Do not use Your Baby Can Read. It is sight reading in the worst way. Wires the brain in the wrong place for good reading later.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
How to help prevent ADHD in your child
As I said in my recent Examiner.com article, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner,
Thinking that ADHD is all genetic is a cop-out. Just like IQ is only about 50% genetic, the main causes of ADHD are the environmental triggers. Experts like neurologist Dr. Michael Merzenich have shown that too much noise (TV, radio, traffic), too many flashing lights (TV and video games), and too much all around stimulus triggers brain overload. In young children, this can be devastating. It can trigger the brain to release chemicals that shut down the proper brain functioning too soon.
A recent article in the April issue of the magazine Common Ground, "The brain under siege" by Lee Gerdes, starts with, “Young people everywhere are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. In the United States, eight percent of children ages four through 17 are diagnosed with ADHD. Among adults, the percentage is between 2.9 and 4.4. However, it is believed that only a third to as much as a fifth of cases of ADHD are diagnosed. This wasn’t the case just a couple of generations ago. Why is attention deficit so prevalent today?” http://www.commonground.ca/iss/225/cg225_brain.shtml
Brains need down time, quiet time, meditation time, on a regular basis. Parents can help prevent triggering ADHD in their children by turning off the TV, limiting video games, turning off the radio, and not living next to a busy highway or interstate. This is especially true for infants and young children under 6 years old, when the most brain neuron mapping and growth is occurring. Visits to peaceful nature areas is refreshing and rejuvenating for the brain, body, and soul.
In Kansas City, spring and summer are great times to visit nature farms and reserves. To see what’s available in this area, go to http://www.visitkc.com/things-to-do/index.aspx
Related articles:
Spark your child's brain, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m6d27-Spark-your-childs-brain-with-scientific-learning
Dyslexia and autism in gifted children, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m8d6-Gifted-savants-may-struggle-with-dyslexia-or-autism-part-1
Teach your child to read before kindergarten, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m11d27-Why-should-you-teach-your-child-to-read-before-kindergarten
A child's best window of learning, http://www.examiner.com/sitemaps/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m7d2-Catching-a-childs-window-of-learning-for-brainmapping-neurons
They keys to having a gifted child, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m9d25-Prevention-and-phonics-are-the-keys-to-having-a-gifted-child?cid=exrss-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner
Develop your baby's mind properly, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Using-the-right-flashcard-methods-to-develop-your-babys-mind
The Godfrey Method, http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Thinking that ADHD is all genetic is a cop-out. Just like IQ is only about 50% genetic, the main causes of ADHD are the environmental triggers. Experts like neurologist Dr. Michael Merzenich have shown that too much noise (TV, radio, traffic), too many flashing lights (TV and video games), and too much all around stimulus triggers brain overload. In young children, this can be devastating. It can trigger the brain to release chemicals that shut down the proper brain functioning too soon.
A recent article in the April issue of the magazine Common Ground, "The brain under siege" by Lee Gerdes, starts with, “Young people everywhere are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. In the United States, eight percent of children ages four through 17 are diagnosed with ADHD. Among adults, the percentage is between 2.9 and 4.4. However, it is believed that only a third to as much as a fifth of cases of ADHD are diagnosed. This wasn’t the case just a couple of generations ago. Why is attention deficit so prevalent today?” http://www.commonground.ca/iss/225/cg225_brain.shtml
Brains need down time, quiet time, meditation time, on a regular basis. Parents can help prevent triggering ADHD in their children by turning off the TV, limiting video games, turning off the radio, and not living next to a busy highway or interstate. This is especially true for infants and young children under 6 years old, when the most brain neuron mapping and growth is occurring. Visits to peaceful nature areas is refreshing and rejuvenating for the brain, body, and soul.
In Kansas City, spring and summer are great times to visit nature farms and reserves. To see what’s available in this area, go to http://www.visitkc.com/things-to-do/index.aspx
Related articles:
Spark your child's brain, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m6d27-Spark-your-childs-brain-with-scientific-learning
Dyslexia and autism in gifted children, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m8d6-Gifted-savants-may-struggle-with-dyslexia-or-autism-part-1
Teach your child to read before kindergarten, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m11d27-Why-should-you-teach-your-child-to-read-before-kindergarten
A child's best window of learning, http://www.examiner.com/sitemaps/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m7d2-Catching-a-childs-window-of-learning-for-brainmapping-neurons
They keys to having a gifted child, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m9d25-Prevention-and-phonics-are-the-keys-to-having-a-gifted-child?cid=exrss-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner
Develop your baby's mind properly, http://www.examiner.com/x-13955-Kansas-City-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Using-the-right-flashcard-methods-to-develop-your-babys-mind
The Godfrey Method, http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Phonics improves brain function
Phonics improves the structure of the brain
A research team headed by scientists from the esteemed Yale School of Medicine announced in 2004 a particularly significant finding for children who have trouble learning to read. It was reported by Gilbert Zarate in the Brownsville Herald: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/opinions_more.php?id=61072_0_11_0_C
The focus of this study, as much of the writing on this topic, is on how to assist struggling readers. While struggling readers show us what the critical issues are, children who are not struggling will be able to learn much more, much quicker, if they are also given exposure to the best teaching practices. Unfortunately, as is commonly the case, teachers leave good students to fend for themselves on the mistaken assumption that they don’t need help. Mom and Dad can and should do things at home to enhance their child’s learning and intelligence.
In the words of the reporter:
“The study reported that the brain function of poor readers actually changes to resemble the brain function of “good” readers when they have been taught to read through instruction that is direct, systematic, and focuses on the sounds and letters that make up words, the meanings of words, and helping children read accurately and quickly.
Using functional MRI scanners, researchers were able to document that effective reading instruction not only improves reading ability but actually changes the brain’s functioning so children can read more efficiently. These struggling readers were taught to read using a comprehensive reading program that focused on systematically teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary and spelling and, as a result, formed new and lasting neurological connections and pathways in parts of their brain that regulate reading ability.
We know that almost every child in America — whatever race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level — can become a strong and confident reader when taught through a comprehensive approach grounded in systematic, research-based instruction. And we know that scientifically based reading instruction can be successfully implemented in all schools — whether urban, suburban, or rural.
Unfortunately, the reality today is that nearly 40 percent of fourth-grade students are unable to read at grade level. While many policymakers, educators and parents are enthusiastic about teaching children to read, not all schools and school districts are implementing instruction grounded in scientific approaches that have been proven to increase reading skills. Despite what we know works, not all schools have put in place carefully developed, comprehensive reading programs that include research-proven instructional practices. This is a travesty.
We know that reading instruction for struggling readers must be explicit, systematic, and allow sufficient time for student learning. We also know that the reading curriculum should include the five critical components that are fundamental to learning to read — phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.”
So if the scientific evidence strongly proves that phonics instruction re-maps the brain for the better, why does the educational establishment, for the most part, continue to ignore the data and teach ineffective reading (and math) methods? Part of the answer may be found in the lobbying and monetary influence of textbook publishers, who follow fads for personal gain rather than true research results. Part of the answer may be found in the egos of some educational people pushing their own theories and agendas. Part of the answer can be found in the inertia and ennui of large government entities, schools, to resist change.
Whatever the factors, it is clear that parents must not let their gifted children be left to fend for themselves in school. Parents can follow the best practices of phonics reading instruction (and math instruction) with their children at home to ensure a great foundation for success.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
A research team headed by scientists from the esteemed Yale School of Medicine announced in 2004 a particularly significant finding for children who have trouble learning to read. It was reported by Gilbert Zarate in the Brownsville Herald: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/opinions_more.php?id=61072_0_11_0_C
The focus of this study, as much of the writing on this topic, is on how to assist struggling readers. While struggling readers show us what the critical issues are, children who are not struggling will be able to learn much more, much quicker, if they are also given exposure to the best teaching practices. Unfortunately, as is commonly the case, teachers leave good students to fend for themselves on the mistaken assumption that they don’t need help. Mom and Dad can and should do things at home to enhance their child’s learning and intelligence.
In the words of the reporter:
“The study reported that the brain function of poor readers actually changes to resemble the brain function of “good” readers when they have been taught to read through instruction that is direct, systematic, and focuses on the sounds and letters that make up words, the meanings of words, and helping children read accurately and quickly.
Using functional MRI scanners, researchers were able to document that effective reading instruction not only improves reading ability but actually changes the brain’s functioning so children can read more efficiently. These struggling readers were taught to read using a comprehensive reading program that focused on systematically teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary and spelling and, as a result, formed new and lasting neurological connections and pathways in parts of their brain that regulate reading ability.
We know that almost every child in America — whatever race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level — can become a strong and confident reader when taught through a comprehensive approach grounded in systematic, research-based instruction. And we know that scientifically based reading instruction can be successfully implemented in all schools — whether urban, suburban, or rural.
Unfortunately, the reality today is that nearly 40 percent of fourth-grade students are unable to read at grade level. While many policymakers, educators and parents are enthusiastic about teaching children to read, not all schools and school districts are implementing instruction grounded in scientific approaches that have been proven to increase reading skills. Despite what we know works, not all schools have put in place carefully developed, comprehensive reading programs that include research-proven instructional practices. This is a travesty.
We know that reading instruction for struggling readers must be explicit, systematic, and allow sufficient time for student learning. We also know that the reading curriculum should include the five critical components that are fundamental to learning to read — phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.”
So if the scientific evidence strongly proves that phonics instruction re-maps the brain for the better, why does the educational establishment, for the most part, continue to ignore the data and teach ineffective reading (and math) methods? Part of the answer may be found in the lobbying and monetary influence of textbook publishers, who follow fads for personal gain rather than true research results. Part of the answer may be found in the egos of some educational people pushing their own theories and agendas. Part of the answer can be found in the inertia and ennui of large government entities, schools, to resist change.
Whatever the factors, it is clear that parents must not let their gifted children be left to fend for themselves in school. Parents can follow the best practices of phonics reading instruction (and math instruction) with their children at home to ensure a great foundation for success.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Monday, February 15, 2010
Depression and gifted teenagers
The ennui and depression of gifted teenagers – why talk about a dark subject in relation to giftedness? The number one demographic of suicide is 17-year-old males with high Intelligence Quotients (IQ). Being forewarned is being fore-armed, and parents of gifted teens need awareness, hope, and help to deal with this subject.
Some gifted people actually think themselves out of existence. They ponder the purpose of life more deeply than most and can reach a sort of hopelessness about it. My father did that. Lucky for me, he made it to age 48 first, but he was depressed off and on his whole life. I'm grateful for the extra 3 decades with him.
Teen years are a very self-absorbed time, yet even bright teens can lack the ability to project cause and effect or consequences properly. Science has shown that the chemistry of the human brain, especially in the frontal lobe, changes after about age 18. Therefore, even smart teens can err in their ideas of the future.
Teens feel their emotions very intensely, and being gifted can magnify this. They don’t realize that a lost love or university choice is not the end of the world. They can’t project the future properly.
One of the best medicines against this deep angst is to help our teens serve others. I tell my son to use his brain to do good in this world and make it a better place. The mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health of children is important, and learning to volunteer in a greater cause is important in developing a well-rounded person.
The ennui and depression of gifted teens is an important subject so that parents and educators can be aware of this problem and help teens see other possibilities and solutions to their problems.
Sometimes gifted teens are depressed because they can’t find other teens like them. They are so smart that no one gets their jokes or humor. They think on a deeper level than the materialism focused on by other teens. Often they get along with adults better than their peers who don’t understand them. They can be depressed because they’re lonely.
One of my sons understood the world from a more adult point of view, so all the adults in his environ loved him. But his social skills with kids his own age weren’t good. He was never able to talk on as shallow a level as was required to hang with the other boys and be cool. Luckily, he hung on until time helped him grow up. In high school and later as an adult, he found more people who thought like he did and could discuss something a little more interesting than the latest stuff they bought or the latest sports team. He also found girls who could talk about something deeper than who did their nails and where they bought those cute shoes – ugh!
A great place to find socialization for gifted teens is from the MENSA society. They will find others who get their jokes and think like they do. Children are always welcome at all MENSA activities. There is a national special interest group (SIG) for teens, and a Brightkids email resource for other ages. For more information, contact the Gifted Children Coordinator at giftedchildcoord@mamensa.org
Sometimes gifted teens are depressed from a sort of arrogance about themselves compared to others around them. They know they can out-think their peers (and many adults), and have impatience with others. (Studies show that intelligent people can make the worst bosses when they won’t listen to any other point of view.)
Along with this arrogance can come a hopelessness about the state of the world and a reason for being.
The interesting thing about teen depression is that it is interspersed with moments of fun joviality, masking the true underlying feelings. Teens can go to a party and have a great time, then come home and feel the depression creep back in. Parents and Educators need to be aware that a depressed teen has moments of looking like a happy teen. All the symptoms of depression need to be viewed together to see a pattern of depression.
With one of my sons, depression was manifest as anger. He would rage at the simplest annoyances. He was angry that the world wasn’t his idea of perfect. When he started verbally spiraling downward into more and more negative self-talk, I realized he needed professional help. He was headed for suicide. This intervention probably saved his life.
Parents of gifted teens should make sure that they know what resources are out there to help them when they can’t talk to mom or dad. One of the best places to find hotlines and help is at teen central. Go to http://www.teencentral.net/Help/ You can go to the home page and search any state. The website lists many different hotlines and agencies for teen help. There are places teens can call in a crisis to talk. There are resources for parents, too.
Each state has a 24-hour Crisis Hotline for abuse such as http://www.mocsa.org The Teen Connection Helpline for MO is at (913) 281-2299. Each state should have one.
And a great resource for boys and girls is the Boys Town, which can be reached 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. They have a free crisis hotline. Go to http://www.BoysTown.org for more information.
One way to help gifted teens out of depression or to avoid depression is to teach them gratitude. When we can be thankful for the gift of life and the gifts in our lives, large and small, we are happier. This also helps to keep the arrogance at bay, so that we can enjoy other people.
One day the realization hit me that being gifted is just that – a gift. I didn’t personally do anything to get a great memory and logic, it was given to me by God and nature. It may have been passed on to me from my parents, which was still a gift. I have nothing to be arrogant about because my giftedness wasn’t a personal accomplishment, just a gift.
What if my mother had taken antihistamines at the wrong time in pregnancy? What if oxygen had been deprived during my delivery? What if I had been dropped on my head as an infant? Then I wouldn’t be gifted, I would be handicapped. I learned gratitude for my gift and a realization that others had different types of gifts to be appreciated. I learned more patience, too.
Gratitude for the little things in life helps us and our gifted teens see the good and focus on the positive. It helps us understand what’s truly important and what isn’t. Gratitude can be developed and we can learn that the glass is more than “half-full” in our lives.
Creativity can also alleviate ennui and the blues. Encourage teens to be creative. A wonderful website for budding inventors and scientists in Boing Boing found at http://www.boingboing.net with lots of techno gadgets and ideas. They also publish a magazine called MAKE.
Enjoy!
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Some gifted people actually think themselves out of existence. They ponder the purpose of life more deeply than most and can reach a sort of hopelessness about it. My father did that. Lucky for me, he made it to age 48 first, but he was depressed off and on his whole life. I'm grateful for the extra 3 decades with him.
Teen years are a very self-absorbed time, yet even bright teens can lack the ability to project cause and effect or consequences properly. Science has shown that the chemistry of the human brain, especially in the frontal lobe, changes after about age 18. Therefore, even smart teens can err in their ideas of the future.
Teens feel their emotions very intensely, and being gifted can magnify this. They don’t realize that a lost love or university choice is not the end of the world. They can’t project the future properly.
One of the best medicines against this deep angst is to help our teens serve others. I tell my son to use his brain to do good in this world and make it a better place. The mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health of children is important, and learning to volunteer in a greater cause is important in developing a well-rounded person.
The ennui and depression of gifted teens is an important subject so that parents and educators can be aware of this problem and help teens see other possibilities and solutions to their problems.
Sometimes gifted teens are depressed because they can’t find other teens like them. They are so smart that no one gets their jokes or humor. They think on a deeper level than the materialism focused on by other teens. Often they get along with adults better than their peers who don’t understand them. They can be depressed because they’re lonely.
One of my sons understood the world from a more adult point of view, so all the adults in his environ loved him. But his social skills with kids his own age weren’t good. He was never able to talk on as shallow a level as was required to hang with the other boys and be cool. Luckily, he hung on until time helped him grow up. In high school and later as an adult, he found more people who thought like he did and could discuss something a little more interesting than the latest stuff they bought or the latest sports team. He also found girls who could talk about something deeper than who did their nails and where they bought those cute shoes – ugh!
A great place to find socialization for gifted teens is from the MENSA society. They will find others who get their jokes and think like they do. Children are always welcome at all MENSA activities. There is a national special interest group (SIG) for teens, and a Brightkids email resource for other ages. For more information, contact the Gifted Children Coordinator at giftedchildcoord@mamensa.org
Sometimes gifted teens are depressed from a sort of arrogance about themselves compared to others around them. They know they can out-think their peers (and many adults), and have impatience with others. (Studies show that intelligent people can make the worst bosses when they won’t listen to any other point of view.)
Along with this arrogance can come a hopelessness about the state of the world and a reason for being.
The interesting thing about teen depression is that it is interspersed with moments of fun joviality, masking the true underlying feelings. Teens can go to a party and have a great time, then come home and feel the depression creep back in. Parents and Educators need to be aware that a depressed teen has moments of looking like a happy teen. All the symptoms of depression need to be viewed together to see a pattern of depression.
With one of my sons, depression was manifest as anger. He would rage at the simplest annoyances. He was angry that the world wasn’t his idea of perfect. When he started verbally spiraling downward into more and more negative self-talk, I realized he needed professional help. He was headed for suicide. This intervention probably saved his life.
Parents of gifted teens should make sure that they know what resources are out there to help them when they can’t talk to mom or dad. One of the best places to find hotlines and help is at teen central. Go to http://www.teencentral.net/Help/ You can go to the home page and search any state. The website lists many different hotlines and agencies for teen help. There are places teens can call in a crisis to talk. There are resources for parents, too.
Each state has a 24-hour Crisis Hotline for abuse such as http://www.mocsa.org The Teen Connection Helpline for MO is at (913) 281-2299. Each state should have one.
And a great resource for boys and girls is the Boys Town, which can be reached 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. They have a free crisis hotline. Go to http://www.BoysTown.org for more information.
One way to help gifted teens out of depression or to avoid depression is to teach them gratitude. When we can be thankful for the gift of life and the gifts in our lives, large and small, we are happier. This also helps to keep the arrogance at bay, so that we can enjoy other people.
One day the realization hit me that being gifted is just that – a gift. I didn’t personally do anything to get a great memory and logic, it was given to me by God and nature. It may have been passed on to me from my parents, which was still a gift. I have nothing to be arrogant about because my giftedness wasn’t a personal accomplishment, just a gift.
What if my mother had taken antihistamines at the wrong time in pregnancy? What if oxygen had been deprived during my delivery? What if I had been dropped on my head as an infant? Then I wouldn’t be gifted, I would be handicapped. I learned gratitude for my gift and a realization that others had different types of gifts to be appreciated. I learned more patience, too.
Gratitude for the little things in life helps us and our gifted teens see the good and focus on the positive. It helps us understand what’s truly important and what isn’t. Gratitude can be developed and we can learn that the glass is more than “half-full” in our lives.
Creativity can also alleviate ennui and the blues. Encourage teens to be creative. A wonderful website for budding inventors and scientists in Boing Boing found at http://www.boingboing.net with lots of techno gadgets and ideas. They also publish a magazine called MAKE.
Enjoy!
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Open the world of opportunities for your child
You can give your child the world by opening up his or her possibilities in life with early reading the right way. Anything less borders on neglect.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Monday, January 18, 2010
Prevent dyslexia with easy phonics lesson plan and flash cards
What parent wouldn't want to prevent dyslexia? What parent wouldn't want to raise her child's IQ and increase his capacity to learn for life? What parent wouldn't want to improve her child's self-esteem and confidence in school? What parent wouldn't want to prepare his child for the workforce of the future?
What could help solve all these? Reading early the right way – the Godfrey Method – an innovative phonics system of unique picture-letters, the way for parents to teach them properly, and a colorful story that ties them all together, "A Pretty Girl Was Alpha Bette."
With the Godfrey Method, parents can and should teach their children to read before kindergarten, during that crucial learning window between the ages of 2-5 years old. Early reading by phonics increases a child’s IQ and capacity to learn for the rest of his/her life. Universal preschool is not the answer. The Godfrey Method is simple and effective – something mom and dad can do at home. And the child never forgets.
Parents can also prevent dyslexia. The Godfrey Method allows parents to start phonics younger than other methods – the key to preventing dyslexia. And prevention is much better than remediation.
If a baby can read by sight words now, s/he may have problems reading as an adult and stumble on unfamiliar words. The Godfrey Method teaches young children to read the right way, to easily decode new words by phonics.
Sight reading puts a child behind from the get-go. Phonics has been proven to wire a child’s brain properly for reading. And phonics is the only proven cure for dyslexia.
The Godfrey Method empowers parents to reverse the downward educational trend, put their children at the head of the class, and increase their children’s self-esteem. It helps give their children a foundation for the technology jobs of the future because reading is the core of everything else.
The Godfrey Method fits easily into any busy schedule, giving children the two most crucial things they need: parent time and reading skills. Young children learn best from their parents, who are the solution to our educational problems.
With the Godfrey Method, school children who are struggling come up to speed. Children who are doing fine learn faster and easier. It fixes the top ten wrong ways that schools and parents teach reading.
The benefits for parents~
Early reading develops a child’s imagination. When your child’s imagination is engaged, he is able to face tough things with a creative problem-solving ability. He will be able to think phenomenally well when the day comes that he has to make decisions without you. The tool for that is to open up his world to reading.
There are going to be problems and fights along the parenting way, so I want to tilt the scales in your favor, with your child looking back and saying, ‘I had a great life!’ because of the opportunities you opened up for him with reading early the right way.
When he has to make his own decisions in Jr. High, the magical bullet to get him through may be his ability to think and imagine possibilities, which starts with reading.
I want you to look back when your child is in college, knowing that you gave him what he needed to follow his dreams. You’ll think, ‘I wasn’t perfect, but I gave my child what he needed to be happy in life.’
At his college graduation, your 22-year-old son will be able to hug you and say, ‘Mom, thank you.’
Meg Whitman (former CEO of eBay and candidate for California governor) quote,
“We all hear reports of China and India becoming the next centers for technology and innovation. We’re running behind as a nation in engineering, science, math, and technology... Being near the bottom in education is a tragedy for our kids and a threat to our future. To restore our prosperity and do right by our children, we need to better educate them in the basics… to prepare them to excel in the workforce."
Friday, January 15, 2010
What are the universities teaching the teachers?
Why aren't all school districts using the scientifically-proven best methods for teaching math, reading, and music? The only method that works, at least on the elementary school level, is Direct Instruction. The only direct instruction reading method that works is phonics, not discovery, not whole language, not sight reading. Same with math and music, which have been affected by the same faulty theories as whole language.
So what is the cause of all these bad methods and models still in so many school systems? Well, for 30 years Project Follow through experimented on our school kids in a joint venture between the government and the university professors. Twenty-two teaching theories or models were taught at hundreds of schools for almost 30 years. After the first ten years it was obvious that only one of the models worked - Direct Instruction (with phonics for reading).
In spite of that, we carried on with this faulty experiment for two more decades. Many of the bad teaching models were legislated into state law for schools and are still in operation. This is why so many parents of junior high or middle school kids have to take their children to Sylvan Learning Centers (or similar) to fix what the elementary schools were forced to teach.
It all goes back to the universities. We will never turn around the US educational decline until the universities change what they are teaching the teachers to teach! Those failed models were the brain-children of PhD professors who made their careers off of them, got the backing of curriculum planners and textbook publishers, who all made lots of money together pushing the bad curriculae. And they don't give up their babies very easily, cannot afford to admit failure, and have recruited many followers from the ranks of inexperienced college students.
Thus, the useless theories continue to plague our schools. Some schools have re-caught the vision of phonics and direct instruction, and kudos to them. But many are still damaging our children's futures almost beyond repair. Parents have to take the initiative and fill in the gaps for their children.
Our educational demise will not turn around until the universities stop experimenting on our children and start teaching the teachers to teach the right stuff the right way. Pride prevents this from happening in too many universitites.
One good university is the University of Oregon, which sponsored the only model that worked, and worked well, in Project Follow Through - Direct Instruction by Siegfried Engelmann.
There are some math curriculae that use direct instruction also, such as “Saxon Math,” by John Saxon, available on www.Amazon.com - secondhand marketplace - and eBay. It's important to get the texts, tests and solution manuals of the same publish date, otherwise the problems and solutions don't match. Additionally, the earlier texts are better - more traditional in nature. Later texts sometimes have a bit of "investigating" in them. Just skip that.
Never use "reform" math texts such as Connected Math, Core-Plus, or Investigations in Number, Data, and Space.
Discovery or student-led inquiry may have a place in high school and college- after students have a solid foundation in math and reading (and music)- but never in elementary school, and probably not in middle school, either.
So, the schools can't fix their problems until the universities teach the teachers to teach the right stuff the right way. Then, truly no child will be left behind.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
So what is the cause of all these bad methods and models still in so many school systems? Well, for 30 years Project Follow through experimented on our school kids in a joint venture between the government and the university professors. Twenty-two teaching theories or models were taught at hundreds of schools for almost 30 years. After the first ten years it was obvious that only one of the models worked - Direct Instruction (with phonics for reading).
In spite of that, we carried on with this faulty experiment for two more decades. Many of the bad teaching models were legislated into state law for schools and are still in operation. This is why so many parents of junior high or middle school kids have to take their children to Sylvan Learning Centers (or similar) to fix what the elementary schools were forced to teach.
It all goes back to the universities. We will never turn around the US educational decline until the universities change what they are teaching the teachers to teach! Those failed models were the brain-children of PhD professors who made their careers off of them, got the backing of curriculum planners and textbook publishers, who all made lots of money together pushing the bad curriculae. And they don't give up their babies very easily, cannot afford to admit failure, and have recruited many followers from the ranks of inexperienced college students.
Thus, the useless theories continue to plague our schools. Some schools have re-caught the vision of phonics and direct instruction, and kudos to them. But many are still damaging our children's futures almost beyond repair. Parents have to take the initiative and fill in the gaps for their children.
Our educational demise will not turn around until the universities stop experimenting on our children and start teaching the teachers to teach the right stuff the right way. Pride prevents this from happening in too many universitites.
One good university is the University of Oregon, which sponsored the only model that worked, and worked well, in Project Follow Through - Direct Instruction by Siegfried Engelmann.
There are some math curriculae that use direct instruction also, such as “Saxon Math,” by John Saxon, available on www.Amazon.com - secondhand marketplace - and eBay. It's important to get the texts, tests and solution manuals of the same publish date, otherwise the problems and solutions don't match. Additionally, the earlier texts are better - more traditional in nature. Later texts sometimes have a bit of "investigating" in them. Just skip that.
Never use "reform" math texts such as Connected Math, Core-Plus, or Investigations in Number, Data, and Space.
Discovery or student-led inquiry may have a place in high school and college- after students have a solid foundation in math and reading (and music)- but never in elementary school, and probably not in middle school, either.
So, the schools can't fix their problems until the universities teach the teachers to teach the right stuff the right way. Then, truly no child will be left behind.
http://godfreymethod.com/default.aspx
Monday, January 11, 2010
Boost your child's imagination and IQ
Why should you teach your child to read before kindergarten with the Godfrey Method?
Early reading develops a child’s imagination. When your child’s imagination is engaged, he is able to face tough things with a creative problem-solving ability. He will be able to think phenomenally well when the day comes that he has to make decisions without you. The tool for that is to open up his world to reading.
There are going to be problems and fights along the parenting way, so I want to tilt the scales in your favor, with your child looking back and saying, ‘I had a great life!’ because of the opportunities you opened up for him with reading early the right way.
When he has to make his own decisions in Jr. High, the magical bullet to get him through may be his ability to think and imagine possibilities, which starts with reading.
I want you to look back when your child is in college, knowing that you gave him what he needed to follow his dreams. You’ll think, ‘I wasn’t perfect, but I gave my child what he needed to be happy in life.’
At his college graduation, your 22-year-old son will be able to hug you and say, ‘Mom, thank you.’
Meg Whitman (former CEO of eBay and candidate for California governor) quote,
“We all hear reports of China and India becoming the next centers for technology and innovation. We’re running behind as a nation in engineering, science, math, and technology... Being near the bottom in education is a tragedy for our kids and a threat to our future. To restore our prosperity and do right by our children, we need to better educate them in the basics… to prepare them to excel in the workforce."
Early reading develops a child’s imagination. When your child’s imagination is engaged, he is able to face tough things with a creative problem-solving ability. He will be able to think phenomenally well when the day comes that he has to make decisions without you. The tool for that is to open up his world to reading.
There are going to be problems and fights along the parenting way, so I want to tilt the scales in your favor, with your child looking back and saying, ‘I had a great life!’ because of the opportunities you opened up for him with reading early the right way.
When he has to make his own decisions in Jr. High, the magical bullet to get him through may be his ability to think and imagine possibilities, which starts with reading.
I want you to look back when your child is in college, knowing that you gave him what he needed to follow his dreams. You’ll think, ‘I wasn’t perfect, but I gave my child what he needed to be happy in life.’
At his college graduation, your 22-year-old son will be able to hug you and say, ‘Mom, thank you.’
Meg Whitman (former CEO of eBay and candidate for California governor) quote,
“We all hear reports of China and India becoming the next centers for technology and innovation. We’re running behind as a nation in engineering, science, math, and technology... Being near the bottom in education is a tragedy for our kids and a threat to our future. To restore our prosperity and do right by our children, we need to better educate them in the basics… to prepare them to excel in the workforce."
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Show your child how fingers are an abacus - fingermath!
Did you know that the abacus developed from the practice of ancient fingermath? Usually teachers discourage students from counting on their fingers, but this is very different. Like an abacus, the right hand represents the ones place and the left hand represents the tens place.
There is a wonderful book, The Complete Book of Fingermath by Edwin M. Lieberthal (1983), that shows parents and children how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide very quickly with their fingers.
Fingermath works for any age group, from preschool to high school and is very effective. Patterns, spatial relationships and time are the foundations of understanding math. Fingermath helps to build such numerical patterns and relationships in the mind, so that what’s on paper makes more sense, quicker. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fingermath-Simple-Accurate-Scientific/dp/0070376808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249156659&sr=8-1
Any child can become more gifted in math by learning the fingermath method. Purposeful parents would do well to give it a try as early as possible. They should also use every opportunity possible to help their children make patterns and sort things. Music is another great way for children to learn spatial timing, which brain neuron mapping enhances mathematics as well. Counting money supports number patterning as well.
A website with free printable math worksheets is www.edhelper.com
There is a wonderful book, The Complete Book of Fingermath by Edwin M. Lieberthal (1983), that shows parents and children how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide very quickly with their fingers.
Fingermath works for any age group, from preschool to high school and is very effective. Patterns, spatial relationships and time are the foundations of understanding math. Fingermath helps to build such numerical patterns and relationships in the mind, so that what’s on paper makes more sense, quicker. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fingermath-Simple-Accurate-Scientific/dp/0070376808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249156659&sr=8-1
Any child can become more gifted in math by learning the fingermath method. Purposeful parents would do well to give it a try as early as possible. They should also use every opportunity possible to help their children make patterns and sort things. Music is another great way for children to learn spatial timing, which brain neuron mapping enhances mathematics as well. Counting money supports number patterning as well.
A website with free printable math worksheets is www.edhelper.com
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