Learning Styles

Reading a great book by Don Blackerby PhD. It is called Rediscover the Joy of Learning. It is a relatively short book published in 1996 but is well worth the time if you have a child with learning problems. The book has easily understood strategies for assisting students who have a variety of learning “disabilities” and/or adhd related symptoms.
Dr. Blackerby says that the common wisdom of teaching to a student’s learning style is erroneous as it becomes a limiting factor to a child’s ability to do the necessary academic work he or she needs to succeed. He says that children must be taught to learn the specific learning styles necessary to fit the course they are participating in. Further more, he goes on to present specific ways to use the mind’s ability to visualize as the key to learning to store information and retrieve it easily. I have tried two of these strategies already and have noticed that they do increase memory skills enormously.
I encourage all to get the book and try the ideas proposed for yourself and your children. You’ll be glad you did.

Boring Class

I went to an all day work shop today and was really disappointed by the lack of creativity shown by the presenters. These folks were very knowledgeable about their topic but they used a teaching model that bores most people to death. I am constantly astounded that presenters of great information have such restricted models of how to present that information.
A European psychiatrist figured out that going to school can actually create a neurosis about formal learning and he was so right. There are are so many great, entertaining, and fun ways to learn today and there is a small but growing group of professional trainers who are getting it. They use something called accelerated learning techniques. For folks with ADD/ADHD, finding an instructor who uses all of the sensory systems when they teach is GOLD! In future posts, I will be talking more about the subject of accelerated learning and ideas that underpin it.

What is ADD or ADHD?

For the purposes of brevity, the term ADD will be used to cover the symptoms of a disorder that affects focus/concentration abilities; impulse control; goal setting; ability to finish goals or projects; and hyperactive behavior. This disorder is caused by diagnosable brain conditions and is frequently accompanied by depression and/or anxiety problems. ADD can be recognized by a long history of the above symptoms starting in childhood and extending to the present.

Many people have questioned whether or not ADD is real.  Technology has caught up with the question and the answer is yes, ADD with or without hyperactivity, is a real brain condition observable in brain scan studies.  This 3 minute video, by Dr. Gerald Chodak, provides a basis for understanding this documented disorder.