Welcome to the June 2014 edition of the Learning Brain.
What’s an option for parents of learning disabled children who can’t/don’t want to go to Canada for help? This month we comment on the Channel 9 – 60 Minutes segment about the Arrowsmith School in Canada and suggest that Fast ForWord is a great alternative.
What do cats and dogs have to do with Asperger Syndrome and ADHD? See Books of the Month for the answer.
Warm regards,
PS: If you are interested in English Language Learners, don’t miss the free webinar and download.
What’s New?
The 60 Minutes program on Channel 9, Sunday June 1, included a segment about the Arrowsmith School, and featured some children from the 35 Australian families currently at the school in Canada.
Because of the financial and family disruption involved, most Australian and New Zealand families aren’t able to go to Canada for help with their learning disabled children. The good news is that the Fast ForWord brain training exercises develop the cognitive and language skills necessary for learning, and they can be done at home. Read Arrowsmith Program & Fast ForWord Blog.
Free Download
English language learners (ELLs) in the classroom are faced with a difficult task—absorbing content instruction while their English skills are still being developed. How can you help your ELL students participate more fully in the classroom so they can achieve to the best of their ability? Try these 10 tips for supporting English learners in improving their language skills and subject knowledge in tandem.
Book of the Month
Cats have Asperger Syndrome & All Dogs have ADHD by Kathy Hoopman
Kathy Hoopman is an Australian author with a background in primary school teaching. All Dogs have ADHD are both touching, humorous and insightful short stories and are an ideal introduction for explaining these conditions to children or family members. They both combine humour with understanding to reflect the joys and the challenges of raising a child who is different.
App of the Month
Category Carousel
Renee Petherbridge, Speech & Language Pathologist, recommends the language App Category Carousel to help develop a student’s vocabulary.
“Vocabulary is a vital skill as it is the core component of language and comprehension. I believe it meets those all-important neuroscience principles of learning as;
- It provides audio correction (feedback) and reinforcement such as “super, you’re right, excellent” or “try again, sorry, nope”
- It is adaptive as you can teach multiple categories individually or simultaneously, as well as focus specifically on sub categories
- Category Carousel provides aural labels and sounds effects which are novel and engaging
- Finally the sound effects provide a reward-driven learning experience for the student, which will help them remain engaged and maintain the information they have learnt, strengthening those brain pathways”
Over the coming months Renee will share other Apps with us that meet various neuroscience principles.
What’s On?
How the English Language Learner’s Brain Learns
Dr David A Sousa presents on how the English Language Learner’s (ELL) brain learns. If you are teaching ELL students or your child is an ELL then this webinar is not to be missed. Below are several of the many questions answered at the end of the webinar:
- I teach the early childhood group and have an ELL child who has a hard time with synonyms. What strategies are available for this child and others like this child?
- If a young child is stimulated with music and song, does the brain develop more like a bilingual brain?
- Is the Fast ForWord program designed strictly for use with ELL students?
Technology
& our Memory
What are search engines and technology doing to our memory?
Fast ForWord
at Home
Congratulations to Brodie for winning our Fast ForWord student of the month award!
ADHD
Dr Martha Burns
Dr Martha Burns discusses neuroscience and the treatment of ADHD