New brain research discoveries: Keynote address by Dr. Jeremy Williams

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), famous American abolitionist, orator, author, statesman and social reformer, famously declared: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. Douglass no doubt, made this comment on the basis of personal experience and his observations of the impact of slavery on US society during the 1800s.Intuitively, one expects a grown adult to be influenced by her experiences as a child. What we know now — and didnt know until recently — is that there is substantial scientific evidence to corroborate our inklings and instincts. Huge strides have been made in recent times in the field of neuroscience research that demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that the first few years of life can influence the career paths and life chances of adults. The significance of these findings for shaping public policy cannot be overstated, and it is these new discoveries in brain and neuroscience research that have prompted this paper. Unfortunately, educators, policy makers and public servants around the world dont seem aware of latest brain research studies and their momentous implications. Quite clearly, not nearly enough is being done to elevate the importance of early childhood education professionals. High quality ECE teacher education is in short supply and if resources could be mobilised to address this shortcoming, the transformative effect on societies worldwide would be huge. The media attention given to advances in computer and genetic sciences in recent times is encouraging. Now, slowly but surely, the front pages of mainstream magazines and period-icals are beginning to acknowledge the extraordinary discoveries being made about the human brain, which has served the useful purpose of stimulating interest in brain research. We now know, for example, that brain development happens prenatally and during the first year of life and is much more rapid than previously believed. We also know that brain development is much more vulnerable to environ-mental influences than previously suspected and that the impact of the environment on early brain development is long lasting. Further, the latest research indicates that an infants environment affects not only the number of brain cells and number of connections among them, but also the way these connections are ‘wired. Thus, stimulated appropriately in early childhood, brain development will translate into intellectual development. Conversely, a stressful environment in the early years will impact brain development negatively. A widely held but erroneous belief is that at birth, the brain is fully developed like the heart or stomach. The reality is that while most of the brains cells are formed before birth, the connections among cells are made during infancy and early childhood. Thus, while most people believe that a toddlers brain is less active than the brain of a college student, the reverse is true. Indeed, the brain of a three-year-old is twice as active as an adults brain, doubling in size in the first year and reaching 80 percent of its adult volume by age three. An important ramification of this information is that talking to an infant is critical…