The Theory Of Education On Children 's Brain Development

As the children grew up, the scientists used MRI and EEG scans to observe their brains. During the first two years of this study, they found out that the children who were learning music were maturing faster and developing much more of an auditory pathway than the others. “The enhanced maturity reflects an increase in neuroplasticity – a physiological change in the brain in response to its environment – in this case, exposure to music and music instruction” (Gersema). This fast development of the brain’s neuroplasticity, and auditory pathway can accelerate certain abilities like language development, communication, and reading skills.

“Musical is a universal experience. With few exceptions, all humans perceive musical pitch, tone, timbre, and harmony. We listen to music to relax, to help us think, to celebrate, and grieve. Our emotional responses to music have been noted in literature, poetry, and drama. The power of music to evoke an emotional response is used by advertising companies, film directors, and mothers singing their babies to sleep. Early education teachers are familiar with using music and rhythm as tools for learning language and building memory. (Foran, 2009) Several musical melodies are used in grade school to learn information. Music is used in my math classes across the world to enhance the learning process of formulas. English classes use music help children learn prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, noun, and etc. However, after most scholars reached a certain grade level, using music to achieve new heights academically became a technique of the past. Most instructors didn’t bother using music in order to help retain information. It was almost as if it was forgotten about. But, if music is so important why isn’t it allowed in most classrooms today? Many teachers are not fond of music in the classroom. To many, it is seen as a distraction. Is it the type of music a person chooses to listen to? Would it be different if the music chosen by

Friedrich Frobel is another person highly influenced by Johann Pestalozzi’s work. He believed that children needed to be happy and healthy in order to learn. It was also his view that play should be the corner stone of a child’s education. He encouraged children to explore their environment discover things themselves. He emphasised the importance of outdoor learning

* ““95% percent of Americans believe that music is a key-component in a child’s well-rounded education, 80% percent of respondents agreed that music makes the participants smarter; 78% believe that learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subject areas; and 88% believe participation in music helps teach children discipline” (Hurley 3),” (par 1).

Cercone goes into detail on how studies have shown that music classes benefit a child’s learning process, test scores, and other areas of academic study. These support her argument and are all facts that her readers cannot properly disagree with. Cercone discusses how attitude and academics depend on one another to enhance a student’s learning and she goes one step further in explaining how this goes on in the music classroom, strengthening her thesis.

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

Many parents have come to believe that music, especially classical music played during pregnancy or in the nursery of their newborns would make their precious bundle of joy smarter. Is there science to prove that this is true, or is it just a quick way to sale books, cd, and videos’. The Mozart Effect drove expectant mothers and mothers of young children to believe that through this music their child would become exceptional learners. What parent would not want the best for their child? Parents are desperate to give their children every enhancement that they can.

By employing the use of background music in a classroom, the attention and learning abilities of children can be positively affected to a significant degree. (Davidson C; Powell L, 2001) By playing a selection of “easy-listening music” (using a more classical theme with strings and wind instruments) in the classroom, children showed superior “time-on-task” (TOT) while the music was playing, and when the music was removed, they regressed to their prior behaviors. Davidson and Powell’s results concluded that simply playing the easy-listening music in a classroom setting could positively influence the work tendencies of children.

Children require sufficient nutrients each day not only for their body to grow at the correct rate but also for proper brain development. For this reason, parents and day-care centres need to serve only good food to children that is nutritionally packed with the vital elements necessary for this to happen in the appropriate manner. Read the information below to discover some examples of nutrients that assist with the development of the brain.

Everything a child does or experiences during his/her earliest years is educational (“Quality Early Education”, 2005). Unfortunately, children’s experiences at this young age vary drastically, based on many factors, but especially socioeconomic status. So how do we even the playing field for our children as they grow beyond these earliest years and enter school? Although there is no magic answer to equally prepare all children for school, high-quality preschool programs have been proven to have an incredible impact on working towards this goal (Doggett & Wat, 2010).

Dr. Wilson who is another researcher feels these findings are so significant that it will lead to a universal understanding in the next century that music is an absolute necessity for the total development of the brain and individual (6).

In 1993 a study was conducted on undergraduates from the Psychology Department of the University of California, Irvine. In this study students listened to ten minutes of Mozart. The result being that after listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos K448, these test subjects scored significantly higher in spatial reasoning skills, in fact, the participants’ spatial IQ scores rose 8 to 9 points. Unfortunately, the results of this single exposure were found to be short-term, only lasting 10 to 15 minutes (Rauscher, Shaw & Ky, 1993). Out of this one study grew an entire industry as parents, anxious to turn their children into baby geniuses, purchased product after product of classical music designed to enhance the cognitive progress through the “Mozart Effect.” In addition, educators, quickly jumped on board this Mozart train. Programs were funded and initiatives initiated all to take advantage of this new discovery, much to the chagrin of music scholars who saw the funding of music programs for cognitive development as an erosion of classical music education (cite). Can listening to music make you smarter? Since 1993 when

The article “The effects of music on achievement, attitude and retention in primary school English lessons” by Koksal, Yagisan, and Cekic show the impact music has in the classroom. The Article claims “best learning environment is one that includes music” (Köksal, et al. 1897). Meaning music activates different parts of the brain that coincide with memory. Through an experimental study mentioned in the article shows music has a “increased achievement in English vocabulary learning” (Köksal, et al. 1899). Memory channels are activated and students are able to retain what is being taught through the use of music. Therefore the article suggests music is a method that can be used in primary schools to exercise the mind helping students hold onto what they learn for longer periods of time. The authors argue music brings out a different level of intelligence in the classroom. However the article fails to briefly describe traditional methods, other possible methods, and possible defaults of a music learning environment jeopardizing a overall well conducted study of music used as a source of education.

Although many, one positive way music education is beneficial to students is that it has a large impact on brain stem growth. With the incorporation of music in a student’s daily life, the brain stem’s responses become more robust (Brown). Therefore, the amount of brain stem growth correlates with recent musical training. As stated by Brown, an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore, “student’s that are involved with a large amount of music will see more gains in brain stem growth”. Furthermore, the neural changes that occur in students as adolescents stay with them into adulthood (“Music Matters”). This allows students to be more prepared once they go into the workforce as adults. Along with the brain stem’s responses being more robust, it’s sensitivity to sound increases (“The Benefits” 1). This is abundantly evident from early on, as mother’s sing to their infants to facilitate brain stimulation and development. Enrichment through music, starting at a young age, seems to improve individuals speech sound development and use of more advanced vocabulary. Adolescents’ language also improves with the use of music in a student’s academics (Miller 46). Luehrisen

The study showed the effect of classical music on young children. Young children who listen to music regularly demonstrate better development than those who do not. The study focused on the development of kindergarten children; twenty-one children were exposed to classical music in their classroom setting, while the other twenty-one children were not exposed to music at all throughout their time in the classroom (Mattar et al., 2013). These young children range from five to six years in age. Young children who listen to music regularly demonstrate better