Small Talks, No. 37
November 19, 2021
Dear Small Talker,
Welcome to the thirty-seventh edition of Small Talks. Every Friday, I highlight 6 areas of weekly joys and reflections in early childhood and the whole family. Small Talks leverages my experience at the intersection of education, philanthropy and impact investing. Enjoy!
What I’m celebrating -
New findings from Dana McCoy, Mei Elansary and researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education show how a mother’s growth mindset can be a protective factor against the negative impacts of maternal stress on child neurodevelopment.
This excellent synthesis by Mark Swartz at Early Nation of a panel of researchers on whether preschool helps little ones become successful adults.
Inspiring experiment to involve pre-schoolers in city design toward an inspiring vision of “care-full” cities.
What I’m listening to -
Exciting launch of “Parent Nation” with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading. “Parent Nation” is the title of Dana Suskind’s new book scheduled for publication in April 2022. Dana is a preeminent early childhood researcher at the University of Chicago, who wrote “Thirty Million Words”. “Parent Nation” is also the name of an ambitious campaign to catalyze greater family supports.
What I’m reading -
An old book “Free At Last- Sudbury School” written by Daniel Greenberg, founder of the Sudbury Valley School- a captivating school model where students have responsibility for their own education and run the school by direct democracy. NO teachers, NO set curriculum, NO mandatory classes, and NO tests…Interesting to understand the merits of peer-to-peer learning, mixed age groups, and the process (and challenges) of learning how to read naturally.
What I’m watching -
Wonder Y is an inspiring documentary by Chinese documentarist Zhou Yijun visiting 5 different countries (Finland, Japan, India, Israel and the United Kingdom), before reconnecting with traditional Chinese roots in education. Preview below and 6 documentaries available in Chinese and English.
What I’m learning and exploring more deeply -
Despite mental health and climate concerns, younger generations believe they can improve the world, and are more optimistic about the world than older generations.
“The 100-year life is here. We’re not ready” is a fascinating report by the Stanford Center on Longevity on longevity implications.
Trivia question: what is the most generations alive in a single family? According to the Guinness Book of Records, seven (picture big Thanksgiving table).
For inspiration - two intriguing ECE innovations and one scientific advance:
HiMama in Canada announced a $70m round to support the expansion of its childcare solution. What I find most inspiring is HiMama’s B-Corp structure, with the promise to advance both impact and scale.
Guardians Collective raised a round of funding to bring together small groups of families and pair them with an early childhood educator.
“Brain-to-text” technologies are emerging: A brain implant translated a paralyzed man’s thoughts into text with 94% accuracy.
For a smile - By 2 months, 50% of infants begin to appreciate humor, researchers report. 50% of infants being to produce humor at 11 months.
Quotes I am pondering -
“Love can reach the same level of talent, and even genius, as the discovery of differential calculus.”
“In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself.”
-- Lev Vygotsky
Born 125 years ago on November 17. Often called the “Mozart of psychology” in reference to his genius.
Feedback is a gift. Which part above is your favorite? What did I miss? What do you want more or less of? Other recommendations? Please kindly let me know. Thank to all all of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.
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Have a wonderful week and happy Thanksgiving. Small Talks No. 38 is scheduled in 2 weeks. Please stay safe and care for each other.
Isabelle
Isabelle, thank you for another very thoughtful newsletter. I was curious if you had thoughts about Dr. Suskind's word gap research and work with respect to issues of race, culture, and equity. This 2020 article by Conor Williams (https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-research-ignites-debate-30-million-word-gap) is one of the articles I had in my mind when I read what you wrote here today. I imagine some of these questions and concerns Conor touches on have only magnified as systems are being more intentional about DEI and equity more recently. I look forward to reading the "Parent Nation" book this spring as these issues may be covered more directly than they have been in the past, but, honestly, I'm somewhat surprised to see the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading make the word gap alone a point of emphasis in this way. Curious for your thoughts!
Thanks for all the interesting info, Isabelle! It's great to see that you're reading about the Sudbury School.
In the 1980s I was inspired by "Teach Your Own" by John Holt (along with "How Children Learn"). In case you're interested and don't already know about this, there's an expanded/updated edition: "Teach Your Own: The Indispensable Guide to Living and Learning with Children at Home" by John Holt and Pat Farenga.
Happy Thanksgiving!