It seems hard to believe, but we're already on chapter 4: Language -- The Power of Babble. Denise has written our first entry here, and you'll see that the authors not only answered some of her questions about language development, but also made her even more curious about this fascinating aspect of development. Enjoy!
Reading this chapter really opened my eyes to the way children learn language. The beginning of the chapter started out discussing how children don’t need computers and other electronic devices to help with language development. The chapter said that the most effective tool for babies to learn language is human interactions. I could not agree with this more. Babies don’t need computer programs or other electronic devices to learn language, they need physical interactions with humans. Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff wrote, “The irony is that each child is born to be a linguistic genius” (p.62). This quote is very true; eventually every child learns how to speak, and it is up to the parents to give their children tools (such as daily interactions) to learn language.
One of the main points the chapter addressed was the fact that some children have more words than others at the same age. This is very evident to me when I am at work. I work at a daycare and when I am in the two year old class, I am amazed at how some children have such bigger vocabularies than others. One of the key concepts in child development is that children learn and develop at different rates, but that doesn’t necessarily mean children who develop slower than others have a learning disability. The chapter is very good at making this clear. Often times parents will take their children to specialists because they are not learning language at a fast enough rate. Parents who do this need to stop, take a breath, and give their children a chance to learn language at their own pace.
A question of mine that the reading answered was: At what age can a child start to distinguish the difference between their mother’s voice as opposed to a different woman’s voice? The answer to my question is that children can start doing this at seven months old. There was a study conducted that showed seven month old children were able to distinguish the difference between their mother’s voice and another woman’s voice. The study also showed that babies prefer to hear their mother’s voices over other female voices.
The chapter kept reinforcing that babies don’t need flash cards or computer programs to learn language. My question is at what age (if any) would it be appropriate to start incorporating computer programs to aid learning language? In my opinion, the age of eight would be a good time to start using computer programs to help with language development, because it would help them better understand the rules of language that some parents might not be able to teach their children.
After reading this chapter it has inspired me to use baby sign with my baby. I always used to think that baby sign was pointless, but the chapter proved me wrong. Using baby sign can help a baby maybe start to use words earlier in life. Not only is it important for the parent to do the sign, but it is also important for the parent to say the word that goes along with the sign; this can also help speed up the baby’s language learning process. The fact that babies can’t say words doesn’t mean they can’t communicate with their caregivers. As adults, it is important to know what to look for when a baby is trying to communicate something. There are many different forms of communication including babbling, but the one all parents wait for is their baby’s first word.
It's exciting for me to see that reading this furthered your curiousity about language development, Denise. This is one of my goals in requiring students to read a popular media book in my class -- I want to inspire you beyond the confines of traditional textbooks because there are just so many wonderful books out there! And I can relate to your thoughts about baby sign language, as I had the same reservations prior to learning about additional perspectives on it, such as the ones shared in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteI knew that babies were communicating when they would babbled, but never did I assume it was such a fundamental factor in the process of language development. This chapter is so beneficial for parents and individuals who work in child care, like myself. I have taken sign language courses and I did not know that sign would help language development in babies, before taking child development courses. I feel baby sign is fun and productive, especially when the baby begins to sign back as a communicative response. This entry was well written and it also enforces the idea that technology is good in our culture today, but the traditional ways always works better. Playing with the baby and talking to the baby will always help in the developmental process.
ReplyDelete~Monique Campbell
I could not agree more with everything that you talked about. I know so many parents that freak out when their child is not as advanced in language as much as other children their grade. Children will learn language when they are ready. It is not a process that you can force. Signing is a good way to help the process along though, untill reading this chapter I never had thought of that being an option. I readlly enjoyed this blog!!
ReplyDelete-Bradlee DeShane
Denise wrote, “Reading this chapter really opened my eyes to the way children learn language. The beginning of the chapter started out discussing how children don’t need computers and other electronic devices to help with language development. The chapter said that the most effective tool for babies to learn language is human interactions.” She agreed with the author of the book and I also agree with this that children don’t need anything fancy to learn and develop properly; all they need is physical human interactions. Denise wrote that one main point the chapter made was some children have more words than others and this is very true. I am a Sunday school teacher at my church in the 2 year old class and I have a few 2’s that speak a little and then I a few that speak a lot, and then I have a few kids that don’t speak at all. When it comes to speaking and how many words a kid knows, it differs depending on the child and their interaction with the world and with people. When Denise talked about baby sign and how she is going to use it with her baby, I thought that was good because I think babies should learn signing.
ReplyDeleteIt has always been a concern of mine as to how babies can recognize their mother’s voice over another woman’s voice. As I read through this blog, I thought of an experience I had when I babysat for my coach and his wife. They have an 8 month old boy named Jack and a 3 year old boy named Aden. When I arrived at their house, both the kids were sleeping. The babies mom said, "If Jack wakes up, give him his pacifier because he might freak out if he hears a different voice other than mine." Like Katie warned me, Jack woke up and started crying. I then proceeded to do as she told me, but he wanted to be picked up and fed. So I said one little word and the look on his face was a look of concern. He couldn’t quite understand who I was and it scared him. Fortunately I was able to calm him down and put him back to sleep, but I thought it was interesting that babies really do know the difference between their mother’s voice and someone else. I think this blog was very well put together and just like the other blogs, I really enjoy being able to relate my own personal experiences to the topics my classmates blog about.
ReplyDeleteNicole Duff
This chapter really intrigued me along with answering many questions. I do not have kids of my own, but I deal with children on a daily basis at work and in my personal life as well. You do a great job with the way you express your feeling toward this issue in your blog. It bothers me how the new “popular” thing is to have all these inventions to manipulate parents into thinking they will help their child. There are so many different inventions on the baby aisle as well as on TV claiming this product “will make your child smarter.” When babies babble this is the start of vocal communication. This is the beginning of their language expression that we as adults cannot identify clearly. I think it is very exciting to find how we both are astonished at the way they learn. It is true; we must talk to them to help their language mature instead of giving them baby talk in return (even though it is fun). One thing I really enjoyed reading about was how we both agree on how signing helps language development. I see sign language being taught to the toddlers at Fresno State and in my company, and can witness the success. Language does develop at different levels, because each child is different when it comes to development. This chapter made it so much easier to understand the many different ways language develops. This also helps give accurate explanations to parents about language development.B. Moutra
ReplyDeleteI have always found the topic of children's development of language interesting, especially the concept of babies "babbling". I really liked this chapter, I feel that it helped a lot of students get a better understanding of how children develop language. I like how Denise ties her personal experiences from her job into the chapter topic. She did a good job at explaining how certain questions of hers were answered when reading this chapter. I honestly feel that parents today try to "hurry" their child's development, like by using technological learning devices. Every child learns differently, that is just a fact of life. And trying to hurry some developments may actually be more harmful to the child. Parents need to let their children learn at their own pace. Denise mentions the use of baby sign. Baby sign is so crucial for development, it is how children, particularly babies, learn to communicate with adults.
ReplyDelete~Morgan MIguel
Denise, I really enjoyed reading your entry. You provided a lot of good information that the chapter covered. I related to your blog, when you asked the question: At what age are infants able to distinguish their mother’s voice? I was curious to know the answer to this question. I was very enthused when I read in the book that this happens when the infant is in the womb at 7 months. It’s really interesting how infants are able to pick up language this soon. I also liked when you stated that you would like to teach your children sign language one day. I worked with infants before and I was able to observe how quickly infants can pick up certain signs that go along with a word. Some of the signs we taught the infants at the day care were how to say, “more”, “milk”, and “food.” Also as the chapter mentioned, infants are able to pick up any language because of language commonalities. As Chomsky stated, these commonalities are called “Universal Grammar.” This is why infants are able to pick up and learn any language around the world. It is interesting to know that we are born with Universal Grammar. Infants are able to pick up language through interactions. Language techniques are innate in humans, so we develop language rapidly. Other techniques that help infants increase language development that caught my interest were: ”story telling,” and “keeping the conversation going.” Story telling is helpful because parents become “engaged and active listeners,” which helps an infant process their thoughts and use their imagination. Keeping the conversation going is helpful because when parents ask open ended questions, infants also process their thoughts and respond. Responding to children's language and keeping the conversation going lets the children know that you show interest as well as you understand their message. Kids will make the effort to respond back and develop language more quickly.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would like to say your pictures are so cute. I enjoyed reading your blog and looking at your picture. It is true that everyone learns at a different pace. I definitely feel that parents don't realize that they are putting so much weight on their children's education. I also agree that the child and teacher relationship is very important as well. One thing that surprised me was when you mentioned the imaginary friend. I never had an imaginary friend when I was little but I think that is a great idea. I'm not a parent yet but I believe that I am gaining information that will help me in the future.
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