Monday, March 14, 2011

Seniors- Language Development

REMINDER: Language quiz #2 TOMORROW- pgs 246-251 (you have objectives for this),
325-328, 335-336

Today you will read 3 current articles that relate to language development. You will be responsible for the information obtained on the next test. The langauge test will be on THURSDAY of this week.

Answer these opinion questions FIRST. The questions are a precursor to the articles you will read. Use at least 4-5 sentences for each question.

1. Should America push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years? Is America falling behind the rest of the world?

2. How can parents influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage?.

3. Do you think TV programs (like Sesame Street) that try to promote language development work? Explain why or why not.


SECOND, summarize the main points and significant findings of the 3 articles below. Be sure to include the purpose, set-up and results of any studies mentioned. Use 5-6 sentences for each article.


4. Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say

5. From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk

6. Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy


122 comments:

Amanda N said...

1. I believe America should promote bilingual opportunities for children because our country has a growing Hispanic population, and if people only know English, then these children will have a more difficult time learning a second language further in the future. America is falling behind because our country only speaks one language, whereas other countries speak more than one.

2. Parents can influence language by speaking to the child even though they cannot respond. This interaction can help a child learn to understand what different objects and actions are before they can verbally describe these things, which helps with their language development.

3. Some television programs may work as long as the parents do not only used these shows to promote language. Parents could interact with their children while watching the show as well, and only allowing the child to watch TV for a limited time. Social interaction works better, but these shows may also help to spark language development because children can still learn and see what the people and characters are referring to even if they cannot say what it is yet.

mikemauk said...

I think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities. Today language is so diverse in our country especially because of all the immigration. Most other countries of the world know their native language and it seems to me like they also know a second language, usually English. If our country pushed more for bilingual opportunities we could possibly get along better with other countries as well. We may be the most powerful country, but I believe that we are definitely behind in the language category.
During the prelinguistic stage is a time when a child is capable of learning any language that they are exposed to. If parents speak one language only when you are an infant you will learn that language. If parents were to start speaking another language as well as their native language their child may be able to pick up both languages. Another thing that parents can do is having their children learn another language at an early time, not like we do in the U.S where we usually don’t take language until high school. It is most effective if you learn another language before the age of 12.
I think that TV shows can actually help out a lot with language, because I know this from a personal experience. My little cousin was raised watching informative shows, especially the show Dora The Explorer. When she was about three she could already count to 20 in Spanish and knew all the basic colors. I think that these types of shows is just another way to stimulate your mind early for another language.

Rachel Schwartz said...

1. I believe America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years because it can help the children learn language better. It also helps the brain be able to multi task more than someone who is not bilingual. America is sort of falling behind the rest of the world because most other countries speak more than one language. One reason we may be falling behind is that people associate bilingualism with immigration.

2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by talking to them and practicing their language skills. Reading together is also a very good tool for influencing language. Reading to your child and asking open ended questions about the story is a great way to influence a childs literary skills.

3. TV programs (like Sesame Street) that try to promote language development do work for many reasons. Watching shows that promote language development can teach letters and words to which the child absorbs and learns. A study even showed that if you watched Sesame Street for a certain amount of time each day, a child's language improved. While dealing with T.V shows you have to remember to be careful not to overload them with T.V shows because too much cant decrease language development. The happy medium is watching some of teh shows while talking to your child about what is happening.

Justine Rybaltowski said...

1. yes, I think that we should push for bilingualism. There are many good outcomes from being bilingual such as being less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Also, children have to take a second language in school, so they would be ahead of everyone if they already knew a second language. In almost every other country, most people can speak two languages. United States should be able to do that too.
2. In order for the child to be bilingual,the parents most likely must be bilingual as well. If they are, they should teach their child both languages at a young age. They must use each language equally so the child does not loose one language. they can read them books in the language they are trying to learn so that they can be familiar with it when they try to speak. Parents can also show the child childrens movies in the language that they are learning.
3. Yes, I think they do to a certain extent. They teach the child the easy, beginner words. These words start their language development for their new language. I don't believe that this will make a child learn a whole language though. The parents need to follow up by talking to the child in the new language. The parents could also put the child in classes or a school that provides classes to learn a new language.

Rebecca Frost said...

1.America should push for more bilingual opportunities. This has many benefits. One is the fact that in early years (when a second language should be taught) it can help shape the brain. Studies have shown that when young children know multiple languages their brains function at a faster rate. They are better at multitasking and problem solving.

2.Parents can influence language development during the child's prelinguistic stage in many ways. First they can talk parentese to the baby. This helps the child pick up on the different sounds of the words. It also grabs their attention more. Even though babies can't talk, they may still be able to understand words. Parents who talk to their children and ask questons introduce them to conversation sooner. Also reading books to them. If a child sees a picture and a word linked to it repeatedly, they may be able to pick it up easier.

3.I think Sesame street and TV programs do work, but the parents have to use moderation. TV all the time is not good for the child. Studies have shown that if a child watches sesame street or another show that promotes language development, their vocabulary increases at an earlier stage.

Shannon Burn said...

1. Yes. America should try to provide parents of young children with the tools to teach other languages. Preschools should have bilingual classes. America is probably falling behind a little. When you meet foreign people a lot of them speak both English and their native language. Children who only speak one language cant multi task as well so their at a disadvantage.

2. Parents influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage in many ways. One way is by talking to the child alot in different languages. Parents can also make their kid watch alot of those language shows like dora and diego. Parents can also read to their child to help with language. When they read to their child they should ask open ended questions to help with language.

3. Yes I think TV programs like Sesame Street work. They are interesting to young children so they can focus more. Since the child is focused it can absorb more information. A study showed that if a child watches Sesame Street a little bit every day could actually raise the child's IQ.

Julianne Kelley said...

1. America should definitely push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. These opportunities should be available to all people, but they should not be required. If this were a mandatory requirement, debates would arise as to whether or not our lawmakers are true Americans. America is the land of freedom, and this includes the freedom of speech. English is the primary language spoken in America, but we all have a right to learn other languages from an early age. In this way, America is falling behind the rest of the world. My friend Maria from Greece speaks Greek, English, German, and French fluently, and she speaks broken Italian. She was brought up in a Greek-speaking home, but her school provided her with a multilingual education.

2. During the child's prelinguistic stage, parents can influence the child's language development. Parents can influence language development either positively or negatively. By the parents never speaking or making sounds, the child may not learn to make the sounds necessary for speech. By the parents speaking more than one language around the home, the child may learn to make the same sounds that they heard in the spoken languages. Children learn language through a combination of inborn and learned knowledge, so their outside influences are very important.

3. I think that TV programs that try to promote language development do work. Shows like Sesame Street and Between the Lions encourage children to make the sounds that are common to the English language. My little cousin Jason repeats the words that he learns from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and he is the reason that I believe in these educational shows' effectiveness. These shows promote the use of correct grammar and spelling. They also stress the alphabet and simple numbers.

D. DeMasi said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. Learning a second language is easier when starting from a younger age. For instance, I started learning Spanish in third grade. I remember more of the information I was taught in middle school than the information I was taught in high school. With all of the different cultures and mixed heritages in the United States it would be an advantage to start teaching children a second language at a younger age so that they can communicate with some of the people who do speak a different language. Also, it is proven that people who speak more than one language get higher paying jobs. Many other places in the world are taught their native language and English from a young age. The U.S. should start these programs to prevent falling behind the rest of the world.

2.Parents can influence language development in a child's early linguistic stage by talking around and to their child. If parents want their children to learn two languages, for example, English and French as well, they can start by naming things in one language and follow with the word for the same object in the second language. If parents want their children to know more English than French, they can speak more English around and to the child. Because children are preprogrammed to speak any language it is easier for them to pick up two languages from birth. It is easier to know how the language works right from when they can talk than have to learn all of the rules of spelling, grammar, and the sounds of that language.

3.I think that programs like Sesame Street that promote language do work. I have a four year old sister at home who watches Sesame Street as well as Dora the Explorer. On both of these shows they speak both English and Spanish. My sister knows quite some Spanish and can say short phrases and name objects in both of these languages. My family is not fluent in Spanish and she does not yet learn it in her preschool. This is how I know that these shows do work. The only way that my sister would know how to correctly name objects in Spanish and say short phrases is from these shows. She has had no other teaching in Spanish anywhere else, school or home. So yes, I do believe that they work as far as promoting language.

Ashley Mealey said...

1.) I do think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities. It is very beneficial for people to know more than just their native language. In one way it helps multi-tasking and preventing Alzheimer’s for a while. In another way it would help more people be able to communicate with more people inside and outside of our country.
2.) During the child’s prelinguistic stage the parents should push the child to learn more than their native language. Since their brain can easily mold to knowing more than one language they should take advantage of it. If they do not know another language themselves, they should have someone else come in to help the child learn. In their home they could speak their native language, and when the child is with the other person they can speak the other language. This will also help the kid to learn when to switch.
3.) Yes, I do believe that TV programs work. They help to keep a child’s attention and help them not get bored. They also do activities on the show to help the child learn different things. When children become interested they will want to watch the show and learn new language skills. The people who write the show know what to do to help kids learn so in that way I definitely believe TV programs can promote language development.

Eileen MArge said...

I think that it would be beneficial to Americans to be fluent in another language. For example it would be helpful in many aspects of the American society. Trade, business, and culture would benefit greatly if Americans were fluent in more than one language. I do feel that America id falling behind because other countries are fluent in sometimes more than three languages. This opens many opportunities that us as Americans might never have.

Parents can do a number of activities with their child to influences their language during their prelingustic stage. Activities such as reading to their child could greatly influence their Childs language greatly. Other activities such as talking to their child, and naming objects and people could have a huge impact on their child’s prelingustic speech. Along with this watching and monitoring their child’s progress would be very helpful. In the case that a child is having trouble it would be beneficial to both the parents and the child to get help as soon as possible.

Yes I believe that educational programs such as Sesame Street help promote language development. I think that it is helpful because the programs are aimed at the age groups that are learning to read and write. For example if a child watched Sesame Street every day they would begin to have a better understanding of colors numbers and the alphabet. Programs like this will help children to day rather than just watching cartoons with out any educational purpose.

ARizzo said...

1. I think America should definitely push for bilingual opportunities in the formative years. This gives children a head start for their future. America is so diverse that you come across people of different heritages and cultures who speak other languages everyday, so it will benefit Americans if they can speak another language in the long run. Adults will also be able to get better jobs and succeed if they are bilingual. Many other countries know multiple languages including English, and I think America should obtain a second language also.

2. Parents can influence language development during the child's prelinguistic stage by exposing them to their native language. If parents keep talking to them and encouraging them eventually the child will catch on. Parentese is also said to be significant in development of a child's language development. Playing and interacting with your children can benefit them in the long run. They will remember what they have learned and imitate what you have said before.

3. I think TV programs that try to promote language development work. It is entertaining and children will be drawn to shows such as Sesame Street. But I also think that parents play a major role in how effective these shows can be. A parent should interact with their child while they are watching the show. This will give children a better understanding about their native language.

Meghan S said...

1.Yes I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities because it can give more kids a chance in success. It also onsets Alzheimer’s disease later if you have that specific gene. I do think America is lacking in teaching kids bilingualism because it is very rare that a child can speak more than one language fluently.
2.I think parents could influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by trying to teach them with an interpreter or in a class where second languages are spoken more often. That way, the child will be exposed to it and will absorb what they can so they can become bilingual.
3.Yes I do think TV programs try to promote language development can work because the child is watching and can see the image and then when the word that goes with that image is said they imitate it and remember.

Leann Hendron said...

1. Yes, I think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. I feel that all it does is benefit them. Of course they need English, but it may help them in the future with interacting with different types of people. It may give you more job opportunities, because for some jobs now, you must know another language. There is no harm in being bilingual. I think that America is falling behind with the rest of the world. I go to school with many kids, and yes some of them are bilingual, but not many. They may take classes for another language, but the does not necessarily mean that they can speak fluently in it.

2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by interacting with their child. Just because your child may not be able to talk, does not mean that you should not talk to them. Repeating the names of objects while pointing to the object helps and will eventually stick in the child’s head. Your child hearing different words/sounds from between parents and other people will help them during their language development.

3. TV programs work, but only so much. They help children interact and help a little but you can not rely on TV to teach your children how to speak. The care- giver of the child needs to be apart of the child’s learning of language also. Not just Elmo and Big Bird. Just sticking a child in front of the TV and expecting them to talk is not realistic. They need real interaction with real people.

Alison Zimny said...

1. The rest of the world seems to be ahead of America with the idea of language. Not only do they need to learn their own language but they also need to learn English because of it being a major language. If people want to legally come to America they need to learn English in order to become a citizen. I feel like if you want to live in another country, you need to learn the language. This is especially true in America because not everyone studies foreign languages so English is a necessary language to learn here. I think America needs to put more of an emphasis on foreign language because as time passes the country will consist of even more languages than it already does.
2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by surrounding their children with conversations. Even though they cannot speak back, infants take in language. Different forms of language can be used to prepare the babies for speech and other forms of communication. Shows, movies, and even music are a good way to introduce infants to language. Just having the child around different conversations can help them develop language.
3. TV programs work to an extent. It is also up to the parents to reinforce language development in other aspects of daily life. If a child is only getting 45 minutes worth of language through Sesame Street, then they will not fully understand the use of language outside of television. Parents need to try and have full conversations with their children. They need to ask and be asked questions to help form a well-developed language for their child.

Molly Dunlap said...

1. I think that America should start having more bilingual opportunities. If children started learning a second language, like Spanish, at an earlier age, than they would be able to learn it better. This would help them later in life, because a lot of people in America speak Spanish and if they go to a foreign country they could communicate better. Being bilingual also helps people multi-task and use more of their brain. In this aspect, America is falling behind the rest of the world. Alot of other countries are fluent in their language as well as English and perhaps other languages too. They teach them other languages at a young age, however we don't really do that.

2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage. A lot of parents speak a second language. If they spoke this around he house while the child is young this will help their language development a great deal. They would learn English at school and at home as well as another language at home, where they are for the majority of their early years. Even if the parents aren’t bilingual, they can help their children as well. They can read to them a lot and use bigger vocabulary around them a lot.

3. I think television programs for children like Sesame Street that promote language development do help. I grew up watching a lot of these shows as a child. They use techniques in these shows to help children with language development. I’m not really sure how they do it, but if you were to watch those shows now you would see that they are trying to teach children language. However, children shouldn’t spend all day in front of the television. This will just start turning their brains to mush and they will be mesmerized by the screen.

Amanda N said...

1. America should push for bilingual opportunities in the future because of our changing nation. Our country is growing in the number of immigrants; therefore, our children need to learn more than one language. Learning more than simply English can help a child for the future. America is falling behind because most countries know how to speak more than one language. This shows that America should promote bilingual opportunities to help the future of America become better developed in the world.

2. Parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic stage by speaking to the child. Parents' social interactions with their children helps promote speech. Parents can talk to their child even though the child cannot verbally reply yet. This interaction builds a bond and helps the child to learn what different objects are and what certain things mean before they can vocalize such things. Parents can also try using some shows geared toward promoting language occasionally to help their child, but social interaction works best.

3. Television programs can help promote language development. If these shows are only viewed occasionally and the parents also socialize and interact with the child during the shows, then that helps promote language even more. Such shows can help a child understand the meanings of different objects and actions displayed by the characters on the show and apply what they have learned into their own life experiences. Children can begin to learn the names of different things and widen their knowledge even before speech has developed. This allows children to learn language better and understand the world around them.

Maura D'Amico said...

1.) IF you were to be born in a foreign country you would learn multiple languages before you graduated from high school. This is not the same for America almost all Americans are not bilingual. This does not seem right for a country that culturally describes itself as a melting pot. At the current moment we are facing an immigration problem while the legal ramifications of immigrations are determential to the system the fact that most of us are unable to communicate with them is unacceptable. If the only reason we do not know another language is because we are arrogant enough to believe that it is not our responsiblity we are isolating ourselves from the knowledge gained from other cultures and people different from our norm. We are falling behind while it is common for well developed European nationals to be bilingual in numerous languages through out life.
2.) Parents can allow children to speak other languages around the house or choice to communicate with them in a different language in order to reinforce what is being learned in school. Also another suggestion could be to allow them to watch Spanish or another language baby movies. They may be very stimulated by these and if they have a good core foundation at home what goes on in the classroom will matter more. Parents may also look for a school were learning a second language is a requirement through out all years. If the valued time is not used early on in a child's life the ability to easily obtain a foreign language is decreased.
3.)Television can be both an attribute and a determent. Shows that use proper language in well formatted situations can help your child. However, shows like Tell-e-tubbies, provided inadequate examples and caused children to form poor language skills. This reaction however proved that shows can affect a child's language development. Shows that are well formatted for this task can help however how much depends on the reinforcement give by the parents and is situational to each child.

Haley French said...

1. I feel America should start having more bilingual opportunities because it's a way we can better our society. Being bilingual can help anyone communicate perfectly with someone who speaks that language, and it should be our duty as Americans and as people of the world to try and come to together somewhat through language. Also, since our country is becoming more populated with people who do not speak English, it is a way for the people of the United States to come together to form a more perfect unit. I don't feel that America is falling behind the rest of the world, but if other countries are making this step to become more bilingual then we should follow their example. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

2. Parents influence a great deal of a child's language development. They pass on their certain speech qualities (like maybe a southern accent) on to their children, so that when they start talking, the child talks just like them. It also might just be certain words, too. For instance, my friend pronounces the word "crayon" as "crown" and so do her parents. It just depends on who you are, where you came from, and how your parents talk that influence a child's language.

3. I don't think kid's shows help with language at all. When I was kid, I was more entertained by what they were doing on the show than what they were actually saying. Sure they might have tried to incorporate language development into their programs, but some kids just don't catch the subliminal stuff. Take Teletubbies,for example. There was little to no talking throughout the entire show, yet it still got the point across.

Cole Preston said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years because there are many benefits to being able to speak more than one language. This would be very important because there are many people from other countries who are coming to America to live and many of them speak different languages. It is also proven that being bilingual helps in brain function and can add a few years before getting Alzheimer’s. A child who is bilingual uses more parts of the brain than a child who speaks only one language.

2. Parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic stage just by talking to the child or reading to them. Although they may not understand what you’re saying or be able to say it themselves but they are memorizing the sounds of the words you are speaking.

3. I think TV shows like Sesame Street do help children to develop language because children are very interested in the show. These types of shows catch the child’s attention and repeat words so that the child will remember them.

Lauren Fowler said...

1.I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities. Our country is sometimes referred to as the “melting pot”; we are a diverse nation and I think it would be beneficial for more bilingualism. We may be falling behind, it seems many other children in other countries know more than one language. With the rising numbers of immigrants coming to our country it would be smart to know the languages of these immigrants.


2.Parents can influence language development by their interaction with their children. By speaking, playing, and imitating the babies they can mimic their parents and learn more. Parents should take advantage of their young child’s brain by encouraging learning another language while the baby is young. Playing games and incorporating vocabulary on a daily basis can help a baby learn faster.


3.I think TV programs can help promote language development. Shows like Sesame Street are vibrant and exciting to little kids. The shows can hold the attention of a young child because they find it entertaining. Shows like Sesame Street incorporate activities to teach lessons and the kids pick up theses lessons. Shows can teach language too, the babies can pick up vocabulary from these shows.

Rebecca Frost said...

Bilingualism vs. Not? Bilingualism may help the skill of multitasking, prioritizing and it may help delay early signs of Alzheimer's Disease. This effects result from a brain that has learned two languages. The brain is constantly deciding witch language is more appropriate to use in the given situation. The part of the brain that decides this also deals with focusing attention,ignoring distractions, holding multiple pieces of information in mind when trying to solve a problem, and then going from thought to thought. Stroop test: sorting colors from words- measures the reaction time. Bilinguals have a faster reaction time. Bilingualism enhances the brain's executive control functions.Alzheimer sets in for bilinguals five years later.

Julianne Kelley said...

4. The purpose of studying the effects of bilingualism is to discover whether it gives young children a mental edge or if it delays their learning. The Stroop test is a way to test one's ability to identify pertinent nuggets while being bombarded with extraneous information. The name of a color is printed in a colored font, and the subject is asked to identify the color of the print. The results of this test are that it takes less time for bilinguals to extract the necessary information than monolinguals. The significant findings of neuroscience researchers of bilingualism are (1) bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking, (2) adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and (3) being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.

Eileen Marge 1 said...

In the first article “Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say” the topic of bilingualism is discussed. Some researchers have said that it is beneficial in many ways such bilingual children and adults are better multitaskers, prioritize in their job environment better and being bilingual helps ward off symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Being bilingual exercises the brain and allows the person to better control the parts of the brain that deal with language. Over all the article promotes bilingualism in education.

mikemauk2 said...

The first article was basically stating that bilingualism is good for your brain. Speaking two languages actually helps to exercise your brain because when you know two languages your brain is constantly working to figure 2 different things at once. There are also some facts about bilingual speakers. Bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and being bilingual also helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
The basis of the second article is that today parents are started to get distracted and they don’t pay as much attention to their kids. Nowadays parents are more interested in their technology then talking to their children. Infants all have that time where they need attention from their parents and today a lot of children aren’t getting it. There are some exceptions though like the family in the article where the oldest son was raised hearing English and Spanish and now he is fully bilingual. The more attention and practice saying words with your children the easier they’ll learn and develop language.
The last article was asking the question whether or not children could learn language from TV or DVD programs. There was a study done by researchers’ at the University of California at Riverside, where they had one to two year olds watch the DVD called Baby Wordsworth. This is a DVD where children are exposed to many vocabulary words in different languages. In the end the study didn’t work and there was no real improvement in language for the children. Most parents spend a lot of money on DVDs tot try to stimulate their children’s mind for language, but after reading this article it actually doesn’t help them.

Justine Rybaltowski said...

1. The first article is basically promoting bilingualism and telling the benefits. Scientists use a Stroop test which tests the brain. They are given a word of a color but they have to identify the color of the ink it is printed in. It is proven that this is more difficult for monolingual people then for bilinguals. some of he benefits for bilingualists are multi-tasking, getting a higher paying job, and less likely to get Alzheimer's.
2.Many parents today to don't interact with their children like they use to. Mom's and Dad's are too distracted by Blackberry's and Ipod's. This causes children to loose eye contact and facial expression at a young age. communication is very important and begins at birth. The different types of cries help determine what the baby wants. It is very important and encouraged for parents to play word games, sing songs, read books, and talk about what they are doing or wants going on at the time.

Meghan S said...

In the article, Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say, the author talks about all of the reasons why bilingualism is good for you. They say that it helps you to become more multi-tasked and organized. Bilingual people are more likely to get Alzheimer’s later in life. People should look more into helping their child become bilingual because the benefits from it can really help.

In the articale, From Birth Engage Your Child With Talk, the author talks about how communicating with your child is one of the most important things to do right from the start. Without communicating your child could lose many things in parts of development. In one example with a bilingual mother it says that the confusion of two languages is not good and delays development. The main point is to avoid frustration and take it easy with teaching your child language development.

CoriB said...

1. America should push for more bilingual opportunities because being bilingual can help with many things throughout ones life. One is that bilingual children are more effective at multitasking. Another is adults who speak more than one language do better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. And last, being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. I wouldn’t say all of America is behind because lots of families come from different cultures where they do speak more than one language at home, buy yes, most Americans are behind because nowadays, other countries teach more than one language in schools.

2. A way that parents can influence language development during a child’s Prelinguistic stage is through talking with the child. By engaging in conversation with their child, the child will hear and be exposed to the language more often. Also the way you touch, hold, look at, and talk to babies helps your child learn your language. The parents voice also soothes the baby reassuring the baby that they are safe. Just talking to the baby about what you are doing, where you are going, and what you will see there helps the baby to slowly understand language.

3. I do not think TV programs that promote language development work because they really do not make a change in a babies’ vocabulary. The researcher at the University of California at Riverside did a study and their results were that there was no difference in language acquisition between children who were assigned to watch the program and a control group whom did not watch them. Past analyses have found that infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven’t watched the videos. Another study suggested that watching for example, Baby Wordsworth had no added benefit.

ARizzo said...

Article 1:
Bilingual children are said to be more effective at multitasking. Bilingual adults do a better job of prioritizing information in confusing situations. And it also helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease when they are older. This "juggling" of the brain is frequent exercise for the major control function in the prefrontal cortex, which is tasked with focusing attention, ignoring distractions, hold multiple pieces of information and flipping back and forth between them. When being tested, monolingual speakers add 240 milliseconds to their reaction time, while bilingual speakers add only 160 milliseconds to their reaction times. Learning two languages does have positive effects, but it does not mean they learn better then people who only speak one language. Also, since schools mainly want children to learn English, any parent who wants their children to keep their native language should continue to expose them to it in their homes.

Rachel Schwartz said...

4. Bilingualism education used to be thought of as a half baked technique but researches have found it actually has many positive consequences for the brain. Bilingualism makes children more effective at multitasking and helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. It even helps as an adult to do a better job prioritizing information in a confusing situation. Bilingual people do better on the Stroop test (where you say color of word not what the word is) and rarely use the wrong language. All around bilingualism can have many benefits to the speaker.

5.Not all parents routinely talk to their young children but it actually is very beneficial. Two female friends in their 30s who have toddlers talk to them and with them all the time. Even a former Spanish teacher, speaks to her three little boys only in Spanish; her husband and almost everyone else in their lives speak to them in English. The oldest son, now 3, is fluently bilingual and readily translates into English what has been said to him in Spanish. If asked something in Spanish, he responds in English (quickly recognized that persons limits with Spanish) and correcting my mispronunciations of Spanish words.
This example shows that not only does learning two language simultaneously advance a child but it doesnt delays a child’s language development unlike previously thought.

6.Do instructional DVDs actually help babies learn? The researchers found out that Each of the 96 infants and their parents were followed for six weeks, and were evaluated four times in that period. While all the kids added new words to their vocabulary over the course of the study, watching Baby Wordsworth (The DVD) had no added benefit. The study was on assigned a group of 12-to-24-month-olds to watch it daily for six weeks. Dr. Dimitri Christakis studies were the first to dispute the claim that educational DVDs improve babies' language skills, noted the importance of Richert's findings in advancing our understanding of how babies learn and dont learn language. It's not entirely clear why the videos are so ineffective, but they think its because DVDs overstimulate the brain or the babies are better able to learn sounds if they hear them from a live speaker rather than a video. Based on the evidence found, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that toddlers under the age of 2 should not watch videos or television. Though it is said you can still use them sometimes but be aware that without the parent being involved, children aren't likely to learn.

Hazel Chouri said...

1. Yes, I believe that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. To be bilingual is a special gift that is beneficial to everyone. In the career world if employers hire people that are bilingual they can increase their clientele list as well make a greater profit margin by going worldwide. Not everyone can speak English, if we as Americans learn another language; communication with others and the world will be easy.
2. Parents can influence language development during the pre-linguistic stage by talking to them in their native language. They can also introduce them to other cultures and through this exposure of a new culture they may grow up to be interested in learning that language.
3. I believe that TV programs like Sesame Street that try to promote language development work. Educational programs like these encourage children to learn new things. They make learning fun and creative. Many of these programs have sing-a-alongs that allow children to speak, learn, and understand what the characters are saying. These programs are educational tools that I believe are beneficial to all children.
4. Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say
This article mentions how being bilingual is good for the brain. There have been studies conducted in which it has proven that these skills help improve multitasking and prioritizing, and helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The constant changing from one language to another helps the brain in executive brain functions, which helps one focus and avoid distractions. Lastly, those that speak several languages can delay Alzheimer’s significantly and early signs of dementia may not occur.
5. From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk
This article mentions how talking and engaging with your children helps promote language development. It mentioned how parents who incessantly talk to their kids at a young age had better language development that those that did not. The article mentions that infants need to learn facial expressions and eye contact in order to develop language cognition.
6. Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy
This article mentions that educational videos like Baby Wordsworth do not help in language acquisition. In fact many of these videos delay language development and those toddlers that watch them score lower on word recognition tests than toddlers who do not watch them. They conducted an experiment in which observed two groups of babies. One group watch the Baby Wordsworth for six weeks and the control group did not. They wanted to see if after six weeks the babies could identify the 96 words they had seen. They control group recognized more words than the Baby Wordsworth group. In conclusion the article mentions overall educational videos do no work.

ARizzo said...

Article 2:

Many parents and nannies these days are seen tuned into their cellphones, Ipods, and Blackberries instead of their young children. Parents should be talking, singing, reading, and interacting with their children as much as possible. Even if they cannot speak, responding to them and letting them know you listening can help them with their communication skills as they get older. By not paying attention to their children, parents are losing out on the eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development. Communication begins as soon as a baby is born, so talk to them whenever you get the chance. they may not understand you, but your voice is calming and reassuring. Also, introduce your child to books and point out the pictures and colors on the pages. Preverbal children can understand way more than they can say so avoid "baby" words which can confuse a child who is learning to talk. It is also good to play word games, count stairs to help a child with their math, ask questions that require a choice, and avoid getting frustrated.

Ashley Mealey said...

4.) This article says how being bilingual is very beneficial. Being bilingual helps with multi tasking, prioritizing, and warding off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This is because the brain is constantly being exercised by going back and forth from language to language. In a study, they would be presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color of its ink. Monolingual speakers took longer than bilingual speakers to identify between them. If you want keep being bilingual you have to continue speaking your native language in one setting you can control: the home.
5.) This article is stating how parents now do not spend as much time talking and communicating with their kids as they should. You should always give children your attention when they are trying to communicate. You should reward them and also mimic them so they know they are doing a good job. It is also never too early to read to them or teach them new words. You should avoid “baby talk” so they do not get confused when they get older and start learning more. Instead of saying, “din-din” you should reinforce it by saying “dinner.”
6.) This article did a test on instructional DVD’s and concluded that children who watched the DVD’s actually did not show any improvement. The kids who watched the video did not learn any more words than the children not watching. They think videos are so ineffective because babies need to hear it from a live speaker (a parent) who engages with them directly. They think the videos over stimulate the brain. The key to learning words is social interaction.

Anonymous said...

i love miss albanese <3

Shannen Gentry said...

Opinions
1. Yes. I believe so because more and more studies are showing that bilingual children show positive results in brain activity as children and even in the future as adults. Being bilingual helps multitask, problem solve and in working the whole brain it is of great benefit to the persons mental health. I also believe it is important because of America’s immigrant population increases English is no longer the only language spoken. And I do agree America is falling behind the rest of the world. In other countries English is taught to children in school at a young age I believe this is a factor to why other countries seem to be more intelligent.
2. Parents can influence a child’s language development during the prelinguistic stage because the parent takes a large role in the process. During the prelinguistic stage the baby babbles, as the baby babbles the adult helps the infant advance in their language development by repeating the sounds the baby makes. It is then the baby’s job to repeat the sounds back and eventually be able to put the sounds together to make a word. The adult’s participation in the baby’s development also helps the baby grasps the idea of conversation. Overall the adults have a huge influence on a child’s language development.
3. Special programs I believe do promote language development work. Shows like Sesame Street and Barney help teach children but in the process keep their attention. The shows are simple and educational yet to young children still entertaining and to me the best way to learn is to be interesting at the same time.

Sean Murray said...

Sean Murray


1. Yes they should push for more bilingual opportunities. It would open up way more doors for America and it’s citizens. We are not necessarily falling behind the rest of the world. This is because most of the other countries are learning English as a second language. But not learning a second language can hurt America and limit its possibilities.
2. Parents can influence language development in their child’s prelinguistic stage in different ways. You can constantly talk to them so they become accustom to the language and how to use it. You can show the child educational videos to prime their skills. Reading stories to them with pictures will help them make connections with the images.
3. Television programs like Sesame Street can help a child’s linguistic abilities. Shows like this cannot hurt. They emphasize letters and words that teach children the meanings and sounds of them. This is another way for children to become conditioned with their language.

Rwalsh said...

1.) I believe that children should be influenced by bilingualism at a young age. I think that if children are given the ability to learn language easier, it is the adults and parents responsiblility to use that for the Childs advantage. Parents should push to brighten their children’s future, by helping them learn other languages. When children learn other languages it makes multi tasking easier. Multi tasking is a great skill to have and will benefit the Childs future.
2.) There are many ways parents can push along their Childs language development. Reading stories, singing songs, and commonly talking to them are great ways to help children learn how to speak and interact through language. Pointing to things and telling them different names of objects they are interested in, is a great way to help them learn vocabulary. Children’s shows help keep their attention and teach them vocabulary.
3.) Yes, I think TV shows are a great way to teach children language. They keep the kids attention and make learning interesting and fun. Shows that involve the kids in songs, stories and games are even better for language development. Dora the Explorer is a great show for language development because it points to objects says it in English and then in Spanish. It is a great way for kids to learn vocal, in two languages.

Sam Hall said...

1. Yes, I believe America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. I think that America is definitely falling behind the rest of the world. When many Americans travel abroad they have trouble speaking to the natives because they cannot speak their language. More Americans should learn foreign languages so that we can interact better with each other.
2. Parents should try to influence their children’s language development in any way they can. The prelinguistic stage is so important and the child’s brain is so plastic that there are so many different methods possible to help children learn language. Parents can use note cards to help their children learn language and even become bilingual but they have to be careful not to mix the two languages and confuse the child. Also, parents should try to read to their children multiple times throughout the day and night and it can help the child by always hearing the languages.
3. No, I definitely do not think that TV programs like Sesame Street work to promote language development. I think that for the most part they are just entertainment. In some ways they might help the kids remember some words or phrases but it’s not actually teaching them anything. The kids might remember what they heard but I don’t think they actually know what it all means.

BOWMAN said...

1. As Americans, we like to say how we are so advanced and ahead of the game. However, Americans are behind the rest of the world. Many countries, if not most, have citizens that are proficient in languages other than their native language. In smaller countries, it is almost imperative to learn other languages other than their own. People in England, most likely, know a language other than English because they’re so close to bordering countries, France and Germany.
Americans are a little bit different though. Because our country has a large population on a large land mass, there is almost no need to learn another language; especially when we have Canada to the north. But this perspective is the wrong perspective. When people say there is no need to learn another language because we’re America, they are being extremely ignorant. Americans like to marginalize people with accents other than our own because they are not proficient in English. But say, for example, a foreigner from Cuba is made fun of for not knowing English. The truth is, that they know English a lot better than the average American knows Spanish.
We should not shut bilingual people out from society. We should integrate the skills they have with the proficient English skills we have. Bilingualism should be encouraged and promoted, not discouraged and rejected.

2. Parents can influence language development in many ways during the child’s prelinguistic stage. Instead of just letting the child watch videos of animals, shapes, and colors, the parent can perhaps let the child listen in on a conversation. Having a child learn proper conversational speech is, I think, the best way to teach a child language. Of course the parent will teach their child shapes, colors, and other basic vocabulary.

3. Programs like Sesame Street don’t promote language development. For one, the characters are talking puppets with weird voices. This fails to teach the child the true meaning of conversation. The characters teach basic vocabulary and somewhat proper usage. The vocabulary is so basic, that the child will not learn things like synonyms. The characters’ appearance is so distracting that the child might not learn as many words as predicted. The videos are overstimulating. Videos like Sesame Street “[are] not a substitute for that kind of live social interaction.”

Brooke Truitt said...

1. America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the future because we are falling behind the rest of the world. English has become such a widespread language that many other countries teach it to young students. Unfortunately for Americans, English is the only language taught because it is the native language. I think that language classes should be introduced in lower grades because that is the time when children’s brains are the most plastic. Teaching bilingualism to students can only benefit them in their later years and will help the transition to high school and college language courses much easier.

2. Parents can influence language development during child’s prelinguistic stage. By talking a lot around the children and using simple sentences, it will be easier for the child to then pick the phrases up when they start to talk. Small, simple commands are most easily picked up on. They will also be more familiar with language. Reading and using fun flashcards and other ways of teaching will help enrich the child’s language learning, even before they are able to talk.

3. I think that popular TV programs do help to enhance and promote language development. The programs introduce basic things such as the alphabet in an inviting way for children. Fun characters, songs, and music are used to capture the child’s attention and they are then captivated by the show. Letter of the day and other games help by repetition to imprint language into the child’s mind. With everything, there can be an excess and too much TV program time for children. A proportionate balance of TV programs and hands on, one-on-one time will help to benefit the child the most.

4. Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say

In this article, neuroscience researchers have found that: bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking; adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations; and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.

Purpose- Does being bilingual give young children a mental edge, or does it delay their learning?

Results- Learning to juggle 2 languages in the brain is a skill that deserves credit for bilinguals' cognitive advantages. Researchers emphasize that this doesn't mean they learn any better than people who speak only one language, but it does keep the brain more nimble. This allows bilingual people to multitask better, pick out key information faster, and more effectively ignore surrounding distractions. These advantages aren't just useful for school children; they last over the course of a lifetime. A study published last year surveyed 211 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's and found that those who spoke only one language saw the onset of their symptoms four to five years earlier than their bilingual peers. Knowing two languages doesn't fight the disease, but it does strengthen those parts of the brain that are susceptible to dementia's early attacks, allowing them to withstand the assault much longer.

danielle mac said...

1. Yes, I believe that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. In the formative years, your brain absorbs more information and makes it much easier to learn a new language. I believe that other countries learn their native language first, and than attempt at a second language during middle school just like America. All countries should begin to learn a second language during the formative years so traveling would have more interaction with local people and tourists.
2. Parents can help influence prelinguistic speech in multiple ways. There are many child learning movies and such to increase learning because at a young age the plasticity of the brain consumes more information. Parents should also begin to read at night or throughout the day so the kids begin to understand more words. They can always use flash cards to introduce the children to words, letters, and sounds.
3. I don’t believe that child television programs help promote language development for kids, such as Sesame Street and Barney. The shows are for an entertainment purpose and don’t teach much language. As a young child watching a show like Barney, you may remember the “I Love You” song, but the rest of the phrases aren’t remembered by most.

Jen S. said...

1.I do believe that America is falling behind in the world today. Other countries have at least two languages their speaking and I feel like we should try to do the same. We should make an effort to have more bilingual opportunities, especially in our schools. Children need to learn a second language by a young age. This would make it easier to memorize and familiarize.

2. Parents can influence their child’s language when they are little. I think the way that a child is spoken to, taught, and overall interacted with greatly influences their own development. Children are interacted with by their parents with a unique tone and baby language that may slow things down too much. Maybe if we spoke to them like adults at a young age they would take in more vocabulary and info even quicker.

3. I do think children’s tv shows promote language development to a certain extent. Sesame Street and Dora promote bilingual learning and speech. They have a passive approach to it, which makes a child absorb things without even trying or realizing their learning. These shows are entertaining and hold children’s attention so it’s a great opportunity to make them educational so they can learn at the same time.

4. “Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say”

5. “From Birth, Engage Your Child with Talk”
Early communication is important for communication.
Eye contact and showing expression is important for babies.
Tell the children where, what, and how they are doing things or activities.
Read picture books and point out objects and colors.
Avoid baby talk and encourage new vocabulary.


6. “Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy”
Purpose: Do instructional dvd’s help babies learn?
Result: infants who watched educational dvd’s had learned fewer vocabulary words and scored lower on cognitive tests.
Set up: (observational) the parents were asked about their child’s behavior by a scienitist
Psychologist Richert and her team did their own Baby Wordsworth study

Mike Whetzel said...

1. I believe America should push for bilingual learning of languages at an early age because due to the global economy and the amount of foreigners present in the USA, knowing just English is bound to limit opportunities. America is falling behind the rest of the world, but it is not entirely our fault. Because English has become a partly universal language, Americans no longer feel the need to learn other languages.

2. Parents can give children toys featuring letters of the alphabet in order to foster learning. Also, teaching children the basic units of sound in their native language is a must before they are able to piece the sounds together to form words.

3. I think these TV programs, if presented effectively with a proven approach, have the capability to influence childhood language development because they are so good at capturing children’s attention and are able to keep children occupied without boring them like a traditional classroom setting could.

4. Some researchers believe that bilingual education is merely a waste of time and is a washed out effort to teach kids two languages that doesn’t work. Most, however, believe this approach can aid in overall language development. The ability to juggle two or more languages gives the brain multitasking abilities and helps the ability to process information faster. Bilingualism improves reaction time significantly in adults. If school age children are bilingual, their improved mental abilities will be present throughout the rest of life.

5. This article stresses the importance of speaking to children. Even if children are not able to talk yet by themselves, it is crucial to communicate with them to foster language development. One-on-one communication with children is very important from parents in order to have that connection to their child. Even before babies can talk, they have body language that parents must learn. This allows parents to read their wants and needs and react to them. It is important to use adult words around children so they can develop their language abilities appropriately.

6. This article revolves around the question of whether language development videos and DVDs targeted to small children actually work or not. A scientific study found that children who viewed the DVDs did not learn language any better than those who did not. These videos may overstimulate the brain with distracting visuals when a child would be better off learning language from a live speaker. For children under 2, social interaction is key to language learning. A DVD cannot replace this connection and therefore DVDs are ineffective. It is currently recommended that children under 2 do not watch these “educational” videos and instead focus on direct parent interaction to develop language abilities.

Stephanie C. said...

1. Should America push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years? Is America falling behind the rest of the world?
* I do believe that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. If we began to teach our children a language other than English when they're young, doors will be opened for them. Job opportunities would be vast, and travel would be made simple and much more culturally enriching. I believe that America is falling behind the rest of the world. People in many different countries can speak at least two different languages, starting from very young ages. I know a girl who is seven, and can speak both German and English. To us Americans, this type of fact is fascinating. But it shouldn't be, it should be normal.

2. How can parents influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage?
*There are many different ways that parents can influence language devolopment during the child's prelinguistic stage. First of all, it is important to talk to your children, even if they can't talk back. Through social interaction, children can begin to discover how language works, and how people interact with other people. Another idea is to talk to children using "parentese" or varying pitches/sounds while speaking. This allows the children to better hear the words, and become familiar with which syllables are stressed and which are not.

3. Do you think TV programs (like Sesame Street) that try to promote language development work? Explain why or why not.
* I believe that TV programs geared to promoting language development work. These types of programs expose children to many different types of words, maybe even some they don't hear in everyday life. These types of shows are entertaining, so they engage children which makes it easier to teach them. It is better if children are watching TV and being exposed to language, instead of just sitting quietly. If you can't talk to your children, let them watch TV. It will allow learning to continue even if you can't be there to help.

RachelM said...

2. Parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic stage by reading their children and having converstaions with them. The books that the parents should read are ones with the same group of words over and over with similar sound patterns so that the child becomes familiar with that sound. If the parent talks to the child in sentences that will intrigue and help them learn, then they can possibly learn faster. Talking in a wide vocabulary range of similar sounds and small words you could increase their passive vocabulary.

3. Yes I do think that tv programs such as sesame street work to help children learn language. All of those programs talk in a tone that will keep the child's attention while they are learning. Each show will focus on teaching a specific sound or a certain grammar rule and do it in repetition. By using repetition but in different activities the children stay interested and get enough experience with that rule or sound so that they will remember it later on.

Celesta Smith said...

1) I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities for young children. Although English is spoken in much of the world and America, we should still be taught Spanish in our younger years. Spanish is growing in the United States and may children such as me, could not even understand a little bit of it. I grew up listening to Italian, although I can’t speak it I can understand it. Because America’s children are not bilingual I feel that we are falling behind the rest of the world. For example my cousins in Italy can speak perfect English and have not even been to America. They learned since preschool and now have because fluent in both English and Italian. I think it is important to learn two languages at a young age.
2) If a parent can speak another language they should talk to their kids in both langunges at an early age, therefore the child will learn both. Unfortunately there are not that many families that have that so there are other methods. There are a lot of books, TV shows, and movies that can teach children to speak a second language.
3) If all the child does is watch these programs and don’t practice outside of the TV watching I don’t think that it will work. The TV programs are a good starter for children but should not be their only tool for learning.
4) Neuroscience researchers have found that there are major benefits for being bilingual threw out your life. The benefits are Bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking as well as Adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. Being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly years of life. Knowing more than one langue can lead to a better healthier life. Because of this I think all children should learn two or more languages at a younger age.
5) In this article it is described how walking and talking to your child is beneficial to the child. How? Because when talking to your child and not being involved in your cell phone, can teach the child colors and language development faster and help them talk sooner. It also mentions when a mother talks to their child in a different language how they can pick up on it so fast and can speak it very early in life. These are all very beneficial to the child.

Stephanie Rogers said...

1. Should America push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years? Is America falling behind the rest of the world?
I believe that America should instill a good vocabulary of bilingualism in the formative years so that children can develop an ear for different languages early. I agree with the statement that America is falling behind the rest of the world because we, Americans, focus too much on ourselves and what is in front of us, rather than the world as a whole and uniting cultures and language into today’s society. It is a shame that a person who is being interviewed for a job who does not have background experience with a second language, even if he/she is more qualified, will most likely not receive the job over a bilingual person, just for the concern of communicating with those who come in to the workplace who cannot speak English. My concern is that, why can’t everyone just have some sort of second language background? That way, there will be no debate over who is superior/inferior to others regarding language—everyone is accustomed in some way.

2. How can parents influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage?
Parents have a very important role on the nature side of language development. Parents teach their children names, numbers, animals, etc in order for their child to understand the world around them. Their minds are molded by experience and the experience comes from their models. Nurture counts as a large part of language development because without help and assistance, the child will not have an accustomed vocabulary to use later in life. The child must make connections early.

Leann Hendron said...

4. The article Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say is about children being bilingual and whether it is helping them or just delaying their speech. It talks mostly about the pros of children being bilingual and how it can help increase your ability to multitask, help with prioritizing, and helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease when you’re older. A test that scientist tried was called the Stroop test. The subjects are given a word with a particular color and are asked to identify the color of ink the word is written in. It is a very challenging task. They found that this test was much easier with bilingual people, because they are used to prioritizing information in confusing situations all the time.

5. In the article From Birth, Engage Your Child with Talk talks about how many parents are too distracted now a days and forget that just because their children can’t talk, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t talk to them. Communication with your children is important and expanding your child’s vocabulary is essential. Children can still understand what you’re saying, even though they are nonverbal. Asking questions is also very important that way, when you guess right, you can reinforce what they wanted. Little things like counting fingers, or counting steps as you walk up them are actually very helpful with a child’s language development.

6. The Article Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy is an article wondering if educational DVDs actually help. The study that was tested here was done by a psychologist named Rebekah Richert. She assigned two groups of babies, one to a Baby Wordsworth group and another was the control group and she tracked how many of 30 target words that were highlighted in the video that the babies were able to learn. They were words that most children commonly would hear through out every day life. The parents followed this for six weeks and were evaluated four times during that period. In the end, the study of watching Baby Einstein had no benefit. Another reason videos inhibit word-learning may simply be that they replace the time that the child could be spending with the parent while actually learning the same words.

Meghan G said...

1.I think that America should push for more bilingualism opportunities. It should be a mandatory class taught in all grades in all schools. If children are taught at a young age it will become natural to them. Many foreign countries are full of bilingual speakers and some even more than two. I do think America is falling behind. So many people speak other languages besides English and it would be beneficial to Americans if majority of us could communicate in other languages then just English.

2.Parents can influence the language development of their children by actually communicating with them instead of turning to electronics while spending time with them. Parents should talk to their children and ask them questions. Kids need to learn things like eye contact and how to be social. The only way they can learn this is by practice and being spoken to. Parents should read to them at an early age as well. Communication is present even at the time of birth. Touching and talking to your child from the beginning will help them in their language development.

3.I do think TV programs like Sesame Street do work. They use language and vocabulary in the show. The children become intrigued by the colors and the people in the show that will help grasp their attention. Once the child’s attention is grasped then they can learn. Stories are read and children listen. Some shows ask the children to repeat words that are said. Letters and letter sounds are also taught to young children watching these programs.

LindseyH said...

1. I think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities. I think there should be mandatory classes of at least one other language starting early on in a child’s life. A lot of other countries have kids learning at least two other languages and retaining those languages proficiently, able to speak that language and at least another one. Americans are falling behind, barley knowing at least one other language than that of their native tongue. If children in America were taught at an earlier age, they would know more about language and how to speak another language different from their own, helping them in the future.
2. Parents can influence the language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by talking to them in a different language, letting them watch TV to promote different languages, letting the children hear these different languages and hopefully helping them to learn.
3. I think that these TV programs do indeed work, because children watch these shows with excitement and remember the information on the TV. They try to copy and imitate what they see and hear. In many ways, children can learn a lot from these different shows, keeping them interesting and fun so the children would want to continue watching them.

Maggie Cackowski said...

1. I think that it is not a bad idea for America to push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. I think considering the number of immigrants in America there is a lot of different languages present in certain aspects of the world. Spanish is a language that I believe is important to learn because it is on everything you see like food labels etc. I don't think America is falling behind the rest of the world because it doesn't seem to be a main priority at the time.


2. I think parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic stage by participating in the process of the child beginning to learn the basics of the language. I think that parents should communicate to their children frequently. I think they should read to their children and let their children read back. I believe by allowing the child to practice communication as much as possible it will have profound effects on how soon and how well the child speaks.

3. I think TV programs such as Sesame Street may help to a certain degree. It definitely seems to help the child learn and develop language while keeping them entertained. I do however feel that a child should also spend their time learning language on their own through books and such. I think that watching too much TV in the earlier years may promote laziness and prevent the child from wanting to learn in a classroom.

Olivia Carlsen said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities. In other countries, most of the children know at least two languages. My fear is that America will fall behind the other countries. It benefits you so much if you are fluent in different languages. Starting the children young in different languages is easier and more beneficial for them.

2. Parents can influence children in many ways. If a parent talks to their child in different languages before they start speaking it will be easier for them to understand both languages. It even makes their brain develop a little differently. Their first language will distribute all of their brain while their second language moves into the left hemisphere. The younger the child begins a language the easier it is for them to learn and be fluent in the language.

3. Yes, I think TV programs promote language development well. For example, my cousin watches Dora the Explorer. She knows many Spanish words from this show and uses them frequently when she talks. Other shows like Sesame Street help too. Even if it is in your 1st language it can still help you. However they can only help to a certain amount. The child must use the language in order for it to be useful. Watching TV may be no more beneficial than having a conversation with someone.

NCraig said...

1. Yes, I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years because it’s easier for children to make connections with different languages the younger they are. Being bilingual can help a child greatly when they get older with jobs, communicating with others, and if they go on vacation, especially now with all the different languages being spoken. A child learning a different language when they are younger will help their brain grow. America is falling behind other countries because we are so concerned with perfecting our grammar we don’t pay attention to other languages. Other countries learn to speak English so they can speak correctly if they come to our country that is generally English speaking.

2. Parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic years by speaking to the children more and helping them understand the language. They can show them pictures and tell them what they are called so they make the connection. Too much stimulation for the brain is bad. Parents can talk to their children more so they hear words and sentences being said correctly so they can learn them.

3. I think TV programs are good for the child. It shows pictures and says the words along with it. Babies that watch those shows should not watch too much, over stimulation is bad for the brain. TV is a great visual learning aid for the children. They can hear the words being said correctly and repeat it so they learn to say it the right way. The more the children hear the words the more they’ll remember and start to use.

Hannah Jobst said...

1. I think that America should push for more bilingual classes. Children in European countries now are required to take at least 3 languages starting in the 5th grade ad they become proficient in at least 2 of them, not including their native language. American children are falling behind because most of them are barely proficient in 2 languages.
2. Parents can speak to the children more as if they are adults, instead of speaking in parentese, and can also let them watch TV and things that promote language
3. I think that these programs do work, because children will try to imitate things that they see. Also, they teach them in ways that a child would understand, and they keep the lessons fun and entertaining so that the children don’t even know they are learning, which is the key to Sesame Street’s success.

Brooke Nichols said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. Most of the other countries in the world learn another language, usually English. I feel that our country is falling behind other countries in this particular area. Especially with the amount of Spanish speaking immigrants that have moved to America I feel it is necessary for kids to learn another language.
2. Parents can influence language development during the prelinguistic stage by talking to them, reading to them and so on. When they constantly talk to them or read to them they will have a better chance of learning language faster and easier then if they weren’t talked to. They can say the word of the things children point to or are interested in so they become familiar with that word being associated with that object.
3. I think television shows that promote language development do work. But I also believe that they cannot be the only way children learn language. Kids learn from it because they are interested in the characters and want to be like them. So they will copy what the characters do or say, helping them learn.

Hannah Jobst said...

Bilingualism Good For The Brain, Researchers Say :
This article asked the question of whether or not bilingualism helps children get ahead in learning, or delays their learning. Through many studies, researchers have found that bilingualism has helped children’s brains. Children who are bilingual are more effective in multitasking, and when they become adults they are better at prioritizing situations, and research has even proved that bilingualism helps to ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Constantly switching between 2 languages has proved to work the main parts of the brain more than someone’s brain who is monolingual.

From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk:
This article expresses a deep concern for the way that parents in this generation interact with their children. Sometimes they tune out their young children because they can’t speak yet, but in reality, it will help a child’s language to develop if you speak to them normally and interact with them, even if they are too young to develop language yet. The article also showed proof that learning two languages simultaneously does not delay language development. The American Medical Association suggests that parents should talk to their babies whenever they have the chance, and that it is good to simulate conversations with their young children in order to stimulate language development.

Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy :
This article asked the question, do instructional DVDs actually help babies learn? After a study of the Baby Wordsworth DVDs, researchers found that there was no difference in language acquisition between the babies who watched the DVDs and the babies who didn’t. These results have been mirrored in many other studies. One idea as to why the DVDs don’t work was that the DVDs over-stimulate the brain, so there isn’t enough skill for the babies to acquire and develop their language fully. Also, babies are more likely to learn sounds if they hear it from a live speaker, such as a parent or sibling. The other reason given was that these videos may simply replace the parent-child bonding time in which these same words could also be learned.

sderita said...

1. I feel that pushing children to be bilingual in their early years would not be beneficial. I am not denying the proven benefits and advantages bilingual children appear to have. However, I feel that in America, a child shouldn’t be pushed to be bilingual unless that is the environment they are born into. Children in this situation benefit from learning two languages, because most of the time it allows them to communicate effectively with both parents. I don’t feel that we are falling behind the rest of the world, mostly because English is spoken to some degree in most parts of the world. The majority of our population is not bilingual, and they get through life just fine. There are some careers require constant communication with other countries, but most don’t. However, if one wishes to become bilingual, or speak multiple languages our country provides adequate resources to do so.
2. I think that parents can influence language development during their child’s prelinguistic stage in multiple ways. First, I think that just speaking to their child using child directed speech helps them to process language and become familiar with it, which helps contribute to their eventual verbal speech. I also feel that a child just being around their parents conversing with people exposes them to new words. Just hearing spoken language influences language development. I also feel that it is important for a child to have parents who give them adequate attention, and praise them when they make noises that sound like words. In my opinion, parents play a huge role in influencing language development.
3. To a certain extent, I feel that these shows can be beneficial. I also feel, as with most things, that moderation is key. If children spend too much time glued to the television watching these educational shows, they will miss out on real life experience (which is the most important). I think that in moderation, these shows promote language development in a positive way, while keeping children entertained. However, it is more important for children to be exposed to real people (especially parents), where they can listen and interact with conversation taking place in front of them. I feel a healthy mixture of both educational shows and real life exposure to language is the answer.

NReynolds said...

1.Yes, I believe America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years for many reasons. It could give the children a jump-start on learning a second language for later in life. The amount of Spanish speaking individuals in the country is on the rise and having the ability to speak both English and Spanish will help them in many ways. Not only will they be able to interact with these individuals but also when looking for a job being bilingual could give them a foot up when being considered. America is falling behind the rest of the world, because many other countries have the ability to speak English and when they come to our country they can fit in, but for us we are ignorant to the rest of the world’s languages and don’t take the time to fully learn any.

2.There are many different approaches parents can take to influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage. They can make flash cards with a picture on one side and the word on the other and sit down with the child and show them these reading the word to them as they show to picture. Another approach they can take is when a child points to any object the parent can explain what the object is they point to. Showing examples along with saying what the object is can help the child make the connection more quickly and hold onto the information.

3.I think that TV programs such as Sesame Street that try to promote language development work for several reasons. The shows are entertaining and interesting enough so that the child stays interested and continues paying attention for a good amount of time. Then the way that they present language learning is very easy for the child to understand. They will sit and watch for hours and not even know that they’re taking in hundreds of new words and starting to store them and their meanings.

Brooke Nichols said...

1st article: In this article they say that being bilingual has many good consequences for the brain. They found that being bilingual makes you more effective at multi-tasking, better job prioritizing information in confusing situations and helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Going back and forth between languages helps exercise your brain. They exercise the part of the brain that helps you focus and not get distracted.

2nd article: This article is about how parents these days rarely talk to their children. They are too wrapped up in their iPods and cell phones to focus on their children. Parents should look children directly in the eyes and talk to them. They should also imitate the noises their children make. Talk to them about everything that is going on. Parents should avoid baby talk and words because they can confuse them. They should also ask questions, especially ones that require a choice.

3rd article: This article is about if tv shows help children or not. Study done at the University of California used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth. They assigned a group of 12-24 month olds to watch it every day for 6 weeks. The videos did not work. They actually learn fewer words then kids who don’t watch them. Another study tested how many of the 30 target words the kids learned. They learned new words but not form the video. These videos seem to not work for children.

Allie Citro said...

Allie Citro

1. I think that bilingualism should be offered because I believe that people who cannot speak English need to learn to but you need to still be able to learn your own language to learn our language. Yes America is falling behind he rest of the world. We are clouded by too many distractions that pull us away from studies and allow everyone else to test higher, and learn more then us.
2. If a parent wants their child to learn to speak they will use hand gestures that the child can mimic and learn such as pointing. They will talk to the child and make noises to the child so that the child can mimic that. They then will read to the child to expand vocabulary and they will buy methods of teaching such as phonics.
3. Shows for children sing a lot, and they make the songs catchy so that the child can memorize and learn from it. They go through colors and numbers and letters and ask questions to the audience watching so the child can yell out things and the parental guidance around them can correct or praise the child.
1. Article one:
a. Purpose: Bilingualism teaching is taught in most policies for school to avoid “half-baked” learning of a language and to expand the brains talents and cognitive ability.
b. Set-up: they teach both the native language and the new language you want to learn so you learn both and not just the one. It is only in some school but in the ones that don’t have both, it is considered learning the language “half baked.”
c. Results: Bilingualism helps the kids more with multitasking; Adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. Being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.
2. Article two:
a. Purpose: The main purpose is saying that people today are just too involved with themselves and their electronics to talk to their kids anymore and help move along and speed up the long process of language. The article is saying you need to speak more to your child.
b. Set-up: when you’re in the park, ask question like what color is that flower and that tree? Ask your child if they see the bird and point to it. And when your child speaks, get excited and show your child how good speaking is to help they want to speak more.
c. Results: the results of you being excited for speaking and constantly talking to your child are obvious ones. Your child will try to speak more and try to mimic you more to make you proud. Speaking is a beautiful thing and to leave your child on its own to learn for himself is shameful.
3. Article three:
a. Purpose: the purpose of this article was simply to say that sometimes the “learning videos” really aren’t educational because there are flaws in how it’s represented. Parents are the key for a baby to learn language. Also in the videos, sometimes it is just too much information for just one day of watching a video. It lacks the repetitive pattern and enthusiasm that a parent brings to the baby.
b. Setup: they set up experiments with children allowing them for 6 weeks to watch these videos. None of the babies had learned any additional words that kids who didn’t watch knew.
c. Results: there is not replacement for parents and the time they spend with the child trying to enforce learning of our language. Babies learn more from us then anything else so putting them in front of a TV to learn just doesn’t cut it.

Chelsea Richards said...

Chelsea Richards

1. I think that America should definitely push for more bilingual opportunities, especially for young children. Bilingualism has proved to be effective in many ways and should be pushed at an early age rather than an older, since it is easier to learn. Bilingual education has shown to improve multitasking skills as well as prioritizing information. Most countries know more than one language which can definitely be helpful to them, and America should pick up on this and push for more opportunities for bilingualism.

2. Parents have a huge effect on the developing child’s linguistic skills. In the prelinguistic stage, parents can influence the child’s language development through the amount of interaction they have with their child. The more a parent talks to their child, the better it is for the child’s language development. Parents can also improve the child’s language development by reading to the child.

3. I think that TV programs that try to promote language development work to an extent, but not as well as personal interaction at home. The TV programs help the child learn new words as well as grammatical rules. I think that shows that encourage a child to say words out loud and use the child’s thinking skills to solve a problem work best.

Jimmy Fowler said...

1. I believe that America should push for bilingual development in the early years of childhood. It will help the future citizens of America to become worldlier and can communicate to more people in the work force. But we should make sure that the English language is not left behind. Also the learning to become bilingual should start as early as possible because later on in the child’s school career the difficulty of learning a second language can interfere with other subjects. America is falling behind with the rest of the world, we are just not as exposed to as many languages as the rest of the world. In Europe, the languages vary every couple hundred of miles but in America there’s only a few languages that we are exposed to on a daily bases.

2. Parents probably have the most influence of language development than any other source. If they can speak to the child in multiple languages, that would be optimal. The parentese that adults speak to children in can help keep the babies attention to the words that the adults speak. When the babies are starting to say their first sentences incorrectly, the parents can respond to them with the correct way to form that sentence.

3. I believe that television programs like Sesame Street are helpful in the beginning to get the babies to talk. Programs like Dora the Explorer can help the children become a little bilingual and maybe get their attention to want to be bilingual. But, these shows should not be shown for to long period of time because I believe there will make the children be more immure for the following years. This could make them fall behind to the rest of the world because some countries cut the kiddy stuff out of their lives at an early age.

Alex Leeds said...

1. Yes, I believe that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. Based off the articles that we have read I believe that it is only benefiting themselves and expanding their future. There is no real downfall in the future to learning two languages but there are many positive things. I do not believe that America is falling behind because for the most part America is an English speaking country. I think that the people in America could be more educated in bilinguals but they are not behind.
2. Parents can influence language development during a very early age with a few different ways. I think that the best way to influence language would to simply talk to them. To talk in simple sentences, but something that they will clearly understand. Also to ask frequent questions and to encourage them along the way.
3. No, I do not think TV programs such as Sesame Street work. I believe that they do not work because the child is not getting the one on one interaction that is needed in order for their language development to start. Also, on these kid shows they often talk in a squeaky voice or with a lisp and that can adapt over to the child and could possibly have speech problems.

Article 1: Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say
Experts are saying that the skill of bilingualism can help improve multitasking and prioritizing and help prevent early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. What researchers have found are that bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking and the adults who are bilingual do a better job of prioritizing information in confusing situations. The two linguistic systems have frequent exercise of the brain and helps with focusing attention and ignoring distractions. A test was done with 211 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and found that those who spoke only one language had early symptoms earlier then the bilingual people. The two languages strengthen the brain that is susceptible to dementia.

Article 2: From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk
Communication with your child is the best way to start language development. The children need to know that they are being communicated with and that we are listening and responding to them. Parents or guardians can’t forget to use eye contact, facial expressions, and feed back to them for language development. It important that they have your full attention and that they recognize that. Talk to your baby any chance you get to get an early start on language development.

Article 3: Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy
A study was done that was to see if Baby Wordsworh DVDs were actually teaching new vocabulary words. A group of 12-24 months old watch it daily for 6 weeks and the results were that the video does not work. There was no difference in the children watching the DVDs and not watching it. It said that the infants that watch these programs learn fewer words and score lowers on certain tests. The Baby Wordsworth videos proved to be unsuccessful. These videos are said to replace special parent infant bond time which could also be a reason why it can delay language.

Rachel Simpson said...

1. Should America push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years? Is America falling behind the rest of the world?
I believe that America should push for more bilingual opportunities because not only will it allow us to become more well-rounded, but many statistics show how beneficial bilingualism is. Bilingualism enables you to be more effective at multi-tasking, gives you the ability to pull specifics from confusing situations. Studies also show that if you are flunent in two languages you can delay the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease because you're using more of your brain and therefore are more coherent. When you think about it, America is falling behind the rest of the world because since English is known as one of he major languages of the world, many other countries are teaching their children so they can be well-versed. Because of this English is basically a common language amongst a wide variety of countries. So not only do these countries have their native languages, but ours as well. As Americans we can sometimes be to overconfident in our power and don't see that we should learn as many languages as we can to keep up with those around us.

2. How can parents influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage?
Parents can influence language development during the child's prelinguistic stage by constantly communicating with them. If you reinforce language and speak in a way that will catch their attention (parentese), children will pick up the words and rules of language quickly. An easy way to bring together the learning of language with fun is to form games that will engage them in the activity as well as keep them interested. With a child's minimal attention span this will prove to be very efficient. Repetition and patience are key in a child's learning.

3. Do you think TV programs (like Sesame Street) that try to promote language development work? Explain why or why not.
TV shows like Sesame Street or Dora The Explorer most definitely work because they speak in a parentese way and use a lot of repetition. With programs like these they engage the children and keep them interested at the same time. Some even promote the use of incooperating other languages (Dora) so kids can exercise their brain and associate an object with two different words. I think these are great ways to teach kids how to talk.

Rachel Simpson said...

4. Bilingualism is good for the brain because it allows bilingual children to be more effective in multi-tasking, allows adults to prioritize information is confusing situations, and helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's. Because of their excessive brain use bilingual speakers experience Alzheimer's symptoms at least 4-5 year after a monolingual person would. It also give the brain frequent exercise in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. When bilingualists prepare to speak, their brains seem to inhibit one language while using another. Though this is the cause they rarely use the wrong language when speaking to a monolingual speaker.

5. You should engage your child with language from birth because though they cannot respond back, communication is still being expressed (touch, cries). Researchers have found that talking to children is soothing and makes them feel safe. You can do this by imitating sounds they make, laughing, and making silly faces to entertain them. Also pointing out familiar objects and repeating their names helps with their understanding. Though they are unable to speak they can still understand what they cannot express.

6. This article discusses the question on whether instructional DVDs actually help a child to develop the use of language. It has been found by many studies that they do not work and children learn fewer words as well as score lower on certain cognitive tests. The thing is, these studies were only observational meaning instead of have the child watch the programs, they asked the parents. One study though, done by Rebekah Richert and her team, focused more on the visual aspect of the experiment. They had a couple of kids enter a control group and allowed them to watch the DVDs. She found that in actuality the kids that watched the programs knew just as many words as those that didn’t. There are two explanations as to why these videos prove as ineffective. One has to do with the possibility that these videos overstimulate the brain while the other has to do with the fact the videos are not live speakers that children can engage the child directly and use repetition.

AmandaH. said...

1.I think America should make bilingualism available. Being bilingual can help in many ways weather here in America or in other countries. America is falling behind compared to the rest of the world. If you go to other countries you will find that many schools teacher their students numerous languages. In America the students here usually pick only one other language to study.
2.Parents can influence their child’s language development during the pre-linguistic stage. Parents do this by communicating with their children. If parents communicate with there children and interact with them by reading it will help the child’s language process. Parents can also use the pre-linguistic period to give their child a head start on learning a foreign language. By learning language at a young age the children are able to retrieve it more.
3.To some extent I do believe that TV programs help children with their language development. By having a fun and educational show the child will be more interested in learning. The only problem with the educational shows is that some children are too entertained by them and do not want to learn language others ways such as worksheets and stories. I feel that the TV programs can be beneficial if you balance them with traditional learning such as reading books.
4.Neuroscience research shows that bilingualism has many positive consequences for the brain. They show that bilingual people are better at multi-tasking, bilingual adults do better in the business world, and being bilingual helps delay Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. Being bilingual means frequent exercise for the brain due to the switching of the two languages. It is also shown that when bilinguals speak their brains seem to inhibit one language while using the other. Learning to juggle two languages is a cognitive advantage but doesn’t mean they learn better than those who speak one language.
5.According to recent observations many parents today are not communicating with their children the way they should. Many times today you will see parents pushing their kids in their stroller and instead of talking to their child their on their cell phone. According to Randi Jacoby children need time and one-on-one feedback as they begin to build their language and cognitive skills. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association suggests that parents reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and making facial expressions. By talking and communicating with your child they will have a better understanding of language.
6. The main topic of this article was to see if young children actually learned from educational DVD’s. Psychologist Rebekah Richert assigned two group of babies to Baby Wordsworth or a control group. Throughout the research the team carefully tracked how many target words the babies actually learned. The study showed the children who watched the DVD’s did not learn any more words than the children who did not. Psychologists are not sure why videos aren’t as efficient but have two thoughts as to why they aren’t. One is that the videos are over stimulating the brain making it harder for the baby to retain information. The other reason may be that the video prevents or replaces parent-child communication.

ashley zeroka said...

Opinion Questions:

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. I think that two languages can really expand you in more ways than most people think. One, it is always good to know two languages. If you are traveling to another country it is good to have some idea of what others are saying. Two, with America expanding and being the “melting pot” of the world, we really need to know more than one language. Being bilingual can get you so much further these days. I believe we are falling behind because most countries know their native language and English. We only know English.
2. Parents have a lot of affect on language development for children. I think that parents need to stress the importance of being open and bilingual. They do not need to go overboard or go hardcore. They can slowly and lightly show their child another language. They can do flash cards, just like you do in English with another language. Also, there are many programs on TV such as Sprout, which show multicultural shows. This will only help them in the long run.
3. I do believe in TV programs promoting language development. I believe that they keep children’s attention and they help them learn in a fun, but educational way. Children will pay attention to things like that. It switches things up rather than just doing flash cards or reading books, day after day. The child will stay interested and their passion will grow stronger for that language. That will increase their desire to want to learn language.

Nicole Mulski said...

1. Yes, America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. Researchers have found there are many positive outcomes for those who are bilingual. For example, being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in elderly people, helps children to be more effective at multi-tasking, and allows adults to prioritize information in confusing situations. I don't think America is falling behind the rest of the world, I just don't think biligualism is pushed in our society. However, with more of a push to learn more than one language, I think America will grow stronger than it is today.

2. Communication begins as soon as a baby is born. The way you hold, touch, look at and talk to babies helps them learn your language. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association tells parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating laughter, vocalizations, and facial expressions. Asking young children questions will help them to exercise their bodies as well as their minds.

3. No, I don't think that TV programs that promote language development work. Researchers did a study on babies for six weeks who had watched the programs daily. They found there was no difference in language acquisition between children who were assigned to watch the DVD and a control group. It was also shown that
past analyses have found infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven't watched the videos. One reason the videos inhibit word-learning may be because they replace parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words.

ashley zeroka said...

Article Summaries:

Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say:
Neuroscience research has found that bilingual children are more effective at multitasking, bilingualism helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and adults who are bilingual do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. Scientists use the Stroop Test to see how people can focus and extract the correct information when being bombarded with extraneous amounts. It has also been shown that bilingual people can pick out key information faster and ignore surrounding distractions more effectively. It has been also shown that bilingual adults can offset Alzheimer’s four or five years versus a person who only speaks one language. But also, monolingual speakers take 240 milliseconds longer to react, and bilingual speakers take 160 extra milliseconds to sort things out. Schools have been moving away from bilingual education, majorly in part of the government. Even though schools are stepping away from this, parents can still control their child’s language. They can do that in their home environment and make their child bilingual.

From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk:
Young children need one-on-one feedback to build language and cognitive skills. If they do not have this they will lose out on facial expressions and eye contact. The way you touch, hold, look at, and talk to babies affects their language. The American Medical Association advises that you talk to them whenever you can. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication. Also, you should avoid “baby” talk and “baby” words. Another thing is to read books, sing songs, and recite nursery rhymes, and fill in the blanks.

Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy:
The University of California created a study using a DVD called Baby Wordsworth (part of the Baby Einstein series). The purpose is to teach babies new vocabulary words. It was on 12-24 month old babies. It turned out that videos did not work. Observational studies have shown that children who watch the videos know fewer words and score lower on cognitive tests than children who did not watch the videos. A more accurate study was done with two groups of babies. One watching the videos and the other was the control group. Their parents were given 30 commonly heard words to see what the children knew. Over the six week period they found that those who did watch the video did not learn any more words than children who were not watching it. There are no definite explanations why the videos don’t work but there are two potential explanations. One reason is that the videos over stimulate the brain. Another reason is that videos take away social interaction time. Based on the evidence, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that toddlers under age 2 not watch videos or television. Social interaction is the key, not videos.

Nicole Mulski said...

1. The topic of the first article talks about whether being a bilingual child gives them an edge or delays their learning. Neuroscience researchers are increasingly coming to a consensus that bilingualism has many positive consequences for the brain. Children are more effective at multi-tasking, adults do a better job prioritizing information in confusing situations, and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. These advantages aren't just useful for schoolchildren, they last over the course of a lifetime. The constant back-and-forth between two linguistic systems means often exercise for the brain's executive control functions, located mainly in the prefrontal cortex.

2. The second article talks about engaging your child with talk. As soon as a baby is born communication begins. The way you touch, hold, look at and talk to a baby helps them learn your language. It is urged by The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, facial expressions and laughter. It is never too soon to start playing word games and asking questions to your baby.

3. The third articles talks about whether TV program that promote language development actually work. Analyses have found that infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven't watched the videos. Another study was done over a six week period of time. Ninety six infants were studied watching the TV programs. The results were that the children watching the DVDs didn't learn any more words than children not watching. Based on evidence, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Richert's findings have recommended for several years that toddlers under age 2 not watch videos or television.

eileen marge 2 said...

The article “Parents need to tune in and engage a young child with talk” emphases the importance of parents talking to their children. Many parents are distracted by other things that do not allow them to talk to their children. Talking to your children is said to benefit your child even at birth.



The article about Baby Einstein videos focus the question, do instructional DVDs actually help babies learn? This research that this article provides stated that after watching the videos for six weeks there was no improvement on the child’s vocabulary. One suggested reason as to why the videos do not work is that they replace the time a parent would be bonding with their child. The article then goes on to state that toddlers under the age of 2 should not watch television.

Maggie Cackowski said...

4. Bilingualism seems to have many positive consequences for the brain. Research has show that children who are bilingual are more effective at multi-tasking, adults who are bilingual do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations and bilingualism may ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. Bilingualism is helping the brain juggle two linguistic systems back and forth, making it possible to use the correct language in the appropriate situation. Scientists have used the Stroop test to test the ability the brain has to balance so much information. People tested are presented with a word for a particular color. They are then asked to identify the color of ink it's printed in. It is easy if the word is blue and printed in blue. If the word blue is printed in the color red. The brain then sorts out what piece of information it needs to use. Bilingualism seems to help keep the brain working and fresh. This does not mean that bilingual speakers learn any better than people who learn only one language. Another study surveyed 211 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The results showed that monolingual speakers saw the onset of their first symptoms four to five years earlier than their bilingual peers. While knowing two languages doesn't fight the disease, it can strengthen parts of the brain that are susceptible to dementia earlier on, allowing them to withstand the assault much longer.

5. In society today, parents have stopped communicating efficiently with their children affecting their early communication development. The most basic skills for language are not being taught by example nowadays. It is important for parents to pay attention to their children especially during the formative years. Communication begins as early as birth and that is why it is important for parents to participate in a child’s learning. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions. It is also advised to include books in a child’s learning. Parents should reinforce a child’s communication skills but explaining verbally what they are doing. They should use as much detail as they can when talking with the child. Parents should repeat and expand on everything their child says to them.

6. Researchers at University of California at Riverside conducted a study to test if instructional DVD’s actually help babies learn. The DVD, Baby Wordsworth was used in the study. A group of 12 to 24 month olds were assigned to watch it daily for 6 weeks. The result was that there was no difference in language acquisition between children who watched the DVD and a control group. Past research has shown babies who watched educational DVDs learned fewer words and scored lower on certain cognitive tests by the preschool years than kids who didn’t watch the videos. These studies were however observational. Psychologist Rebekah Richert and her team assigned groups of babies to the DVD or a control group. They then tracked how many of the 30 target words were learned. The words were common words such as ball and fridge. Parents evaluated how many words their babies understood and how many they could speak. Toddlers were tested separately for their recognition of pictures associated with the target words. The 96 infants and their parents were followed for six weeks and evaluated four times in that period. All the kids added new words to their vocabulary and watching Baby Wordsworth had no added benefit. Two explanations why the DVD’s are ineffective could be that the DVD’s over stimulate the brain. There is a critical window in which babies learn where it is best to learn sounds from a live speaker. The other explanation is that videos replace parent-child time. Social interaction is essential to learning communication.

Alisa Spitelle said...

America is definitely behind on bilingual opportunities in the formative years. One thing that could help with pushing bilingualism is publishing children’s books that are in multiple languages. In the later years, such as Kindergarten and above, formal language training should begin. This formal training does not usually happening until high school. Most children that are still in school at 18 years of age in other countries, know at least two or more languages pretty fluently. If America keeps teaching a second language the way it has been, it will continue to be far behind the modern world of bilingualism. Eventually, it will be so far behind that this nation will be foreign to the many languages of the world.

Parents can do more than they think to help their children in the prelinguistic stage of speech. They could start sounding out letters and words and reading them books. Another way is by simply talking to them. By reinforcing speech and certain basic concepts, the child will learn more about the language. Then, when the child begins to speak, their language will live up to and possibly surpass the par of where they should be in spoken language.

I do believe that programs such as Sesame Street, do help language development. However, I also think that they are not the solution or the only way that kids will learn language. Shows like Sesame Street go over basic concepts such as numbers, letters, basic nursery rhymes, ect; this is, indeed, a great way for kids to learn. However, if the child’s parents or family members do not reinforce these concepts, then the child may not fully grasp what is being presented by the puppet animals on Sesame Street. Children need human interaction to learn, not just a HD TV screen with puppets as teachers.

Katie henshaw said...

Katie Henshaw
1. Yes, America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. America is not falling behind the rest of the world but that does not mean we should not be ahead the rest of the world. Pushing for more bilingual opportunities will help motivate kids to learn two languages and become fluent in both. Learning two languages has many benefits for the mind such as cognitive stimulation, and using both sides of your brain to create a more developed mind.
2. Parents can help motivate their kids by speaking both languages to the best of their abilities. This will help the child learn the two languages more quickly. Saying words is just as important as writing them down and learning. Another way is label things around the house in both languages. For example but a sign on the bathroom that says bathroom/el bano. Being able to hear the word and see the word will help the child learn and reward is just another bonus that will influence the kid to learn.
3. TV programs that promote language development definitely work. They allow the kid to not only hear the word repeatedly but visual see the meaning of the word. This helps stimulate the child’s brain and create links within the brain from picture to word to the meaning.

4. Bilingualism good for the rain, researches say- The purpose of this article is to understand if promoting their child to e bilingual help their child mentally or delay. Some say it is just a “technique” for people who’s main language Is not necessarily English. But many others argue that it helps children multi-task, prioritizing, and ward off symptoms of Alzheimer’s. A study done surveyed 211 people that were diagnosed with the Alzheimer’s. The people who were diagnosed and only spoke one language saw symptoms of the disease 4-5yrs earlier than those who could speak two languages. It is shown that being bilingual strengthens the brain from some diseases.

5. From birth, Engage your child with talk- This article promotes talking and communicating with your child at an early age, pre-linguistics. It talks down to our generation of cell phones, ipads etc as being a distraction from our children. It says more parents, and nannies should be more in tune with the child and talk to them especially on walks and when playing . It talks slightly about the pro’s of bilingualism and the benefits it has the kids. Communication is very important this encourages kids t talk to kids when they are first born and this promotes congnitive growth and language skills. This also encourages the parent to play word games and respond the child’s body language. Asking questions is also very important in helping language.

6. Baby wordsworth babies: not exactly wordy- This articles searches for the answer of whether or not informational TV, DVD’s, and media is good for the child.
University of California did a study with a DVD that taught babies new vocabulary words. The results it did not work, there were no differences in language between children who watched the DVD and the control group. Another study done, by Rebekah Richert, consisted of two groups on was Baby Wordsworth and another the control. She tracked 30 words the babies learned, and commonly used words. Each of the 96 kids and their parents were studied for six weeks. They results were watching Baby Wordsworth had no benefit to the child’s vocabulary. Another reason that the videos are looked down upon from developing language standpoint is it takes away from parent to child bonding time that could be spent developing words and language vocabulary.

Andrea S said...

1. I think that bilingual opportunities should have more of a force on the early years. Now in the U.S. we have more of a diverse country. It becomes easier for when you are older to communicate especially if the field you are working in requires you to be fluent in more than one language. I do think that America is falling behind. America is an advanced country however, compared to other countries we are nowhere near the level that they are at. They are well above the U.S. and have many bilinguals.
2. Parents have an impact on kids and their language development. Parents speak to their kids before they are even able to talk. It is good for them to hear the different words and sounds. It helps their brain to develop regularly. Without this constant interaction a child will develop abnormally and might never be able to develop these kinds of concepts. Another great way for a language development is books and parents reading them to their kids.
3. Yes, I do think that TV programs help with a child’s language development. They teach kids basics, such as beginner words, shapes, and colors. It would be good for a parent to interact with their kid while watching these types of shows. It could boost their language development. A child watches their favorite shows and soon enough they start repeating words and phrases from the show which are educational.

Cole P said...

2. This article explains why it is important to talk to your baby as much as you can even before your child can respond. It also says that parents these days don’t communicate with their children like they used to. Having conversations with them and asking them question. Most parents these days are too busy with technology like cell phones and computers. This is not helping your child’s communication development.
3. The third article asks the question are instructional DVD’s beneficial to babies learning. To answer this question researchers at the University of California at Riverside designed the most definitive study of the issue to date. The study used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth (part of the Baby Einstein series), which is aimed at teaching babies new vocabulary words, and assigned a group of 12-to-24-month-olds to watch it daily for six weeks.

Meghan G said...

1.Researchers say that bilingualism helps the brain. Some results found were that bilingual speakers are better at muti-tasking, adults do better at prioritizing information and Alzheimer’s Disease can be delayed. This is because the brain has to juggle two different languages. Its stronger in a sense. Being able to juggle two languages is a mental workout that enhances the brain. While all this is so good many schools are moving away from teaching two languages which is unfortunate because it is so good for the mind. Since schools focus on English parents should work with their children at home in order for them to learn a second language.

2.Communication in key in having your child learn how to fully develop language. They need to be spoken to in order to develop. Parents of older generations say that the parents of this time are far too attached to their electronics rather than their children. Parents should constantly talk to their child even if they are in a stroller. There is a misconception that children can’t communicate and they don’t understand you. But they do. Children understand a lot and they will understand a lot more if they are talked too. Parents should read to their children also to help them develop language.

3.Education DVD’s like the Baby Einstein series don’t necessarily work. One video that was to help with vocabulary did not make a change in the way that children spoke. Some children that watch the DVD’s actually lessen their vocabulary. When a control group and a group that watched Baby Wordsworth, there was no benefit to those children that watched the movie. The children not watching the movie learned just as many words as those who did. A reason why these videos might not work is because the brain is being over stimulating. Another reason could be that the videos take away from parent and child interaction.

Andrea S said...

Article 1. This article states that being bilingual has many advantages. For one thing people who are bilingual are great at multi- tasking. Also, when they are confronted with confusing situations and it is hard to focus on one thing they are good at prioritizing. Being bilingual also affects early stages of Alzheimer’s. Studies have shown that people who are bilingual compared to only one language have developed Alzheimer’s 4 or 5 years later. It exercises your brain and which helps you focus.

Article 2.Many moms tend to turn to their cell phones or other devices instead of talking to their baby. They figure that if they can’t talk yet that it doesn’t matter. However, it is very important for moms to communicate with their babies. If they cannot speak, you should simply respond and give them full attention. You should talk to them by pointing out objects or letting them know where you are going and what you’re doing. Also, introduce your kids to books and point out the different pictures. Just because a child can’t talk yet doesn’t mean they are not listening. A parent should also stray from using “baby” words when a child is learning how to speak. It is helpful to play word games with one another.

Article 3.A question many researchers wondered is if babies watched educational videos would they learn more words than a baby who didn’t. They have done studies focusing on babies who watch a DVD called Baby Einstein. This video is educational and teaches children new words. However, after they compared these kids with others who did not watch the DVD there was no difference. They have come to believe that the reason they have not learned new words is due to over stimulation of the brain. It is much better if a child and their mother interact with each other and learn the new words this way. The DVD shows no improvement to language and it takes away valuable bonding time.

Cori Burcham said...

Summaries:

In the article “Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say,” it mainly talks about the benefits of being bilingual. Some benefits are that bilingual children are more effective at multitasking, that adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and that being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. It also explains a study where people who spoke more than one language had a took 16o milliseconds to figure out the Stroop test when people that spoke one language took an extra 24o milliseconds to figure it out. Also the mental workout of the brain deciding which language is appropriate for that time enhances the brain’s executive control functions.

In the article called Personal Health, it explains how parents that talk to their children as babies, whether or not they understand them, helps improve their language skills. They’re exposed to the language more this way and get to interact more with it. The advice the article gives to parents is to interact with your kids more and pay attention to what they have to say. It also suggests talking to them more often because their voice makes them feel safe and tell them where you’re going, what you are going to do when you get there. Things like this will help the children gradually be brought into language.

The article called Baby Wordsworth Babies, talks about how tapes and television shows meant to teach your baby to read, really do not make a difference. In this case for Baby Wordsworth shows, they didn’t make a difference in language acquisition between children who were assigned to watch the DVDs and children who didn’t watch them. Babies that watch the videos learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven’t watched the videos. On a home study where some children watched the videos and there was a control group that didn’t watch any of the videos, the group with the videos had no added benefit to their vocabulary.

Shannen Gentry said...

Articles

4. In the first article it describes being bilingual. It states how bilingualism benefits the brain and the thinking process. Being bilingual helps you multitask, pick out key information more easily and more easily ignore outside distractions. It then goes on to describe the research being done that proves being bilingual will put off Alzheimer’s disease by 5 years. In this study they took 211 diagnosed patients and then found that the ones that only spoke one language saw signs of the illness 5 years earlier than those who spoke more than one language.
5. This Article is completely informative and gives pointers on how to help your child progress in their language development. It gives examples of families that do interact and verbally talk to their infant much more. It also goes on to describe that nowadays people are more distracted and don’t take the extra time to help their baby learn. The article really emphasizes communication being very important right from birth. It explains how all your attention should be on your child and talk to them whenever you get the chance, like when you’re doing things or going places, children can understand far more than they can say at first.
6. The last article explains the effectiveness of instructional DVDs for babies. In the article this was tested by Dr. Richert. She studied 96 babies. Two control groups were assigned to watch the DVDs and Dr. Richert carefully highlighted the words emphasized in the video. She then pointed out those random objects (words in the video) throughout the house to both the babies who watched the DVDs and those who didn’t. Her findings concluded that there was no difference between the two, showing that the videos did not affect the infant in any way. The only thing that matters is the parent-child communication, parents play a huge role in the language development of children.

sam hall said...

4. Researchers say that bilingualism is good for the brain and can reap many positive benefits. They have found that people are better at multi-tasking and do a better job at prioritizing information in confusing situations. These types of benefits come from having a brain that is constantly juggling two or more languages and exercising the brain’s executive control functions. One study surveyed 211 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and found that people who only speak one language discovered the onset of their first symptoms four to five years earlier then people who spoke two or more languages. Despite these findings, public schools are refraining from bilingual education mainly because of political beliefs.
5. From the time of birth it is crucial for parents to engage their children with talk. It is blatantly obvious that technology has consumed most people’s lives, even parents with young children. Randi Jacoby, a speech and language specialist in New York, recently said, “Parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development.” This is unacceptable seeing as children require one-on-one feedback in order to build their language and cognitive skills. Parents need to talk to their babies whenever they have the chance and it is never too early to introduce books. Parents should also reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions.
6. The big question parents need to ask is if instructional DVDs, like Baby Einstein, actually teach their kids or if it is better to really take the time and teach their kids themselves. In one study they used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth that aims at teaching new vocabulary words and assigned 12-24 month old to watch it daily for six weeks. The videos didn’t work and there was no difference in language acquisition between the children who watched the DVD and a control group. Actually past analyses have found that children who watched instructional DVDs actually learned fewer words and scored lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool. It has been proven that Baby Wordsworth has no added benefit to kids’ vocabulary which may be because of overstimulation or perhaps that children prefer a live speaker, like their parents.

Jimmy Fowler said...

1. This article was about all the good consequences that being bilingual has on the mind. It helps to better organize information in a confusing situation. It can also help focus someone on a task. It was also proven that it helps delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. This was shown in the study of 211 Alzheimer’s patients. The people who knew more than one language were able to delay the onset by a few years. Then the article goes on about how bilingualism is disappearing in the school setting and parents should help kids learn more languages at home.
2. The second article is about how to properly communicate and the advantages of talking to your children before and as they learn to speak. The article starts out by saying how the smartphones, iPods, and other wireless gadgetry are hurting our parental skills. Before they have the ability to talk, you should be reading, singing, and talking to them. If you want to have the children be bilingual, make sure you start early. When the child starts to talk, make sure that you correct any mistakes that the child makes. Children know a lot more than they are given credit for.
3. The third article is about if child development DVDs actually help children learn better. Psychologist Rebekah Richert did a study one 96 infants between 12-24 months old to see if children who watched a DVD called Baby Wordsworth learned words faster than the children who did not watch it. She found that the children who watched it did not learn words faster, but instead the DVD inhibited their learning. She said that parents need to be and socialize with their children to bring their language development the farthest it can go. DVDs can be used but only when the parents are with them to interact. Nothing can replace the role of the parent.

Alisa Spitelle (part 2) said...

Researchers from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC found some results from studies they have done with people who are and are not bilingual. They found that: bilingual children are more effective at multitasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job at prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer's. They also gave different tests, one in particular called the Stroop test. Here, the participants were given a word of a color; this word was also a different color, usually from the word itself. Ex. the word 'blue' typed in green font. The person would have to say the name of the color (green) instead of the word, (blue). It was found that the reaction time of those who were bilingual was 80 milliseconds faster than those knowing only one language. Another thing that was proven was that being bilingual also helps to delay the onset of Alzheimer's by 4-5 years.


In today’s world, most adults are too busy on their handheld electronic devices to talk to their kids and pay attention to them. As a result, the child’s communication skills are lacking. What most people don’t realize is that communication begins as soon as a child is born. The American Medical Association suggests for parents to talk to their babies whenever they have the chance and to always respond to their cries. The American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association made another suggestion; they urge parents to reinforce communications efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions and to talk while doing all of these things. Books, nursery rhymes, avoiding baby talk, and counting steps are just some of the suggestions also given in this article. Above all else, parents are supposed to do this all without verbal frustration and to make sure the child has their full attention.


A study was done using 12-14 month olds to find out if Baby Einstein DVDs succeeded in teaching kids new words; they were instructed to watch this program daily for six weeks. The videos did not to make a difference from the control group. It has been found that children that watch these programs are actually learning fewer words than those who don’t watch them. There are two possible reasons for these videos to be proven ineffective for children learning language. One is that it overstimulates the brain. The other is that it replaces the precious parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words. It has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that toddlers aged 2 and under should not watch videos or televisions.

Sean Murray said...

sean murray

4. This articles states the benefit’s of bilingualism. It says that bilingual children are better at multi tasking and adult do a better job a prioritizing. Bilingual speakers’ brains work quicker and more efficient. A bilingual person has a easier time figuring things out and using their brains than a monolingual person. Bilingual peoples’ brains are constantly juggling two languages and have more brain activity. Bilingual people have cognitive advantages over monolingual people.
5. This article speaks of parents and how more and more are not paying enough attention to their children. Electronics and wireless gadgets are the key attributer to this. Parents have not been paying the much needed attention to their children. Children need attention from their parents to promote learning and speaking. The article talks of ways you can help your child like speaking to them as much as possible. It talks about how children can understand more than they can say. I shows different activities you can do with them and warnings you need to watch for.
6. In this article they are try into figure out whether instructional videos help babies learn or not. They took a group of 12 to 24 month year olds to watch the DVDs. The results showed that the videos did not work. There was no improvement shown in any of the children. Researchers are not completely sure why these videos do not work. One theory is that the videos may over stimulate the child’s brain. Another reason is that children are able to learn better when talked to by a direct speck who is actually involved in first hand inter action.

ARizzo said...

Article 3:

Past observational studies have found that infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven't watched the videos. Recently, Rebekah Richert did more in depth studies to find out whether educational DVDs were effective or not. She randomly assigned two groups of babies to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group, then carefully tracked how many of the 30 target words highlighted in the video the babies were able to learn. Each of the 96 infants and their parents were followed for six weeks, and were evaluated four times in that period. While all the kids added new words to their vocabulary over the course of the study, watching Baby Wordsworth had no added benefit. There are two potential explanations as too why the DVDs are so ineffective. One has to do with the idea that such videos and DVDs overstimulate the brain. the sounds that babies hear and repeat in this time period are essential to establishing their language ability. And babies are better able to learn these sounds if they hear them from a live speaker. Another reason videos inhibit word-learning may simply be that they replace precious parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words. In Richert's study, her team found that the most learning occurred when parents directly taught children new words by pointing at an object, saying its name and repeating it. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for several years that toddlers under age 2 not watch videos or television, and Richert's findings support that advice. But parents are still able to let them watch the videos as long as they do not forget to involve themselves along with it.

molly dunlap said...

4. This article basically says that bilingualism is overall better for the brain than just knowing one language. At the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science in Washington D.C. they said: bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking. Adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. They also said that being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. Being bilingual gives the brain constant exercise with going back and forth between two linguistic systems. In the Stroop test people are given a word and they have to identify the color ink it is printed on. Overall, monolingual speakers had a slower reaction time than bilingual speakers. It is hard to juggle two languages constantly by the brain and it is a very good thing to do. It helps people in for the rest of their life being bilingual.

5. A lot of parents in this day in age are paying less attention to their children and are paying more attention to technology. They are talking less to their children, and more to their phones and iPods. A lot of children now are missing out on eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that’s necessary for early communication development. The American Medical Association says, “Talk to your baby whenever you can.” The American Speech-Language-Hearing tells parents to look at your baby and imitate vocalizations, laughter, and facial expressions. Talk to your child about whatever you guys are doing and it is never too early to introduce books to your child. Always ask them questions and expand upon whatever they have said. Remember, children know and remember a lot more than they can actually say.

6. A big question is if instructional DVDs actually help children learn. Researchers at the University of California at Riverside designed a study to answer this question. They used a DVD called “Baby Woodsworth” which is aimed at teaching babies new vocabulary words and had a group of 12 to24 month olds watch it for six weeks. The videos didn’t work and there was no change in the children’s language acquisition. A lot of other studies support this finding as well and say that children who watch these DVDS even learn fewer vocabulary words. Psychologist Rebekah Richert and her team did another study with this. She closely followed two groups: one assigned to “Baby Woodsworth” and the control group. She also found that watching “Baby Woodsworth” had no added benefit. These findings may be because these videos over stimulate a child’s brain. Another reason may be that this is replacing critical parent-child time where they should be saying these words instead of the television. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for several years that children under the age of two shouldn’t watch television or videos.

Celesta S said...

what i found interesting about the last article was that the baby video's that are meant to teach kids vocabulary did not work. these videos have become famous and a lot of parents so these kids them, so could they actually be bad for the child? are they over stimulating them? i found this article very interesting in the fact that they actually do not help child in the least bit

Seanflan said...

1. I believe that Americans should promote bilingual opportunities in the formative years because with an increase number of immigrants it is getting harder and harder to communicate between Americans. Having bilingual education in the formative years will open many doors and opportunities when they are older. Bilingual children are smarter in general because they are able to use more of their brains and different connections that could make it easier for them to solve problems. Bilingual children will make America run smoother because there is no lack in communication, so Americans should push for more opportunities in their children’s formative years.
2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by talking to their children in the high pitch voice called parentese. This tone of voice draws the baby’s attention and soon the baby will be making mental connections with language before they start talking. This may fast track language and vocabulary when the baby eventually starts talking.
3. I believed that TV program like Sesame Street by introducing the Phonics approach. The makers of Sesame Street usually pick a letter an episode and built the show around the sound that letter makes and what words have that letter in it. This can help the children break down and sound out words by each letter in the word and what sound that letters make.
4. In the article “Bilingualism Good for the Bran”, neuroscientists are increasingly coming to conclusion that being bilingualism has some positive effects on the brain. The Stroop experiment talked about in this article test the subjects Subjects are presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color of ink it's printed in. the subject could read the color red and the word is printed in red , it is easy for them. But the true test is when the word and the color ink its printed in does not match. In monolingual speakers, this kind of mental curveball will add 240 milliseconds to their reaction time a significant delay, in brain reaction terms. Plus Bilingual children are more effective in multi-tasking. Adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. And Bilingual people, on the other hand, take just 160 extra milliseconds to figure this out. The advantages of being billingual can slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s by 5 years.
5. In the Personal Health article, “ From Bith, Engage your Child with Talk” stresses the importance of talking and engaging your child with converstion. Not having converstions with your baby robes them of essential communcation skills such as eye contact, and facial expressions. This communication should start ar birth, and researchers advise parents to put down their cellphones and direct all their attentions to their babies.
6. In the last article, “Baby Wordsworth” a group of children where assigned to watch the television series, while the control group did not. In this experiment there was no difference in the groups’ vocabulary. Rebekah Richert and her team did those studies one better. She randomly assigned two groups of babies to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group, and then carefully tracked how many of the 30 target words highlighted in the video the babies were able to learn. She would meet with both groups over the 4 week period and interview them. She realized that both groups were learning new words at similar rates. Baby Wordsworth had no added benefit.

Erin Gougeee said...

1.
I believe that parents should push for more bilingual opportunities because the children will retain more information in their formative years of life. The repetition of the words and sounds will constantly be embedded in their brain. I believe that America is falling behind the rest of the world because everyone is way more advanced then we are. When talking to the foreign exchange kids they talk about how they have learned this awhile ago. America is slowly falling behind all the others.

2.
Parents are a huge role in their babies’ prelinguistic language development. They can influence language development by showing pictures and saying the names of the pictures and using high parentese voices. There are some places like the Better Baby Institute by Glenn Doman that will help your baby learn more during their importance stage of life. Parents can use really high pitch way of talking to help the baby because it is slower and more emphasized.

3.
I believe that shows like Sesame Street definitely help kids phonics and whole language. These shows use a lot of colors and descriptions that grab the kids’ attention to understand what they are saying. They use rhymes to help them remember things. Also they have a little bit of different languages, like Spanish, which will help with bilingualism for the kids.

Erin Gougeee said...

4) Many scientists have found that being bilingual has had many positive outcomes. Even though bilingual person knows two languages it doesn’t mean that they can just turn off one of the languages at a time. They use the Stroop test to see how the brain functions with two categories of information put together. The set up is they have cards with words of colors on them. For example, a card would come up and say Blue. The catch is that it might say Blue but in the word will be the color red. The person will have a problem because the brain will either read the word or the actual color on the card. The results showed that bilingual people’s reaction time was less and their brain sorted it our quicker than monolingual speakers do. Bilingual speakers rarely make mistakes with the monolingual speakers also. In bilingual speakers brain’s, they have one language that they seem to go off of as their main language. A lot of public schools are not promoting bilingualism because of the politics and the immigrants right now. Since it is being taken away in schools, if parents really want their children to be bilingual speakers they should speak it in their homes. If the parents go back and forth from languages then the children will grow up as a monolingual speaker.

5) Parents are being less interactive with their kids and more into technology. A woman speaks only Spanish to her little boys and the dad speaks only English to them. The kids are now bilingual and will correct someone if they have mispronunciations. Communication is not only in the form of speaking but also touching, holding, and looking at. You need to give your newborn attention and need to walk away from the technology to spend time with your kid. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association wants parents to keep up with the communication efforts by imitation the baby’s expressions. Constantly talk to your baby. Always use the correct full words and play little games. Sing song’s and read nursery rhymes to the children. Make sure you give full attention to your child when he/she is talking to you.

6) There was a study done for babies that learn from DVDs. In the study, they used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth and this DVD is supposed to teach babies new vocabulary words. The researchers had 12 to 24 month babies watch this for 6 weeks. In this study, they found that the DVD actually did not work and the babies did not learn any new vocabulary. In other studies some say that it actually makes them learn fewer words. One study had a control group that watched nothing and another group that watched Baby Wordsworth. After the two groups, the researchers had the groups go back to their parents to have people evaluate that child to see if they learned the new words from the DVD. The result was that the DVD did not help the babies. Some researchers said that there is two reasons why the babies do not learn from the DVDs and they are over stimulation to the brain and fail to engage children in learning and parents. Studies show that at the age 2 and younger you should not let them watch TV.

lindseyherts said...

1. Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say: This article asks if being bilingual gives young children a mental edge or delays learning. In many forms, programs for bilingual education usually involve teaching the students in both native tongue and English. There are many advantages to knowing two different languages. Through studies by neuroscience researches, studies show that bilingualism has many positive consequences of the brain. Some results were that bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking, and adults who speak more than one language do a better hob prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. Speaking two languages stimulates the brain more because people have to switch between one language and the other. Public schools are moving away from bilingual education and have been for a while. The topic of bilingualism has always been a hot topic issue. Parents are told to talk to young children at the most controlled environment their home.

2. From birth, engage your child with talk: This article is all about talking and interacting with your child and how it is an important task to do. Randi Jacoby, who is a speech and language specialist, has said that “Parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development.” Parents should always talk to their children whenever they have a chance, because this helps the babies learn languages easier and faster. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions. The article gives key tips to keep in mind with the child, like avoiding baby words and talk which confuses children who are learning to talk, and to teach the child the correct names for everything. It also says to play word games and count the steps going up and down, because the writer’s grandsons’ math skills soared even before they could speak. Give the children full attention when possible. Many parents don’t interact with their children like they used to, which this article shows definitely has an effect on the children.

3. Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy: This article asks the question if instructional DVDs actually help babies learn. Babies start to watch TV early on, watching educational shows in order to encourage early language development. There were many studies done on this topic to argue each side. Researchers at the University of California at Riverside designed a study that used a DVD which was aimed at teaching new vocabulary to babies, babies from 12-24 months to watch daily. The videos didn’t work. The results are alike with several other studies, like many past analyses that found that educational DVDS cause fewer words and scored lower on certain cognitive tests. All these studies were observational. The next time, Rebekah Richert and team randomly assigned two baby groups to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group and tracked how many of the 30 words babies learned. The results were that while all the kids added new vocabulary words, the particular video had no benefits. It’s not clear why videos are ineffective, but two reasons could be because researchers believe there is a critical window in which language skills are gained and developed during early development and the other being that videos inhibit word-learning that may be that they replace important time between the parents and child that could be spent learning more words. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several years of not watching videos or television for toddlers under age two, and Richert’s findings support the advice.

lindseyherts said...

1. Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say: This article asks if being bilingual gives young children a mental edge or delays learning. In many forms, programs for bilingual education usually involve teaching the students in both native tongue and English. There are many advantages to knowing two different languages. Through studies by neuroscience researches, studies show that bilingualism has many positive consequences of the brain. Some results were that bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking, and adults who speak more than one language do a better hob prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations. Speaking two languages stimulates the brain more because people have to switch between one language and the other. Public schools are moving away from bilingual education and have been for a while. The topic of bilingualism has always been a hot topic issue. Parents are told to talk to young children at the most controlled environment their home.

2. From birth, engage your child with talk: This article is all about talking and interacting with your child and how it is an important task to do. Randi Jacoby, who is a speech and language specialist, has said that “Parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development.” Parents should always talk to their children whenever they have a chance, because this helps the babies learn languages easier and faster. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions. The article gives key tips to keep in mind with the child, like avoiding baby words and talk which confuses children who are learning to talk, and to teach the child the correct names for everything. It also says to play word games and count the steps going up and down, because the writer’s grandsons’ math skills soared even before they could speak. Give the children full attention when possible. Many parents don’t interact with their children like they used to, which this article shows definitely has an effect on the children.

3. Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy: This article asks the question if instructional DVDs actually help babies learn. Babies start to watch TV early on, watching educational shows in order to encourage early language development. There were many studies done on this topic to argue each side. Researchers at the University of California at Riverside designed a study that used a DVD which was aimed at teaching new vocabulary to babies, babies from 12-24 months to watch daily. The videos didn’t work. The results are alike with several other studies, like many past analyses that found that educational DVDS cause fewer words and scored lower on certain cognitive tests. All these studies were observational. The next time, Rebekah Richert and team randomly assigned two baby groups to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group and tracked how many of the 30 words babies learned. The results were that while all the kids added new vocabulary words, the particular video had no benefits. It’s not clear why videos are ineffective, but two reasons could be because researchers believe there is a critical window in which language skills are gained and developed during early development and the other being that videos inhibit word-learning that may be that they replace important time between the parents and child that could be spent learning more words. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several years of not watching videos or television for toddlers under age two, and Richert’s findings support the advice.

Amanda N said...

Article 1: Bilingualism Good for the Brain, Researchers Say

Bilingual individuals tend to be able to multi-task better than others, they prioritize better, and bilingualism helps ward off early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Bilingual people's brains are constantly deciding which language is best to use during certain situations. The constant decisions between two or more linguistic systems means frequent exercise for the brain's executive control functions. The Stroop test presents participants with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color of ink it's printed in. This is used by scientists to test one's ability to identify certain things while bombarded with extraneous information. This test helps people decide what information is important, which is something bilingual individuals are able to do well.

Article 2: From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk

This article is about discovering whether or not communication with babies is important. In this new era, parents and nannies are not talking to their young children because they are too busy talking on their cellphones. Parents have stopped communicating which has resulted in decreased eye contact, facial expressions, and feedback which is needed for young ones. Learning two languages doesn't delay language learning in children. Communication begins when a baby is born. Parents need to talk, hold, and touch their children to build social interactions needed for language and development.

Article 3: Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy

The purpose of the study was to see if educational DVD's help children learn words faster. The study was conducted by the University of California at Riverside to see if the DVD "Baby Wordsworth" for children, ages 12 to 24 months, helped them to learn new vocal words after 6 weeks. There was not a difference between the control group and the experimental group when the studies were observed. The results and information were gathered from the parents about their child's viewing habits. Rebekah Richert performed the study and centered her attention around certain words with a control group and a study group. Her findings were the same, which meant that watching the DVD had no added benefit. The conclusions with the findings was that children under the age of 2 should have social interaction, which is the key to learning. Parents need to give their time and attention to their children.

Jen S said...

4."Bilingualism, Good for the Brain, Researchers Say"

purpose-can kids get an edge by being bilingual
result- the american assoc. for the advancement of science in Washington D.C found that
bilingual children are good at multi tasking and even warding off Alzheimers.
this is because the brain is constantly juggling multiple languages.
the brain is more nimble and can quickly switch to another language.
they are able to focus and process information from many different angles and sort them out to get answers to problems.

John DiStefano said...

1 America should push for more bilingual opportunities in its economy and in the country in general. The Spanish speaking population is growing, and employers who can tap into a workforce of Spanish speaking residents and citizens will strengthen the economy. Also, Hispanics who come into our country have much to offer from their cultures, and would be only to happy to share with us. They have already made an impact, as they have brought many of their culinary customs to America.

2 Parents can influence children at an early age simply by encouraging them to read. Parents should introduce reading early and often. Also just speaking to the child and encouraging them to speak helps bring out language early. Listening to words is important to developing speech.

3 TV can help to speed up and improve language development. The more a child hears words the better their vocabulary becomes. Some shows where characters don’t use real words don’t help, however, such as tellitubies. That show really pisses me off. It teaches children to use words that are not real.

RachelM said...

4. Depending on who you ask, depends on the answer to bilingualism being a good thing, however many studies show that knowing two different languages do give you some positive advantages. In studies it was shown that those who are bilingual are better multi-taskers, are most likely to prioritize information in confusing situations, and it has been shown that it delays the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. These benefits result from the brain having to constantly switch between two or sometimes even more languages at one time, and constantly deciding which situations are best for which language. Learning to juggle two different languages on a daily basis allows the bilingualists to keep their brain functions nimble which is a good thing especially as you age.
5. Young children, even before they have the ability to talk to you, need to have the stimulation that most parents used to give their children by mimicking their noises to let them know they were communicating and the parents were listening. The parents also used to talk to their children and even read to them, however in the new technological century that we live in today, many mothers do not interact with their children as much as before and they are losing out on the necessary face time for the children to learn basic language. Parents of this time need to be reminded that they need to put down their technology to pay attention to their children and to interact with them because it is good to talk to them as much and as soon as possible, because they can never be over spoiled with attention.
6. Many people say the educational DVDS like baby Einstein help promote learning of language better than those children who do not watch those videos. This statement has been proved false by recent studies that show that children who watch these videos do not learn more words than the children who do not watch these videos. While it is not exactly known why they do not learn more, some theories are that the videos over stimulate the brain. Babies learn languages better if they hear someone actually speaking it to them live, instead of watching a video that teaches the same thing but in a passive way that could over stimulate their brain to the point of paralysis. Another theory is that these videos are replacing important parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words, showing that for children under the age of 2 social interaction is key to learning language.

Sarah DeRita said...

1. This article explores the apparent benefits of being bilingual in both children and adults. The American Association for the Advancement of Science presented some of the positive effects of being bilingual. They said that bilingual children are better at multi-tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job at prioritizing information, and that being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. They claim that these benefits come from having a brain that s juggling two or even more languages. The benefits were clearly shown using something call the Stroop test. This is a test in which subjects are presented with a word for a particular color and ask to identify the color of ink it is printed in. When the color of ink did not match the color printed, it added a significantly longer delay in the reaction time of monolingual speaks as compared to bilingual speakers. The benefits of bilingualism apparently last a lifetime, as studies have shown that bilingual Alzheimer’s patients are able to delay their onset of symptoms by four to five years. Unfortunately schools are more focused on getting children to speak English as quickly as possible. The solution presented to this is for the child to continue speaking their native language in their home, in order to reap the benefits of bilingualism.
2. This article expresses how much influence parents have on their children’s language development. It encourages parents to put down their cell phones, and pay more attention to talking to their children, even if they are non verbal. The author also emphasizes how bilingualism helps verbal development, by citing and example of a former Spanish teacher’s son. The article mostly gives advice on how to communicate with their children in beneficial ways. It is said that you cannot spoil a child with too much attention. The article encourages parents to talk as they are doing tasks, read picture books to their children, play word games with their children, and overall just converse with their children and engage in conversation. The author feels strongly that in our day and age parents are spending less time conversing with their children and more time on their wireless devices.
3. This article seeks to explore the question of whether instructional DVDS actually help babies to learn. A study by psychologist Rebekah Richert gives an answer to this question. She randomly assigned babies to a group that viewed these educational videos or one that did not. Each of the 96 infants were followed for six weeks, and were evaluated four times. The study showed that baby’s who watched the educational videos had no added benefit. A reason may be that such videos and DVDs over stimulate the brain. Over stimulating the brain to the point of paralysis may fail to engage babies in learning. Another reason may be that they replace precious parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words. In Richert’s study, it was found that most learning occurred when parents directly taught children new words by pointing at an object, saying its name, and repeating it. The conclusion to this article recommends (by the American Academy of Pediactrics), that toddlers under age two should not watch videos, or television.

NReynolds said...

Article 1: Bilingual education has been found by several researchers to have many positive affects on a child’s developing brain. Some of the things the researchers at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. said were that bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. These benefits are due to the fact that the individual’s brain is constantly going back and forth between two languages so they’ve become very sharp. This switching is a constant workout for the brain and enhances the brain’s executive control functions, which will help them concentrate and multi task throughout their entire lives. Public schools are backing away from bilingual education though because they believe that children who speak two languages are typically immigrants. Good advice for a parent who wants their child to be bilingual is to speak only their native language at home and English outside the house.

Article 2: As the world has technologically advanced, parents interact less and less with their babies, too busy on their cell phones or computers. Talking to the child and spending one on one time with them is critical for early language and communication development. Many speech therapists advise parents to talk while they’re doing things with the child and tell them where they’re going for example and explain everything. Also it is good to reward any communication attempts by mimicking them back to the baby. Baby talk is not recommended, as it can confuse a child who is learning language. Playing word games and counting steps before they can even talk can help jump start their learning also.

Article 3: Children in the US start watching television at a very young age and there are now videos out that are supposed to help teach the child language. Some researchers questioned if these truly worked though and a study was done at the University of California at Riverside and the results they found were that the DVDs didn’t help at all. This puzzles the researchers but they have come up with two possible explanations. The first idea is that the DVDs over stimulate the babies brain so they don’t retain as much and the other is that the watching of these videos lessens the amount of parent-child time and live interaction which is said to be better for learning. Nothing can replace the one on one time a child needs, interaction is their key to developing language skills the best.

Olivia Carlsen said...

4. This article questions whether bilingual children are on a mental edge or if it delays their learning. One reason it is helpful for children is it has many positive consequences for the brain. For instance, bilingual children can multi-task better, prioritize better, and also can ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Being bilingual gives the brain frequent exercise. One study from the journal Neurology surveyed 211 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and found that monolingual people saw the onset of their first symptoms 4 to 5 years earlier than their bilingual peers. Schools are moving away from bilingual education though. It is due in part to political beliefs. If you want your child to be bilingual, you must continue your native language at home.

5. Communication with your child should start right away. Too much time is spent on today’s technology and not on the children. Denial from communication can cause them to lose out on eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that is essential for early development. Even though your child might not understand what you are saying, you should always talk to them when you get the chance. One researcher says no newborn can be spoiled with too much attention. You can never introduce communication and even books too early! Parents should try to avoid baby words though. It can confuse the child who is learning to talk. Questions and songs are a great way to encourage kids to fill in the blank. And be sure to give your child your full attention!

6. This article is trying to figure out if watching instructional DVDs actually help babies. A study done at the University of California at Riverside helps discover the answer. The study used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth. They assigned a group of 12 to 24 month olds to watch it daily for 6 weeks. The result was the video didn’t work. The experiment group and the control group had the exact same results. In fact other studies show that infants who watch DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests. These studies are observational however. Another better study was done by psychologist Rebekah Richert. She randomly assigned two groups of babies to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group, than carefully tracked how many of the 30 target words in the video the babies were able to learn. Each of the 96 infants and their parents were followed for 6 weeks, and evaluated 4 times. Again, watching Baby Wordsworth had no benefit. One reason the video more be ineffective is it might overstimulate the brain. Also babies are better able to learn sounds if they hear them from a live speaker. Also, if babies are watching videos, they may be missing out on having conversations with their parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for years that toddlers under age 2 not watch TV or videos.

jessicatansey said...

1. I think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. There is a certain age in which the brain slowly becomes less able to retain large amounts of new information; therefore it would be more beneficial for bilingual opportunities to be presented during the formative years. I do not believe that America is falling behind because students are encouraged to study a second language earlier than they were before and more often. Also, there seems to be a steady increase in foreign people, which definitely enforces the idea of bilingualism.
2. I believe that parents can influence language development in the prelinguistic stage by responding to every gesture they make. Parents should make an emphasis on recasting but use positive enforcement.
3. I believe that TV programs do help children with their language development. It puts language in a fun approach and makes children want to learn. I believe it puts language in a slower form and breaks it down so the child can absorb the word more easily vs. having a daily conversation with their parents and understanding maybe a word or two out of the whole sentence.

1. Bilingualism does in fact help the brain develop. It is proven that children who are bilingual are better at multitasking. Also people who are bilingual seem to prioritizing better in potentially confusing situations. Bilingualism helps in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. The brain is constantly switching between languages and deciding which is best according to the situation. This constant exercise of the brain is what helps people juggle many different things at once.
2. Interacting with your child is one of the most important things that a parent can do. Language needs to be triggered by environmental circumstances, which involves interaction by the parents. The article says that parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development. Parents need to start participating in activities with their child to trigger their development in language starting in the form of eye contact to forming whole sentences.
3. Studies show that children who watch educational DVD’s actually learn fewer words. It is not as helpful as people think they are, but children who watch them actually score lower on cognitive tests. One study showed that it wasn’t the fact that the children learned fewer words. The children who watched educational DVD’s learned the same amount. One idea on why these videos are ineffective is because they over stimulate the brain. Also, babies absorb information better with a live speaker. Also, videos tend to repeat words and the babies get bored and new objects don’t get pointed out to them like they would when interacting with their parents.

Rebecca Frost said...

Do instructional DVDs help babies learn? Baby Wordsworth's goal is to teach babies new vocabulary words. Study: group of 12-24 month olds being studied for 6 weeks. The videos did not work. They connect with other studies who show the same result. The children actually score lower on cognitive tests. Even in a formal study, Baby Wordsworth was not beneficial. Babies do not learn language from a television show. They may overstimulate the brain. Babies are better able to learn sounds and words if they hear it from a live speaker. Also these shows take up parent-child time that could be used in learning the material meant to be learned by the show. Parents help reinforce learning of new words and sound by repetitiveness and reinforcement.

Brooke Truitt said...

5. From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk

Parents have stopped having good communications with their children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development. Communication begins as soon as a baby is born. “Talk to your baby whenever you have the chance,” the American Medical Association advises parents. “Even though he doesn’t understand what you’re saying, your calm, reassuring voice is what he needs to feel safe. Always respond to your newborn’s cries, he cannot be spoiled with too much attention.”

Purpose- Parents need to be reminded that communication skills are started when the child is first born.

Results- By talking to your children as early as possible, it helps to advance language development. A lot of the communication can be nonverbal and even the communication that is verbal may not be understood, but it is still helpful.

6. Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy

It's not entirely clear why the videos are so ineffective, but there may be two potential explanations. One has to do with the idea that such videos and DVDs overstimulate the brain. Researchers believe there is a critical window during early development in which language skills are acquired and developed; the sounds that babies hear and repeat in this time period are essential to establishing their language ability.

Purpose- Do instructional DVDs actually help babies learn?

Set up- The study used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth (part of the Baby Einstein series), which is aimed at teaching babies new vocabulary words, and assigned a group of 12-to-24-month-olds to watch it daily for six weeks.

Results- The videos didn't work. There was no difference in language acquisition between children who were assigned to watch the DVD and a control group. In fact, past analyses have found that infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than kids who haven't watched the videos.

jillianprice said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years because it will expand the minds of children. Also, America is a melting pot full of different cultures. We should all be able to communicate or at least attempt to learn different languages for communication purposes. I don’t think America is falling behind; it is just that we are expanding more in cultural differences.

2. Parents can influence language development during the child’s prelinguistic stage by reading to their children, talking to their children, and have them watch educational children programs. By reading and talking to their children, kids can start to recognize words and sounds. Watching educational programs, children can start to visually see words and hear sounds.


3.Yes I believe TY programs that try to promote language development work. I feel this way because I believe that children can visually see words and the sounds they make on the TV programs. Eventually children can start to recognize the words and sounds made. The TV programs make it easy for a child to learn at an easy level.


4. This article tells of how bilingualism is good for the brain. Researchers say that bilingual children are more effective at multi-tasking, better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and helps war of early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The purpose of this article to is to show the positive effects of being bilingual. During a Stroop test done, the subjects were presented with a word in a certain color ink. The paper would have the word blue with blue ink then the word blue with red ink. It was found that the monolingal speakers added 240 milliseconds to their reaction time, while bilingual speakers only added 160 milliseconds to their reaction time. Bilingual speakers are used to prioritizing information in confusing situations.

5. The purpose of this article is that parents should talk to their children and help them learn by talking to them. This article explained how parents should point to objects and name them and show contact to the child by using eye contact and facial expressions. This article talks how parents are communicative models and their interaction and communication with their child show importance in the child’s learning skills and communication skills. Children will pay attention and later realize the familiar objects that parents pointed out to them or read to them. Reinforcing the correct form of a words and repeating and expanding upon words help expand a child’s vocabulary and mind.

6.The purpose of this article was to find out if instructional DVDs actually help babies learn. The results showed that the DVDs did not work. In past analyses, it was found that infants who watch the educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on cognitive test. Researchers at the University of California at Riverside conducted a study, which randomly assigned two groups of babies to either a Baby Wordsworth or control group. The results showed that the video added new words to their vocabulary but added no benefit.

ndieschbourg said...

1. America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. It is important to push for it in the younger years because it is easier for them to learn another language than older children. It also puts America behind other countries because other countries make their children learn at least one other language. With everything becoming so global, many people need to speak multiple languages for their profession. Not having this can put them at a disadvantage.

2. Parents should try to get their children to speak. They should speak lots of different words. They should also read to their children. If the parents are from different ethnicities, they should talk to their children in both languages.

3. TV is good for children to learn about new things. Sesam Street and other educational programs can teach things that parents might not know how to present the children the right way. Parents should be careful not to allow children too much TV time because it is bad for their brains.

Nick Pompetti said...

1. America should push for more bilingual opportunities because it gives babies more of an advantage later in life. Especially in communication field’s they would excel greatly, and find it a lot easier to understand Mexicans or any other type of immigrant. America isn’t really falling behind the rest of the world but we are slowing down in our advancements compared to Japan and Africa’s current achievements.
2. Parents can help influence language development by buying DVDs that help teach young children learn new languages, such as sesame street and Dora the Explorer. Or they can maybe do flash cards, and show different types of words in Spanish just to change up what your child is learning and gradually move up to sentences. It can even be a lot simpler than that and you can read to your child, it has been proven that reading books aloud to your child does improve language development.
3. Yes, I do think these programs work because a majority of the population’s infants watch these kinds of television shows and show improvement in language areas. But the shows are only effective if the child pays attention and isn’t distracted. There are so many distractions for a child such as toys or things parents are doing that this information could go in one ear and out the other. The show talks in slow short sentences and even helps relate the words to something the child likes such as grapes or bright colors. They also will spell out the word on the TV screen so it helps the child with grammar and spelling.

ndieschbourg said...

1. The article states that being bilingual has many benefits for the brain. It helps with multitasking, organizing information, and warding off Alzheimer’s disease. The switch between languages helps to exercise the brain. This can help with concentration and better focus.
2. This article talks about the problems of technology and attention paid to the children. Because of ipods, cell phones, and many other electronic devices, parents are too wrapped to focus on their children. Parents need to look the children in their eyes when they talk to them. They also need to engage ion back and forth questions.
3. The focus of this article is tv and children. A study at University of California used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth took a group of 12-24 months to watch it everyday for six weeks. The experiment turned out to be a fail with the children learning fewer words than the control group. The conclusion is that these and other videos did not help the children learn new words.

Lauren Fowler said...

4.Bilingualism seems to have many benefits on the brain. The article states that bilingual children don’t learn better they just have a more nimble brain and can ignore distractions easier. In a study about reaction time, a bilingual brain can decode a colored word faster than an average brain (like the word red spelled in blue). Bilingualism has been shown to delay the affects of Alzheimer’s. Overall being bilingual is a positive. Multitasking is easier and your brain is constantly exercised.


5.Nowadays it seems like our society is too involved with their technology so they neglect their baby’s learning needs. Talking to babies is very important for their learning. Talking to babies in “baby talk” is actually a bad thing to do because it can confuse a child. Children need communication and eye contact to fully develop. Speaking to children in other languages teaches them quickly they can pick up languages relatively fast and become bilingual. Parents should speak in full sentences to their child and their voice can calm them. Making a child answer questions without a yes or no answer will help them expand.


6.It has commonly been thought that baby videos such as “Baby Einstein” have helped babies learn faster. This thought has been proven false. The study took 12-24 month olds and split them up; he group who watched the DVDs had no change in the learning acquisition. After more than one study, the findings concluded that the videos didn’t help at all and in some cases made children learn slower. The videos may not work because they could be over stimulating to young children. Child-Parent communication is the best way

Rwalsh said...

1.) Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say

This article explains the benefits of bilingualism. It states that being proficient in two languages makes your brain solve difficult and trying questions with much moor speed and ease. Knowing two languages forces your brain to constantly multitask. Your brain is constantly deciding which language better suits the situation and the listener. It says that bilingual speakers when speaking to another bilingual speaker can switch between both languages without a problem, in order to express themselves more clearly. The ability to speak two languages is proven to slow down the effects of Alsheimers by five years. It doesn’t cure it, but it does slow down the attack of the demensia. The test they conducted was printing the word “blue” in red ink and then in blue ink. The first card is more difficult on the brain because it must sort the information in order to come up with the correct answer. Bilingual speakers found the answer in almost half the time that monolingual speakers did.

2.) From Birth, Engage Your Child With Talk

This article explains different exercises that can be used in order to benefit your childs communication and verbal skills. It explains that it is never to early to start reading, talking and singing to your children. The more words, stories, and vocabulary they are exposed to the faster and more proficiently they will learn to comprehend and communicate. The more words they hear and the more situations of communication will expand their vocabulary and comprehension. The article urges parents to constantly talk to their children, and reinforce what their children already know. If a child points at something, say the name of that something, and then something about it. Begin reading as soon as you can, even if the parents think the child doesn’t understand. Avoid talking to your child when they are distracted and make sure you always have their attention when you are talking to them.

3.) Baby Wordsworth Babies: Not Exactly Wordy
This article explains the benefits of the Wordsworth movies and then benefit they may or may not have on childrends language development. Turns out there is no benefit of watching these movies. The children that were studied after watching the movies or a few weeks were no different then the ones who did not watch the movies. The only words the kid recognized were the words that parents frequently use around the house. This article disproves the advantages for kids watching educational enhancing movies at a young age.

Julianne Kelley said...

5. The main point of the article is a strong emphasis on verbally communicating with children from infancy. Lack of verbal communication can lead to loss of eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that is necessary for early communication development. Another focus of the article is the ability for preverbal children to understand spoken conversation. The article lists several ways to incorporate your children into your daily communication habits. Parents should avoid "baby" talk, count steps that they walk out loud, ask questions that require a choice, talk about the nutritional value of foods, discuss the uses of different objects, sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, read books together with their children, and avoid verbal frustration.


6. Researchers at UC at Riverside assigned a group of 12-24-month-olds to watch a DVD called Baby Wordsworth daily for six weeks. The purpose of this study was to discover whether or not instructional DVDs actually help babies learn. The results of this study proved that the DVD, which aims to teach babies new vocabulary words, did not work. Two possible explanations for the failure of these DVDs are: (1) such DVDs and videos overstimulate the brain, and (2) these videos replace parent-child time that could be spent learning the same words. A final focus of the article is the importance of children under the age of two years not watching videos or TV because these are not suitable substitutes for a parent's attention and time.

danielle mac said...

article summaries
1. The question researchers are trying to figure out in this study is does being bilingual give children a mental edge, or does it delay their learning. The researchers found that bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. The scientist use a test called the Stroop test. Subjects are presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color ink printed on paper. If, on the other hand, the word "blue" is printed in red, they have to sort out which piece of information. In monolingual speakers it adds 240 milliseconds to their time.
2. The article’s purpose is to inform parents that they need to engage children in speech early. Communication from the baby begins as soon as he/she is born, with the way you touch, hold, look at, and talk to them. The American Medical Association tells parents to talk to kids whenever you can because the calmness of your voice reassures them that they are safe and to always respond to a newborn when they cry. Ask the children questions even though they cannot answer them because it helps expand their vocabulary.
3. The article asks the questions do instructional DVDs actually help during the learning process of speech. Researchers from University of California at Riverside studied the DVD Baby Wordsworth, which aimed to a group of 12 to 24 month olds to watch for 6 weeks. The study showed that the children who watched the DVD for 6 weeks learned no more words than children who did not. It is not clear on why the DVDs are ineffective but they have two possible reasons. One is the idea of overstimulation on the brain of the child watching the movie. The babies hear the same sounds over and over again, but in learning, it is better for them to hear from a live source like their parents. The other reason is that the video takes place of the parent to child time together. Social interaction is key for children as they are learning.

danielle mac said...

article summaries
1. The question researchers are trying to figure out in this study is does being bilingual give children a mental edge, or does it delay their learning. The researchers found that bilingual children are more effective at multi tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in potentially confusing situations, and being bilingual helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. The scientist use a test called the Stroop test. Subjects are presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color ink printed on paper. If, on the other hand, the word "blue" is printed in red, they have to sort out which piece of information. In monolingual speakers it adds 240 milliseconds to their time.
2. The article’s purpose is to inform parents that they need to engage children in speech early. Communication from the baby begins as soon as he/she is born, with the way you touch, hold, look at, and talk to them. The American Medical Association tells parents to talk to kids whenever you can because the calmness of your voice reassures them that they are safe and to always respond to a newborn when they cry. Ask the children questions even though they cannot answer them because it helps expand their vocabulary.
3. The article asks the questions do instructional DVDs actually help during the learning process of speech. Researchers from University of California at Riverside studied the DVD Baby Wordsworth, which aimed to a group of 12 to 24 month olds to watch for 6 weeks. The study showed that the children who watched the DVD for 6 weeks learned no more words than children who did not. It is not clear on why the DVDs are ineffective but they have two possible reasons. One is the idea of overstimulation on the brain of the child watching the movie. The babies hear the same sounds over and over again, but in learning, it is better for them to hear from a live source like their parents. The other reason is that the video takes place of the parent to child time together. Social interaction is key for children as they are learning.

Lauren Hyland said...

1. I think America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years because it is beneficial in so many ways. It not only teaches children another form of useful communication, but it also helps their brain adapt to multi tasking, process information faster, and differentiate between specific things. I think America is falling behind the rest of the world in bilingualism because most other countries teach their children their native language as well as English. Meanwhile, children in America are only taught English by their parents and in school. It is very rare to find an American child that is bilingual.
2. During the child’s prelinguistic stage, there are many ways that parents can influence language development. Talking with their children is a big contributor to a child’s language and cognitive growth. The best way for parents to talk to them is through parentese because it is slow and exaggerated which grabs the child’s attention and allows them to correctly hear each word. Another way they can influence language development is by reading to their child often. Hearing sentence structure and word usage through a story helps children learn the language by associating words with their meanings.
3. Yes, I think TV programs like Sesame Street that try to promote language development work. Using characters that grab children’s attention helps focus them into the show. Once they are engaged they will try to figure out what they are saying and by doing so, will be developing their language. These programs are just another method to help children associate meaning with specific words in a fun and entertaining way.

Lauren Hyland said...

4. The purpose of this article is to determine whether or not being bilingual gives young children a mental edge or delays their learning. Based on the findings of the research presented in this article, being bilingual helps children be more effective at multi-tasking, do a better job at prioritizing in confusing situations, and helps delay the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by about four to five years. The stroop test was used to determine one’s ability to identify while being bombarded with extraneous information. Subjects were presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color of ink it was printed in. The results found that it takes monolingual speakers an extra 240 milliseconds to sort this out while it only takes bilingual speakers an extra 160 milliseconds. Also, bilingual speakers are able to pick out key information faster and ignore certain surroundings that can be distracting.
5. The purpose of this article is to see the effects of engaging your child with talk from birth. Everything has become so technologic that most parents now these days are too busy with their cell phones, Blackberrys, and ipods that they don’t spend enough time talking with their children. However, from the results of this article it is shown that communication starts early. One Spanish teacher spoke to her three children only in Spanish while everyone else talked to them in English. As a result, the oldest child is fluently bilingual and is able to translate between the two languages of Spanish and English. The job for parents is to talk to their children while going places and ask questions that the child will be able to answer. Also, avoid “baby” words and try to help them expand their vocabulary.
6. The purpose of this article is to determine whether or not instructional DVDs actually help babies learn. The setup of this study assigned a group of 12-24 month olds to watch a DVD called Baby Wordswoth daily for six weeks. The results of this found that there was no difference in language acquisition between children who were assigned to watch the DVD and a control group. It was also found that infants who watch educational DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool than children who haven’t watched them. Another similar study was constructed but psychologists observed this time. However, the results were the same- there were no added benefits to watching instructional DVDs. It was said that they over stimulate the brain too much and should instead be learning these sounds from a live speaker such as their parents. Also, it takes away too much time that children should be spent with their parents learning new words and communicating with them because social interaction is key.

Nick Pompetti said...

4. The Bilingualism article talks about how learning two different languages varies from different programs, but the question of does knowing two languages give you an edge remains to be unanswered. Being bilingual your brain switches between each language as needed, and exercises the brain’s executive control functions. Researchers have said that even though cognitively it is a pretty advanced task to be able to switch between languages, it still does not mean you learn any faster than any one-language person. But the major point researchers are trying to emphasize with bilingualism is that it keeps the mind nimble, makes you better at multitasking, and research shows that it even helps delay Alzheimer’s for several years. But towards the end of the article it states that public schools are starting to move away from bilingualism in the classroom, being caused by political figures and their beliefs.

5. In the article “From Birth, Engage Your Child with Talk”, Jane argues that parents these days do not interact with their children enough and is really effecting how the child develops. The 21st century has brought so many new gadgets and awesome phones, but these inventions have their downfalls and that is that they are distracting us quality family time of just talking to our loved ones. Especially are newly born children, which is critical to the baby’s development at such a young age. Parents need to spend more time talking to their babies even if it seems like they aren’t listening, they are still hearing new words which they learn to understand and eventually use in their vocabulary. She even shows an example of a Spanish family whose father talked to the children at a young age in English too, and now the oldest of 3 years is bilingual and fluent in both. Jane gives the tips of being very attentive to your children when they attempt to talk and encourage it, also when they are trying to speak look keep good solid eye contact. And lastly she talks about playing games with your child such as “This Little Piggy” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, because it helps the child learn fundamentals and words while playing.
6. The CNN Baby Wordsworth article shows through research and experiments that these so called educational DVDs for children actually do no help at all. According to the experiments they are just a waste of money since they babies that watch them end up with the same amount of language skills that a baby who did not watch them have. They have two reasons to why they think the videos don’t work the first one being that the videos are over stimulating the baby’s brain, and the second is that babies learn better when they are taught in person with repetition and reinforcement by an adult or parent. These videos also take away a lot of one on one time between the parent and child, which was stated in the other article to be very crucial to development. So the final opinion on these videos is that children under the age of 2 should not watch them because it has no beneficial purpose for the baby.

Alison Zimny said...

Article 1
Bilingualism helps improve multitasking and prioritizing. Also, this skill delays the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by 4-5 years. Switching languages constantly exercises the brain’s control functions. This works the prefrontal cortex which is tasked with focusing one’s attention, ignoring distractions, holding multiple pieces of information in mind when trying to solve a problem. Parents who want their children to be completely bilingual, they must continue to speak their native language in the home.
Article 2
Different studies have come up with different opinions about instructional DVD’s. Within a period of 6 weeks, the babies did not show a difference in language. Some conclusions show that babies who watch these DVD’s actually learn fewer words than those who interact directly with their parents. Some think that these DVD’s don’t work because they overstimmulate the brain. They say the skill of language is better learned when interacting directly with a live speaker.
Article 3
It's becoming more and more rare for parents to talk to their nonverbal children. To encourage young children to continue improving speech, you need to show them that they are communicating with noises. When parents don’t engage with their children, they lose different aspects of early communication development. Rewarding children causes them to continue to communicate even when they aren’t verbal. Giving your baby extra attention can only help them improve communication.

joel B said...

1. It seems that the rest of the world puts emphasis to create a polylinguistic society, but the US seems to pride its monolingual ways. Learning other languages helps communication and the unification of different cultures. America is furthering itself from other societies more and more by not going with the rest of the world, such as our use of IS, our calling of football “soccer”, and our poor approach towards learning language.

2. Parents are a major influence to a child during prelinguistic development. How they utilize their language is going to be picked up from their child. Pronunciation, word usage, and accents are all things that children pick up from learning language from their parents.

3. I have complete faith in shows like Sesame Street that promote language development. I remember learning how a word was used from watching the context in which it was used in a TV show such as The Simpsons. There may be an age when it is most beneficial but I do believe it can be.

Haley French said...

4. In this article, it talks about bilingualism and how it has a positive impact on the brain. Their findings conclude that bilingual children are more effective at multitasking, can prioritize information in a better way, and it can help delay the onset of Alzheimer's in the later years. Psychology professor Ellen Bialystok states that these benefits are because the brain is constantly being stimulated by more than one language, even though they're only speaking a certain language in the appropriate setting. Scientists tested subjects' ability to identify related information while blocking out unnecessary information by using a Stroop test. Those who were bilingual were faster in discerning between the different information. The article goes on to say that bilinguists can inhibit the language they're not using at the time which serves as a huge mental workout that strengthens the brain's executive control functions.

5. This article talks about how parents are so technology oriented that they've stopped paying attention to their child's language development. Speech expert Randi Jacoby said that because parents spend more time with their nose in their phones, children tend to lose out on eye contact, facial expression, and overall feedback that is crucial to their early development. Since society is succumbing to computer based communication, children are not being taught the most basic skills used in learning language. But, there are still parents out there that don't ignore their children. The parents mentioned in this article actually teach them how to be bilingual, which is going to give them a better advantage in the long run. The purpose of this article was to recognize that people are using technology to ignore their children, but there are still those who communicate with their babies the old-fashioned way.

6. This article talks about how instructional baby videos might not be all that helpful. Researchers at the University of California at Riverside decided to test this theory by using a "Baby Wordsworth" DVD that aimed to teach a young child new vocabulary words. In the experiment, they took children that were 1 to 2 years of age and made them watch the video daily for a period of 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, they concluded that the baby video did not work and that there was no difference between a child's language with or without watching the video. The article goes on to say that these results were also present in several other studies, and this just goes to show that the easy way (plopping you kid down in front of the TV) is not always the best way to go about raising your child.

Alex Kenney said...

1. America should push for more bilingual opportunities in the formative years. Being bilingual has obvious benefits and the younger it is taught; the easier it is to learn. Knowing more than one language can increase the child’s intelligence and give them benefits in the future. Career wise, being bilingual puts you a step ahead. If there are two employees of equal value but one is bilingual odds are they will get picked. However, the other employee is still valuable which brings me to the next point. America is a country full of opportunity and we are not too far behind the rest of the world, but if there was a bigger movement towards bilingualism, we could move several steps ahead. This would help us communicate better with other countries, thus bringing in more profit, which is a plus for any country.

2.Parents play a big role in language development during a child’s prelinguistic stage. During this stage children cannot communicate for themselves so they rely of their parents for everything. When a parent exposes a child to more than one language, they will pick up on it. When a parent encourages babbling and pushes the kid to talk, chances are they will do so earlier. When parents neglect children and do not pay attention to them, language may be delayed greatly. When a child is not exposed to much except for the lives of their parents, it is important for the parent to provide a positive, learning, and encouraging environment.

3.TV programs such as Sesame Street have been around to help children learn in a fun and modern way for years. I think that these types of programs may help children, and it also provides a way of learning that is usually not experienced in the classroom. However, a parent should not rely on these shows to teach children everything they need to know. These programs may introduce new ideas to children, but the children are watching the television alone. Therefore, there is not much of a reinforcement or an adult around to correct an idea that a child may have misinterpreted. For example, if a child is watching sesame street alone and learns the short a and long a sound, but then gets them mixed up, there is no adult to fix this mistake for them.

Alex Kenney Continued said...

4.) This article states the positives of being bilingual over the course of one’s life. In children, being bilingual helps them multitask and sort out their thoughts. In adults, it helps them prioritize in stressful and confusing events. In the elderly, it helps delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Bilingualism helps you focus, as shown by the “stroop test” which has you say the colors of a printed word (blue letters that spell blue, then red letters that spell blue). Bilingual speakers can answer these kinds of questions faster. Also a study published last year said that monolingual speakers can experience symptoms of Alzheimer’s up to five years earlier than bilingual speakers! This article states that a movement should be made towards bilingualism for many reasons.

5.) This article encourages interaction with your child from birth. In this century, everyone is always on their phone or iPod, and much less tuned into their child. But this can have serious consequences because they are not encouraging their child to speak or communicate. When parents mimic their child’s babbling, it lets the child know that the parent is paying attention and trying to understand them. It is important to introduce books early and correct your child nicely if they have made a mistake. Encouragement, experience, and practice will all be very beneficial to the baby.

6.) This article points out that DVD’s are not harmful, but not at all beneficial. A study was done on infants watching the baby Einstein DVD’s and they did not learn more words then the children who were not watching these DVD’s. When a child is young, especially younger than two, nothing can replace interaction with other humans. That is the key to communicating, so it is obvious that it would be the key to learn how to communicate. When a child is watching a DVD, they are loosing time they could be learning with their parents. Baby and parent interaction and learning is virtually irreplaceable and the best way for babies to start learning to communicate and live in their world. When a child is watching a DVD, there is no live reinforcer. Also, the young brain may be over stimulated. These DVD’s may be useful if used alongside the parents teaching, but it is advised that children to not watch too much television under the age of two.

Kathleen Wilmoth said...

1. I think that America should push for more bilingual opportunities for children throughout the country. Learning a second language has many advantages and offers more opportunities for the future. I think that America is behind the rest of the world in this development. This is because in most other countries, such as the European countries, children learn at least a second language and most children know more than two due to their neighboring countries. Becoming fluent in other languages is very helpful for job opportunities and for just being able to communicate better with diverse populations.


2. Parents have great influence on their child’s language development even before the child can speak. The child picks up the language that they hear from the parents, especially if the child is directly spoken to. The more the child is spoken to, the easier it may be for the child to develop language once he or she reaches the linguistic stage. On the other hand, if the child rarely hears language or very little language, this can delay their development. The different languages a parent speaks in front of the child may also influence their development.


3. I think that these television programs do have an impact on a child’s language development. By promoting language in a way that is easier for the child to understand and pay attention to, it can greatly benefit the development of language for the child. The child becomes interested in the show because of the fun characters, songs, games, etc. In this way, the child can be learning things like language without even knowing it. The way that the shows attempt to promote language to the children may also be helpful for the children to remember better.

4. This article explains how beneficial it is to learn a second language. It describes the ways the brain works when it knows more than one language. For example, when using the Stoop test, monolingual speakers had a slower reaction time than bilingual speakers in responding with the correct word for the color. Also, bilingual people are able to multitask better and even have a better chance to fight off Alzheimer’s disease in their elder years. The article explains how if parents want their children to be bilingual, then they should continue to speak their native language at home while being taught English in schools.

5. This article points out the differences between mothers who constantly communicate with and talk to their children even before they can respond, and the mothers who rarely do this, and instead focus on electronic devices for communication. It explains the importance of talking to the child, even if he or she cannot understand you. This will eventually benefit with the development of language. This is also true with a second language. It is found to be very helpful for the parent to introduce books early on, narrating the pictures, and to narrate the world around the child.

6. Researchers wanted to know if children could learn language better at an early age if they watched television programs that promote it. A study assigned children of 12 to 24 months of age to watch Baby Wordsworth, a DVD that teaches new vocabulary words, for six weeks. The study showed that this DVD did not help and showed no difference in language development. Other similar studies have reinforced these findings, showing that watching videos that promote language do not necessarily improve language. In many cases, children who did not watch the videos at all performed better in language. Based on these findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that children under two years of age should not watch videos or television at all.

Stephanie C. said...

4. The first article summarizes the many benefits of being bilingual. Three main benefits are addressed. (1) Bilingual children can more easily do two things at once. (2) Bilingual people can sort out confusing information more easily. (3) Being bilingual helps to ward off Alzheimer's disease. A study was done called the Stroop test, to test the quickness of a bilingual brain versus a monolingual brain. In this test, subjects are shown a word for a particular color and asked to say the color of ink it's printed in. Bilingual people tend to do better and perform quicker on this test. Many people believe that languages other than English shouldn't be taught in schools because speaking other languages is associated with being an immigrant. People are encouraged to teach their children different languages at home, in a controlled setting.

5. The main focus of this article is that parents should speak to children as much as possible. This should begin at birth. Even though children cannot answer, they should still be asked questions that do no necessarily require a "yes" or "no" answer. This article also points out that our technology is affecting our children. Instead of interacting with their children, many parents are too caught up in their cell phones, computers, iPods, etc. Simple, yet grammatical speech should be used when talking to children. If a child says something, a parents should reinforce it by saying it again, but using a grammatically correct sentence.

6. This article states that educational DVDs and television shows designed to encourage early language development in pre-preschoolers do not work. Studies have been done in order to prove this statement. Rebekah Richert randomly assigned two groups of babies to either a Baby Wordsworth video group or a control group. She then tracked how many of the 30 target words from the video the babies were able to learn. The words were common ones. Parents were asked to monitor how many of these words their babies understood/spoke. The babies were followed for 6 weeks. While all the kids added new words to their vocabulary during the study, watching Baby Wordsworth had no added benefit. There are two possible reasons that the Baby Wordsworth videos didn't work. A first reason is that DVDs and television are too mentally stimulating for children. Babies tend to do better when they can interact with an actual person. A second reason is that videos replace time that children can be spending time with their parents. They can interact with their parents, which will allow them to learn words easier.

NCraig said...

4. Researchers say bilingualism is good for the brain. It helps children be more effective at multi-tasking, adults who speak more than one language do a better job prioritizing information in confusing situations, and it helps ward off early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. The back and forth use of two or more languages is exercise for the brain. Scientists used something called the Stroop test, which is to test one’s ability to identify pertinent nuggets while being bombarded with extraneous information. The subjects are presented with a word for a particular color and asked to identify the color of ink it’s printed in. They found bilingual people took less time to figure it out.

5. It is good to talk to your child as much as you can, if you’re at the house, going on a walk, pushing them in a stroller, etc. You should always talk to the child and point things out and ask questions. If they start to make noises, even if they can’t talk, respond and let them know you’re listening. Communication is important in a child’s life. Although you should talk to you’re child a lot, don’t introduce books too early. Using “baby” words and baby talk can confuse a child that is learning to speak. The words they use you should expand on them and correct them in a positive way. When your child tries to speak to you give them your full attention and respond to them.

6. Babies start watching TV and DVD’s created to promote early language development in early pre-preschool years. But researchers are wondering if DVDs actually help babies learn. The study used a DVD called Baby Wordsworth, which tries to teach babies new vocabulary words for babies 12-to-24-months and to watch it daily for six weeks. The videos didn’t work; there was no difference in language development between children who watched the DVD and the children in a control group. Turns out kids who watch these DVDs learn fewer words and score lower on certain cognitive tests by the time they reach preschool compared to kids who haven’t watched the videos. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why the videos are so ineffective but they have the idea that they over stimulate the brain. During the critical period it is better if babies hear the words from a live speaker. Another reason may be watching the DVDs, the child and parents are not interacting and the babies are just learning the same words over and over.

Juliefowler said...

1. I think that America should push for more bilingualism. It is shown to make you smarter and better at multitasking. It would help us catch up with the rest of the world with marketing, communications, and much more business that would be easier with more knowledge of other languages around the world.

2. Parents can help development in the prelinguistic stage by speaking to them properly. The earlier and more properly you speak to children at such a young age the faster and earlier they will learn. Also expose them to books and educational videos and things that encourage them to read and talk.

3. I think things like Sesame Street and other shows work to an extent. They help encourage the child to speak and interact with the characters. This is exciting and interesting to them, so they will respond and try to speak back. This will give them a jumpstart to speaking and understanding speach.