PATgS
-- A CHILDTS-EYII VIFrf
,ar"Qv,I want to beloag and have
I want c i ignicy and wor:h! i wanr s igni f icance and capabi l i rytI want to overcome lreaknesces and eu:,ounc dl f f lcul t ies !
I feela place;
f c,an tal<eencouraged; I
capable; I havei tn respected;pa;t ; I feel
i feel aor leh;r . i : r . f er io: :I feel excluCed-- v ic i i : r -
Cai AeASU;e uD.
I In abl.e t ,o contr ibut,e !I l ike to cooperate i
L can eone to gr ips rr l thproblers anC sol.ve then!
I cen inprove ! I can hel
g5
QA9
,r r-i.6,: .|
A3OLT IT
itoi{ I REG.LCJ:
1:ed-- pushad dor*n-- c i ls-respecteC and CiscourageCt
I have to schene andf lght l I have. io be
areful noi to letl . ten bcss me! I auc:conquer, Bet even,
and prolect uysel i lI eanrt ; rake a:s iakes
rg.r
NAIJ-.IA],F Art F-^ t - r t^
- ^U\l l t , ) .6 i Ui-r \ ' - .1J
3 "+r \I neve:
i just .f . lA. l59
Soee ti:res inj .s:akes , bu:
1ea:a froe
rake
-,hen.
ognr z efher t
lgnc;ethen !
:ake nis iakes.have bad luck!
are a:ains: aeltII
!W *\ /AL Rgj,lRls Al:"JDINJ 7 qU\,(:\:-C
\ lccNs:QTJENC:S
l /l -ha i rna?-.-. . rs ! - rpu! -e. l t peopie in ny l l f e are ( , . I | |accoun:able anci consistent. Ihev W/consi ier the r ighrs of others as nve1i as Eheir own, They share t .he \
, /pI* tnrng and keep io chl a;=eerer:s I/ ,u rake, so i :espect then anci jceep J
/ to the agreei :ents, too, (nrost of the r ine) lIraen i don, e I lrnow what I have :o do andlt ts rry responsibi l i :7 to do i t . I knowthls beceuee I was in on the plannin3 be-
forehand e,nd helped to decids t \ . inoc- - - - ; - - -
l, ,*COIJP'AGEIENTPeople :eeogrize n:/ st len3ihs. The1,bel ieve in ne and appreclate ne fornysel f I
The inporiani people in :ny 1i.f e ai-,va1.,sseem to \rant ih ir€s r .helr vay. Cf irn
they seen Eo Ee to be $ndependable andlnconsistent. They push ; le E:ound or
else they b=ibe ne. They real l ; l con'ccale about n;r r ights. Thel ' want. al l
" l r
: .1e saj ; I f I do whec -Jre;r ask, i l rsjus. to get someLn!: lg : - :o: the:r . I
reel ly iont t l is ten io therr but jus-.aanipuiate t l ren. I i rs not Ey i€e \sponsic i i i :y to : . ; -E:ove Eh:€s: \. t
DiSCOLTRAGEiENI
Pe6pLpre praise rne l f I neet ! .hei :s ianCarCs . Other,r ise :he.rsiandarCs. Other,r ise the.r D;oC ne.
Ei:he: vev. ihe.r donra :hink nucn of :nrI f 1 - toc cons is t ,ent , lo; ical :3ea:: :entTcGSv encoura: ,e=eic aia =o:e req?ec; '' I n i :nt nove fron:: : is s i 'de io
j : J tr! consiS CeE/.r'{ enCOUr
i i tent , lo1ical :3ea:: :ent anG
' I a i ;ht : rove froia thsider I I ? ?1| ? ?T? t
io Consiruct ive. Liv lng by i r-ay of
- \ i4- soc:ar. in ieres:To Obstruccive Llvlng by l*ray ofIto-IYlcoin3t
t-
;g | ?tt?l v'''l ^'"'^?e.
taaar l
here are seven g.pes of situationsin which tempertantrums mavoccur. Most tantrums take olace
whenFtrrchilct is
situations
---more orscnmlnatlon ln
last three
out ofhiS own control In rhe lasr rhree.
municate somethine to vou.One of the pitfa.lls of dealing with
temper tantrums is that they confrontour need to have things uncler control.As a resuit, we want to get the situationhandled as soon as possible rarher thantaking the time to determine why ourchild is acting the wav he is and meetinghis needs. Most of us were brought upwith rhe arlitude that a misbehavingchild was a bad child. Sfe tend ro reacras though our chi.ld is bad insread ofrealizing the his misbehavior is simplvtn.ing to communicate somerhing to us.It is our iob ro derermine whar rhat isancl responcl accordingly.
flere are some general don'ts in-cteaiing with tantmms. Don't overpoR er
your child (i.e., hold him down, punisEor rhrearen hir"). 8't
-ake-fun o!
him or argue orget into a debate. Don'tdea.l wirh the rancmm in public. Vantinqro avoid embarrassment adds to the ten-sa Pnvare prace tr*a u oumffihelDful Ofte.tmanagffiffinassist this process. Inform the managerof the situation and request that shenicelyaskyourchild to quiet down toavoid disturbing the customers. Makethese arangements without your child,sawareness.
take the situation gerrinq worse beforeit gets berter. It mav also take rimeairlseveral applications before she uncler_r tn"aiin"r
"o"- *ZGi?6ffi . -Ir is 'erv i*po*"nit7GGFthe time to knowvour child's signals inorder ro be effective during rempertantrLlm situations. For example, ifvou trv negodating wirh a child who ishungrv, tired, ill, or hvpersensitive, ,vouwill be fighting a losing battle. If you trvnegoriarion with a child who is testingyou,
-vou mav lose rhe respect of yourchild because he mav be asking foryou to hold to a boundarv_vou,ve set.However, negotiation works well withchilclren who feel overpowered or ar.efi:usrated. Refer to the foilowing iist todetermine what to do wirh each formof the temper tantrllm.
Hunger
Vhat to do
A Meet child's need
A Minimize all ralking rhar mav Iead rcrconflict.
ExampleGive vour child something ro ear assoon as possible, even if it is nor ascheduled snack or meai time.
Illness
What ro do
A Meet chi.ld's need
A Minimize ali talking thar my lead rcconflict
A Hold or rock you child.
ExampleGive your child medical assisrance whennecessary.
Htmersensitivity
(i. e., clotbes, fcnQ abrupt cbanga)
Strhat ro doA Remove obiecr causing sensidviw as
quicklv as possibleA Minimize all talking rhat may lead to
conflict.
Inordertoknowhowtoredirect a _ ._temper tantrum, it is important co deter- 't'augue
mine what is the cause of the mntrum. What to do
One of the suggestions on rhe follow- A Meet child's needing list is to leave the room when your A Minimize all taiking rhat may lead tochild has a tantrlrm. If she gets out <tf conflictconrolandhysterical*i::1,::t-.::,
A Holdorrockyourchild.the room and you feel strongly opposedro chis mettrod, r,vone of the ottrer Examplesuggestions. However, realizg q4at if vou Take your child to bed or a quier a.reahave been giving in to your child, it malz to resr as soon as possibie.
Examplesif you child's shoe is too tight, loosenit quickly. If it is agarment, take it ()ff
Sometimes these chilclren are sensitiveto an)'thing scratchy, like textures ofclothing or labels on clothes
If your child is sensitive to abruptchanges, sive advanced warning, or echoice. "Tommy, we'll be leaving in10 minutes," or "Would you like toleave in 7 minutes or 10 minutes?"
Testing
What to doA Do not give in
A Bring child ro self-quieilng spaceA Leaverheroom
A Dotheunexpected.
ExampleThese are non-negotiable boundariesthat you have set and vour chilcl is resr-ing vour limils. You can discern thiswpe of temper tantrum because vouwill feel manipulatecl.
Feels Pouredess
What to doA Refu.se to negodare untii the child has
calmecl down and is r'espectfulA Acknowleclge angerA lfin-win negoriaie
A Brainstorm solutions
A Cive chilcl a sense of power
A If negotiarion isn't possible, fantasizewith chilcl about his unfulfillecl desire.
Examples''Vhen .vou calm clown, I will be willingto discuss this with vou" or "Please useyour negodating voice."
"I understand that r,,ou are angry."
"I want,vou to win anci I would like towin, too. How coulcl we work this outso we could both win?"
Together write on a sheet of paper allpossible solutions.
Ask yourself, "How can I give my childmore power in an appropriate wayright now?"
"Yes, I w<tulcl like ice cream, too. Twosc()ops with hot fuclge, nuts, whippeclcream ancl a cheny on top. \What woulciyou have?"
Frustration
Gbild rcfeeling oueruthelmecl tuitb the taskat hand)
What ro do,A Check vour expectations - are thev
too high?
A Break down the ta.sk into accomplish-able steps
A Make sure child knows how to foilowthe direction.s.
ExarnpleIf vour chilcl is having a clifficult timewith attencling to homework, breakit down into lO-minute segments ofhomework end thcn 5-minutc seg-ments of plav, 10 minutes ctf home-work ancl 5 minutes oFplav, etc.Do this until rhe rask is complete.Setting a time for each segment oftime makes it easier ro foliow.
Ternper Tantrurn Prevention
You can minimize the frequencv oftemper anrLrms bv raking a fewnecesstuy precauuons.
1. Knowyour child.Leam to cliscem how vou chilcl actscluring certain situations. For exam-ple when you chilcl ge$ hungrv ortired, cioes'she become irritable anclless cooperative. Knowing vourchild will help you determine whichintervention to use when vourchild is having a temper ranrrum.
2. Schedule appropriarely.Because of our busy lives, we oftenover schedule events. This createstension in our family. Tension
makes fenile grounci for tempertanrLrms to occur. Allow yourselfenough time so that vou don't haveto hurry. lX/henever possible, havevour chilcl get school clothes,books, etc., ready the night before.
3. Look for patterns.Look for parrems that precipintevour child throwing tantrums andfincl ways to intervene cluring thatpattem, For example. if vour pre-schooler throws a tantrum whilevou run errancls, affange to do.vourerrancls without her or take herwith you ro the park before yourun the crrands.
4. Make agreemenrs ahead of time.Children will do best n'hen theyknow what their limi6 are ancl know-ing rhem in advance is even better.For erample, if vou are going ro thestore and,vour son usua.llv wants tobuv things, tell him before enrerinqthe store how much money, he canspencl ancl <;n what items (you mavnoi wxnl him ro spend it on canclr,.but vou woulci be willing to spenciit on a book).
5. Notifi ,vour chilcl of changes aheadof time.To avoicl conflict, we sometimesclon't tell our chilchcn about changesin plans unril rhe lasr minute. Thismakes our chilcl feel or"rt t>f controlancl can leaci to tantrLlms.
6. Nurn:re yourself.Take dme to nurture r.ourself. \X/henvou feel like r.ou have l-ncl time forvourseif, vou are less irritable, moresensitive to the neecls of situationsancl less likelv to over-react.
Katbnn k'ols is tbe Presidatt of the Interna-tional netuorkfor Cbildren and Familiesand the autbor o/Redirecting rhilclren sBehavior Sbe is also a national speaker andu,orksbop leader. For more informationcall 800-257-9002. For afree pampblet on"10 Kevs to Successful Parmting" send aself-addressed stamped mtelope to Inteftta-tioral Network for Cbildrm 0 Families,P.O. Box 7236, Gainesville. FI 32605.
ID-AMERICA MONTESSORI TEACHERSTRAININGOmaha, NebraskaEarly Childhood Montessori Teacher Education
Infant and Toddler Training (Birth - 3 yrs.)Early Childhood (2 l/2 - 6 yrs.)Elementary I (6-9 yrs.)
Do mare than just teach . . .inspire learning
For information write or call:10730 Pacific Street, Suite 234Omaha, NE 68114Phone: 402-393.1311
AilEr
il-lifiiii il
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Plain Tafk AboutDearinp#jtlt rhe Angry chirdHandl ing chi ldren,s.anger can be puzzl ing, draining, anddistressing for adul ts. In fact , one of the _ujo, proUt"rns indeal ing wi th anger in chi ldren is the ancry i "" t ing, that areoften stirred up in us. lt has been said-thai'we as parents,
teachers, counselors, and administrators need to remindourselves that we were not always taught how to deal withanger as a fact of l i fe during our own chiiOhooO. We were ledto believe that to be angry was to be bad, and we were oftenmlde !o feel guilty for expressing anger.
It wil l be easier to deal with chihren",s anger if we get rid ofthis notion. Our goal is not to repress or dJstroy angry feel_ings in children-or in ourselves_but rather to accept thefeelings and to help channel and direct tn". to constructiveends.
Responding to the Angry ChildSome of the following suggestions for dealing with theangry child were taken from fhe Aggressrve Child by FritzRedl and David Wineman. They stouiO be considered helpful ideas and not be seen as a ,,bag
of tricks.,,Catch the chird being good. Tertih,u rniu what behaviorsplease you. Resoond. !o p-osltjye-
"f1o.11 ana ,"infor."loojo*rylor jl&*arnu1tni"" orr""i *,ll find countt-e5sople4glLtlgs*d-u.u l g the, C9 v tq ma k q s ggfu qm"r.n en tr.a s,, lJ
"ffiru;#n*r.1;:[tyou were in a hurry to get.out to play,,; ,,you were really pa_tient while I was on 1!e 9.f.onel,;
;,1,, gl"Jyou shared yoursnack with your sister,,; ,,1 like the way iorlr" able to think ofothers"; and ,,Thank you for telline th! l.ti "Oout
what real-ly happened.,,Similarly, teachers can positively enforce good behaviorwith statements like, ,,1 know it *ai aifficJt for you to waity.our turn, and l,m pleased that you could do it,,; ,,Thanks forsitting in your seat quietly,,;...yeu *"ruif,oughtful in offeringto help lohnny with his spelf ing,,; ,,Vo, *ori,"a hard on thatproject, and I admire your effort.,,
*,:ffififffiffifrf.l.just the behavior The,,!clorinr; h;:;;;;anned and con_r',' 1."l. E ven t hou g h th i s 6u 6""ut;; ;; ;;l;t*"il;tt:cfrild mu,st recognize that ii is tnapp;;l";;.
rrovtde physical outlets and othei aliernatiyes. lt is impor-tant foi Chitdren to f,,a nd m ove,n e"i: i;,#;j"T:::'f : fi
r phvs ica r exerci s e
Manipulate the surroundings. Aggressive behavior can beencouraged by placing .children in tough, tempting situa_tions. We should try to plan the,urrounaing, ,o tf,ut certainthings are less apt to happen. S_t_qgg:pfgh|Sn- activity andsubstitute, temoorarily, u rnor" "ffiffili
"*. $ffi;:trqj.n"]A U Etllrni,as wAI b ; ;h)" ;', oi.e. rn ay be tooconf ining.
.^i _i#l-i:.tt,'fcnndren acceptable waJlglglples, in,,r*ir@
I3.tway:!9YfI9fus a sign of serious'orobG-s: thprr chn,,r.{;:"-v" "= ",=-yes gs a s,eriog1O.1o_btgry&"f:t,qrtao -eJ-q9 991119-{a"!3*!tg?!.d w I t h res pec t.
Io respond effecilvelv-to o;;| i l l , i ' .acci.,o L^a^..:__ :, _ ,_ _.,__..,.".y ." "yelty gfagl_ess.lv€ bgttEv_iot in
Wru[hqlrdy-ha.v_et r iggered an outbuEt 7_-*-**- : ; - . : - - ' - ' ! !q r ' r 'q Y' rq Yc
:gteem, and feelirreiof i" ' ' : '
:__-,_*- -_-. .*s-oli!.!g$ oj_it may be related to anxietvq_b9!1!:!!qg!Lonso*v*e1-ryhrqh"t"l,eii;i[h;i"1-rJep1lo_1.Angry defiance may also be associated with feelings ofdependency, and anger may be associated with s"dn"rs
"nddepression. In chitdhood, anser "";
;;;;;;; 'are very closeto one another and it is important to,ur".L", that much ofwhat an adult experiences as sadness is expressed by a childas anger.
Before we look at spe.cif ic ways. to manage aggressive andangry outbursts, several points shoulA be [ighllghted;
^"r" Ti"I*^o^"^lv-re+gl-est*ei'-d lggresslon'
ffi i',IX"t.;rt"":g j;'i:1:il!Iogqlty_
o Anger and aggression do not have to be dirty words. Inother words, in rooking at aggressive behavior in chirdren,we must be carefur tod.istinguist u"t*""nJehavior that in_dicates e.motionat probtems-and *;;j;; jrat is normat.,," j1,a;3{i.3c_Vttlr unery chitdren, our. u.iionr'rhoutd be moti_v?tg1!y.t-hg need to protect and to teach,;;i U1;ffi"punish. parents a nd teachers thou ra rno*';-ii,ii,i;i',r,;JaCceplhli or her f eet i n gs, y [i re _rVesuri;; ;#;il: ilAI3q9si gr; 1idilngs. An aoutt mighi;;;;:;;,pre, ,,Let metetl you whatlome chitdrg" i"JrrJJ" i"'ul,*"r,r" like this.._:-tj1:?lenough to tetl c.hitdren wi"iO"iuu,ors we findune_cgeotable We mu-s! leagft them u..uoiu-Cr" *ays of c-o_gI_9.^,r,ol,*uys rngst be found t" .o,nn.'.,-ini."te what we ex-pect of them. Contrarv to .^^, , t , , ^^; :^:-n o t t h e m os t "rr"., i," J.lr',: :: * il#, ::[?.H1,: Hil j;we expect of them.
. - .!tpl, g: f t"r+:t .rtted/d5q. rj,,,.rH_ C h i td re n n a tu ra | | yg^,: l1y::j9:lu.'" *nui in-"v ffiins, and the adult isoften annoyed at being b"th;;l. v;"].r*in,LHH;childen who are emotionally deprived),"", ,, need muchmore adult involvement in their interests. ,C child about to.use a toy or tool in a destructive way is sometimes_easilystopped by an adult who expressu,'ini"r"rt in having itshown to him. An outburst,fr;rn ;;-"i;L, .r,ira strusslingwith a difficult reading selection .u" U" pr"""nted by a car_ing adult who moves near the cfrifa to sai, .Show me whichwords are giving you trouble.,,
Use c/osenes s and touching. Move physically clos.er to Sr_e*'g-:e#: I: Fl ";'i,ytudi'nOr_ergl9l*.
al problems, however, may have trouble accepting affec-tron.
E4!e te-nsion through humor. Kidding the child out of atemper tantrum or outburst offers the child an opportunityto "save face." However, it is important to distinguish be-tween facesaving humor and sarcasm or teasing ridicule.
Appeal directly to the child. Tell him or hslbolyjteulesland ask for consideration. For example, a parent or a teacher.rrivl"in'a cttitds coopeiation by saying, "l know that noiseyou're making doesn't usually bother me, but today l've gota headache, so could you find something else you'd enjoydoing?"
treH,-ltg:ligttll-elp-tlg*sn-{-d-gds:Bd$s.ss*-qra stressful situation. We often fail to realize how easilyyoung children can begin to react properly once they under-stand the cause of their frustration.
!,) ry p h y s i c a I ru 119 in 1 o" _9 9 9 9j o_ 1 all y-.g*ql!-[d OeyJs: esan-ggl*l-o*_qogp!-9!e,ly lhat he has 19 !e nfvsica-lly 19t1tlirc"d..sr*removed f rom the scene to prevent him f rom hurting himselfiij6l[e1;, Thls m.ay slsg lleave fq,csll f o,r t|" Sti{ihtsi;i ';straint or removal from the scene should not be viewed bythe child as punishment but as a means of saying, "You can'tdo that." In such situations, an adult cannot afford to lose hisor her tempet and unfriendly remarks by other childrenshould not be tolerated.
Encourage children to see their strengrhs as well as their,S@ -treip-mem dG;Tmt tfid An reaC6, ttniigoals.
U59,,Bro@tse:*aAd t"eyg"r-d _?_t-.jng"::f -lg!g re--plg3gucan be used both to star,t and t-o_$g-.p b_gh-iyior.. This approacfr
: ir{r
Over the next fer^r davs, I r
!rr!l:.::.r,'
' : :.::t:
Tima tn nlacnR-.-- . - r i| ln -nn<lr iJ i r t i i t
Bv SNone EsLe
As I settled in for a picnic lunch wi-rlr my children in the mid-dle of what promised to be a long, hor summer day, I noticedanother family claiming the shade of the tree nert to ours. Threeboys, about ten, six, and three, clamored for bagels. My interestwas piqued when the bo.vs begged for a yogurt. In a voice thatcommanded attention, the mother stated, "There is on_ly oneyogurt and two spoons. There are three ofyou. This is to be sharediairlv Anvpigs wiii lose their turn." She then laid down and closedher eves, while I waited forWorldWhr III to commence.
To my disbelief, the ftvo oldest took the spoons and passedthe yogurt one bite for each of thern and nvo bites for theyoungest. No one screamed that the baby was getting a doublehelping. They enjoyed that yogurt to the hitt, scraping out ri.re cupwith gusro. rlieanwhiie, my chiiriren were siiii bickering abour thechoices I had offered. \Mhat secret did the mother possess to instiltthat kind ofcooperation? Could I go over and beg for an hour-longparenting class?
On the drive home, I revier,ved horv I might ha."e haldled thesame situadon. The biggesi ciifference i couici finci i,vas in themother's approach. She laid out a plan and the consequences andthen stepped out ofthe picture. Her pian had not been detailed butrather descriprive of the facts and her expectat ions.
lv'hat would I ira'.re done? First, I '.nrould har.rg ap6llrglzed lbroniy har.ing one vosurt; then I would have begged. for approva-I. ,,Is
that OK?" I lvould have asked. This mother had not evcn e::plainedrvhy there 'vr,as only one yogurt. I lvould have repeatedly looked forassurance that I was still a wonderfui mother, even if inept at pro_viding for them. Then I would have apologized for onl-v having tlvospoons, again repeating, "Is that OK?" Was this hci.,, rny ccmmuni-cation was breaking dollrrr?
ta t-I t t It r t I'g i i
up. OK? There is only apple juice"i6 ,a??r l r^ l l L^-er. , ^ , ,^-vA: t tEu! l l4tur svca
was it oK. \,Vhen I asked ir it *"F1ff;ffifiliio*"0.I rurned my attention to dropping the OK after suggesrions
I had been operating unde if I was under-
smilg 3n4 coopetate. In truth,
! l l ing bir ?e le l t " : l
fare with his 12-year-old daughter laid lilt thg maxim rhat "chil-dren are not reasonable." I was snie ttrin-.{a$1oper parenting,understanding, and patience would crgqte"reasonable" chii-dren. Now after 17 years in the tienches-'r{rith3itchildren Ibelieve that he was right. There are momgntl when no amouitrof explanation or patience will sway a rewed-up three year cid.
My life took on a new dimension'wllen I rem.ored *OK?" irr;.rn
myvocabuiary. I can now saii through'Sn-iF:E{i{r+'iih ir,'" ic:;:year old. I ha.ie left behind the da!-s o.f;lixJ5***up p!*erio..
OK?" and the whine that follorvs. Such a lfttlelVg$*yet rheporver ii r,vields in a parent/child relationship can be tremendous.
1-
Sandra Eble is a teacher by trade and mom bi ctio.E*"t$t3 and- her husband.Will, have three girls-M'Liss (u), Bethany (15), Katis.{l3Faftl three bovsWlliam (11), Jesse (8), and Sandy (4)-all homeschooteti Tr.q Fut m East Stsoudsb;rg,Pennsylvania. ,. - ,r::::.r:jii;li#irs,s*r,",,
. ;.:;::rfia,r-:il:':..r,.,:r..I"i
MorsERrNc nao*.njffil-H9gi28 MorHrnrNc TnE Anr op
Is Obedience Enough?by ]ane Bluestein, Ph.D.
Johnny, stop that!" andhe does!"Sally, getbusy!" And she does!"Cubby, Karery feed the dog and clean up
your room!" and they do!No arguments. No hesitation. Complete
obedience. Every parent's fantasy, right?Sure, it sounds good, but look again. ln-
cpe{ence and what you get may be
(originally co-authored with Lynn Collins, M.A.)
kids in negative ways. For examplg whatwill happen when a conservative teacher tellsyour daughter that "nice" girls aren't pushy?(There aren't too many of those nice, non-pushy girls making it in CorporateAmerica.And there are a lot of nice, non-ass,.rtivewomen being injured in relationships be-cause they never leamed they might have tostand up for themselves.) If your child isdedicated to pleasing and obeying how wellwill she be able to evaluate the personal rel-evance of this information?
What happens when Aunt Dorothy, forwhateverwell-meaning reason, tells your sonto quit taking his vitamins because theyaren't good for him? Whathappens when thebabysitter tries to make your children dosomething they are uncomfortable with andthen threatens them to keep quiet? When anolder friend offers your chitd a cigarette?When a girlfriend puts sexual pressure onyour son? When one of your son's buddiessuggests that to be a man he has to get highwith the boys? What happens when it,s timeto make a lot of decisioru that will affect yourchild's future and well-being and you ian,tbe there to direct his or her choices?
Being a loving and concemed parent withthe best of intentions, you probably answeredthose questions by jaying, "I hbpe they,dmake a good decision!" But the question is:
der that so many of us simply pick them upanduse them with our ownkids. But atwhatcost?
If you're h.ti^g a hard time letting go ofthe idea of raising obedient kids, you maybe stuck in something called all-or-nothingthinking (sometimes called black and-whitethinking). If so, you may suppose that theonly alternative to having your kids obey is
you want your kids to obey.Children who behave cooperatively-in-
look the sarne as obedient behaviors. For ex-ample, the child who makes her bed so that"Mommy wont hit me," and the child whomakes her bed "because now I can invite myfriends over", a1e both making their bedi.Only the motivation varies.
having them disobey. Not so!
stead of obedientl l€ason
children grow up to be order takers or deci-sion makers, most parents would select thelatter. With all those inJluences a child mightencounter in today's world, who in his rightmind would want a child to be good at sim-ply taking orders? Yet many of us createparenting environments that encourage justthat. Despite the goal to raise independent,responsible children, we'll usually admit thatthe kind of obedience described abovesounds rather attractive at times. Seems likeit would make life so much easier, doesn'tit? WelL perhaps for the moment, but not inthe long run.
While it may not be evident to the parentwho is fuazzled. from repeating the same re-quest 100 times, there's a big catch to havingan obedient child. Most of us were raised tobelieve that good parents have obedient kids.So why wouldn't we encourage obediencein a child?After all, obedience is unquestion-ing compliance with the requests of peoplein authority, which is good, isn't it? That's agreat lesson for kids to leam if the people inauthority are bright, moral, caring, and ableto always consider the child's best interestsalong with their demands or requests. Butkids can give the same kind of power, value,and importance to strangersu p€€rs, dates, orothers who might not be quite as invested asyou in your child's well being.
Kids are often exposed to a variety ofpeople in uncontrolled or unsupervised en-vironments very early in their lives. It's hardto predict which ones they are going to per-ceive as an authority. It's likely to be a dedi-cated teacher, caring Aunt Harriet, or a con-cerned police officer, but it's just as likely tobe anyone who is big, strong, attractive, orpopular.
Even well-meaning people can inJluenceperienced as chiidren. And considering howeffective these techniques were, it,s no won-
outcomes of theirdispleasure). !q qlher because these
ren with the skill
the
ative child can remain "safe" in
How will they make a
evaluate yyho caninlluenceThemain
toshe
ve reaction,
ing abl.e to use the pTV, have dessert, or spend time with you, forexample- will available until a cer-
Obedient children quickly learn-Fat theyare safe, accepted, valued, and worthwhile
are therefore far less vulnerable to
helpless or irresponsible children, yet it maybe hard for an obedient child to tum out oth-
each year because they have no mechanism of control in their lives doesin the family to negotiate a better way of liv- I Thating with each other. ;;;
Ona nf +ho .-- ' *^-r- f^- -^:^:-- ^L^r:On9 of the arguments for raising obedi- making is best
ent children is the assumption that your chil-dren will obey even when you,re not thereto tell them what to do. For example, many @its that work forq"*-"tr will discorrrage their children from everyone). Tf," p.,qpor" of this skucture isdrinking, although they kgow thatwith any to. create a homl in which everyone_kidsreasonable contact with the outside world, andadultsalik*-believethattheycountandtheirchildrenwillencounteralcoholatsome have a chance to meet their needs. Empow-point in their lives. In all likelihood, you ering children wllhiLlllqit uuo*rffiowon't be around when yow child is offered Gaa;imarroffiiran opportunity to get drunkwithher friends.Will she not be tempted especially if partici-patingpromises peer approval and accep-Jlnce?.To whom will your child be obedientif you're not there? ffiCJoGarnE?iffifter next time.
l chillren hpndle independent a Uteiing dep.g4ds on ttreT;;EE: ufr
dittos to do first, I had to wonder how theywould handle other decisions that couldhave a far more profound effect ontheir lives,like whether or not to get high with friends,become sexually active, or stay in school.
A lot of these kids had a hard time con-necting their choices with the outcomes. Ifrequently heard things like, ,,She made me
some sense of control in one,s life, kids ir'illoftenrespond@cortls
else's
matized by having to choose which of two
way,with au-
poor choices, continue in destructive behav-ioq, or do things they honestly don,t want todo, if their seU-image isn't dependent entirelyupon what other people think and e*p".i.And when these children do make a poorchoice, they will probably see the,,egari,oeoutcomes as the result of their choosing, andbe far more likely to make more poiitivechoices in the future.
readlless. Think of it like learningTo
conridence. we certainly don,t just iFi6Tvbabies into the water to sink or swim, but
; one of the
their own
senior cheated on his SAT tests because hisfather threatened to disown him if he didn,tscore high enough to get into Stanford. Thefear of his father's disappointment out-weighed any intemal inciination toward hon-esty this student may have harbored. In an-other instance, a little girl nearly bled todeath, because she was afraid to tell hermother she cut her hand using knives shewas not supposed to use. And how manykids have cut class, gotten high, or had sexsimply to avoid being ridiculed or reiectedby their peers?
difference,Deer to see
neither do we bar them from the pool untilthey are 18. Opporfunities are provided assoon as they are ready to handle them, withencouragement and a watchful eye from par_ents or other adults. As they gain skill andconfidence, we let them go a little bit fartheron their own. Becoming a responsible deci.sion-maker happens in much the same way.
Start with small choices, but don,t ovei-whelm. One mother got so excited that shestarted offering her 4 year-old a number of.lgj.g.r regarding his lunch. Now starringwith "peanut butter and jelly or bologna;isn't bad.
But once the child opted for the former,she hithim with "chunky orsmooth,,, as wellas choices about which type of bread, whatkind of jelly, how to cut the sandwich, smstson or off, and what color plate. By the timelunch was ready, the kid wasn-t hungry any-
thority figures like parents and teachers thanev-er happens with peers). An example is thecollege freshman who decided to hitch-hikeacross the country because her parentswouldn't be able to find out what ihe wasup to. Or the eighth-grade boy who told hiscounselor that he had decided to flunkmiddle school to show his parents that theycouldn't "push me arouna and make me dothings." Thousands of children leave home
wants her
ient children
them. few parents would say they wanted
erwise. Jhe third-gradet who explained toher teacher that she was squintinq because
swrm, which many ddldren leam before theywalk or talk. They gain a real sense of con-
up toAnother
children is thatfocused on other
Your kids can still cooperate with you anddevelop skill at making good, independentdecisions at the same time. Regardless ofyour children's ages, you are in the perfectposition to build decision-making skills. ]ust
a commitment tocommitment
of patienG, affilIG acceptance, becausesometimes your children will make decisions
BEPOBXE.gT Fall 109? Vot trYr T$^ o
children to
etable hater found that her kid would eat justabout anything as long as she had some in-
There are many age appropriate choicesavailable to parents that are easy to overlookin the course of a busy day. But it'll be rarethat you won't have opportunities to offerchoices-from, "Which t-shirt do you wantto wear today?" to "How do you plan tospend your allowance?"
The objection for many parents is abouttime. Sure, ifll always seem easier to just plopyour kid into a sweater than ask him to pickwhich of these two he wants to wear. Andfor sure there are kids who would just as soonoutgrow a sweater as make a commitment.
your children choices about when they'll dothe work (before dinner, after one hour, be-fore your show comes on), or where (atMom's desk, in their room, at the kitchentable), for example. Given certain other con-tingencies ("As long as you get your workdone..."), you might offer options, such asstudying with a friend or listening to music.
Even with chores, which can beein earlvon and should be shared among everyone inthe household, Ere more input vour childrenhave as to who does what, the more likelv
_J
thev are to cooperate. You might offer choices
this bathroom, but it has to be cleaned. Whichof my chores are your willing to do in ex-change if I do this chore for you?" The motherreported that the girls had taken over thevacuuming, the laundry, and washingher carevery week. Not a bad deall In addition, lookat the model the parent provided. By her of-fe{, she showed that it is possible to meet yourneeds without powering or hurting one an-other- that trading. compromising. and ne-ggtlalbgare clear altematives that can leaveeveryone feeling like a winner.
Make sure you offer specific, limitedchoices. If you decide to simply ask yourchild what he wants for dessert, be preparedto whip up some Baked Alaska, as one childrequesteci when the parent wasn't mo€ Spe-cific about what was actually available. Letthem know, clearly, what their choices are.
Also, make sure that one choice is iust as-and available-as
eat fruit. (How about "peaches or bananas"instead?) Offering more and less desirablechoices is a set-up that depends on yourchildren's ability to read your mind, and theirneed to people-please by making a choiceyou'll approve of.
ve neverchance to do so
Simple, concrete choices at first, and don'toverwhelm. Back up, if necessary. As theyget more proficient- regardless of theirages-offer greater responsibility and free-dom. But in all cases, be prepared to follow
Itt
doing so, you will be building decision-mak-ing skill and rcsponsibility by allowing yourchildren to experience the consequences of
rocess
On the surface, this may sound like a"soft" approach to raising your child, but
est part of all. If you've decided to quit nag-ging your kids to come to the dinner table,and have explained that you'll call them oncefive minutes ahead of time, you need to bewillingtoeatalone.@!rygllgfollovlthrouqh on whatever other limits vou've set,whether that means allowing them to comein and reheat their dinner up to a certain
in, or join you for breaKast in the rnoming.And you need to do all this without warn-ings, asking for exclrses, or saying, "I told youso." None of this willbe easy, and most par-ents report that it sometimes gets worse be-fore it gets better.
Parents who offer choices and see gooddecision-making as one more skill they canteach and encourage in their children, willeventually be rewarded withbetter decision-
connectof the most im
About the author:Dr. Bluestein has appeared internationally as
a speaker and talk-shoza guest, including seaeralappealances as a guest expert on National Publicradio, The Dauid Brenner Show,TaIkNews TeIe-aision, The Vicki Show and TIw Oprah WinfreyShow, She was the Keynote speaker at the recentl'iCME Conference in San Diego, Califurnia.
She is the author of 21,st Century Discipline.Being a Successful Teacher, Parents in a PreF-sure Coolcer. Parents . Teens and Boundaies. andher latest, Mentors. Masters. and Mrs.McGregor: Teacherc Making a Differctrce. as weIIas numerous magazine articles. Dr. Bluesteincunently heads Instructional Support Sercices,Inc., a consulting and resource frm in Albuquer-que, New Mexico.
You can contact Dr. Bluestein at 1"925 luanTabo NE, Suite 8-249, Albuquerque,NM,871L2,US A. L- 8A0-68 8-1.9 60, fax 5A5-323-9045. e-mailt o : 7 46 43.10 3A@comytsera e. c om
Is Obedience Enough?O 1995. I.S.S. Publications
r roomswantto do toni their choosing.
One parent found a great solution to a se-rious problem by offering a trade. She wasquite disturbed by the constant conflict overa dirty bathroom, a chore she had assignedto her daughters who did anything theycould think of to avoid this chore. She de-cided that a positive relatioruhip was moreimportant than who did the chore, althoughthe fact that it had to get done was not nego-tiable.
She proposed: "I know you hate cleaning
threatening) choices to occur. Imaeine. for ex-ample, that you have promised to read yourchild a story if he gets into pajamas andbrushes his teeth by 7:30. If dawdling at bed-time is more need-fulfilling thanhearing thestory, he probably won'tbeready, even if yougive him a S-minute warning at 7:25. Whilehe doesn't get a story on this night, you canstill tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. Al-low the consequence to occur without naq-
otrer to trv again tomorrow ff necessarv, lookfor a more need fulfilling motivator, like asticker for his tooth chart (a calendar) or be-ing able to stay up ten extra minutes if he,sready on time.
the
mitrnentbv askine herinto thepot, and
r klcts it thev wantof course, it's iust as OK
"no" as "ves""). And don't offer cookies or,<ice cream for dessert if you want the kids to
make and how those choices
atlons, and trom
Or you can present to your family a list ofthings that need to be done in the house, andpass the list around several times so that ev-eryone has a chance to choose the chores theywant to do. You can ask each individual topick a room to dust, or promise your kidsthat if they get nine of these ten chores doneby Wednesday, you'll do the one they leaveoff.
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l t . rgc 2 I ' l rr ' Klrrs l t i r l l rrr \1' ;1,q \b lunre 5, I sq7
PIANO TSSSO'\'S MAKE KIDS SMARTERII ' i . r r r . fc.rc l rcrs h.r ' r : krr . r r , . r r t l r is . r l l . r l . r rg, l r t r t i t is . .v '
corr I i t ' r . r rcr l L ' r ' t l re r-csc.rrch i i r r t l i r r*s ol I ) r . I : r . r r rccs R.rrrschertr t t l rc Urr ivcrsi tv oi lViscorrs i r r . r t (JslrKtrs i r , a i rc i i ) r . cortJorrSir . r r r . f fhc L ' r r i 'ers i tv . i C.r l i i t r . . i . r . r t r r . r . r r rc. Trrc r ' . rk . fLf
's . Sira* ' Jrr l R.Lls i i ' lcr c()ace r t r . . l i r_,5 ( ! l r th. , i r l r '1r1. i .11169 111:
t t rLtstc i r r Ihc c ' . r r lv t ier-el1rp.r111L.1rf . r l s f . r { i ,s o l c l r i l t ] l r t l t r t l . r r rc lh.rs [ 'ccrr n.it ieIy iecognizc,t-l ( ls gr.()LlnrjLrl.c.rkiug, .tttr.rctirrcirr it 'nsivc nrcti ia i ir ter.est.
The reseorch feom in lrvine, Colifornio,explored the link between music ond
intelligence qnd reporled thcf music iraining _specificqlly piono instruction - is far superioato
computer instruction in dromoticollyenhoncing children's qbstroct reosoning skilts
necessory for leqrning moth cnd science.
Thc.ev' i inc{ i .gs, pr-rbl ishecl i ' ihe Februarrr I ( l r )7 i_ssLreoi Ncrrrcr /o.gict l Reses,crt , t t re the r tstr l t . i " r t r r - t r - l .c . r r€xLrs1'r , . t - ,*n, r r i th prescirc l t t lcrs, Iccl Lrr i - . rsr .chr l l t r , ] ts i Dr.Frarrces Rauscher ancl phvsicist Dr. Cttrclon Shaw. -\s irfo l lorr ' - l rp t t t t l re i r ear i ier grour l r lbre. tk ing studies iv l r ichc.rre i.r tet--i h.r,r' nr nsi c ca n en ha^ce sp.r tia l- rcas. n i n g a bil i tv;lhe'reseirrche'rs set ollt to co*p.rre tl ie eifects .i mirsic.rl "rnt1nou-m usica I t ra in i ng on in teI lect t r . r I c ieveloprnclr t .
The exper iment inci i rdccl iour gro1rp.r5 t i f prescir , r . . , ler .s:one groLrp receiv.erj pri,,, irte piano / kevlroarcl lessons; ..tSec()ncl group recc. ivet j s inUing lessorrs; t r th i r : t1 groUpreceivec- l pr i r ' . r te compLr ter Iessons; i . ruc ' { a ior-rr t r r ! r , . t ,preceirecl no t r . r in i ng.
Those children who received piono /keyboord troining perforrned 34L higher on
tests meosuring spotiol- temporot
-Oilitythqn others.
. Thcsc i i l r rJ i .ss i r r r . l ic . tc fhat mtrs ic urr ic l r rc l ' crrh,rr . rccs
concgpts '
l r ig i rcrLlr . t i r t i t r r lc | i< l t lsrct1t t i rct- l f t l r i r rat l rcrrr . t t i t :s ,c| t r ,ss,Wlr . r t IJrs. I l . t t ts. , l rer . t r r tJ. . i i raw
sci t l t tccatr t | t : t r .g i t l t l t . r i r rg.Tlrc i r r rp l ic l r t i t l r rst l i t I r is . t r lc i f t i t t t t . t ' t l rccir ls l l
t t t ' t t l r ' t t t t i sc i t ' t lc t ' ) ' l r r r - l t l t . r t t l0 str t 'c t 'ssf l r l I r ' r , -1 ' . , , r r l r , r : l . , r . r r l i : t t ' r i t , t i to,r \ l0z,rr t sor.r . l t , r { l ( ) ( ) i , 1Qg;1.
t r t ' t t t ' .sc ict t t -c l ' l l r t r r ' l t . r i t rs thr" . t rg l r t l r ' r t th i crr i r r r i r r ' . - i l . ' " . . , | . i . r_ i s i r r a c l r i l t i 's t { t . r .c i .Lrrrr t , r r t .
lgos ,v, ' ,1 z1 Kl,r< :\rrr5it 'ct)utrt tutr l o cr, i t i t r tr !r /r .( r ir) ) .r , /r / . i r t i Nrtr: i , j . . t i t r( i t ! tr)y:
The next Einstein?
sturlies shitn, thert earlv exf-ter:iences rietermine .,r,hich L-rraincells (.enrorrs) wii l r. 'r"lect w.it lr clther brain cells,;rnd *.ir icrr.ues rv i l l c1 ie alr- . r , " ' . Becatrse ne*r.r l canneLt ions.rreiesponsible for a l l ivpes oi inte[ [ isence, a chi lc l ,s braiudeveiops to i ts f r"r l l potent i . r l onlv iv i t l r exD()sLrre to i l renecessil fv en ri chi n g c\frerienccs i lr e;r rlv ch i i. l hottci.
Their sfudies indicote thot rnusic troininggenerotes ihe neurql connections used for
obstrqct reosoning, including thosenecessqry for understonding mothemoticol
Iffinsfui^t1rctrrrhild'sler:rmtrg gyle
3y GiNT FEDERAS-r ',,,van Learning Svstems
'',Vhen school srara. Siily ,*ril have nerv::crnas. :1ew notebook, and may-be aiew gym uniform. i{e'll be e<cited by the:rs.v anci oid faces in the room and mai.rreeci heip locusing on whar the newreacner is saying.Bi.r uncierstanding the senses Billy rendsio use most when he absorbs informa-!ion. ive can equip him with soaregies tohelo him concennare and succeed.
.Learning styles
Eiucarors :accgnize rhree primaryiearning styies: auditory (hearingi, visual{seelngl, and tacde (feeiing). While everrysii.rcienr airsorbs intormadon using ail rhreesenses. each has a primary sense tharshapes how he or she leams best.
Auditory learners understand infor-;nadon besr by hearing. They prefer ro:ark. iisten and arpress emotion. Visuaitearners process intormation best when:hev can 'see' it. They remember faces.Jemonsirarions. cirans or graphs. Tacdleiearners iemember besi what they've;earned ii rhev can touch objecs or as-scciare an acdvity wiih the subjecl
Parents can determine their chiid'slearnrng sryie by using the following cuu.C:rcie lerten thar aopiy, then torai ail fu.Vs. and Ts to see which is mosr freouenr.
Learning styles quiz
!. kefen hearing or iistening (A)2.Doociles iV)3.Moves lips when reading (A)4.Likes to hear self and others raik iA)S.Erpreses seif wi*r gesures anci bociy
movemenr {T}6.ls ouier: does not talk at len$h (V)T.Fdgets when reading {T)S.Prefers to have ideas demonsrated
9 .Ren:er-nbers faces but nor namesrVi
1O.Tries :hings our by touching (T)11.Neecjs frequent breairs rvhen snrd';-
- 12.Sruciies weil wiih friencis iA)l3.Sruciies r,veil alone iV)1.1.Remembers ph9'sical events or ac-
: ivir ies i" l dici . . .") (T)15. Remembers r715u6l sr7gn15 i" l
saw...") IV)
T^ -^-;;.-ru !ont i r ; i ' ioui Susplc:ons. esK .ou:
..:"li.ici io recarl an e(Derience. Does :e ccse:l!s eyes :cr a rnoment of focus on :nesounds iA)? Does she look off in ihe cirs-lance anci Cescribe the sights ,.\i :? Cr.joes ne use gesures. tr his rvhoie coo',..:o teil ihe srory tT j?
Does y-cur chiid show an auciior:. ;i-sual or tacliie preierence? You :nay wanl:o pass thrs inforrnarion alonq lo ucurcnild's ieachers or counseior.
School and Siudy Straiegies
Cnce 1;ou l<now your chrld's learnin,:
sryle. ..ou can suggesl sruciy nabir an j;aha'.lors in dass thar wril maxmrze ieanl-rng;crenriai. such as:
Auciitory learners:
f:ccurage sruci-uing wirh frienos aniiiscussing rhe matenai.
.\k her ro describe whar she learnt:d:n cass loday.
Sii near the front oi rhe ciass. anri iis-ten careruily or use a raoe recorcier.
Offer io quiz him aloud on hmewcrkor betore an exant.
Use inda< carcis to quiz on vocabuiaryworcis or key facts.
,?ent educationai tapes. o tapes ofboois she s reading for schooi.
Visual learneis:
Encourage him to sit near the :-ronr.away from distracdons. and take goocinoles.
3uy nighiighters io emphasize icieas.key ierms and phrases.
Encourage her ro cieveiop iiss. gaons.picilres and chans ro organize informa-iion v$uauv.
Rent classic films. tiims with hisroricaif,lois or geographic senings conespono-ing wirh his studies.
Encourage him ro stuciy aione in aquret piace wirh no intemrodons.
Thciile Learners:
fuk her to draw tirne lines, maos. ii-iusradons of ideas to organEe inrorma-tion "manuaily.''
Suggest.thar he experimenr with non-disrurbing wavs to ''move" in ctass. .sucnas ciooriling or squeezing an eraser.
Ercourage her to change positions of-ien when reading, anci take short breakthat reouire activiry.
Erable her to "do' assignmens as pro-;ecs: - a demonsnarion nrher than a pa-?eL
Ginr Fecieros is execuliue direc:or oi:he Sg'iuon Learning Cenrers in ',Va,nutCreek anci Danuiiie
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Multiple IntelligencesPut Into Practice
by Dr. Cinger Kellev McKenzie
bodv or parts of the body (dancers,athletes, crafts people),(5) musicai intelligence is the capac-it-v to think in music, to be able to hearpatterns, recognize them, rememberand manipulate them,(6) interpersonal intelligence is under-standing other people (teacheq, clini-cian, salespersory politician),(7) intrapersonal intelligence refers tohaving an understanding of ,vourself,of knorving'tr.ho you are, rvhat voucan do, what vou r,r'ant to do, how voureact to thingl and u'hat to avoid, and(8) naturalist intelligence designatesthe human abilitv to discriminateamong living things as rvell as sensi-tivitv to other feattrres of the naturalr,r'orld.
Each Student IIas Capacities in AllEight Intelligences
Multiple intelligencc thcory cha1,lenges the view that inteliigence issomething vou are bom rvith and voucan't do much about it.
(1) Each person possesses all eightintelligences. Multiple intelligencetheorv is not a "tvpe theorv"' lor de-termining the one intelligence that fits-It is a thcon'of cognifir'e functioning,and it proposes that each person hascapacities in all eight intelligences.Some people appear to possess ex-tremelv high levels of functioning inall or rnost of the eight inteiligences.However, most of us are highly devel-oped in some intelligences, modestlydeveloped in othert and underdevel-oped in the rest.
(2) Most people can develop eachintelligence to an adequate level ofcompetencv.
(3) Intelligences usually work to-gether in complex rvavs.
(4) There are manY r,t'avs to be in-
Hon'ard Gardnet professor ofcducat ion at Harvard CraduateSchool of Education, has authoredseveral books about multiple intelli-gence. This article arrsivers importantquestions about thc fact that humanbeings clo not have a single, fixed iry-te l l igence. Tt , cc,r 'ers ( larr lner 'q
(Checklev, 1997) current thinking onintelligence, horr' children learn andhorv thev should be taught. This ar-ticle also gir.es an example of how tointegrate different methods of instruc-tion into a spccific area of studv inorder to meet the needs of our stu-d en ts' different intelligences.
as thc human abiliw to solve problems
o;to@rn one or lnore cultu.res. fi a culture' f f iaproblem
or create a product in a particular r.vay,Gardner rrould stronglv consider thatabilitv to be an intelligence. The iniel-l igences ident i f ied bv Gardner(Checklev, 1997) are
(1) linguistic intelligence is the capac-itv to use language, vour native lan-guage as rvell as other languages, toexpress n'hat is on \rour mind and tounderstand other p)eoplg,(2) Iogical-mathernalls4linlelligeneeis understanding the underiving prin-ciples of some kind of a causal svs-tem such as a scientist rvouid do andthe abilitv to manipulate numbers asa mathematician rr.ould do,(3) spatial intclligcnce is the abilitv toform a mental model of a spatialr.r'orld and to maneuver and operateusing that model (sailors, engineers,surgcons, sculptors, and painters)(4) bodil), kinesthedc intelligence isthe abilitv to soh'e problems or tofashion products using one's rvhole
telligent rvithin each categom
Assessing Students' \{uitiple Intelli-gences
Bv observing children rve canleam how children learnbest. The fo1-lowing are examples of hon'differentchildren leam through different expe-riences. As Montessori teachers, rt'hoare frained to be good observers, rveneed to be alert to assessing studcnts'multiple intelligences. As vou read thefollowing descriptions record r+'hichones identifv each student in vourclassroom.
(1) Linguistic Intelligence-Thestrongly linguistic (Armstrong, 1994)student communicates to others inhighlv verbal r4/ays; spells rrords ac-curatel_y (or if preschool, does devel-opmental spelling advanced for hisage); appreciates nonsense rhvmes,puns, tongue tlvisters; reads a lot ofbooks; enjoys word games; enjoys lis-tening to the spoken lvord; and has agood memory for names, placeg datesand trivia.
(2) Logical-Mathematical Intelli-gence-These students ask a lot ofquestions about how- things rvork,compute math prohlems in theirheads quickly, find math computergames interesting, enjov working onlogic puzzles, playing chess or strat-egy games, and like to experiment ina way that shows higher order cogni-tive thinking proc€sses.
(3 ) Spatial Intelligence-These stu-dents report clear visual images, readmaps and charts easil,v, daydreammore than peers, enjo,v, art activities,enjoy visual presentations, enjovpuzzles,build three-dimensional con-structions for their age, gets more outof pictures than rvords rvhile reading,and doodles a lot.
)O{III, \o.: pREPoRTER 99 Fail 1999. Voi
(a) Bodily-Kinesthefic Intelli-
gence-These students excel in one ormore sports (or if preschool, shon's
phvsical prorvess advanced for theirage), fidget t'hile seated for a long
time, cler.erlv mimics other people'sgestures, loves to take things apartand put them back iogether, oftenshorr"s skill in crafts, har.e good fine-motor coordination, cnjov workinglvith cla.v or other tactile experiences,have a dramatic rvav of expressingthemselrres, and enjoy mnning, jump-
ing and simi lar act iv i t ies. A feu'months ago I rvas obsen'ing tn a 6-9classroom and one boy' (Trent) was
busy working throughout the roomusing concrete materials rvheneverpossible. He was talking a lot and hisfavorite comment r,vith a cute reflcc-tion in his voice was, "Don't pushvour luck",
(5) Musical Intelligence-Thesestudents tell you lt'hen music soundsoft-ke'g, remembcr melodies of songs,often have good singing voices, playmusical instruments (enjovs andprogresses easily and quicklv on thcMontessori bells), have rhythmicways oi speaking and moving, sensi-tive to environmental noises, taprhvthmically on a table, and uncon-
sciously hums or sings songs.(6) Interpersonal Intelligence-
These studcnts eniol' sogitlizing rvithpeers, seem to be natural ]eaders, giveadvice to friends, seem to be street-smart, enjoy clubs, have a sense ofempathv for others, l ike to plavgames, enjov teaching others, andhave trvo or more close friends. In aMontessori classroom recentlu I ob-serr,'ed one bov (Corey) rt'ho decidedhe would be the student rvho lvouldgreet all the visiting students thatcame to his classroom from anotherlocai lMontessori school.
(7) Intrapersonal Intelligence-
Put on a playabout how an in-vention came tobe.
*d#=ffi:f;#ffitr
Read math prob-lemsinvolving irrventions
Talk about basicscientific prin-ciples involved inspecific inr.ention
Read book on irr-vmtions
Write about yourown invention
Write about thesocial conditionsthat gave rise toinventions.
Learn math for-mula basis for aninvention
Create hypothesisfor developingnew irwentions
Read book aboutlogic behind in-ventiorg
I,Yrite word prob'lem based on in-vention.
Creata timelineoffamous inven-tions.
;l*,;'=* dt'''$:i;
9ketch geometryinvolved ininven-tion
Draw invention*rowingallwork-i.g p"tts
Read book withdiagramsof inven-tions
Labelcomponentsof drawn inven-tion
Plan mural show-ing inventions inhistorical context,
Create inventionto measure physi-cal activity
Build own inven'tion based on sci-entific principles.
Read instructionson putting to-gether an inven-tion
Write inskuctionslo build your owninvention usingscrap materials.
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.+i4
Study math in-volved in inven-tion of musical in-stRrment
Study xience be.hind inventionelectronic music
Read about back-ground to inven-tion songp - Tot*Henry'
Write lyrics forsong promotingthe rtew irwentiorl.
Listen to musicabout inventionsat different histori-cal periods.
:ii$_f;$ff':ffigStudy grouplooksinto math in-volved in specificinvention
Form discussiongmup science be.hind invention
Read about cooperationneeded fordeveloping an in-vention.
Write aplay aboutthe invention. Puton the play by theclass.
Hold discussiongroup about howinventions cametobe,
l:*. *ffi{iil'1
C.leate own wordprobhnubasedoninventions
Develop self-study to examinebasis foraninven-tion
Readbiographyoffamous inventor-
Write personal au-tobiography as a"famous inverrtor"
Think: If youcould inventatimemachine, wherewould you go?
n,'1i':t'19,
ir,;:ltj
t : . , : t .
Go to zoo andstudymathinven-tion used there.
Go to nature c€fl-ter and draw anocistinginvention.
Go to natrrre c€n-ter and readlitera-ture availableabout inventions-
Write about windcharger used inagdclrltural€nter.
As a National For-est employee creat€an invention thatwill make your iob
RFPoRTER 99 Fall 1999- Vol. )OilII. No. 3
t3 Inmgs to RememberAbouf Reinforcing posilive Behqvior
+ WaLch tlrc tendency to focus oll errors, nristakes,llaivs alid onrissiolrs. Dclibcratcly ltxrk for whal yourchild is doing right! (lt's easier to recr:gnize ancl rein_
, fbrce positive behavior when you startnoticiug it.)
t' Resist juclging or colrnecting your child,s wor.th to anacccnrlrlishrneut. Insteacl of saying .,you,re so goodbecause you macle the honor roll,,, try .All right! younrade the holror rolM know how hard you workeclthis selnester.,' (lslt't she good and worfhwhile evenwhen she cloesn't mtike tlrc honor roli?)
* Use a two-step technique to recognize a behavior oraccornprlishrnent without reinforcing clependence,people-preasing or trre need for approvar . First,descril:e the behutior (withctut jnaging tlrc belnvioror ttrc worth of 1tc)ur child): ,,I see you got the car inorr tirne," "Way to go! yrru got alt your chorcs done,,,"You flnished y<tur hornework.,, T.lten tcll lutw tltepositive lseltuvior pays oJ! fot. your chilcl; *you canhorrow it again ncxL weckerrd if you,tl Jike,,, .,Nowy()r.r can yg-!1-l TV 1or.g:_rln-l*.gr use rhe phone).,,
* Recogrrize positive lrehayior rtljer it;r;;;;-Resist the tcmptatiolt to ffatter.your chilcl into ceop_erating by telling her how tleal, snlarl or brave she is.(Once she acts neat. sntart or btaye, then nckuorvl-edge: "You arganized your toys beautifully!,, ,.yollligured that out all by yourscll,l,,)
+ l)on't recoglriz.c solltc(ntc clse,s bclravi<;r to trv tomotival.e your child to clo ttre sanre. ,.lbu,
,,rt-,r,uMabel writes her thank,you notes right away,, or"other kids your age arcn't afrairr of ghJsts,, wilr onryreinforce resentrnent, inadequacy andiornpetitivcnes.c.
r Avoid using contlitionar allpr'var as reilrfbrcerrrent.Cornments like ..I'r
chores,, or,.r rove ;:,:',"i:::?J::i JjL ::"ilJ,:suggest that you wouldrr't feel this wtiy otherruise,that your happiness and love depen<I upc,l your ctrilrldoing these rhings.
Avoid presuming how your chiltl feels, slroukl f.eel <lrmust feel as a rcsuh of the accolnplishrnent (..youmust be proud . . . .,,,,you should feel happy . . .,,).The experience may havc an entirely dilTerenr tnca,l_ing and value Lo her,
+ some -oI tne Dest tetnlorcenlent colles wncli yuul'
child experiences the positive outcomes of rnakinggood choices. Haviltg access to tlte phorte or'l'V at
7:30 because she finislred lter homewcxk ott tiltte,
going out to play becausc she cleaned up lter roonl
before her friends carne ovel', or getting to eat dilurer
wittr the rest of the faruily lrccause shc got ltottte on
time are all positive corlsequcuc:cs tltat reittlorcc your
child's cooperative behiw ior.
* Reinforcers must be nreaninglul to a chiltl, Saying"You picked up all your toys! Norv you get to iron!"
will probably discourage your child llortt ever picking
up lrer loys again (unless, ol'coursc, she loves to ilon),'Now you car play with tlrenr again tornom'ow" ol
"Now I can tuck you in and read you your story" will
probably be more effective (but only il'playing rvith
the toys tomorrow or healing tlre stoly is nurrc rnean-
ingful than not picking up the toys in the lirst placel).
{' As behaviols becorne lnore intenralized and auto-
matic, they also self-reinforce. 'Ilre ucecl frrr )'arrrreinforcement diminislres. Acknowledge the lnsitiveanyhow-it's always nice tcr bc irp;rreciated!
+ Watch out for overkill! Chilclren are naturally suspi_cious ol'"5-dollal.reactions" to ,,1O_cent events." Goahead and celebrate a major brcakthrouglr or achieve_tnenl but simple recognition ancl acknowledgrnerrtare probably enough for most day_to_clay behaviorsand accon4rlishments.
* ll 'you give a conrplinrent, do so without an agencla. [fyou tell your child tlrat her hair looks pretty, don,tIoad the statement with an expectation that she spenclnrore tirne on her appearance, implying ,.See? Whycan't you look this nice ul.l the time?"
* lf _von waul to tell -vour child she's wonderful, tell her.Just watclr the tendency to connect her ..wonderful_
ness" to sornething she has done. ..you're such a neat
kid." Period! Let your chikj know how ancl what youappreciaLe about her. Give your complimelrtsfreely-and frequently!
* Don't give a complirnent as a way to introduce acomplaint: "lbu played that piece beautifully. Toobad you're not cloing so well in math.,'you may thinkyou're saying something positive, but it 's a surc betyour child will hear it as an attack.
+ Stny in the prcsent. praisirrg previous behavior (..Butytl t t l t . t 'ct/ lo be so l teat!") is cr i l ical nnrl rnrninrr lnrirre
These students display a sense of in-dependence, have a realistic sense oftheir strengths and vr.eaknesses, doesvvell when left alone to studl; marchcsto the beat of a different drummer,have a good sense of self-direction,prefer r,r'orking alone, accuratelv ex-press their feelings, and have a highsense of self-esteem.
(8) Naturalist Intelligence-Thesestudents ate verv comfortable out-doors; choose books about animalsand ecosvstems; nurture lir.ing things(plants and animals); recognizes pat-terns, colors, and classifications; au-tomaticallv uses senses to explore theenl. i ronmcnU observe pat ient ly;touches and explores " yucky things";enjovs collections of rocks, minerals,shells, etc.; seeks music related to na-ture; uses binoculars, telescopes, mi-croscopes when observing; growsplants; photographs or sketches ani-mals, plants, habitats; makes craftsand projects using natural materials;and enjoys hiking fishing, mountainclimbing, r'isiting the zoo, camping,sailing, etc.
Multiple Intelligences Put IntcrPractice
When children display inclina-tions tor.r'ard specific intelligences, thecnvironment should be enriched soeach student can learn in many dif-ferent n'avs. lVhat ciassroom Direc-tors need to do is to observe and un-derstand each child so more of theirlearning in school can take placethrough their preferred intelligences.To continue, teachers link the multipleintelligcnces with a curriculum io-cused on taking knowledge leamed inschool and applying it to real life ex-periences.
The chart on page 4 (Armstrong,7994)is an example of horv one themeiike "The Sfudy of Inventions,'canbeplanned for each area of multiple in-telligcnce and can cover all zubiectareas in the curriculum.
It is important that all studentshave the most challenging and suc-ccssful methods possible to learn
through their strongest intelligences.Once we know the strongest multipleinteliigences our students display, weshould encourage learning throughthe students' best methods of leam-ing.
ConclusionMultiple intelligence theory is a
theory of cognitive functioning. Eachperson can develop each of the eightintelliE;cnccs identified by HowardGardner (1993).If a child has a strongmusical intelligence, the teacher candrarv upon that strength, if need be,when we want to teach the childsomething nery. Ciassroom Directorsneed to observe each child so more oftheir leaming in school can take placeth rough thei r preferred intelligences.
BibliographfArmstrong, T. (L994). Multiplg Intel-
ligences in the Classroorn.Alexandra,Virginia: Assoc. for Su-pervision and Curriculum Devel-opment.
Checkle-v, K. (September, 7997). TheFirst Sgven and The Eighth: AConversation vr'ith HorvardGardner. Educational Leadership.55(1),8-13.
Cardner; H. (1999). Multiple Intelli_gences: The Theory in practice.Nerv York: Basic Books.
Glock, J., Wertz,S. & Me1'er, M. (lggg).Discovering the Naturalist Intel-ligence: Science in the School yard.Tucsory Arizona: Zephyr press.
Goleman, Daniel. (199i1. hmotionalIntelligenc-e: lthlu it can mattermore that IQ. New York: BantamBooks.
Ginger Kelley McKenzie, Ed.D. is As;sociate Professor, Department of Edttcation,and Practicunt Coordinator for Elemen-tary Montessori lnterns, Xaaier lJ.niter-sity, Cinciwtati, QH. She is a N.C.M.E.certifted hlontessori teacher in EsrlvClildhood snd Elentmtary Ecluctztion nndtt Consultsnt for publfu and TsrioateMontessori sclnols.
These students display a sense of in-dependence, have a realistic sense oftheir strengths and weaknesses, doeswell when left alone to study, marchesto the beat of a different drummer,have a good sense of self-direction,prefer working alone, accurately ex-press their feelings, and have a highsense of self-esteem.
(8) Naturalist Intelligence-Thesestudents are very comfortable out-doors; choose books about animalsand ecosystems; nurture living things(plants and animals); recognizes pat-terns, colors, and classifications; au-tomatically uses senses to explore theenvironment; observe pat ient ly;touches and explores "yucky things";enjoys collections of rocks, minerals,shells, etc.; seeks music related to na-fure; uses binoculars, telescopes, mi-croscopes when observing; growsplants; photographs or sketches ani-mals, plants, habitats; makes craftsand projects using natural materials;and enjoys hiking, fishing, mountainclimbing, visiting the zoo, camping,sailing, etc.
Multiple Intelligences Put IntoPractice
When children dispiay inclina-tions toward specific intelligences, theenvironment should be enriched soeach student can learn in many dif-ferent ways. What classroom Direc-tors need to do is to observe and un-derstand each child so more of theiriearning in school can take placethrough their preferred intelligences.To continue, teachers link the multipleintelligences with a curriculum fo-cused on taking knowledge learned inschool and applying it to real life ex-periences.
The chart on page 4 (Armstrong,I994)is an example of how one themelike "The Study of Inventions" can beplanned for each area of multiple in-telligence and can cover all subfectareas in the curriculum.
It is important that all sfudentshave the most challenging and suc-cessful methods possible to learn
through their strongest intelligences.Once we know the strongest multipleintelligences or-ir studenti aisplay, r"eshould encourage learning throughthe students' best methods of learn-ing.
ConclusionMultiple intelligence theory is a
theory of cognitive functioning. Eachperson can develop each of the eightintelligences identified by HowardGardner (1993). If a chlld has a strongmusical intelligence, the teacher candraw upon that strength, if need be,when we want to teach the childsomething new. Classroom Directorsneed to observe each child so more oftheir learning in school can take placethrough their preferred intelligences.
Biblioeraohv:Armstrong, T. (1994). Multiple,ln!91:
l igences in the Classroom.Alexandra,Virginia: Assoc. for Su-pervision and Curriculum Devel-
Conversat ion wi th HowardCardner. Educational Leadership.55(1), B-13.
Cardner H. (1993). Multiple Inrelli-gences: The Theory in practice.New York: Basic Books.
Clock, J.,Wertz, S. & Meyea M. (1999).Discovering the Naturalist Intei-ligence: Science in the School yard.Tucson, Arizona: Zephvr Press.
Goleman, Daniel. (1995). -Emotional
Intelligence: Whlr it can mattermore that IQ. New York: BantamBooks.
Ginger Kelley McKenzie, Ed.D. is Asso-ciate Professor, Department of Education,and Practicum Coordinator for Elemen-tary Montessori Interns, Xaaier Llnirser-sity, Cincinnati, OH. She is a N,C.M.E.certified Montessori teacher in EnrlyChildhood and Elementary Edtrcntion anda Consul tant for publ ic and pr iaateMontessori schools.
oDment.; ,
Checkley, K. (September, 1997).
ffiuJ,au,*
National Center forMontessori Education
Certifies that the following people havesatisfactorily completed the teachertraining program of instruction accord-ing to the principles of Montessori edu-cation and are hereby granted certifi-cates of competency.
Montessori Earlv ChildhoodEducation (Ages 21l2 - 5)
NCME/AtlantaStephanie Farrow
NCME/Lake Forest. CAWayne Barnes
NCME/New MexicoValerie ArmentaMichelle FleuryElizabeth Hulse
Lori L. Long
NCME/UtahKathy Cieslewicz
Jennifer Cottam-PetrickJessica Cox
Caroline EverettKerry Eyerly
Britney PetersonSuzanne Rosenthal
Montessori ElementaryEducation (Ages 6,9)
NCME/South CarolinaCarol MacdonaldLynette Watson
,,*iiii;iiltii;i+.E
A b_eh,yll bt+i" it ?."_grk rn pl9g"{ggg,_tffig_q9 g{tqglglg{vaitn g to be rvired into a mind. The experiences of
cfiildhood,=pioneering iesearCti shows, help foirn the brtids- ---Aiiauits:foi music and maCh, Ianguage and emotion.
ffiwmfmBy SneRoN Bpcrsy
OU HOLD YOUR NEWBORN SO HIS SI(Y-blue eyes are just inches lrom the brightlypatterned r,r.'allpaper. ZZZI: a neuronfrom his retina makes an electrical con-nection with one in his brain's visual cor-tex. You gently touch his palm with aclothespin; he grasps it, drops it, and you
return it to him with soft words and a smile. Crackle:neurons from his hand strengthen their connection tothose in his sensory-motor cortex. He cries in the
night; you feed him, holding his gaze because naturehas seen to it that the distance from a parent's crookedelbow to his eyes exactly matches the distance atwhich a baby focuses. Zap: neurons in the brain'samygdala send pulses of electricity through the cir-cuits that control emotion. You hold him on your lapand talk . . . and neurons from his ears start hard-wiring connections to the auditory cortex.
And you tirought you were just playing withyour kid.
When a babv comes into the world her brain is a.jumble ol neurons, all waiting to be woven iirto the'+.-____'
FEBRUARY rg, rgg6 Nrwsr, l 'Err 55
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tr#ie.$€
fi9$lj,, '.}lf , lt i l
!': i ii;: srii11 {
,1 l' l
. : ,1:j
tentiql, u4prggelSlSgd-aiE[ nilg}t one day compose rap
songs and do calculus, erupt in
as surely as a prograrnmer at akeyboard recon-figures the cir-cuits in a computer. Which l<e.Jrs
Wayne State University, that"they can completely change the
@By adulthood the brain is
;---.i--,fcrisscrossed with more than L00billion neurons, each reachingout to thousands of others so
lhan the number of galaxies inthe known universe-that qivethe brain i[s unriva]ed-powers,The traditional view was thatthe wiring diagram is predeter-mined, Iike one for a new house,by the genes in the Grtilizedegg. Unfortunateiy, even thoughhalf the genes-50,000-are in-volved in.the central nervoussystem in some way, there arenot enough of them to specifythe brain's incomparably com-
rltcssor Iand a
once w
The Logical BrainsKrLT: Math and logicLEARNTNG WTNDOW: Birth to 4yexsWHAT WE KNOW: circuits for math
reside in the brain's cortex, near those for music.Toddlers taught simple concepts, Iike one and!lmY: do better 1n:riath. Mus'ic lessons may helpdevelop spatial skills.\ATHAT Wli CAN DO ABOUT rr: Play countinggames with a toddler. Have him set the ta6le tolearn one-to-one relationships-one plate, onefork per person. And, to hedge your 6ets, turn ona Mozart CD.
Head Start are so often evanes-cent: this intensive instructionbegins too late to fundamentallyrewire the brain. Andtheymakeclear the rnistake ofpostponinginstruction in a second language(page 58). As Chugani asks,"What idiot decreed that for-eign-language instruction notbegin until high school?"
Neurobiologists are still atthe dawn of understanding ex-actly which kinds of experi-ences, or sensory input, wirethe brain in which ways. Theyknow a great deal about the'circuit for vision. It has a neu-ron-growth spurt at the age of2 to 4 months, which corre-sponds to when babies start toreally notice the world, andpeaks at 8 months, when eachneuron is connected to an as-tonishing L5,000 other neurons.A baby whose eyes are cloudedby cataracts from birth will, de-spite cataract-removal surgeryat the age of 2,be forever blind.For other systems, researchersknow what happens, but not-at the level of neurons aad mol-ecules-how Thev neverthe-
-less remain conhdent that cog-nitive abilities work much like-parsimonious in how it con-ducts its affairs: e mechanismthat works fine for wiring vi-sion is not likely to be aban-doned when it comes to circuitsfor music. "Connections are not
.r----:i-ormrng wrli)/-nrlly." saYs uale
4dng," saysCarla Shatz
Berkeley:
that gave birth to this paradigm in the1970s, Torsten Wiesel and David Hubelfould that sewing shut one eye of a new-born kitten rewired its brain: so few neu-rons connected from the shut eye to thevisual cortex that the animal was blirrd e'oenafter its eye was reopened, Such rewiringdid not occur in adult cats whose eves wereshut. Conclusion: there is a short, iarly pe-riod when circuits connect the retiaa to thevisual cortex, When brain regions mature
Purves of Duke Universitv. "but are nro-r1oted-byjcliyjly.
Lan$ua$e: Before there are words, in theworld of a newborn, there are sounds. InEnglish they are phonenres such as sharpba's and das, drawn-out ee's and ll's andsibilant sss's. In Japanese they are differ-ent-barked hit, merged rrlll's. When achild hears a phoneme over arrd over, neu-rons from his ear stimulate the formation of
6'M
are twed-which experiences achi.ld has - determines whether
56 rvBwswesx FEBRUARy rg, rgg6
edicated connections in his brain's audi-rry cortex This "perceptual map," ex-_lains Patricia Kuhl of the Universily ofy'ashington, reflects the apparent dis-mce-and &us the similarity-berweenrunds. So in English-speakers, neurons inre auditory cortex that respond to "ra'lieu from those that respond to "1a." But forrpanese, where the sounds areelarlv identical, neurons that:spond to "ra" are Practi-rlty itrterrtrined, like I
less involved, mothers; at 24 months, thesap had widened to 295 words. (Presum-ibiy the findings would also apply to a fa-ther if he were the primary caregiver') Itdidnt matter which words the motherused-monosyllables seemed to work. Thesound of words, it seems, builds up neuralchcuitrv that can then absorb more words,
ing, the amount of somatosensory cortexdedicated to the thumb and ffih finger of
early in life, the ones for musicendure. Wayne Statds Chuganiplayedthe guitar as achild, thengave it up. A few years ago hestarted taking piano lessonswith his young daughter. Shelearned easily, but he couldntget his fingers to follow his wish-es. Yet when Chugani recendYpicked up a gurtar, he found tohis delight that "the songs arestill there." much like the musclememory for riding a bicycle.
Math and lo$ie et UC Irvine,Gordon Shaw suspeeted that allhigher-order thinking is charac-terized by similar patterns ofneuron firing. "If youre worleing with little kidsil sayl Shaq"yotfre not going to teach themhiglrer mathematics or chess.
Qut they are interested in andcan process music." So Shawand Frances Rauscher gave 19
Researchers findlence of these
evr-tendencies
1:l li,,,
ffi.;l:,il1ff#:,::f;|2 months," says Kuhl, "infantsrave lost the ability to discrimi-rate sounds that are not sig-rficarlt in their language, and*reir babbling has acquired the
cortex, representing the sounds that form words,are wiredby the ag*e of 1. The more words a childhears by 2, the larger her vocabularywill grow.Hearing problems can impair the ability to matchsounds to letters.WHAT wE cAN Do ABour rT: TaIk to your child-a lot. If you want her to master a second language,introduce it by the age of 10. Protect hearing bytreating ear infections promptly.
sKrLL: LanguageLEARNTNG WTNDOW: Birth to 10 yearsWHAT wE KNow: Circuits in the auditory children -eiven. ng pulig les-
sons. as shown in their abilitv to
ffres and eoFy patterns ofqggcaloEJacks. The mecha-nism behind the'"Mozart eFfect" remains mu*y, but !@u
that when children ex-
relatedlanguages suchas Span- E
ish and French are easier to learn than unre- much as creating a computJr file allows theus€r to fill it with prose. "There is a hugevocabulary to be acquired," says Hutten-locher, "and it can only be acquired throughrepeated exposure to words,"
Music Last October researchers at the
their use inLated ones: more of the existing circuits can
do double duty.With this basic circuitry established, a
baby is primed to turn sor:nds into words.The niore words a child hears, the fastershe learns language, according to psychia-trist Janellen Huttenlocher of the Universi-ty of Chicago. Infants whose mothers spoketo them a lot linew 131 more words at 20months than did.babies of more taciturn. or
Emotions:@[email protected] take oyer. Perhaps thestrongest influence is what psychiatristDaniel Stern calls attrmement-whethercaregivers "play back a childs inner feel-ings." ff a baby's squeal of delight at apuppy is met vrith a smile and hug, if herexcitement at seeing a plane overhead is
(as shown by
The Language Brain
Kuhl's work also suggests
nnanmuslc
examined with magnetic resonance imag-
FEBRUABY rg, r9g6 Nnwswrrx 57
, i?]pr{i
'4.Ii i
I t
mirrored, circuits for these emotions arereinforced. Apparently, the brain uses the
child for life. [$be-pgLtern that counLs,ald; t"" 'ho@fStern's studies, a baby whose mother nevermatched her level of excitement becameextremely passive, unable to feel excite-ment or joy.
Experience can also wire the brain s'talm down" circuit, as Daniel Golemandescribes in his best-selling "Emotional In-telligence." One father gently soothes hiscrying infant, another drops him into hiscrib; one mother hugs the toddler who justskinned her knee, another screams "It'syour own stupid fault!" The first responsesare attuned to the child's distress; the oth-ers are wildly out of emotional sync. Be-tween 10 and 18 months, a cluster of cells inthe rational prefrontal cortex is busy hook-ing up to the emotion regions. The circuitseems to grow into a control switch, able tocalm agitatiop by infi-rsing reason into emo-tion. Perha;is parental soothing trains thiscircuit, strengthening the neural connec-tions that form it, so that the child learnshow to calm herself down. This all happensso early that the effects ofnurture can bemisperceived as innate nature.
Slress and constant threats also rewireemotion circuits. These circuits are cen-tered on the amygdala, a little almond-shaped structure deep in the brain whosejob is to scan incoming sights and soundsfor emotional content. According to a wir-ing diagram worked out by Joseph LeDouxof NewYork University, impulses from eyeand ear reach the amygdala before they getto the rational, thoughtfirl neocortex. If a
N EW Sw'E EXfs
lsrul8 resuolrsc-.oaDy rs Pr'ouua slyscraper out of Mom's best
and Mom is terminally annoyed-
lege of Medieine, more circuits attend to
SCHOOLS
Why Do SchoolsF-lunk Biology?BY LYi'UNELL HANCOCK
IOLOGY IS A STAPLE AT MOST
American high schools. Yet when itcomes to the biology of the stu-dents themselves -how theirbrains develop and retain knowl-
edge-school offi"cials would rather not payattention to the lessons. Can first gradershandie French? What time should schoolstart? Should music be cut?Biologists have some im-portant evidence to offer.But not onlv are they io-nored. their findings,are of-ten turned upside down,
Force ofhabit rules the
tuned into brain research.scientists argue, not onlywould schedules change,but subiects such as foreisn' . - - - - - - - - - . - . -_Irytr-egueelselry, .Would be oftered tn mlch
Ylsscer-sblldrcn. lAusic.and qym would be dnily,re-quirements. Lectures. worksheets and rote memoriza-
-uon wouio De replacehands-on materials. dramaand project r aork. And
teachers would pay greaterattention to childrenls emo-tional connections to sub-j ects.'lArado_uores&sa-@ebjgl!9lv(dd,"saysFrank Vellurino, a profes-sor of educational psycholo-gy at State University ofNew York at Albany, "andwe isnore more as well."
Plato once said that music"is a more potent instru-ment than any otherfor edu-cation." Now scienlistsknow why. Music, thev be-lieve. trains the brain forLlgb"t f"!q!-
"f thitrlQtg.
Researchers at the Univer-sity of California, Irvine,studied the power of musicby observing two gloups ofpreschoolers. One grouptook piano lessons and sangdaily in chorus. The otherdid not. After eight monthsthe musical 3-vear-olds
were expert puzzlemnsterq,
Pnlg- [, 0 qercen! hiehert@spatlal mtellEence-tnei'ii?---n-.r
abiliby to visualize the worl
tion is often the first "frill'fto be cut when school budgets shrink.'Schools on aver-age have only one musicteacher for every 500 chil-dren, according to the Na-tional Commission on Mu-sic Education.
Then there's grm-dn-other expendable hour bymost school standards. Onl'36 percent of schoolchildreitoday are required to participate in daily physical edu-cation. Yet researchers now
nough confirmed this bywatching rats at his University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign lab. One group
The Windows of OpportunityPRENATAL BIRTH I YEAR OLD 2 YEARS
secondifiiiffiffiffiffiffiWW.iiF#,tuiTW.&gWW#
ffi.t, *Lc.ir t^.rho l+ ..sys tcfi shu *s.{<vrnu*,r io" ' ,9, r996 and, lL lehi td f fnnof t ' \ f l
6' r- I itZ1t-:cm ohr o n s ouct ,l'Jc,
C6aueagtFunS "
Euu:{ind$F-etopportunilv folle.arnrnC" last unlil
*wwffilgani of W+vne State 'uniyeigv3lbil- ,.dren s Hosnital ofMiehigan.
-huganidetermined thisby measwing thebrains consumptionofits chiefenergysource, glucose.(The more glucoseit uses, the more aetive the brain.)-Chi\dren s brains, he ob-serves. qobDle upolucose at twice thee.
. i i
4sllJa[g-EsLtbegegillo"PubedyUsunqbrabgeas orimed as thev'll
rcr-bslsJlrer€ss
nothing. A second ex-ised on an automaticrdmill. Athirdwas setse in a Barnum & Bai-obstacle course re-ring the rats to perm acrobatic feats.:se "supersmart" ratsw "an enormousount of gtay matter"npared with their sed-ary partners, says:enouqh.)fcourse, childrenit ordinarilynrn suchrtlets; still, Greenoughieves, the results arenificant. Numerous
t chi
not only aurally but emq-tionallv and phvsicallv toffi!re_@!g43Lsays unr-versity of Oregon educa-tion professor RobertSylwlster in'A Celebra-tion of Neurons."
Good teachers lnowthat lecturing on theAmerican Revolution isfar less effective than act-ing out a batde. Anglesand dimensions are bet-ter understood if children
chuck their work sheetsandbuild acomplexmod-el to scale. The smell ofthe glue enters memory
one sensory sys-tem, the touch of thewood blocks another, thesieht of the finished mod-el-still another. The brainthen creates a multidi-mensional mental modelof the experience-oneeasier to retrieve. "Ex-plaining a smell," saysSylwester, "is not as goodas actually smelling it."
Scientists 4rgue thatchildren are capable offar more at younger agesthan schools generallY re-alize. People obviouslycontinue learning &eirwhole lives,@g-@p[
new irrfomatinn-Complex subjectssuch as trigonom-etry or foreign
language shouldn't wait .for puberty to be intro-duced. In fact, Chuganisays, it g far e4sier, fo,r,-anelementary-scnool cnuoto hear and process a see-ond lanpuase-and evenspeak it without an ac-cent. Yet most U.S. dis-tricts wait until iuniorhigh to introducL Spanishor French-after the"windows'' are closed.
Reform could begin atthe beginning. Manysleep researchers nowbelieve that most teens'biological clocks are setlater than those oftheirfellowhumans. But highschool starts at 7:30 a.m.,usually to accommodatebus schedules. The result
dies. he savs. show-
+auha,{ a Honjcssoci c[a,.ss0oo/y1 al\or,r t-no* *ro^Lfiorrol onns,
;cuits in different regions of the brain mature at different times. at diferent ages. Give-your childr-en the stimulation they need when
a result, different c#cuits are most sensitive to hfe's experiences they need it, ind anytfung's possible. Stumble, and all bets are off-
;.-4 YEARS 5 YEARS 6 vrans TYEARS 8 vrans
Mffiffi ftiilltutamawru&w$**gtr**nmwruw*t*ffi.r,ffi ihit:1!.iiir;#&EWWWWffiffi riw*r*w:m ffiffi* sffiffiffiffiwffi.wwwffi ffi-*".-{$-e".wffi ii*'wmffirtgs:gt*'ryffi ffii,gewgd,#ff#ds.trgffittri.fd$ffi,ffi WWWWWffiMffi,it{I iti$lilr;lrtjlqig mlseg.W*W*,r9 ffi.#ffi.,:,l: .WWWWw*ffiffiiif pa'@wwwwmww*wwwffiwwlww
schools goes beyond sim-ole exercise. Children
re gq ffir#m+*J;li*x*e**ae*' itffii-#ffihi1ftlii;rt.'{llJ}',sis$ffiffiffitffi&!ffi9'{glwi'#jlffi
FEBRUARI rggG NewswsBr 59
can be wasted class timefor whole groups ofkids.Making matters worse,manv kids have troublereadjusting their naturelsleeo rhvthm. Dr. Rich-ard^Allen of Johns l{op-kins University found '
that teens went to sleeP atthe same time whetherthey had to be at schoolby 7:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.The later-to-rise teensnot only get more sleeP,he says; they also get bet-ter grades. The obvioussolution would be to startschool later when kids hitpuberry. But at school,there's what's obvious,and then there'stradition.
Why is this bodY of re-search rarely used inmost American class-rooms? Not many admin-istrators or school-boardmembers know it exists,savs Linda Darline-Hammond, profesior ofeducation at ColumbiaUniversityq,,'TeachersCollege. In-!ssstsla!9$,neither teacher,s nor qd-r,nTd strators ?re, req\iredto kJrow much about howchildren learn in orderto be cer-tified.\t"l'lworse, she saYs, decrslonsto cut music or S'/rn areoften made by noneduca-tors, whose concerns aremore often monetary thanedueational. "Our sclooisystem was inventgd,b
this way?"
With Par WrNcsnr ondMenv Hacen inWashingon
I YEARS
vgment Fetal movements begin at 7
"[t "ta peak behveen the 15th and 17th
eks. That is when regions of the brain
rtrolling movement start to wire up' The
:ical pJriod lasts a while: it takes up to
r n""it f"t cells in the cerebellum, which
t#oit oottut" and movement, to form
i"tional circuits. 'A lot of organization
do these cells become true neurons' Theyqrow a fiber called an axon that carriesEiectti"ul signals. The axon might reachorrly to u tt"nion next door, or it might wend
ib;;" clear across to the other side of thet-iri".'r, it ttt" axonal connections that form
ih" [tui"t cireuits. Genes determine the
-"itt t igh*"ys along which axons travel to
,ves about in the world," sal's l;l;iJ ;$"JtH'; *;:i l:;;illiam Greenough of the I
rsity of lilinois.tnerr gnp ()Il Lrrs |d6c
"Cells-that fire together wiretogether," saYs Shatz.
The same basic Process con-tinues afterbirth. Now, it is not
ents send a signal to the nals, but stimuli from thgains motor cortex; the more tl',+ffi*1ffi runt".. In experiments with ."
lTifiil-lv spastic move- an auto-dialer that sends sig-
% ffi, l i'F;*iiii.'f{$ffi fil;.,J#H"f";'?i'x?'+tle stro.nqqr tf.Ie clr-c]]lt. an'
rcGisT; al-' int"xt;nn"lly i#"U grow p5 percent more
#**ffiT$'$"'iliTfi '"*,-:Til"t chirdren, but arr
l[[&@iaitt *l]l ,Uucp-".at plal'rnates and toys and other
l*'Fi#,"*ffi :1:rr"-,::,t.1* rais deprived or
;eor4w'rrearn'[orvark -1Hfiffi #i1:ilTffi:jiil#ffiully, but never smoothly'
ffil: :,1:r,,""): -wm*"-m ffi.'3i"ru*iq1i:i:i,f,l
discover, and manl' ati" r fQ gains i-ade after aloytmo:e eru-ironmental th;; t;;. Craig Ramey of the
"J!"rtiffi,r,llt;"i,",xi: ;f*'":*,ffn5j'ffi%-ff;1
nealtDeat auLr urcaluur6, 1*'1I lnstrument lmo IleI llalr|.l t,curJ. development. In a recent paper,
the little cerebellum at th,e u,l{ - n
-"y r"a Frances, carirpLat
#l*:*liiHxTlt"t#;" """*
1*-e their connection-But to-reach P,"L':: I :f"*1.Y*':i:::#** fn:Hrgx
illi"H"#*'rJh*':'i,i;';: The Musical Brain lf:i''il*H,'ro*'',:i:i*tl:'ii Hi:;:,il;$:lfi
-- ;;;;;; M;;tu
' - - - ' - - - - - - r'"* rzo poor rarnilies were as-siqned to one of four grouPs:
lHTi-:"ft."i"#'i*::i:; N #*x*m$#",ili;,ffi* u **1.,..r*Y; fi'#fr:*ristr of only a few ad;couts breaking trail: within a larser area of their sensory cortex dedicated to to S y"rtr, Fom 5 to 8 years, orweek of conception they.march :;-o; .
' idiil; on thelr left hand. Few con- nor," "t
all. What does it mean;';i-ir,"
-"i"u.yo'' "neural the.Imgerl"g Ftgl1?-11:: ::::"1':'i^-lli"llir.. i;":.#,;;";'^i"iiionth-old?tube,,, a cylinder of celts extend- cert-Ievel pJtiofri"ts begin gl-anng later than the
. to "educate" a 4-m
ing from head. to rpil..Multiply- age of L0. Jt i, "t".fi
tt"tiu, io ftar; an instrument Nothing fancv: blocks' beads'
ingastheygo(thebrainaddsan as an adult. rs rruc''arLrur LU rv*r'*'"^"*:"^"^.*
:ffiX1;:#ft3:1#t"Sffi:;
;:T$;€ ]:*::t*ffiilff yy+r wE cAN Do ABour rr: Sins sones w"ith in the 6ook "Learningames,"*
ihe neurons .tr*p i#'iir'" "hiidr"rr.
pdt;m"t*"d, m"lodic-musii. If a child each of the 200-odd activities
;;;; ;",. which-commands shows *v J;i;';;;t;d;liinterest' get an ffi*"ffS":",:fff: f#;heartbeat and breathing, ?ll* instrument into her hand early. J"""topir""i. In a recent pape.,
ffi *#:J";Ti:1trJ,""tr,ffffiffi | fril;;;;;;i,,*"",r,u"*;il;;f;; I ir,ut .rua,"n enroued in Abecedarian asperceptionoriginate.Theneuralcellsarer. 1r*#"ii":rig",hJ.Fh.
s"*"^.1*,r*;; lp;tgh""Iersstillscoredhigherinmathandirnall, and the &stance so sreat, -that-a 1 .r'"'lt"#""it'"*, Yqil-t|1r:*l I i::*x*'j*:9:"""Tfi::?l'Hi'trT9":HlT#"T,hH.? "T$T":r"#,i';ii
;'ilh: | ffi;,.! il" '"p"ri"', thitiav tothe ol- | d'"".fhechil&enstillretainedan aYeraee
prefrontal iortex migrates a distance equiv- | fa.to.y ."ril". riy trt" nnrr -g{irt"r
Gi"- | ro "+"
of 4.6 points. The earlier the chil--arent to a humarrs walking from New york 1 ,r"" "i"ii#J"J#;
t;;;;,Jiil;;a;;iJ I a'i" i"t" enrolled, the more enduring the
to california, says deveropmental neurobi- 1 a"'tffi"i' i'*'i.l;q{::g:::*.i.':-:T I *l**":*Xtltl"**:age 5 conferred
:i#S"#,? B::r'ff,T#'Jiff"l,iirrii* I ffiHil;.u!';r1;iytjr"luitors- I L"'? ?'ii"o"TLli,ll!1, ,,", ,_r, ,,,,,uruBrsL rvr.rJ "^ ---- --. | *onr-lfr* tlr"y ol accornmodate. - _- I .l*"tn tt-u.*ril Isabelle I*vrs (226 pages. walken
University."'6"i, #i"" they reach their destinations I How does the-wiring get sorted out? The I t-a.ss).
FEBRUARY rg, r996 NBwswrPx 61
v
level the news is
the older brain and, like a microseopicscrewdriver, rewire broken circuits. In Jan-uary, scientists led by Paula Talal ofRutgers University and Michael Merzenichof UC San Francisco described a study ofchildren rvho have "language-based learn-ing disabfities"-reading problems. LLDaFects 7 million children in the UnitedStates. Talial has long argued that LLDarises from a child's inability to distinguishshort. staccato sounds*such as 'd." and"b." Normally, it tal<es neurons in theauditory cortex something like .015 secondto respondito a signal from the ear, calmdorv:r and get ready to respond to the nextsound; in LLD children, it takes five to 10times as long. (lVlerzenich speculaies thatthe defect might be the result of chronicmiddle-ear infections in infancy: the brainnever "hears" sounds ciearly and so fails todrarv a sharp auditory map.) Short soundssuch as "b" and 'ri" go by too fast-.04second-to process. Unable to associatesounds with letterc, the children developreading problems.
The seientisis drilled the 5- to l0-year-oids three hours a day with computer-produced sound that drarvs out short con-sonants, like an LP played too slow. Theresult: LLD childlsn who were one tothree years behind in language ability im-proved by a full two years after only fourweeks. The improvement has lasted. Thetrainiag, Merzenich suspect, redrerv thewiring diagram in the child.ren's auditorycortex to process fast sounds. Their read-ing problems vanished like the sounds ofthe ietters that, before,'they never heard.
Such neural rehab may be the ultimate
,%..
l.Virh Mant Hr,crn
All of which raises a troubling question.If the windows of the mind ciose. for t}e
payoffofthe discovery that the e4periencesoflife are etched in the bumps and squigglesofthe brain. For now. it is enouEh to know
Nole: f lankssori has nol- &-t-n me-rv*r '^^r. \ or,rra- arrJ - i { , y lut l .nJn/^-, r .^ r , q,D/r l r lp-ql .R
To aid life,leaving it free'however. to unfold itself, that is the
basic task of the educator
Maria Montessori
There are many wha hold, as Ido, that the most impartant period oflife is not the age of universitystudies, but the first one, the period
from birth to the age of six. For thatis the time when man's intelligenceitself, his greatest implement, is
being formed. But not only hisintelligence - the full totality of hispsychic powers.
The Absorbent MindDr. Maria Montessori
Tke child cdn only develop bymeans of experience in hisenvironment. We call suchexperience work.
Dr. Montessori
I had always understoad thatM adame M ante s sori di sp ens ed withdisctpline and I wondered how shemanaged a roomfull af children...On sending my little boy of three tospend his mornings in a L{ontessorischool, I found that he quicklybecame s more disciplined humanbeing... The pedagogicaldiscov eries involved keve requiredgenius but the teachers who sre toapply them do not require genius.They require only the right sort oftraining, together with a degree ofsympathy and patience, which is byno means unusual. The
fundamental idea is simple: that theright discipline con"sists not inexternal compulsion, but in habttsof mind,which leed spontaneouslyto desirable rather than undesirsbleactivities. Whot is astonishing isxhe great success infindingtechnical methods of embodying thisidea in education. For this,Madome Montessori desemes tkehighest praise."
from'ON EDUCATION"by Bertrand Russell
The most important discovery is thata child returns to a normal state throughwark. Countless experiments made uponchildren af every race throughout tlzeworld have shown thet this is the mostcertain detum that we have in the field ofpsychology and education. A child'sdesire to work represents a vital instinctsince he cannot organize his personalirywitho* working: a man builds himselfthrough working. There can be nosubstitute for work, neither affection narphysical well-being can replace it. Aman builds himself by carrying autmanual labor inwhich he uses hii handsas the instruments af kis personality andas an expression of his intellect and will
helping him to dotninate his environment.A child's instinct for work is a proof thatwork is instinctive to man andcharacteristic af the species. (fromTheSecret of Childhood)
. . ,f *e showed then exacttry how tado something, this precision itself seemedto holdtheir interest. To have areal
. purpase to which the action was directed,this was the first condition, but the exactway af doing it acted like a swpport whichrendered the child stable in his efforts,and therefore brought him to makeprogress in his development. Order andprecision, we found, were the keys tospontoneous work in the school. (ftomThe Absorbent ivfind)
Dr. Maria Montessori
