Have you noticed that when you exercise every day your muscles get stronger? The same is true for your brain.
Repetition is vital for helping your child’s brain grow from “single, rutted pathways” into powerful neural “super-highways.”
Your child’s brain instinctively understands this. Does she ask you to read the same book over and over (and over) again? Has she heard it so many times, she can “read” it by herself? This is good! Repeatedly reading the same book to your child helps her brain grow.
Multiple exposures benefit your child’s brain and improve her school experience. When you review a concept that's been tough for your kid you're being "brain-friendly." Just a quick review for a few minutes every day rewires and strengthens your child’s ability to rapidly and accurately recall valuable information. So, spend a few minutes each day reviewing those multiplication facts, the seven continents, the difference between an adjective and an adverb, or whatever it is your child is struggling to learn.
This is the bottom line: Your child needs daily review to grow skills deeply. Give his brain what it needs—lots of repetition through daily practice. This is the only way to build the strong “muscle” he must have to succeed in school.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Why Automaticity Matters for Reading
Jonah Lehrer has a wonderful new book out, How Do we Decide? (2009). It's about how the brain makes decisions.
As always, I'm reading the brain research that Lehrer so entertainingly describes and wondering, "So, what's this mean for kids learning to read?"
Lehrer describes many decision makers--from quarterbacks to pilots, from Mother Theresa to poker players. Yet, since they are all experts, they share the ability to make rapid, gut-level decisions. Lehrer argues that experts act instinctively, making deliberate thought impossible. He soesn't say it, but this is automaticity. Experts, he explains, can hone in on the most salient points of what they are observing and make quick, accurate decisions.
Building expertise in reading is no different. This is why we adults must help children build foundational reading skills to an automatic level. Good readers do not think about the words on the page. Good readers have practiced to the point that they can rapidly and effortlessly discern words. Consequenlty, "thinking space" is freed up, and this allows a good reader to focus on what the words mean, rather than what they say. It is ridiculous to ask kids to remember lots of rules when they are trying to learn to read. They must automate many, many words, so, over time, with lots of practice, they can become experts readers.
Then, whether they become quarterbacks or missionaries, our children will process ideas in their reading and come to rapid, accurate conclusions, decisons and greater ideas.
Your child can learn to read. Your child may simply need more practice before he or she can become automated with print. Don't give up on your child.
As always, I'm reading the brain research that Lehrer so entertainingly describes and wondering, "So, what's this mean for kids learning to read?"
Lehrer describes many decision makers--from quarterbacks to pilots, from Mother Theresa to poker players. Yet, since they are all experts, they share the ability to make rapid, gut-level decisions. Lehrer argues that experts act instinctively, making deliberate thought impossible. He soesn't say it, but this is automaticity. Experts, he explains, can hone in on the most salient points of what they are observing and make quick, accurate decisions.
Building expertise in reading is no different. This is why we adults must help children build foundational reading skills to an automatic level. Good readers do not think about the words on the page. Good readers have practiced to the point that they can rapidly and effortlessly discern words. Consequenlty, "thinking space" is freed up, and this allows a good reader to focus on what the words mean, rather than what they say. It is ridiculous to ask kids to remember lots of rules when they are trying to learn to read. They must automate many, many words, so, over time, with lots of practice, they can become experts readers.
Then, whether they become quarterbacks or missionaries, our children will process ideas in their reading and come to rapid, accurate conclusions, decisons and greater ideas.
Your child can learn to read. Your child may simply need more practice before he or she can become automated with print. Don't give up on your child.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Choose the Best Books for Your Child
Did you read Bridget's blog - Summer Brain Mush? (See previous entry.) If so, you've already been to the library, and now your child has some wonderful books to read. You have a kid-friendly system set up - points or stars towards a trip to the swimming pool or an ice cream cone after she reads for 150 or 2oo minutes. So far, so good!
Is it good? Is your child enjoying reading her books every day?
If not, try this: choose some books at your child's independent reading level. (Most parents tend to pick books at their children's current grade-level. For choppy or struggling readers, that level is usually too high and is too much work for their children's brains - their kids soon begin to avoid and even hate reading!)
It's easy to figure out your kid's independent reading level. Have your child read a paragraph out loud from a book and count her reading errors. If she makes less than 2 mistakes per 20 words, that book's a keeper.
Research shows that the more words your kid reads, the faster her skills grow.
One summer, my son read tons of Garfield books. I'll admit it; I really, really wished he was reading Tom Sawyer (abridged) or Chronicles of Narnia. "But thank goodness, he is reading," I thought. Finally, he got bored with Garfield, and his next book was a computer programming book.
So help your child avoid the Summer Reading Brain Mush. Help her grow reading skills during the dog-days of summer. Whether it's Garfield, Dr. Seuss, or American Girls, pick books that her brain will be happy to read. She will read more words, and she will probably read for more minutes. Pretty soon she'll have enough points to go to the swimming pool and eat ice cream afterward!
Is it good? Is your child enjoying reading her books every day?
If not, try this: choose some books at your child's independent reading level. (Most parents tend to pick books at their children's current grade-level. For choppy or struggling readers, that level is usually too high and is too much work for their children's brains - their kids soon begin to avoid and even hate reading!)
It's easy to figure out your kid's independent reading level. Have your child read a paragraph out loud from a book and count her reading errors. If she makes less than 2 mistakes per 20 words, that book's a keeper.
Research shows that the more words your kid reads, the faster her skills grow.
One summer, my son read tons of Garfield books. I'll admit it; I really, really wished he was reading Tom Sawyer (abridged) or Chronicles of Narnia. "But thank goodness, he is reading," I thought. Finally, he got bored with Garfield, and his next book was a computer programming book.
So help your child avoid the Summer Reading Brain Mush. Help her grow reading skills during the dog-days of summer. Whether it's Garfield, Dr. Seuss, or American Girls, pick books that her brain will be happy to read. She will read more words, and she will probably read for more minutes. Pretty soon she'll have enough points to go to the swimming pool and eat ice cream afterward!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Innoculate Your Child Against Summer Brain Mush
It’s epidemic—but not discussed. It’s more than an elephant in the room; it’s like an elephant in the coat closet... with you. Summer Brain Mush. Over the summer, children are no longer reading and writing. Math is more deeply buried than your kids’ school clothes. (Perhaps, it’s hiding under the elephant in that closet?) While not very scientific sounding, this condition can be confirmed by every teacher.
What causes Summer Brain Mush? Inconsistent practice. Our brains grow best when we practice skills consistently. Taking three months off from practicing key academic skills tells our brains these skills aren’t really needed. A serious athlete would never dream of taking this much time off from training.
How do you inoculate your children from Summer Brain Mush?
1. Have them read at least a half hour a day for early elementary and an hour a day for your older kids.
2. Have them write for ten minutes each day in a journal.
3. Finally, pick up a math workbook at a school supply store or from Amazon.com, and work a page each day.
Am I crazy? No. While this prescription won’t go down easily at first, it is brain friendly, and it doesn't involve any needles. Over time, your children will grow used to the routine. Doing this brief daily review first thing in the morning has worked well for my clients and for me.
Do my kids really do this? Yes. We take a week off from this schedule here and there, but for the majority of the summer my kids follow this routine. Come the start of each school year, while other kids are afoul in Summer Brain Mush symptoms like monosyllabic utterances and forgetting most of the math they learned last school year, my kids are ready to soak up new material.
Are my kids smarter than yours? Gosh, no. Their classroom teachers think they’re brilliant, but that’s just because they have been frequently practicing key skills over the summer. State and national tests show top scores. But, that’s only because I inoculate them against Summer Brain Mush. If you inoculate, your children's brains will also be sharp and ready this fall.
What causes Summer Brain Mush? Inconsistent practice. Our brains grow best when we practice skills consistently. Taking three months off from practicing key academic skills tells our brains these skills aren’t really needed. A serious athlete would never dream of taking this much time off from training.
How do you inoculate your children from Summer Brain Mush?
1. Have them read at least a half hour a day for early elementary and an hour a day for your older kids.
2. Have them write for ten minutes each day in a journal.
3. Finally, pick up a math workbook at a school supply store or from Amazon.com, and work a page each day.
Am I crazy? No. While this prescription won’t go down easily at first, it is brain friendly, and it doesn't involve any needles. Over time, your children will grow used to the routine. Doing this brief daily review first thing in the morning has worked well for my clients and for me.
Do my kids really do this? Yes. We take a week off from this schedule here and there, but for the majority of the summer my kids follow this routine. Come the start of each school year, while other kids are afoul in Summer Brain Mush symptoms like monosyllabic utterances and forgetting most of the math they learned last school year, my kids are ready to soak up new material.
Are my kids smarter than yours? Gosh, no. Their classroom teachers think they’re brilliant, but that’s just because they have been frequently practicing key skills over the summer. State and national tests show top scores. But, that’s only because I inoculate them against Summer Brain Mush. If you inoculate, your children's brains will also be sharp and ready this fall.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A Mom's Effort
When I first met Steve, a 9th grade student, his hair covered his eyes completely. His favorite answer to any question was, "Ah don't know," with a slight shoulder shrug. His mother was beside herself because Steve did not like to read. Worse than that - he could not write one coherent sentence. For him, writing a paragraph was torture. It was worse than thinking!
In assessing Steve, I discovered that he was smart, but he also had a poor working memory of only 3 items, s-l-o-w handwriting and processing (thinking-recall) speeds, and he read at a 6th grade level. He had a significant 3-year gap to contend with every day in school.
Steve usually told Mom that he completed his homework during lunch or on the bus ride home. Truth was that he rarely completed homework, and his grades were usually F's and D's.
After my assessment, Mom began to play WowzaBrain Games with Steve every day for 30 minutes. She focused on improving his working memory and handwriting and processing speeds.
After a few weeks of daily practice, Steve was able to rapidly (and legibly) write all the alphabet letters, correctly spell 100 words that make up 50% of all print, and remember 5 items. So far so good.
Mom began a fifteen-minute-a-day practice of timed paragraph readings and quick-writes. After 20 weeks, Steve learned how to express himself in sentences, and then paragraphs. His reading skills improved to grade level.
Last week, Steve wrote a six-page final research paper in American History. It was typed, well-written, and on-time. The teacher was pleased with the content. Mom was thrilled because Steve wrote it, and handed it in, by himself.
I am thrilled because now Steve's hair is not covering his eyes. And when I ask him a question, he has a lot to say!
In assessing Steve, I discovered that he was smart, but he also had a poor working memory of only 3 items, s-l-o-w handwriting and processing (thinking-recall) speeds, and he read at a 6th grade level. He had a significant 3-year gap to contend with every day in school.
Steve usually told Mom that he completed his homework during lunch or on the bus ride home. Truth was that he rarely completed homework, and his grades were usually F's and D's.
After my assessment, Mom began to play WowzaBrain Games with Steve every day for 30 minutes. She focused on improving his working memory and handwriting and processing speeds.
After a few weeks of daily practice, Steve was able to rapidly (and legibly) write all the alphabet letters, correctly spell 100 words that make up 50% of all print, and remember 5 items. So far so good.
Mom began a fifteen-minute-a-day practice of timed paragraph readings and quick-writes. After 20 weeks, Steve learned how to express himself in sentences, and then paragraphs. His reading skills improved to grade level.
Last week, Steve wrote a six-page final research paper in American History. It was typed, well-written, and on-time. The teacher was pleased with the content. Mom was thrilled because Steve wrote it, and handed it in, by himself.
I am thrilled because now Steve's hair is not covering his eyes. And when I ask him a question, he has a lot to say!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Every kid's "Island of Competency"
Every kid needs an "Island of competency," and I'm not talking about being an expert in video games or at Wii Guitar Hero.
It is important for a child, especially one who struggles in reading or in school, to develop an area of passion and success - such as doing karate, swimming, football, or playing the piano. It's good for his brain, for his self-esteem, and his love of living. Having an Island of Competency makes getting up in the morning worthwhile.
As one child put it, "I am working on reading and am getting better. But I am great at soccer!" No matter how much shame he might feel during his daily reading group (and believe me, he feels shame), a special skill or talent helps your child have something to look forward to at the end of a school day.
Unfortunately, many teachers, principals, and even parents believe that a child should "earn" being in a sport. Many kids are made to stay in during recess, pulled from gym or art classes, and not allowed to attend karate class until they get all their homework done.
This is not brain-friendly.
Here's what is brain-friendly:
1. Make sure that your younger elementary-aged child has recess every day. It's important for his brain to have "down" time and "fun" time during the school day.
2. Homework should take no more than 30 minutes per night for primary elementary kids, 60 minutes for older elementary-ages, 90-120 minutes for middle school kids, and 120-180 minutes for high schoolers.
If you and your young kid are spending hours every night, struggling to do homework, something is wrong. He needs to be tested by the school for potential gaps in his learning. Maybe it is in reading, or math, working memory or processing speeds. Truth is, he needs to spend some time every day just being a kid. It is what helps his brain to be happy and therefore, to grow.
3. Finally, help your child check out different activities, and see what his brain latches on to. Maybe it's playing the drums. (Get yourself earplugs!) Support him in practicing and developing his "Island of competency."
All of life is not just the 3 r's, reading, writing and 'rithmatic. It's also cheering for him when he scores a goal, draws a Star Trek picture, or beats you at tennis!
It is important for a child, especially one who struggles in reading or in school, to develop an area of passion and success - such as doing karate, swimming, football, or playing the piano. It's good for his brain, for his self-esteem, and his love of living. Having an Island of Competency makes getting up in the morning worthwhile.
As one child put it, "I am working on reading and am getting better. But I am great at soccer!" No matter how much shame he might feel during his daily reading group (and believe me, he feels shame), a special skill or talent helps your child have something to look forward to at the end of a school day.
Unfortunately, many teachers, principals, and even parents believe that a child should "earn" being in a sport. Many kids are made to stay in during recess, pulled from gym or art classes, and not allowed to attend karate class until they get all their homework done.
This is not brain-friendly.
Here's what is brain-friendly:
1. Make sure that your younger elementary-aged child has recess every day. It's important for his brain to have "down" time and "fun" time during the school day.
2. Homework should take no more than 30 minutes per night for primary elementary kids, 60 minutes for older elementary-ages, 90-120 minutes for middle school kids, and 120-180 minutes for high schoolers.
If you and your young kid are spending hours every night, struggling to do homework, something is wrong. He needs to be tested by the school for potential gaps in his learning. Maybe it is in reading, or math, working memory or processing speeds. Truth is, he needs to spend some time every day just being a kid. It is what helps his brain to be happy and therefore, to grow.
3. Finally, help your child check out different activities, and see what his brain latches on to. Maybe it's playing the drums. (Get yourself earplugs!) Support him in practicing and developing his "Island of competency."
All of life is not just the 3 r's, reading, writing and 'rithmatic. It's also cheering for him when he scores a goal, draws a Star Trek picture, or beats you at tennis!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Designer Drugs
“Designer drugs,” “neuroenhancing” drugs, “cognitive enhancers” and “smart drugs”: these are some of the terms being used to describe the use of stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin to boost cognitive performance. These stimulants are normally used for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), but college students and professionals such as journalists are now using them to boost their school and work performance.
In her April 27, 2009 article for The New Yorker magazine "Brain Gain;The underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs," reporter Margret Talbot says, “College campuses have become laboratories for experimentation.”
But the big unknown is what the long term costs to the brain will be. These are amphetamine-like drugs. These drugs are known to be addictive, cause weight loss and interfere with sleep, among other side effects.
As parents, it is important for us to be aware that more and more people think this ”steroids-for-the-brain” approach is the way to get ahead. So, please talk to your children about their brain health. If you don’t, all they have to listen to is their peers. (Now, isn’t that a scary thought?)
You can read the article at:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot?yrail
And, you can find out more by listening to Teri Gross’s interview of Margaret Talbot at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103274576&sc=emaf
In her April 27, 2009 article for The New Yorker magazine "Brain Gain;The underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs," reporter Margret Talbot says, “College campuses have become laboratories for experimentation.”
But the big unknown is what the long term costs to the brain will be. These are amphetamine-like drugs. These drugs are known to be addictive, cause weight loss and interfere with sleep, among other side effects.
As parents, it is important for us to be aware that more and more people think this ”steroids-for-the-brain” approach is the way to get ahead. So, please talk to your children about their brain health. If you don’t, all they have to listen to is their peers. (Now, isn’t that a scary thought?)
You can read the article at:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot?yrail
And, you can find out more by listening to Teri Gross’s interview of Margaret Talbot at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103274576&sc=emaf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
