Technological accomplishments in imaging techniques over the last 10 years or so have made it possible to begin to remove some of the guesswork from educators' efforts to understand how humans grow and develop in general, and acquire literacy in particular. Over recent years the imaging processes of MRI and PET scan have given growth and development specialists and literacy development researchers a whole new way of looking at the center of this development - the brain. Keeping in mind that what is known about brain development and literacy acquisition is just beginning to grow, it is safe to say that we now have some pretty significant ideas to work with in thinking about exactly how, beginning with early cellular clusters through language competence, the brain goes about becoming literate. The fetus begins literacy acquisition while in the womb. The fetus can, and does, hear and learn from these experiences.
Experience is the key stimulant for literacy.
The brain is a parallel processor and, as such, prefers multi-sensory activities and experiences which it can use to develop alternate pathways for dealing with literacy acquisition. At that conference Dr. Carla Shatz of the University of California, Berkeley spoke of how the brain is dynamically wiring itself as the child grows. She related that the wiring of neuron connections takes place at a staggering rate in the first months of life and doesn't slow down for years to come. Also presenting was Dr. Deborah Phillips of the Institute of Medicine, Washington, DC who spoke about the importance of the early care giver's role in providing a stimulating environment for the child and how unfortunate it is that we don't pay and train child care workers better. It means that, more than ever, we need to be concerned about the environment and stimulation that a child receives in the formative years.