One can reasonably think of childhood simply as a decade of construction. In the years from birth to 10, the brain is building an intricate network of mental systems that will eventually dictate thought, decision, preference, emotion, memory, and even identity. Some structures form early and fill quickly, others take years to develop, and some never form at all. Each experience, every interaction, challenge, and success, adds to the architecture that will be a one-of-a-kind person. By adolescence, the once separate mental systems suddenly integrate, giving rise to a person who is so different from the child, he doesn't even understand himself.
This course examines that incredible decade of formation, following the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth that lays the groundwork for the person a child will become.
- Teacher: Jerome Hammond