Socializing and Second Language Learning

"New findings by researchers at theInstitute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington demonstrate for the first time that an early social behavior called gaze shifting is linked to infants’ ability to learn new language sounds." (McElroy, 2015)

University of Washington: Babies' brains show that social skills linked to second language learning

Technology and Your Child's Development

Digital distractions have become the new normal in our everyday lives.  

Technology can make things easier, faster, more convenient -- but at what cost? 

From parents of infants using their technology during time which could be spent interacting with their babies, to children who say their parents check their devices too often -- discover even more about how technology and our ever-increasing use of it is becoming a factor in the development 

of our children.

Chicago Tribune: Is your technology hurting your child's development?

More reasons to read!

There are so many reasons to read.  To learn, to calm, to explore, to escape.  Public Radio International reminds us of one of the many important reasons in one of its Science Friday featured articles.
It's not just about learning how to read the words on a page.  Reading contributes in an even greater way to the development of a child.  When reading books, children are exposed to a greater number of unique words than in everyday conversations.  More rare and complex sentences are features of literature that also tend to present themselves in books more than in day-to-day life.  It is in these ways - among many - that books and other texts can provide what everyday is not.

Public International Radio - A new study gives parents another reason to read to their kids

The Birth of a Word

Find out how one man fused his roles of researcher and parent to find out more about how children learn words.

TED 2011: "MIT researcher Deb Roy wanted to understand how his infant son learned language — so he wired up his house with videocameras to catch every moment (with exceptions) of his son's life, then parsed 90,000 hours of home video to watch "gaaaa" slowly turn into "water." Astonishing, data-rich research with deep implications 

for how we learn."

Check out the video from TED2011 HERE.