The conference opened with speakers from the following Sponsors: Pb Technology and LINC-ED
Keynote Speaker: Nathan Mikaere-Wallis
Ka Tikaka o Ka Roro
The Fascinating Brain
Epigenetics: Professor Flynn: The Flyn Effect:
Intelligence comes from the first 1000 days of life. Nathan says it is possible to gauge the level of intelligence a child will have by the words spoken by the mother. A baby has to attach and attune to someone (usually the mother as the primary caregiver) for language to be established. By the time a baby is 1 they are gathering data developing a complex brain. Babies need to attune to one person for the brain to develop. The initial relationship is the most important. Intelligence is not driven by genetics but by many factors babies are introduce to in their early days of life through social and emotional growth, nurture, language and the environment.
Research strongly suggests that Home Based Care is the way to go with a new born baby for their first year. Babies develop a dyad with their primary and secondary caregiver. With rostered care (daycare) data has shown a significant rise in cortisol activity in the brain patterns of babies causing unsettled behaviour.
The Frontal Cortex or the 4th brain is your intelligence. Frontal cortex development depends on the quality relationship the baby establishes in the first year of life. First born children are the ones who gain the most intelligence because they receive the most quality time. The more children there are in a family the more likely the youngest child will not have had the same amount of quality time as the eldest child.
Maturity comes to girls earlier than boys. For girls it is between 18 and 20years of age and for boys to reach maturity it is between 26 and 32years of age. Well that explains a lot.
Perry's Neurosequential Model
Limbic system is the parenting brain - the mammal brain otherwise known as the 3rd brain. According to Nathan this part of the brain is where your social and emotional skills are developed. He goes on to say that it is far more important for children to be exposed to play based learning developing children's interactive skills socially and emotionally. Children are not ready for formal learning until they 8 years old. I would agree. I have taught children that were not ready for school. I am of the belief that we need to consider changing the starting age for school. Making a change from 5years to 6years would be keeping in line with the rest of the world. What Nathan has been sharing all makes sense. The Government or Ministry really need to consider researched based evidence and take another look at national standards. They would have a better understanding of why children don't fit into boxes and the many factors surrounding low achievement for at risk students.
Nathan pointed out a scale between factors of risk and resilience.
The more positive factors build resilience the more likely there will be success for a child and more positive outcomes in life. The more at risk factors a child is exposed to will amount in low achievement and negative outcomes in life.
Again, in Piaget stages of cognitive development children start to develop from the age of 6. Children begin to Plateau by the age of eight because thats when they are ready to learn. Early cognitive acquisition doesn't mean anything under the age of 7years because the limbic system needs need to be met.
What matters for children under the age of 7 is emotional development knowing what their disposition of themselves is as a learner.
Finally, "Meet the needs of the brain as it develops."
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