The Myth of the First Three Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain Development and Lifelong Learning - Hardcover

John T. Bruer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684851849 ISBN 13: 9780684851846

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia, 1999

Synopsis

A pointed challenge to the opinion that the most important development of the brain happens up to the age of three shows how development actually continues through life and that the early years have been harmfully overemphasized in educational theories.

About this title

Review

Jonathan R. Cole Provost and Dean of Faculties, Columbia University A brilliant, must-read book for anyone interested in the relationship between science, journalism, and public policy.

Howard Gardner Harvard University, author of "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences" John Bruer convincingly debunks current hype about brain research and learning. His careful discussion and eminently sensible conclusions should shame those who propose grandiose policies or issue dire warnings on the basis of scanty or ambiguous data.

Steven Pinker Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, MIT, author of "The Language Instinct" and "How the Mind Works" John Bruer offers a voice of sanity, common sense, and genuine expertise to counter the latest fad from the witch doctors of child development. Nothing is more important than understanding the growth of children's minds, and Bruer insightfully reviews the state of the art with admirable clarity, balance, intelligence, and humor. This is an indispensable book for parents, professionals, and anyone else who is interested in the fate of our children.

Judith Rich Harris author of "The Nurture Assumption" A myth is still a myth, whether it has its roots in folklore or neuroscience. In this fascinating book with a very important message, John Bruer traces the myth of "zero to three" to its sources, reveals the flimsiness of its foundations, and shows how the purveyors of the myth, intending to do good instead do harm. Every parent of a young child should read it, rejoice, and relax.

Charles A. Nelson University of Minnesota John Bruer does a masterful job in making accessible what truly is and is not known about early brain development. In light of the current hype of making "superbabies" and building better brains, Bruer's book couldn't be more timely or important.

Jerome Kagan Harvard University, author of "Nature of the Child" John Bruer combines a clear, gracefully written critique of the science cited to support the myth of infant determinism with a depth of wisdom that parents should be able to use every day.

Robert J. Sternberg IBM Professor of Psychology and Education, Yale University This outstanding book is essential reading not only because it tells the truth about what neuroscience currently tells us, but also because it shows how even well-intentioned scholars confuse what they want with what actually is true. A true tour-de-force.

About the Author

John T. Bruer, Ph.D., has been President of the James S. McDonnell Foundation in St. Louis since 1986. He also works as a consultant on educational issues for the national media, including The New York Times Magazine. He is author of Schools for Thought: A Science of Learning in the Classroom. Dr. Bruer lives in St. Louis with his wife and two sons.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0684851849
• ISBN 13: 9780684851846
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 244