I think most would agree the right teacher(s) could have a significant impact on a child’s development – especially early in the child’s education.

A recent article from The New York Times titled “The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers” discusses this very topic.

Conventional research indicated that any benefit was diminished by the time students reach higher grade levels. However, this was based purely on test scores.

A new study by a group of Harvard economists evaluated the results in terms of “adult outcomes” rather than test scores. I think the preliminary results are interesting.

Seems like a question with an obvious answer, doesn’t it?

A recent post on www.literacynews.com puts some specific responses to this question and I wanted to highlight a few of the points mentioned:

• there is simply no better time in a child’s life for learning than when they are between 3 months old and their 5th birthday
• too often parents leave educating their children up to the public schools, which explains why the Unites States is currently ranked 18th in its literacy rate
• it provides brain stimulation during the crucial time when his or her brain is developing
• it has also been shown to increase the baby’s IQ
• it gives your child a head start in life – the sooner they begin to read, the sooner they can begin to learn other subjects

The article goes on to provide some recommendations for teaching your baby to read. While the article does mention a few specific products and sites, some of the suggestions could be generally applied.

Despite the fact that the response to this question seems obvious, it is nice to highlight some specific reasons and data in support of that conclusion.

Publishers Weekly recently posted about a new initiative by Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation.

The program, found at www.wegivebooks.org, provides access to “a growing digital collection of Penguin Group’s classic children’s literature”.

Each time you read one of the books online, Pearson donates a book to a child through their partnerships with various literacy organizations. These include United Through Reading, Haiti Learning Spaces, and others.

 Every time you read a new book online, you can select the organization you wish to support.

They intend to donate more than one million books in the first year.

Pretty cool!

Allison Morris recently posted about the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loDMRzPiCic.

In the video, actor Brian Cox teaches a toddler, Theo, some lines of Shakespeare. I love how Theo attempts to match Brian’s tone and inflection.

It should serve as a reminder that children learn by mirroring our words, patterns, and actions.

Enjoy!

Literacy News recently included an article on Uplift, Inc., which created an online class call STRONG READER.

“STRONG READER is a cyber class that combines phonics, etymology and reading comprehension with video lessons, video games, avatars and puzzles to engage students to complete the process of reading development. Listen to a video lesson, answer a question correctly then play the video game.”

You can play a sample game by visiting http://www.cyberschoolinc.com/Website game/HOOP SHOOT 11a.swf.

While I think the idea is sound – using something that interests kids to assist with their learning and literacy – I’m not sure about the execution. Perhaps it is just the sample game, but there are errors in the questions and the content does not seem conducive to learning.

However, in my opinion, the biggest issue may be the games (assuming the sample game is representative of the others available). The graphics are not very advanced and the gameplay is very basic.

Given the choices available today, I wonder if these games will be able to hold the attention of the target age group. If they are not engaged and challenged by the gaming portion of the application, it does not seem likely that they will be engaged with the learning aspects either.

I would be interested to hear your opinion on it, so try the sample game and let me know what you think.

Literacy News recently posted some information on child development to “assist parents in providing enriching everyday activities that will help their child learn, grow, and thrive.”

The information was presented in four categories:

1. Language & Communication – discusses the types of communication babies use at various stages of development and how to understand & use them to encourage language in your baby
2. Thinking Skills – outlines ways play can help develop problem-solving and thinking skills
3. Self Control - during the early years of life, children start developing self control. The post offers a few suggestions to help your child manage feelings and respond appropriately.
4. Self Confidence – provides some strategies to aid the development of self confidence

While not comprehensive, due to the format, the post seems to provide some interesting points and suggestions to consider. You can review the complete article here.

Literacy News recently posted an interesting article by Glenn Doman discussing how babies can learn to read.

The article lists several pointers to help your baby learn to read including:

1. Point to the words as you read them to build associations
2. Showing words in an isolated state allows the baby to learn full words
3. Words must be “a good size”
4. Expose your baby to language beginning at birth

Glenn states that babies taught in this manner are able to read orally when they start to speak, but are able to read mentally at a much younger age.

Literacy News posted an interesting article today titled “Why Babies Can (and Should) Learn to Read“.

The article discusses the physiology of brain development and how it relates to the ability to learn (focusing on language and literacy).

This provides a detailed explanation or rationale for why it is so important to read early and often to each child.