BrainyZine: What is Brain Based Learning?

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Hi,
From infancy through the stages of adolescence, the structure of our children's brains passes through a series of changes and transformations both in physical and cognitive sections. Learning in large about your children's brain, its structure and development can help improve their learning abilities as they grow through their age. Learning and understanding in detail about how your children's brain works and behaves will assist you in liking and appreciating what an amazing organ like brain can do for your children! This intricate knowledge will also assist you in learning more about "learning".

Just sometime back, there was a row of TV commercial where celebrities across the country like the USA showed off their talents and skills. Later, the announcer of the program asked the audience to repeat the same, what the celebrities just did. He also wanted to know if they were prodigies, for which the answer was a big NO. It is no wonder that we think that our abilities are too ordinary and common. Almost also parents also think that scholastic abilities and an excellent classroom performance are the basic indictors of intelligence and brilliance. But, latest research studies suggest that they are just the part of an overall children's brain development.

Brain based learning and development is the latest buzzword among child psychologists and academicians, who think that smartness and intelligence arise due to a number of natural process that occur in the children's brain, right from their infant stages to adulthood. More often, parents ponder over some critical issues like several ways through which they can develop their children's intelligence.

What does it mean to be a smart or intelligent child? Is there any definite connection between intelligence and formal education or is it possible to equate intelligence with learning? Do we have any suggested ways and methods to improve or enhance intelligence? Experts believe that brain based education and training could be the real answer to all serious questions. All the best!

Thought for today:
"Driving Brain Change is a Skill, Retraining the Student Brain is an Art." - Dr.Michael Merzenich

Best Regards,
Andrew Loh
Andrew Loh
Publisher & Editor, BrainyZine
andrew @ brainy-child.com

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Brain Based Learning - Learning the Basics
Brain based learning seems to be a redundant term for many parents. But, this wonderful concept is considered very critical for your child's overall brain and personal development. Here are some basic information about brain based education and learning, and how it can help you train and educate your child to reach maximum potential.

Brain Based Learning - Some Practical Tips for Parents
Brain based education or learning is a combination of a number of naturally occurring skills and processes in a child. Brain based education also means that you can provide and give the best possible opportunities and conditions suitable for an all-round development of brain and its perceived abilities.

Q1: My 3 year and 1 month old son just underwent a battery of tests to determine his eligibility to attend a local gifted pre-school program. Could you please interpret the results and comment on the validity of the cumulative tests and whether you believe he is of gifted ability?

A: I am really amazed at the number of tests your son went through for a preschool gifted education program. In fact, at three, it is surprising that he was given the tests since most have an age requirement of at least four years of age (e.g, the Slosson Intelligence Test that is used for a quick estimate of general verbal cognitive ability requires a minimum age of 4 years)... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Preschool Gifted Education Program here.

Q2: My 4year 9month old son has recently taken the TONI-3 test administered by a professional in this area and I have been told that he is highly gifted, with a score of >145. However, to me, although he is rather intelligent, highly energetic and inquisitive, he is quite hard to handle. He loves to be read to, but is lazy to decode words. He is a fast learner but he can't sit still for long. Teachers find him a handful. e.g. he touches the teacher's piano while teacher is teaching on the piano, he plays a fool in class, hits/disturbs his friends, refuses to follow instructions. He continues doing all these despite repeated warnings ...

A: Based on the test score alone, it certainly places him on the gifted range, so perhaps you should believe that you have a special child. This is good but for some children, their giftedness also may cause other issues that make them appear difficult to handle.

Your son is probably not getting sufficient stimulation and being a bright, curious and highly energetic little boy, he may well be bored. It also appears that he is doing activities that may not be very meaningful to him, thus his boredom that leads him to be disruptive.... Continue to read Dr. Sandhu's answer on Above Average Abilities but Disruptive here.

Q3: My 7-year-old has been having behavioral problems at school. My pediatrician referred him to a behavioral pediatrician who instructed us to have the school test him with the Multi-Factorial test to see if he had any learning disorders...Anyways, the school did a pre-testing before they would subject my son to the Multi-Factorial test and it included an IQ Score:

K-BIT-2:
   Verbal 118
   Nonverbal 110
   IQ Composite 117

The Thinking Child: Brain-Based Learning for the Foundation Stage (Early Years)
By Nicola Call

The Thinking Child draws upon a vast wealth of research and publications to give in-depth information about the brain and how it functions. It addresses many issues of interest to practitioners, such as how to maximize learning through play, how to define 'intelligence', the current thinking about why some children develop disorders such as ADHD, and how to help children to develop emotional intelligence.

Alongside the theory, the book gives clear and practical guidance for busy practitioners who want suggestions of ways to implement brain-based techniques. Numerous practical ideas are given to suggest where to start, whilst 'Mini-Brainy' characters illustrate key points throughout the text.

Power Brain Kids
By Ilchi Lee

This book is wonderful and revolutionary. Power Brain Kids is congruent with the holistic view of education--to help facilitate, support and expand the growth of all persons in their experience of life. This book offers a child-appropriate and parent-friendly guide to Ilchi Lee's Brain Education (BE) method. Each lesson focuses on a particular aspect of mental ability, including concentration, creativity, memory, and emotional control.

Power Brain Kids features colorful design and full-color photography to help keep children interested in the twelve lessons. A charming group of Power Brain youngsters demonstrates correct posture for mind-body development exercises. These brain-building exercises and games provide hours of constructive fun for ages 6-12.

Children who spend time with their fathers have a higher IQ
The Telegraph Oct 1, 2008

Strong fatherly involvement in their early life can also improve a child's future career prospects, the research shows. Academics at the University of Newcastle, who carried out the study, also found that men tended to pay more attention to their sons than their daughters. The researchers warned that it was not enough for parents to live together, but that a father should be actively involved in a child's life to benefit their development.

The smart thinking on exercise? It helps kids learn
OC Register Sep 29, 2008

Data from scientists, teachers and the real-life experience of parents provide growing evidence that physical activity influences the brain. In laboratory studies, physical exercise in animals causes new brain cell growth and releases chemicals involved in learning. Recent exciting studies also show that exercise causes the production of substances that protect delicate neurons from free-radicals and oxidants.

Most vital part of education takes place early: Child's first five years
Statesman Journal Sep 28, 2008

About 90 percent of a child's brain develops in that time, according to studies. And 85 percent of a child's intellect, personality and social skills are developed by that age. It's a critical time for a child to build the foundation for literacy, which is really about the early relationship a child develops with a parent or caregiver, said Linda Craven, the early childhood education program chairwoman and instructor at Chemeketa Community College.

Reading to children early helps them develop skills for school
Redding Oct 5, 2008

Reading to your child helps him or her develop skills for school success. In fact, research shows that children who spend time reading with their families enter kindergarten better prepared and are more likely to do well. Because 90 percent of children's brain development occurs during their first five years of life, reading aloud to them early on provides lifelong benefits.

Is Your Child Ready to Learn?
The Bahamas Journal Sep 16, 2008

Children are born ready to learn. The infant learns through each experience. Each time she is held, each time she is fed, each time she hears your voice, and sees your facial expression, it is a learning experience. Over the last twenty years much has been reported about young children and how they learn through brain research findings.

Letter: Teach the adults
The Capital Journal Oct 2, 2008

Gifted children whose gifts must be recognized and supported so that the whole world may benefit from the legacy they will leave in both the arts and sciences. Children who strive to survive, who strive to find joy when their development is outside the typical, whose families work 24/7 to give them whatever they need.

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