Journey Middle Childhood Cognitive Dev Part 1 of 2

AEC Captioning

31 Dec 201508:01

Summary

TLDRThis video script explores the cognitive development of school-aged children, highlighting their expanding language skills, vocabulary growth, and understanding of grammar. It showcases children's ability to engage in conversation, tell jokes, and adapt their speech for different social contexts. The script also delves into metacognition and selective attention, demonstrating how children strategically approach problem-solving and learn to filter out distractions. Additionally, it examines the impact of cultural arithmetic strategies, as seen in the Oksapmin children of Papua New Guinea, and the importance of organization and integration of knowledge in learning.

Takeaways

🌱 School-aged children experience a significant growth in cognitive abilities, even if their physical growth may slow down.
🗣️ Children at this age become increasingly talkative, with a rapidly expanding vocabulary that can reach up to 40,000 words by the fifth grade.
📚 Their language acquisition is facilitated by years of social interaction, curiosity, and an innate ability to learn new words effortlessly.
🧑‍🏫 Children develop a solid understanding of grammar, including how words are arranged and relate to one another.
🤡 The maturation of language skills is evident in the way school-agers tell jokes, showcasing their timing and delivery skills.
📈 Older kids are more discerning in their language use, understanding the difference between formal speech with adults and casual speech with friends.
🤫 School-agers learn the cognitive skill of selective attention, which allows them to focus on tasks while screening out distractions.
💭 They develop metacognition, a sophisticated understanding of their own thought processes, enabling strategic and creative problem-solving.
📐 In solving problems, children can break them down into smaller, manageable steps without losing sight of the overall goal.
🌍 Cultural differences in counting systems, like the Oksapmin's 27 body part counting system, highlight the adaptability of children in learning new arithmetical strategies.
🔍 As children's knowledge base grows, they become more adept at organizing and integrating new information, which aids in learning and memorization.

Q & A

What cognitive development is observed in school-aged children according to the script?
-School-aged children are taking huge cognitive strides, including significant improvements in language acquisition and vocabulary, reaching up to 40,000 words by the fifth grade.
How does the script describe the development of children's language skills?
-The script highlights that children's speech no longer requires conscious effort, and they have a solid understanding of grammar, including how words are arranged and related to one another.
What is an example of how children's language skills can be observed to mature?
-The script suggests that one of the most entertaining ways to observe language skills maturing is by swapping jokes with school-agers.
How do school-aged children understand the concept of formal speech when talking to adults?
-The script indicates that school-aged children are discerning and understand that talking to an adult requires a formal kind of speech, which is different from their casual conversations with friends.
What cognitive skill is being developed by children who learn to focus on a task despite distractions?
-The script refers to this skill as 'selective attention,' which allows children to screen out distractions and concentrate on a given task.
What is 'metacognition' as mentioned in the script?
-Metacognition, as described in the script, is the sophisticated understanding of one's own thought processes that school-agers develop.
How do children in the script demonstrate strategic and creative problem-solving?
-The script provides an example of children solving a geometry assignment by breaking it down into small steps, focusing on the less familiar aspects of the problem without losing sight of the big picture.
What unique counting strategy is introduced by the script from the Oksapmin children in Papua New Guinea?
-The Oksapmin children use a 27 body part counting system, starting with the thumb on one hand and counting around the body until the little finger of the opposite hand.
How did the introduction of western-style arithmetic impact the Oksapmin children's counting strategies?
-The introduction of western-style arithmetic led the Oksapmin children to construct new arithmetical strategies that were not part of their indigenous culture, representing a novel historical invention in their social history.
What is an example of how the Oksapmin children adapted their counting strategy to solve arithmetic problems?
-The script gives an example where a child represents the number 17 on the neck and adds five more by using body parts, ending with the wrist on the other side of the body, which in their language is equivalent to the number 22.
How does the script illustrate the ease of integrating new information for children who already have a knowledge base?
-The script uses the example of Maciste, who finds it easy to learn more about Native Americans because he is already studying the subject at school, and he needs to discover strategies for storing and retrieving information.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Cognitive and Language Development in School-Aged Children

This paragraph discusses the significant cognitive and language development that occurs during the school years. Children's physical growth might slow down, but their cognitive abilities advance rapidly. They build upon the language skills developed in infancy, with fifth graders potentially having a vocabulary of up to 40,000 words. Their speech becomes more fluent, requiring less conscious effort, and they develop a strong grasp of grammar. The paragraph also highlights children's ability to understand and use humor, indicating their advanced language comprehension. Furthermore, it touches on the concept of metacognition, where children become aware of their own thought processes and can process information more quickly, allowing them to approach tasks strategically and creatively.

05:01

🌐 Impact of Western Arithmetic on Indigenous Counting Systems

The second paragraph explores the impact of western-style arithmetic on the indigenous counting systems of the Oksapmin people in Papua New Guinea. Traditionally, the Oksapmin used a 27 body part counting system, which was adapted as arithmetic was introduced in schools. Children created novel counting strategies, reflecting a historical and cultural shift. The paragraph provides an example of how a child might solve a simple arithmetic problem using this body part system, demonstrating the integration of new arithmetic concepts with traditional practices. It also discusses the importance of developing strategies for storing and retrieving information, as illustrated by a child's approach to memorizing Native American tribe names, emphasizing the ease of learning when building upon existing knowledge.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Cognitive Development

Cognitive development refers to the growth of a person's abilities to think, understand, and learn. In the video, it is highlighted that while physical growth may slow down during school years, cognitive development is rapidly advancing. This is evident in the children's expanding vocabulary and understanding of grammar, as well as their ability to process complex information and engage in strategic thinking.

💡Language Acquisition

Language acquisition is the process by which children gain the ability to understand and use language. The script mentions that by the fifth grade, a child's vocabulary might be as large as 40,000 words, showcasing the significant strides in language acquisition during school years. It also illustrates how children's speech no longer requires conscious effort, indicating a natural progression in their linguistic abilities.

💡Metacognition

Metacognition is the ability to understand and control one's own thought processes. The script describes how school-agers have developed a sophisticated understanding of their own thinking, which allows them to approach cognitive tasks strategically and creatively. An example is provided where children solve a geometry assignment by breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps.

💡Selective Attention

Selective attention is the cognitive process of focusing on one thing while ignoring others. The video script describes how school-agers learn to screen out distractions and concentrate on a specific task, such as the children who are so engrossed in their activity that they might not notice if the world outside is ending.

💡Grammar

Grammar is the set of structural rules governing the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in a language. The script emphasizes that school-aged children have a solid understanding of grammar, which is crucial for their language development. It is illustrated through the children's conversation where they discuss helping verbs and sentence structure.

💡Jokes and Humor

Jokes and humor are forms of entertainment that involve the use of words to make people laugh. The video script shows how school-aged children's language skills have matured enough for them to understand and tell jokes, which is an entertaining way to observe their cognitive development. Examples include the children telling and responding to jokes about traffic lights and tiger races.

💡Social Interaction

Social interaction refers to the process of communicating and participating in activities with others. The script highlights the difference in children's speech when talking to adults versus friends, indicating their understanding of social context and the ability to adjust their language accordingly.

💡Cultural Strategies

Cultural strategies refer to the methods and techniques developed within a culture to solve problems or perform tasks. The script discusses the Oksapmin children in Papua New Guinea who have constructed unique arithmetical strategies in response to the introduction of western-style arithmetic in their schools, showing how children can adapt and innovate within their cultural context.

💡Arithmetic

Arithmetic is the branch of mathematics dealing with the properties and manipulation of numbers. The video script explores how children in different cultures approach arithmetic problems, such as the Oksapmin children who use a body part counting system to solve addition problems, demonstrating the diversity of arithmetic strategies across cultures.

💡Memory Techniques

Memory techniques are methods used to improve the ability to remember information. The script includes examples of how children might use various strategies to memorize information, such as making lists, repeating information, or seeking additional resources like websites and books.

💡Learning Strategies

Learning strategies are the techniques and approaches used to facilitate learning and understanding. The script mentions that as children learn more, they need to discover effective strategies for storing and retrieving information, such as the Native American tribes' names, indicating the importance of learning strategies in cognitive development.

Highlights

A youngster's physical growth may taper off during the school years, but cognitive development continues to advance rapidly.

Children's language skills expand significantly, with fifth graders potentially knowing up to 40,000 words.

Speech for school-aged children no longer requires conscious effort due to their extensive interaction and natural curiosity.

Children develop a solid understanding of grammar and how words are arranged and relate to each other.

Jokes and humor are a window into observing the maturation of language skills in school-aged children.

Older kids have a better sense of timing and delivery when telling jokes, indicating advanced language comprehension.

School-aged children are capable of discerning the formality required when speaking to adults versus friends.

Selective attention, the ability to focus on a task despite distractions, is a cognitive skill learned during school years.

Metacognition, understanding one's own thought processes, is developed by school-aged children, aiding strategic and creative problem-solving.

Children in Papua New Guinea's Oksapmin community have developed unique counting strategies influenced by their body part counting system.

The introduction of western-style arithmetic has led to the creation of novel counting strategies among Oksapmin children.

Children's ability to organize and integrate new information is enhanced by their existing knowledge base.

Strategies for memorizing and recalling information, such as making lists and repetition, are employed by school-aged children.

Utilizing resources like the internet and books can aid children in learning and memorizing new information.

Cognitive development in school-aged children includes the ability to break down complex problems into manageable steps.

Children learn to focus on unfamiliar aspects of a problem while maintaining an understanding of the overall situation.

The Oksapmin children's counting system demonstrates the cultural and historical development of mathematical strategies.