Learning
how to take turns, control emotions, share with others and pay
attention to instruction are important skills for all human beings,
regardless of age. But recent research has found that these so-called
“soft skills”—social and emotional development skills—are critical to
success in school and life, and they actually begin forming earlier than
previously believed. In fact, these skills may be the most important
skills we learn as they open the path for all future learning.
Beginning
from birth, babies interact with their parents and caregivers by
crying, babbling, and gazing into their eyes. These first human-to-human
interactions help children recognize and understand emotions, and teach
them what to expect from future social experiences. Similarly, when
very young children are allowed to explore their immediate
environment—crawling in their living rooms or practicing self-feeding,
for example—they learn self-confidence and how to manage emotions like
frustration and fear.
Children
who live in high-stress environments due to family instability or
violence, or who do not experience nurturing and responsive
relationships with parents and caregivers, do not develop the parts of
their brains that govern social and emotional skills. As a result, they
may exhibit behavior problems and have trouble focusing on important
tasks later in life. According to the Urban Institute, kindergarten
teachers estimate that 30 percent of low-income children lack the social
and emotional skills they will need to participate effectively in
school.
Parents
and caregivers can help ensure their babies and young children develop
important social and emotional skills by talking to their children,
cuddling them, remaining calm when they express anger or frustration,
and encouraging them to explore their environments safely. With proper
support and encouragement, young children can develop healthy social and
emotional skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Read More:
In The News:
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Video
The Heckmann Institute outlines the importance of social skills that come out of early learning. >> |
Diane Ravitch puts test scores in perspective in light of these very same soft skills.
Historian, NYU professor
Posted: 12/03/20
The news reports say that the test scores of American students on the latest PISA test are "stagnant," "lagging," "flat," etc.
The U.S. Department of Education would have us believe -- yet again
-- that we are in an unprecedented crisis and that we must double down
on the test-and-punish strategies of the past dozen years.
The myth persists that once our nation led the world on international
tests, but we have fallen from that exalted position in recent years.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Read more >>>>
