Before I became a mother, I thought I knew a lot about children. I had a master’s degree in child development and instructional technology and media. I had spent years studying how young children learned, processed information, and obtained mastery over a concept.
When I co-created Blue’s Clues , we wanted a show built around one simple but groundbreaking idea: kids learn best when they are active participants. Steve would look directly into the camera, ask a question, and then, he would wait.
That pause became one of the most important parts of the show.
At first, some adults worried that the silence lasted too long. They thought children…
