I just watched this Ted Talks video about linguistic development in babies. At one point the speaker mentions a study comparing comprehension rates between infants who heard a second language presented by a person, a video of a person and just the audio of the person. The infants who saw the speaker in person scored A LOT higher than the other two groups.
What do you think this means for using computer programs like Little Reader and the flash method? I am currently trying to decide whether to use paper cards or a computer program, and I see the benefits of both.
I think.
It was not explained what kind of video was shown to babies. I believe there should be a difference if the discussions of politicians were shown or something very interesting to babies.
Sounds like the talk given by Patricia Kuhl (search on this forum and you can read our discussion of it).
The key is INTERACTION. That’s where the human element comes in. So even if you use tools like the computer or DVDs/TV, make sure you try to interact with the child instead of just letting her watch the lesson passively.
Of course, since LR is a software that requires human involvement, you as the parent will already be with your child, so do make the effort to interact, like repeating after the words, asking questions, etc.
I think, combining both methods, – software ( like LR) and physical presentation ( like using flashcards, manipulative, touch and feel lessons), – would bring the best results, as baby is using all different senses to absorb the information and it comes in variety of ways. Interaction is extremely important! Even when my little girl watching an educational video, I still trying to interact and repeat things together, point things out, pose video for a minute to ask a question, etc. And in LR it comes naturally And also when we do some hands on activities, like earning letters with wooden alphabet blocks for example, I like to add a few minutes of some multimedia at times for variety, so I can put an alphabet video for her, or a song about letters, etc. In other words, for us it works best when we are combining different methods, as it brings variety in.
And also when we do some hands on activities, like earning letters with wooden alphabet blocks for example, I like to add a few minutes of some multimedia at times for variety, so I can put an alphabet video for her, or a song about letters, etc. In other words, for us it works best when we are combining different methods, as it brings variety in.