Evidence-based parenting

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Task Navigation 

2 - Contribute to the course content and structure

My initial idea was for this course to run for 8 weeks and to cover a different topic every two weeks - so we'd create a task for each topic we're covering. During the course (and preferably early on) I’d like all participants to contribute at least one suggested piece of reading (or viewing or listening) and/or to suggest a new topic by editing this text.

But I'd be really interested in people's comments on how this course should run. In the comments at the bottom I’ve put some ideas about how this could work as a course so we can talk about it as a group. Comments and other suggestions very welcome.

If there are still open issues, at the first course meeting we’ll agree exactly how it will all work.

Schedule (draft)

  • 1-14 October: Tasks 1 and 2
  • 15-28 October: Topic 1 (to be chosen)
  • 29 October-11 November: Topic 2 (to be chosen)
  • 12 November-25 Novermber: Topic 3 (to be chosen)
  • 26 Novermber-9 December: Topic 4 (to be chosen)
  • End of course

Please add topics or interesting reading below...

Topic suggestion: Does parenting matter?

Bryan Caplan has received a lot of publicity for his book promoting the idea that parenting has little effect childrens long-term changes of being happy / healthy / successful. This strikes me as pretty unlikely so I'm interested in what the evidence really is (but without going so far as to buy his book).

Caplan on Parenting - http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/05/caplan_on_paren.html
Critique of Caplan - http://www.ahaparenting.com/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=3881572
Twin studies - science or pseudoscience - http://www.springerlink.com/content/v370p8j086067711/

Topic suggestion: Toddlers and television

How do very young children understand television (and material on computers)? I've heard suggestions that you shouldn't expose your children to TV before the age of 2-3 years. What are the precise risks?

Television and very young children - http://abs.sagepub.com/content/48/5/505.short
Television and children - http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm

Possible leads for topics (interesting things without a topic)

What do babies think? TED talk by Alison Gopnik - http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik_what_do_babies_think.html
 
Language development in a child - the birth of a word - http://fm.schmoller.net/2011/03/human_speechime.html
 
The berlin playground built by chlidren - http://publicworkshop.us/?p=194
 
What's New on 'Sesame Street'? Math and Science
 
Slashdot comments regarding that article

 

 
The bad science behind recent claims that daycare damages children - http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/23/bad-science-ben-goldacre?cat=commentisfree&type=article
 
Empathy in children:
 
Fearless Children Show Less Empathy, More Aggression, Research Finds: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101108140524.htm
 
Studies on Development of Empathy Challenge Some Old Assumptions:
 
Possible TED videos
Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes - http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/diana_laufenberg_3_ways_to_teach.html

Task Discussion


  • micklweiss   Sept. 30, 2011, 9:48 a.m.

    Does anyone know about what age children start to become empathetic? I think I remember hearing about a study that suggested 3 years old (I can't find the reference - it was an episode of Quarks & Co- German science show[1]).

    I'm not sure about the research done on primates[2] that suggested contagious yawning shows empathy. IMHO it could just be something that we are conditioned to do. I think this wouldn't work in humans either.

    My son kicked me in the jaw after I had oral surgery (we were in bed). When I asked him to stop- he repeatedly kicked me in the same spot.

    Can somebody else weigh in on this? I'd like to know if my son has the capacity to feel empathy (he is 2). I'm not sure if he is merely testing boundaries- or if his sense of empathy hasn't fully developed yet.

    Thanks!

    -Mick

    [1] http://www.wdr.de/tv/quarks/
    [2] Chimpanzees' Contagious Yawning Evidence of Empathy - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406192511.htm

  • micklweiss   Sept. 28, 2011, 4:02 a.m.

    Re: bad science article

    The original news source is The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2036266/Putting-baby-nursery-raise-heart-disease-risk-sends-stress-levels-soaring.html

    The Daily Mail is NOT a credible news source. Shouldn't we just take that line out? I'm not sure it is worth discussing.

    Did I somehow miss something?

  • Suzi Wells   Sept. 28, 2011, 4:25 a.m.
    In Reply To:   micklweiss   Sept. 28, 2011, 4:02 a.m.

    It was other places as well - like the Today Programme - but yeah, I wasn't sure there was anywhere to go with this one - the bottom of the page is generally just interesting leads. Not intended to be the final course reading list.

    I thought we could build up some broader topics, possibly including some of the ideas from the bottom of the page.

  • Suzi Wells   July 8, 2011, 12:03 p.m.

    I'm aware that this may be a course where people wish to talk about personal experiences. How much of the discussion should we keep open and how much do you feel should be private?

  • Suzi Wells   July 8, 2011, 12:02 p.m.

    Just a thought - as a course aim we could try to set up a digest / blog on child development for parents. What do you think?

  • micklweiss   Sept. 27, 2011, 5:59 p.m.
    In Reply To:   Suzi Wells   July 8, 2011, 12:02 p.m.

    I'd think that something like this might already exist. Can't we collaborate with another project? Does anyone know a bit about what exists?

  • Suzi Wells   Sept. 28, 2011, 4:34 a.m.
    In Reply To:   micklweiss   Sept. 27, 2011, 5:59 p.m.

    http://www.parentingscience.com/ is great, but that's very much an individual project. Would be really good to contribute to something that already exists if we can find something suitable.

  • Suzi Wells   July 8, 2011, 11:48 a.m.

    This was my initial idea about how the tasks would run - very open to other suggestions...

    Each fortnight we'll each read/watch/listen to at least 2 of the suggested sources and write a short summary of your understanding of the topic from them.

    As a group we'll then come together to write a briefing on the topic, looking particularly at any questions we still feel we don't have the answers to. This will be kicked-off at a group online meeting (text only).